Another modernized A-50U AWACS aircraft has joined the Russian Aerospace Forces.

The Russian Aerospace Forces have been replenished with another modernized aviation A-50U long-range radar surveillance and guidance system. This is reported by Russian sources.

Another A-50 AWACS aircraft, upgraded to the A-50U standard at the Beriev Taganrog Scientific and Technical Aviation Complex, has been delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces. According to the bmpd blog, this is the ninth upgraded A-50U AWACS aircraft received by the military. Work on the aircraft is being carried out by the Vega Radio Engineering Concern and the Beriev Aircraft Company.

In fact, the Russian Aerospace Forces should currently have nine modernized A-50U aircraft, but in reality, they have fewer. The lead modernized A-50U was shot down. rocket Ukrainian Patriot air defense system on January 14, 2024, over the Sea of ​​Azov.

The first production A-50U, number "47 Red," was delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces on October 31, 2011. The second, number "33 Red," was delivered in April 2013. The third, number "37 Red," was the lead aircraft in the series, due to the testing of various configurations. The fourth A-50U, number "41 Red," was delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces on March 7, 2017. The fifth aircraft, number "45 Red," was delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces on December 6, 2018.

The sixth upgraded A-50U aircraft, number "42 red," was received by the Russian Aerospace Forces on March 28, 2019, and was lost on February 23, 2024, over Krasnodar Krai as a result of being hit by an anti-aircraft missile. The seventh A-50U (tail number "43 red") was handed over to the Russian Aerospace Forces on December 29, 2021. On February 26, 2023, this aircraft was damaged as a result of a sabotage attack by an FPV-drones At the Machulishchi airfield in Belarus. The eighth A-50U aircraft, tail number "51 red," was delivered to the Aerospace Forces only in the spring of 2024.

Thus, of the nine modernized A-50Us, two are currently lost, and one is undergoing repairs. The remaining aircraft are part of the 610th Center for Combat Employment and Retraining of Aircrew, a combat airborne early warning aircraft group stationed at Ivanovo-Severny Airfield. Four A-50Us are reported to be occasionally spotted in the air; the baseline A-50 model is likely no longer in service.

Comments

[Starover_Z]

Hasn't anyone written about the Vitebsk air defense system in a while? What's going on with it? Is it being used or what?
What I mean is that the most valuable aviation complexes are knocked down in no time.

[Michael]

Quote: Starover_Z

Hasn't anyone written about the Vitebsk air defense system in a while? What's going on with it? Is it being used or what?
What I mean is that the most valuable aviation complexes are knocked down in no time.

"Vitebsk" is not an active defense system, but rather a missile attack warning system with radar and laser guidance?
AWACS aircraft are a target that is impossible to miss, and missiles are guided to them by themselves, like moths to a light bulb.
Therefore, AWACS aircraft are shot down if there is an opportunity and desire to shoot them down.
By the way, yes, it's even possible to attack and disable strategic missile carriers. If you want to.

[Starover_Z]

I found an article on Google, right here ReviewFrom the beginning of the Second World War - March 17, 2022:

https://topwar.ru/193590-bortovoj-kompleks-oborony-l-370-vitebsk-v-boju.html - Бортовой комплекс обороны Л-370 «Витебск» в бою

[topol717]

Everything is fine, we are well prepared for the war of the 1980s.

[Alexandra]

Considering that the US Air Force lost one E-3G and damaged a second one after an Iranian strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 27, 2026, the US Air Force was unprepared for modern warfare.

As of February 2026, the US Air Force had 14 aircraft of this type in its combat inventory.

[topol717]

Quote: AlexanderA

As of February 2026, the US Air Force had 14 aircraft of this type in its combat inventory.

They don't need them; the satellite constellation covers all their needs. You'll laugh, but the Finnish company is one of the leaders in satellite radio reconnaissance in the millimeter and centimeter ranges. And where is Finland now?
Elon Musk alone has launched a couple thousand satellites, and I'm not sure that all of them are communications satellites, and none of them are conducting reconnaissance.

[Alexandra]

Quote from: topol717

They don't need them, the satellite constellation covers all their needs.

The undeveloped constellation of airborne radar reconnaissance satellites cannot meet any needs.

Due to the fact that it is still unknown when the SB-AMTI (Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator) constellation of space radar satellites will be created, or whether it will be created at all, in March 2026 the US Air Force signed two contracts with Boeing for a total of $2,43 billion to continue the development of two prototypes of the E-7A AWACS aircraft designed to replace the obsolete and physically worn-out E-3 AWACS aircraft in the US Air Force inventory.

[topol717]

Quote: AlexanderA

In March 2026, the US Air Force awarded Boeing two contracts totaling $2,43 billion to continue development of two prototypes of the E-7A AWACS aircraft, designed to replace the US Air Force's obsolete and worn-out E-3 AWACS aircraft.

There are also people lobbying for Boeing's interests. Especially when Boeing pays kickbacks. 0.1% of this amount is $2.5 million, and there are plenty of people in the US who, with that money, will prove to anyone that the US is in grave danger without this development. And this entire $2.5 billion sum is less than 0.3% of the entire US military budget for 2026. Now consider how much money they've invested.

[Alexandra]

Quote from: topol717

There are also people there who lobby for Boeing's interests.

Unlike the SB-AMTI satellites, which are not even present in prototypes, the E-7A Wedgetail for the US Air Force is present in prototypes. Deliveries of E-7 aircraft to foreign customers began in 2010. The Royal Australian Air Force accepted the first E-7 into service in May 2010.

and this entire sum of 2.5 billion is less than 0.3% of the entire US military budget for 2026.

Elon Musk has been allocated the first $4,16 billion for a satellite system that doesn't yet exist.

https://topwar.ru/283755-ssha-namereny-zamenit-ujazvimye-samolety-drlo-sputnikami-ilona-maska-s-ii.html

The E-7A program, which currently involves bringing two experimental E-7A aircraft to operational status, has already been allocated 2,56 (2024) + 2.43 (2026) ~ 5 billion dollars.

[rytik32]

Quote: AlexanderA

The undeveloped constellation of airborne radar reconnaissance satellites cannot meet any needs.

As early as 2022, US satellites recorded missile launches from our fighter jets, and the information reached the pilots of the Ukrainian aircraft targeted in real time, who then took evasive action.

[Alexandra]

Quote: rytik32

Back in 2022, US satellites recorded missile launches from our fighter jets.

It has long been known that the infrared telescopes of early warning satellites are capable of detecting missile launches and even the afterburning of supersonic aircraft engines.

However, the Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator satellite system is designed to detect not only bright infrared events, such as missile launches, occurring above or below clouds, but also continuously track moving airborne targets, including those without a pronounced infrared signature, both within and below clouds. Therefore, it will be a low-orbit radar satellite system that will require at least several hundred satellites.

[megadeth]

https://topwar.ru/283755-ssha-namereny-zamenit-ujazvimye-samolety-drlo-sputnikami-ilona-maska-s-ii.html

[Alexandra]

The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and the history of several decades of US military development, beginning with Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative, is paved with costly, closed programs for deploying ambitious military satellite constellations. So far, more funds have been allocated to the E-7A aircraft development program than Musk has received for satellites to replace the aging E-3G aircraft.

[solar]

The United States has several dozen carrier-based Hawkeye AWACS. They can also operate from land-based airfields.

[Alexandra]

They can, but in the US Armed Forces, E-2 aircraft are used by the US Navy as part of carrier-based air groups, and they are only sufficient for use from aircraft carriers. Because an aircraft carrier without four to six E-2s in its air group is extremely vulnerable, and combat zones cannot operate without them.

However, only the E-2D's radar satisfies modern requirements for detecting low-flying aerial targets, including stealth ones. In addition to the approximately 70 E-2Ds currently operated by the US Naval Air Service, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force operates 12 E-2Ds.

[solar]

They can, but in the US Armed Forces, E-2 aircraft are used by the US Navy as part of carrier-based air groups, and they are only sufficient for use from the decks of aircraft carriers.

Some carriers are always undergoing repairs, and the Hawkeyes in their air group can operate from land-based airfields during this time. The typical number of Hawkeyes on a carrier is three or four; in reality, more than four carriers have not been used simultaneously for a long time.

[Alexandra]

Quote from solar

Some aircraft carriers are always under repair

Some carrier-based aircraft are always uncombat-ready. For example, ~35–40% of E-2D aircraft are uncombat-ready.

The typical number of Hawkeyes on an aircraft carrier is 3-4.

The standard number of E-2D in the carrier air group is 5 aircraft.

https://prokhor-tebin.livejournal.com/805556.html

In reality, more than 4 aircraft carriers have not been used simultaneously for a long time.

If an American aircraft carrier isn't on combat duty far from American shores, it's not necessarily undergoing repairs. Some carriers and their air groups are training in "home waters." With their air groups, naturally.

Basically, just provide a link to the case of a temporary transfer of a squadron of E-2Ds from the US Naval Aviation to the US Air Force for use in combat zones from land airfields.

If you cannot provide a reference to such a case, then everything can be reduced to the fact that the E-2D theoretically "can operate" from land airfields, but they were never assigned to US Air Force formations and never worked in the interests of the US Air Force.

[solar]

https://prokhor-tebin.livejournal.com/805556.html

There is no statement there that the staffing level is 5. In French, for example, it is 2.
The number of Hawkeyes on board can vary depending on the mission. A typical air group consists of four Hawkeyes.
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Авианосцы_типа_«Нимиц»

Only the E-2D aircraft radar satisfies the requirements for detecting low-flying aerial targets, including low-observable ones.

Not only.

The new aircraft had to be capable of detecting aerial targets against any underlying surface, not just water. The E-2C variant, in terms of its onboard equipment and combat concept, was truly a new aircraft. Besides The AN/APS-120 radar is capable of detecting low-altitude air targets against the background of the earth's surface (including against the background of mountains), which replaced the AN/APS-96 radar, the E-2C replaced the inertial navigation system and installed a passive system for detecting electromagnetic radiation sources AN/ALR-59 (electronic reconnaissance system).

So the number of Hawkeyes needs to be at least doubled. Especially since

In addition to front-line squadrons, the E-2C is in service with two Fleet Air Arm reserve squadrons. Beyond the Navy, the Hawkeye is also operated by the US Coast Guard and the Drug Enforcement Agency.

So the fleet is quite capable of transferring the Hawkeyes. And what about

Some carrier-based aircraft are always uncombat-ready. For example, ~35–40% of E-2D aircraft are uncombat-ready.

Finger-ceiling method?

Basically, just provide a link to the case of a temporary transfer of a squadron of E-2Ds from the US Naval Aviation to the US Air Force for use in combat zones from land airfields.

Can you give an example when such a need existed?

Initially, the E-2s were used only for carrier defense, flying joint combat patrols with F4J Phantom fighters. However, no one intended to attack floating airfields, and the Hawkeyes began directing fighter and attack aircraft operations directly over Vietnam.

It all boils down to the fact that the E-2D can theoretically "operate" from land airfields

They're not just theoretically possible, they're actually operational. Japan and Israel, for example, only use Hawkeyes from land-based airfields.

[Alexandra]

Quote from solar

There is no statement there that the staffing level is 5. In French, for example, it is 2.

What does the Charles de Gaulle have to do with this? With the arrival of the first E-2Ds in the US Navy, the standard complement of carrier-based AWACS squadrons began to increase from 4-5 aircraft.

https://forums.airbase.ru/2014/09/t90183--palubnye-samolety-drloiu-hawkeye-e-2c-2d.html

"The US Navy is converting one squadron a year to the E-2D, replacing four Hawkeyes with five Advanced Hawkeyes in each squadron."

Since 2017, the standard number of EA-18G squadrons in carrier-based air groups has been increased from 5 to 7 aircraft.

The sources you refer to contain outdated, irrelevant information.

Not only... AN/APS-120 radar

I have the latest information. The conversion of the US Navy's carrier-based aircraft to the E-2D is complete.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Navy_aircraft_squadrons

"The transition to the E-2D Hawkeye from the E-2C began in 2010 and was completed in 2026, when VAW-116, the last squadron to operate the E-2C, transitioned to the E-2D."

The final version of the E-2C operated by the US Naval Air Arm is equipped with the AN/APS-145 pulse-Doppler radar.

So the number of Hawkeyes needs to be at least doubled.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_United_States_naval_aircraft

The Boneyard in Tucson, Arizona, currently houses about two dozen E-2Cs.

In addition to front-line squadrons, the E-2C is in service with two Fleet Air Arm reserve squadrons. Beyond the Navy, the Hawkeye is also operated by the US Coast Guard and the Drug Enforcement Agency.

No longer in service.

A small number of E-2Cs are currently in service with Egypt, France, and Japan. Another five E-2Ks (similar to the E-2C Hawkeye 2000) are in service with Taiwan.

Finger-ceiling method?

You're being rude.

Can you give an example when such a need existed?

The U.S. Air Force never operated E-2 Hawkeye aircraft. E-2Cs from the U.S. Naval Aviation were temporarily operated by the U.S. Coast Guard in the 1980s. CGAW-1 was disbanded, and the aircraft were returned to the U.S. Navy in late 1991. The U.S. Customs Service also deployed E-2Cs in the 1980s for smuggling interdiction missions. Customs Service retired the E-2C and transferred both E-2Cs to the U.S. Coast Guard in 1989.

Regarding the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), during the "War on Drugs" of the 1980s and 1990s, E-2C aircraft deployed for the DEA were physically owned and operated by crews from the U.S. Navy, Customs Service, or the U.S. Coast Guard.

They're not just theoretically possible, they're actually operational. Japan and Israel, for example, only use Hawkeyes from land-based airfields.

We're talking about the US Air Force. The Japan Self-Defense Forces do operate E-2 aircraft from land-based airfields. What about Israel? Israel retired its E-2C aircraft in 1994. The E-2D never entered service in Israel.

[solar]

A long post, but about nothing. You're writing about a standard situation, and we're discussing an emergency.

You're being rude.

I'm interested in the source.

[Alexandra]

I don't have a computer right now. Digging through the .mil domain, as well as typing on a phone, is inconvenient. Google "Naval Sustainment System-Aviation (NSS-A) for E-2D."

"Fully Mission Capable (FMC): The goal was not just to get aircraft in the air, but to ensure the operation of all 11 complex onboard systems. The indicator exceeded the bar, demonstrating 23 Fully Mission Capable (FMC) aircraft against the target of 22. Optimization of Maintenance: To consistently maintain 28 combat-ready aircraft, the system restructured logistics so that from the total fleet (at that time consisting of 46 aircraft), at least 37 aircraft were at the disposal of units at all times (the rest may be undergoing scheduled upgrades or maintenance)." The Aviation Geek Club

[solar]

The US Navy is converting one squadron per year to the E-2D, replacing four Hawkeyes with five Advanced Hawkeyes in each squadron.

Aircraft carriers don't have a fixed number of aircraft. They can vary depending on the mission.

[Alexandra]

I've listed the current authorized strength of an E-2D squadron. I'd like you to describe the missions that might require a US aircraft carrier to deploy for months to forward operating areas with four E-2Ds, three E-2Ds, two E-2Ds, one E-2D, or no carrier-based AWACS aircraft at all as part of the carrier air wing. Please provide more details on the last time such missions were undertaken.

[solar]

I have listed the current strength of the E-2D squadron.

Read more carefully. There is no "standard strength." An aircraft carrier is a multi-role ship. The air wing is selected based on the mission. During the Iraq War, for example, one of the carriers was loaded with helicopters. I've given you the typical composition of an air wing, which includes four AWACS. But standard doesn't mean "standard."

[Alexandra]

Quote from solar

Read more carefully. There is no "standard strength." An aircraft carrier is a multi-role ship. The air wing is selected based on the mission.

Read more carefully. An air squadron, a combat unit, always has a standard complement. And in E-2 carrier-based squadrons (Airborne Command and Control Squadrons), the complement was increased from four to five aircraft during the transition from the E-2C to the E-2D.

In the future, it appears that the standard number of E-2D squadrons will be increased from 5 to 6 aircraft.

During the war in Iraq, for example, one of the aircraft carriers was loaded with helicopters

Which aircraft carrier exactly? During which war? Please provide a source. I can only recall one relatively recent instance where a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier temporarily became a helicopter carrier. The failed Operation Eagle Claw to free American hostages in Iran. 1980.

[solar]

Read more carefully. There is no "standard" number. The composition of an air wing is selected based on the mission. You confirmed this yourself; what more proof do you need? Don't you believe yourself? A similar situation with helicopters occurred during the Iraq War.

[Alexandra]

Do you read English?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Navy_aircraft_squadrons

Each Airborne Command and Control squadron consists of five E-2D[7] Hawkeyes except for the Fleet Replacement Squadron which has more. Transition to the E-2D Hawkeye from the E-2C began in 2010 and completed in 2026 with the transition of VAW-116 which was the last squadron to operate the E-2C.

The air wing's composition is selected according to the mission. You yourself confirmed this.

What have I confirmed? That the failed Operation Eagle Claw (1980) involved combined air units from the US Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps? The primary forces were RH-53D Sea Stallion helicopters from the Marine Corps (HMH-461 Squadron) and C-130 Hercules transport aircraft (including MC-130 Combat Talons) from the 1st and 8th Special Operations Squadrons of the US Air Force.

How did you get it all wrong in your head that the US Navy's Airborne Command and Control squadrons do NOT have an organizational structure according to which the current authorized number of aircraft for a combat squadron is five E-2Ds, only you know.

A similar situation with helicopters occurred during the war with Iraq.

Unlike you, I know what happened during the war with Iraq. But surely you could cite an episode from that war during which a US Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was temporarily converted into... a helicopter carrier. Could you?

I imagine this is how you've been thinking about how, during Desert Storm, two American LHA-1 Tarawa and LHA-4 Nassau amphibious assault ships temporarily "worked" not as universal landing ships, but as light aircraft carriers, with air groups of up to 20 AV-8Bs on board. Oh well, people tend to forget and confuse. We're all human.

"As they say: "And everything else is correct, only not a Volga, but a hundred rubles, not in the lottery, but in cards, and not won, but lost."

[solar]

Do you read English?

I'm reading. What about you? Where did you find the "aircraft carrier air wing staffing"?

[Alexandra]

I found for you the current staffing levels for each Airborne Command and Control squadron of E-2D carrier-based aircraft - one of the squadrons that make up the carrier air wing of an American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

I even found for you the expected staffing level of this squadron by 2040.

Cases where American nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, as part of operational fleets in regional theaters of global operations, have performed missions while temporarily out of service and/or without a squadron of E-2 aircraft on board are unique. Cases where the carrier air wing of a US Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier temporarily included not one, but two such squadrons during a combat deployment apparently simply did not exist.

I've accomplished my educational mission. Now you know that during the conversion of the US Navy's carrier-based aviation from the E-2C to the E-2D, which began in 2010 and was completed in 2026, the authorized strength of carrier-based squadrons of this type of aircraft was increased from four to five aircraft. In the future, this strength will likely be increased to six aircraft.

You may deny this knowledge. But you have received it.

[solar]

I have accomplished my educational task.

I see, I see. You wrote it yourself, and you even evaluated it yourself. That must be very convenient. I won't bother you.

[Engineer]

The eighth A-50U aircraft, tail number "51 red," was delivered to the Aerospace Forces only in the spring of 2024.

Forgotten on September 23rd. https://sdelanounas.ru/blogs/154148/

[fruc]

During the armed conflict in the Caucasus, I worked with the A-50's data reception and processing in the KSA Universal system. There were no issues with the data accuracy. Aerial targets (helicopters) were detected at extremely low altitudes in uneven terrain. Among the shortcomings, there were detections of airborne targets dropping their tracking devices during their maneuvers. The target detection range leaves much to be desired. I don't know what it's like now.

[Engineer]

2008? Well, that was before the car was modernized.

Aerial targets (helicopters) were detected at extremely low altitudes in folds of the terrain.

Well, of course. That was one of its main purposes when it was created. Detecting low-flying cruise missiles.

[Tagan]

Another A-50 AWACS aircraft, upgraded to the A-50U standard at the Beriev Taganrog Scientific and Technical Aviation Complex

Come on! Our Shariy destroyed the Beriev Aircraft Company long ago.

[Alex F._2]

Is the "ball" itself still alive? I haven't read it and don't read it—for me, it doesn't exist... and perhaps it would never have existed without the fans of Ukrainian garbage dumps.

[Tagan]

Is the "ball" itself alive?

The smoking room is alive.))

[Engineer]

I don't know what Shariy destroyed, but Taganrog is getting more and more of it—it's silly to argue with that. So, personally, I have questions about the quality and completeness of the inspections during aircraft delivery. Has this delivery program been shortened, so to speak, for the sake of timing... and what will be the consequences later?

[Tagan]

I don’t know what Shariy destroyed there, but Taganrog is getting more and more – it’s kind of stupid to argue with that.

And no one argues with that. They often hit us quite seriously. There are raids several times a week.

[Apis1962]

Another airborne detection and control system has been accepted into combat duty—that's certainly a big plus. However, nothing has been heard about the A-100 system, announced back in the 2000s, likely due to the Superjet's refit.

[Orange Bigg]

Quote: Apis1962

Another airborne detection and control system has been accepted into combat duty—that's certainly a big plus. However, nothing has been heard about the A-100 system, announced back in the 2000s, likely due to the Superjet's refit.

Everything has been said about him for a long time already.

The same rumors claim that some component issues were the reason for abandoning development. Frankly, this is hard to believe. The prototype, with a virtually complete set of target equipment, flew and was tested. Even if it uses some incredibly complex components (presumably imported), what changed for the Ministry of Defense and UAC leadership to suddenly realize they were problematic? Considering that AWACS aircraft are built in relatively small batches, acquiring the necessary components is a matter of cost.

Even the impossibility of serial production is not a reason to stop testing. Application issues (given the system's changed performance characteristics) still need to be addressed. Furthermore, some of the equipment developed for the A-100 can likely be used to upgrade existing A-50 family aircraft. Therefore, it is far more likely that the problems arose with the RTK developer, Vega Concern. Frankly, this organization was not known for its effectiveness even in Soviet times. Now, it has weakened even further. This is confirmed by the slow pace of A-50 modernization to the A-50U ("improved") version—the Russian Air Force receives one aircraft every two years. And the reason for this, as far as is known, is precisely the refinement of the RTK, which has undergone significant changes compared to the original A-50 system.
The slow pace continues. The next A-50U is currently undergoing acceptance testing. The previous aircraft was delivered to the customer in September 2023. The current aircraft will be the sixth in the Air Force inventory (including losses in the military conflict). In place of the "discontinued" A-100, a decision has been made to increase deliveries of the "current" version of the A-50, designated A-50M.

https://m.vk.com/wall-226071110_32179

[Orange Bigg]

Quote: Apis1962

Another airborne detection and control system has been accepted into combat duty—that's certainly a big plus. However, nothing has been heard about the A-100 system, announced back in the 2000s, likely due to the Superjet's refit.

We need to develop our own technologies and not rely on foreign companies to buy something.

The first model of the A-100 was planned for production ten years ago. Interestingly, the latest announcement stated a release date of mid-2024. However, the A-100's premiere has already been postponed several times. Experts say the next-generation AWACS aircraft is almost complete, but after the imposition of sanctions, the developers were unable to obtain foreign components.

This is probably why the head of Rostec only mentioned resuming A-50 production. Logically, these aircraft have long since outlived their usefulness and should be retired, making way for the more modern A-100.

https://dobriymir.mirtesen.ru/blog/43638908315/V-Rostehe-planiruyut-vyipuskat-samoletyi-A-50U-DRLO-Kuda-propal-

[Carlos Hall]

This is good news. Let's hope it will be properly protected and used effectively.

[Revolver]

Thus, of the nine modernized A-50Us, two are currently lost, and one is undergoing repairs. The remaining aircraft are part of the 610th Center for Combat Employment and Retraining of Aircrew, a combat airborne early warning aircraft group stationed at Ivanovo-Severny Airfield. Four A-50Us are reported to be occasionally spotted in the air; the baseline A-50 model is likely no longer in service.

Somehow the arithmetic doesn't add up. Where is at least one more? Or, as always, a secret?
And anyway, why are there only four flying, and only occasionally? They should be "hovering" over the entire LBS, just beyond the Ukrainians' reach, 24 hours a day, so that their zones overlap and not a single drone can fly by undetected.

[DO]

Quote: Nagan

They should "hover" over the entire LBS, just beyond the reach of the Ukrainians, 24 hours a day.

The use of A-50Us near Ukrainian territory is only justified over Belarus, where the easily shot-down AWACS and UAV aircraft is currently under political protection. A-50U flights "just beyond the Ukrainians' reach" over Russian territory have already resulted in the loss of two A-50Us, including their crews.
It seems that the use of the A-50U is also advisable for creating a radar field over specially protected critical infrastructure in central Russia.
And not far from the LBS, S-70 UAVs should be constantly hovering, equipped with the Belka radar or its modification, which is turned on only for a short time, transmitting the radar situation via repeaters to the control point (most likely on the ground, but possibly also at a very distant airborne one).

[Neo-9947]

Quote: Nagan

They should "hover" over the entire LBS, just beyond the reach of the Ukrainians, 24 hours a day.

And so for five years?
Dear Sir, every airframe, every engine, every component has a service life. Beyond that, it's either a complete overhaul or scrapped.
To be operational 24/7 for five years, we would need not 9 AWACS aircraft, but 9,000.

[Pavel57]

How many more A-50s are there that are suitable for modernization?

[miry_mir]

These are very expensive systems. I need something simpler and more reliable. Wouldn't it be better to build such systems on airships, with a minimum crew, in large numbers, so they could drift inland?

[Engineer]

I read the original news.
https://bmpd.livejournal.com/4992537.html

According to the available updated information, after undergoing repairs The first serially modernized A-50U aircraft with the tail number "47 red" was returned to the Russian Aerospace Forces at the Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex named after G. M. Beriev (part of the United Aircraft Corporation) in Taganrog.

Basically, everything fell into place—this isn't a new plane, but a refurbished old one. So, I have no more questions...well, except for Mr. Lytkin.