Beriev A-50 – Foto's en video's

De Beriev A-50 (NAVO-rapportagenaam: Mainstay) is een Sovjet vliegtuig voor vroegtijdige waarschuwing en controle in de lucht (AEW&C) gebaseerd op het Ilyushin Il-76 transport. Ontwikkeld om de Tupolev Tu-126 "Moss" te vervangen, vloog de A-50 voor het eerst in 1978. Het bestaan ervan werd in 1980 aan het Westblok onthuld door Adolf Tolkachev. Het kwam in dienst in 1984, met ongeveer 40 geproduceerd in 1992.

Bron: Beriev A-50 op Wiki

The Beriev A-50 is a Soviet airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft that was developed in the late 1970s and entered service in 1985. It is based on the Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft and features a large rotodome on top of the fuselage that houses a powerful radar system capable of detecting and tracking air and ground targets at long ranges. The A-50 can also direct fighter jets and missile systems to engage enemy threats. The A-50 has a crew of 15 to 16 people and can fly for up to four hours with a range of 1,000 kilometers. It can be refueled in mid-air by Il-78 tankers.
The A-50 was designed to replace the older Tupolev Tu-126 “Moss” AEW&C aircraft that had been in service since 1965. The A-50’s existence was revealed to the Western Bloc in 1980 by Adolf Tolkachev, a Soviet engineer who spied for the CIA. The NATO reporting name for the A-50 is “Mainstay”. About 40 A-50s were produced by 1992, and some of them have been upgraded to the A-50U version with modern digital avionics and improved radar performance. The A-50U forms the basis for the new Beriev A-100 AEW&C aircraft that is expected to replace the A-50 in the future.
The A-50 has been used by the Russian Air Force and the Indian Air Force for surveillance and command missions. In 2019, a Russian A-50 allegedly violated South Korean airspace, triggering warning shots from South Korean fighter jets. In 2023, a Belarusian A-50 stationed at Machulishchy Air Base was attacked by small commercial drones launched by the Belarusian opposition.