What do all three A-50U AEW&C aircraft that the Russian Aerospace Forces have lost have in common?

The Russian Aerospace Forces have six more such aircraft in service.

According to our data, as of September 2023, the Russian military had 9 modernized A-50U aircraft. Their registration and tail numbers (in brackets) are the following:

1. RF-93966 (37) – was named “Sergei Atayants” after an aircraft designer who supervised the construction of the A-50
2. RF-94268 (41)
3. RF-50610 (42) 
4. RF-50608 (43) 
5. RF-93952 (45)
6. RF-50602 (33)
7. RF-92957 (47) – the first of the A-50U, commissioned in October 2011
8. RF-50601 (50)
9. RF-50606 (51) – the newest A-50U, commissioned in September 2023

During Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, at least five A-50U AEW&C aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces were stationed at the airfields of the Belarusian Armed Forces at different times.

The first five aircraft in the list above were alternately deployed in Belarus in the period just before the beginning of the war and in the first month of it (they flew on combat duty from Baranavichy) from 22.02.2022 to 02.03.2023, when the aircraft damaged in Machulishchy left. Since then, no more such aircraft appeared in Belarus.

Infographics: Belarusian Hajun

All of them visited Belarus:

1. RF-93966 (37) – shot down on 14.01.2024 in the Black Sea. Spent at least 16 days in a row in Belarus.
2. RF-94268 (41)
3. RF-50610 (42) – shot down on 23.02.2024 over the Sea of Azov. Spent several days in a row in Belarus at the beginning of the war.
4. RF-50608 (43) – damaged by partisans on 26.02.2023 in Machulishchy. Flew to Taganrog on 02.03.2023, where it is still under repair, which probably started only after the commissioning of the aircraft number 51. Spent at least 58 days in a row in Belarus.
5. RF-93952 (45)

Coincidence? We’ll see when another A-50U is taken out of service.

So far, the Russian Aerospace Forces have six more such aircraft in service. One A-50U spends about 6 hours continuously on duty. Thus, in order to ‘cover’ a zone around the clock, at least four aircraft need to work in shifts (including the time for crew rest). Therefore, taking into account the length of the front line, the remaining aircraft are now barely enough for the Russians.

As we noted earlier, the Russian military-industrial complex was capable of producing (modernizing the A-50) one A-50U per year, which is also shown in the statistics of aircraft commissioning in ‘peacetime’. However, given the sanctions (lack of electronic components), this pace is unlikely to be maintained in the future.