After three aircraft destroyed by Ukraine, Russia is gradually reinforcing its AEW&C fleet with the addition of a new A-50U.
An image emerged on May 31, 2026, appears to show a new Russian A-50U Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) being delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces. First published by the Fighter-Bomber Telegram channel, which has links to many frontline RuAF units, the post said: “Another upgraded and modernized A-50U has been handed over to the military.”
The delivery marks the culmination of painstaking efforts started by Moscow long before the war in Ukraine to make up for its admitted weakness in the airborne radar capability. This was initially caused by industrial issues owing to sanctions, and later worsened following the destruction of three aircraft by Ukraine.
The aircraft’s registration is not visible, while the Bort number has been blurred out, which would have helped to reveal more info about the aircraft. Not much is known otherwise about this new airframe, and the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) had also not released any images at the time of writing.
As we will explain subsequently, Russia now has at least five to a maximum of seven A-50Us. Its replacement, the new A-100 Premier, is not yet in production.
[A-50 U] Un autre A-50U, entièrement remis à neuf et modernisé, a été livré aux troupes.
Selon Chasseur Bombardier pic.twitter.com/5YHdmNECq1— La souris (@La_souris_DA) May 31, 2026
A known unit operating the special mission aircraft is the 2457th Aviation Base for Combat Operation of Airborne Early Warning Aircraft (Aviabaza Boevogo Primeneniya Samolyotov Dal’nego Radiolokatsionnogo Obnaruzheniya) at Ivanovo Severny. This is likely the same unit that received the A-50U in the photo.
A-50, A-50U Mainstay and A-100 Premier
The A-50U (NATO reporting name Mainstay) is the designation given to the 2003 Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) and modernization program of the Soviet-era A-50 AEW&C aircraft, which entered service in 1984. The A-50 AEW&C system includes the Vega-M radar produced by Ruselectronics’s JSC Vega, mounted on the Ilyushin Il-76MD strategic airlifter, with the overall A-50U Mainstay upgrade program carried out by Beriev.
As per Russian reports, the A-50U’s Vega-M disc radar can detect a fighter-type target flying at low altitude against amid ground clutter at a range of 200-400 km, and can track up to 150 targets at 595 km. The original Soviet-era A-50 could track 45 targets at 225 km, while the A-50U can simultaneously track up to 150 targets, guiding up to 12 fighters to them simultaneously, and additionally detect maritime targets 400 km away.
TASS and Ria Novosti say other modernizations in the A-50U include a new mission computer, digital signal processing capability, older analogue units replaced by newer electronics, large LCD display systems, new navigation, communications suites, and improved ergonomics and flight control computer to “reduce crew fatigue.”
‼️ Hey folks. Enjoy fresh pics of future 🇷🇺 RuAF AEW&C A-100 «Prem’er».
The a/c performing test flights over Ulyanovsk (Aviastar a/c company).
Looks like A-100 left Taganrog to avoid to be hit with Ukrainian missiles/UAVs.
Courtesy: Tg channel ZOV_voevoda pic.twitter.com/OFNotHPB1Q— KURYER🤔 (@RSS_40) June 12, 2024
The A-50U then formed the basis of the even more advanced A-100 ‘Premier’. The A-100, based on the Il-76MD-90A, has a new AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar that can track 300 targets at a distance of 643 km, and can reportedly fly for at least 10 hours without refueling.
Fleet numbers
With two A-100s reported to have been built, the 2026 World Air Forces report cites a combined figure of 12 AEW&C aircraft, including A-50Us and A-100s. The sixth, seventh and eighth deliveries were reported on Mar. 7, 2017, Dec. 6, 2018 and Sep. 22, 2023, respectively.
Ukraine then shot down and destroyed multiple A-50s beginning in 2024. The first loss of the AEW aircraft, along with an Il-22 radio relay plane, took place over the Sea of Azov on Jan. 14, 2024.
Another A-50 was lost on Feb. 23 in the same region, with the U.S. Army later revealing it was the result of a “SAMbush” by a Patriot system. Then, on Jun. 1, 2025, at least one A-50 was struck by Ukraine’s FPV drones during ‘Operation Spiderweb,’ beside seven Tu-95s, four Tu-22Ms and an An-12.
Including the three losses and claims of an unverified ninth delivery that took place after September 2023, the Russian Aerospace Forces currently might have anywhere between five to seven A-50Us. As for the A-100, it has so far not been reported to have entered serial production, after a planned test of its AESA radar on the prototype in June 2024.
RuAF capability
Russia had long lagged in airborne radars, which is partly responsible for many Ukrainian long-range drone and missile strikes getting through defenses deep in its rear lines and in Russian territory. Moscow’s traditional weakness in advanced electronic circuitry and computing hardware manufacturing, exacerbated by Western sanctions, was one reason – an area it is now building domestic capacity.
However, Russia has a more than healthy fleet of its other aircraft types, churning out a two-seat version of the Su-57, supposedly called Su-57D, and a total of 142 Su-34 Fullbacks in service by the end of 2025. A new version of the interdiction bomber, the Su-34M, has also been introduced, and is said to have incorporated lessons from the ongoing war.
Here we see a Russian Naval Aviation (MA VMF) Su-30SM2 (Bort No. “80” Blue) assinged to the 4th Mixed Aviation Regiment (SAP) based in Kaliningrad Oblast. Visible under its port wing is a Kh-31A anti-ship or Kh-31P/PK anti-radiation missile. https://t.co/7IreqTnern pic.twitter.com/PFYNxy4GK0
— Guy Plopsky (@GuyPlopsky) May 29, 2026
The combined Su-27, Su-30 and Su-35S fleet meanwhile stands at 384 airframes, the 2026 World Air Forces report said. The Tu-22M, Tu-95 and Tu-160 bomber fleets are at 57, 47 and 15, respectively.
These are the aircraft Russia routinely uses in operations for operations in Ukraine, and the consistent deliveries show its defense industry faces only minor obstacles from Western sanctions. The absence of Su-57s from the Ukrainian battlefield and the small number of A-50Us are compensated by a massive standoff tactical ballistic and cruise missile stockpile, numbering in the thousands.
