{
  "id": "a-50",
  "name": "A-50 (Mainstay)",
  "aliases": [],
  "domain": "air",
  "country": "RUS",
  "category": "Airborne early warning and control aircraft",
  "status": null,
  "fielded": 1987,
  "operators": [
    "IND",
    "RUS"
  ],
  "prolif_count": 2,
  "summary": "The Beriev A-50 (NATO reporting name: Mainstay) is a Soviet airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft based on the Ilyushin Il-76 transport. The existence of the A-50 was revealed to the Western Bloc in 1980 by Adolf Tolkachev.",
  "specs": [
    {
      "k": "crew",
      "v": 5,
      "src": [
        "weg-a-50"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "",
      "label": "Performance: ceiling",
      "section": "armament",
      "v": "15500.0 m",
      "src": [
        "weg-a-50"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "",
      "label": "Performance: power plant/engine",
      "section": "armament",
      "v": "Engines 26,455 lbs. thrust Soloview D-30KP turbofans (4 ea.)",
      "src": [
        "weg-a-50"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "",
      "label": "Performance: speed, cruising",
      "section": "armament",
      "v": "775.0 km/h",
      "src": [
        "weg-a-50"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "",
      "label": "Performance: speed, maximum, at altitude",
      "section": "armament",
      "v": "850.0 km/h",
      "src": [
        "weg-a-50"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "",
      "label": "Performance: takeoff run",
      "section": "armament",
      "v": "850.0 m",
      "src": [
        "weg-a-50"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "",
      "label": "Performance: landing roll",
      "section": "armament",
      "v": "450.0 m",
      "src": [
        "weg-a-50"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    }
  ],
  "payloads": [],
  "variants": [
    {
      "name": "A-50M",
      "text": "VARIANT HAS SHMEL-2 RADAR, RESISTS MOST CM, SIMILAR TO US AN/APY-1/-2.",
      "src": [
        "weg-a-50"
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "A-50E",
      "text": ": HAS BEEN EXPORTED. AN ISRAELI MODIFIED VARIANT WITH NEW ENGINES AND PHALCON RADAR WILL BE EXPORTED TO INDIA.",
      "src": [
        "weg-a-50"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "art": "bomber",
  "image": null,
  "verified": null,
  "changelog": [
    {
      "date": "2026-10-10",
      "change": "Entry created from the Worldwide Equipment Guide (ODIN), bulk import"
    }
  ],
  "url": "https://www.defensepedia.com/systems/a-50.html",
  "sources": {
    "weg-a-50": {
      "title": "A-50 (Mainstay) Russian Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) Aircraft",
      "publisher": "U.S. Army TRADOC G-2 Worldwide Equipment Guide (ODIN)",
      "url": "https://odin.t2com.army.mil/WEG/Asset/A-50_Mainstay_Russian_Airborne_Early_Warning_and_Control_AEW_C_Aircraft",
      "published": "2026-03-20",
      "tier": 1,
      "checked": "2026-10-10"
    }
  }
}