The Beriev A-50 (NATO reporting name: Mainstay) is a Soviet-origin airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft that is based on the Ilyushin Il-76 transport plane.

[citation needed] The mission personnel of the 15-man crew derive data from the large Liana surveillance radar with its antenna in an over-fuselage rotodome, which has a diameter of 9 metres (30 ft)[citation needed] Detection range is 650 kilometres (400 mi; 350 nmi) for air targets and 300 kilometres (190 mi; 160 nmi) for ground targets.

[4] 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.

[9] The aircraft entered service with the 67th Independent Aviation Squadron, Long-Range Airborne Surveillance (67 OAE DRLO) (в/ч 32457) in 1984 at Šiauliai in Lithuanian SSR.

There was a detachment (two A-50s and one Il-76) as part of the 192nd Guards Kerch Red Banner Military Transport Aviation Regiment (в/ч 26212), Ukurey Airfield Chita Oblast in Russia from 1985 to 1995.

"[10]: 351 In late December 2015, the A-50 started operations over Syria, flying from Russia, to support Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War.

On 17 November 2023, the British Defence Ministry believes that it is "likely" Russian forces are updating their A-50 early warning aircraft in anticipation of the West supplying modern fighter jets such as the F-16.

[25] Open source analysts later identified that the aircraft lost was A-50U "37 red" of the 610th Center for Combat Use and Retraining of Military Transport Aviation Flight Personnel (610th CBP i PLS), based at Ivanovo Severny.

[27][28][29][UA government website 1] 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.

[34] Also, the Taganrog Beriev Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex where the A-50 are repaired suffered damage overnight from March 8-March 9, 2024, possibly from a Ukrainian drone strike.

[35] Data from Worldwide Equipment Guide – Volume 2: Airspace and Air Defense Systems, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, p. 3-44General characteristics Performance Armament