Beriev Aircraft Company and the Russian Air Force are working on a successor to the Cold War-era Beriev A-50 "Mainstay" Airborne Early Warning and Control (AWACS) platform (detailed elsewhere on this site). The new entry is set to feature a powerful all-new Active Phased Array radar fit (named "Premier") by Vega Radio Engineering among other modern equipment. Like the A-50 before it, the A-100 will be based on an existing fuselage of the four-engined Ilyushin Il-76 military transport aircraft family.
Equipment for the A-100 is being actively tested on an A-100LL "flying laboratory" which, itself, is built atop the framework of the A-50. The new radar sees the large, rotating radome fitted over the dorsal spine of the aft fuselage, ahead of the tail unit, and allows for tracking of both land and maritime targets, giving it a decided advantage over the battlespace. Externally, the A-100 continues the form and function established by the Il-76 series in that its flightdeck is sat over a short nosecone assembly, the wings are mounted high along the fuselage sides and a "T-style" tail unit is featured. The A-100 has a multi-wheeled undercarriage for ground-running and each wing mainplane is swept rearwards while managing the load of a pair of underslung engine nacelles.
The fuselage is taken from the Il-76MD-90A production model. The powerplant arrangement is 4 x Aviadvigatel PS-90A-76 turbofan engine units, each developing up to 32,000lb of thrust. Official specifications include an overall length of 152.9 feet, a wingspan of 165.7 feet and a height of 48.4 feet. Maximum speed is said to be in the 900 kmh range.
The A-100 is expected to reach the Russian Air Force inventory sometime around 2020. A first-flight is tentatively scheduled before the end of 2017 after which point a lengthy, intensive testing phase will commence to trial the mission equipment in an active manner.
The original A-50, currently (2017) in service with Russia and India, was introduced in 1984 during the latter stages of the Cold War and saw production of some forty aircraft from 1978 until 1992. The A-50 was used to succeed the earlier Tupolev Tu-126 "Moss" series (detailed elsewhere on this site).
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
November 2017 - A first-flight of an A-100 aircraft was recorded on November 18th, 2017.
SPECIAL-MISSION: AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING
Specially-equipped platform providing over-battlefield Command and Control (C2) capability for allied aerial elements.
SPECIAL-MISSION: ELETRONIC WARFARE
Equipped to actively deny adversaries the ElectroMagnetic (EM) spectrum and protect said spectrum for allied forces.
INTELLIGENCE-SURVEILLANCE-RECONNAISSANCE
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.
SPECOPS
Serving Special Forces / Special Operations elements and missions.
152.9 ft (46.60 meters) Length
165.7 ft (50.50 meters) Width/Span
48.4 ft (14.75 meters) Height
205,030 lb (93,000 kilograms) Empty Weight
429,901 lb (195,000 kilograms) Maximum Take-Off Weight
+224,872 lb (+102,000 kg) Weight Difference
4 x Aviadvigatel PS-90-76 turbofan engines developing 32,000lb of thrust each. Propulsion
None. Special-mission equipment carried as well as countermeasures suite.
A-100 "Premiere" - Base Series Designation; featuring fuselage of the Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A production transport; Vega radar fit.
A-100LL - Flying laboratory for equipment testing; based on A-50 Mainstay framework.
Images
1 / 2
Image from official United Aircraft press release.
2 / 2
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.
