russia will not be getting the scarce A-50 AEW&C aircraft back anytime soon, despite earlier promises. No decision has been made yet, so the wait for replacements for the planes lost in the war will continue.
The delay was announced by Sergey Korotkov, CEO of PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). According to him, a decision on resuming production will be made once the relevant development work is completed.
Read more: 5 Extraordinary Facts About the F-22: The First Fifth-Generation Fighter That Remains Unmatched
Currently, russia is only modernizing the A-50 to the A-50U, enhancing its capabilities—but at a slow and questionable pace of one to two years per aircraft. By comparison, during the Soviet era, three new aircraft were produced annually.
russia also has six old aircraft in storage without engines, which could be refurbished and presented as new. However, even this has become a very difficult task, most likely due to a shortage of components, whose production must be redeveloped and integrated.
Problems exist even with the Il-76 aircraft, as serial production continues but delivery schedules are not being properly fulfilled. The latest variant served as the basis for the new A-100 Premier, intended to replace the old AEW&C aircraft, but it was canceled due to massive delays, corruption, and sanctions.
This means that restarting A-50 production is now virtually the only option remaining. According to UAC representatives, many of the aircraft's systems are being tested, and no decision will be made until the results are satisfactory. It is unclear how long this will continue, given the problems with importing components and equipment from Western countries.
At the same time, some russian military personnel and "experts" have begun questioning the necessity of AEW&C aircraft, arguing that they are too vulnerable to long-range missiles. However, this seems more like an excuse following their heavy losses and the aircraft's technical shortcomings.
So far, Ukraine has managed to shoot down two A-50s and damage three more on the ground during various drone attacks, such as Operation Spider Web. Due to the ongoing issues within russia's defense industry, every loss is highly significant.
Read more: Argentina Needs 6 More Months to Start Integrating First F-16s It Got Instead of Ukraine
