A-50 U "Endangered AWACS"

The Beriev A-50 is a Soviet-origin airborne early warning and control aircraft that is based on the Ilyushin Il-76 transport plane. Developed to replace the Tupolev Tu-126 "Moss", the A-50 first flew in 1978. Its existence was revealed to the Western Bloc in 1978 by Adolf Tolkachev. It entered service in 1985, with about 40 produced by 1992.
Development work on a modernized version, the A-50U, began in 2003; state tests started on 10 September 2008, using a Russian Air Force A-50 "37 Red" as a prototype. It replaces analog avionics with a new digital avionics suite, made by NPO Vega, that speeds data processing and improves signal tracking and target detection. Crew rest, toilet and galley facilities are also included in the upgrade.

After completing the joint state tests, Beriev delivered the first A-50U to the Russian Air Force. The aircraft, "47 Red", RF-92957, was handed over at Beriev's facility in Taganrog on 31 October 2011. It was accepted by an aircrew serving with the 2457th Aviation Base for Combat Operation of Airborne Early Warning Aircraft (Aviabaza Boevogo Primeneniya Samolyotov Dal'nego Radiolokatsionnogo Obnaruzheniya) at Ivanovo Severny, which is the only base using the A-50 operationally (it operates 16 aircraft). The fourth A-50U, "41 Taganrog", was delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces on 7 March 2017. The fifth A-50U, "45 Red", was delivered on 6 December 2018. Eight A-50U aircraft have been delivered as of September 2023.

The A-50U upgrade forms the basis of the concept for Beriev A-100. Its configuration will be similar, but with a new Vega Premier active electronically scanned array radar.

It has been announced by Rostec that production of the A-50U will restart in 2024. However, it is likely that production resumption will be delayed for a few years

Ukrainian forces claimed to have shot down an A-50 over the Sea of Azov on 14 January 2024 while it was on duty in the Kyrylivka area. The A-50 reportedly disappeared from radar and stopped responding to requests from tactical aviation. Later several Western and Ukrainian sources reported that the pilot of a Su-30 aircraft of the Russian Air Force detected the fire and crash of an unidentified aircraft in the area, presumably the A-50. Forbes journalist David Axe cited one analyst who claimed that Ukrainian Air Force first disabled Russian radars across Crimea, causing the Russians to reestablish radar coverage there by moving their A-50 north to near Berdyansk thus within range of a Ukrainian SAM battery. This claimed downing of an A-50 was further claimed to leave the Russian air force with just two serviceable A-50s. As of 15 January 2024, the Kremlin had neither confirmed nor denied the downing of an A-50.

On 23 February 2024, Ukrainian official sources claimed the downing of a second A-50U aircraft, over Krasnodar Krai, at 18:44 Ukraine local time. Ukrainian armed forces claim to have used a long-range S-200 system to shoot down the A-50 in the evening of 23 February over the Sea of Azov. According to Ukrainian sources, 10 Russians were killed on the plane, including five majors. According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine February 2024 was its "greatest results in downing russian jets since October 2022" since they claimed to have also shot down this month ten Su-34 and two Su-35. Also, the Taganrog Beriev Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex where the A-50 is repaired suffered damage overnight from March 8-March 9, 2024, possibly from a Ukrainian drone strike.