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After Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb and the A-50 Shootdowns, Russia Floats a Wild New AWACS Plan
A new patent suggests Moscow wants to merge AWACS, maritime patrol, and anti-sub roles into one overstuffed aircraft.
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Russia, still reeling from Ukraine’s destruction of several A-50 early-warning planes, is now floating a desperate replacement concept: a hybrid aircraft that would combine airborne surveillance, maritime patrol, reconnaissance, and anti-submarine warfare into a single platform, according to Defense Express on November 21.
Engineers behind the abandoned A-100 AWACS project proposed building this “multi-tool” aircraft on the frame of the Be-200—a well-known amphibious jet Russia has struggled to produce for decades.
A Plane heading into water just looks rather strange doesn't it? 🤔 The Beriev Be-200 Altair is a jet-powered amphibious flying boat built by the Beriev Aircraft Company. It's designed for fire fighting, search & rescue, maritime patrol, cargo, and passenger transportation. pic.twitter.com/uzM2xmRfcf
— HOW THINGS WORK (@HowThingsWork_) February 2, 2024
A new patent from Beriev—but familiar problems remain
As Defense Express noted, the patent was submitted by the Beriev Aircraft Company, the design bureau responsible for both the A-50 and the failed A-100 project, which Russia quietly canceled after years of delays and technical setbacks.
Beriev now appears to be pivoting to the Be-200 as a potential basis for a next-generation surveillance aircraft.
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On paper, the Be-200 is a water-capable amphibious aircraft, but the variant imagined in the patent would not be able to land on water.
Even then, the plan runs into the same wall as all other Be-200 programs: Russia simply does not have the engines.
The Be-200: 25 years, 25 aircraft, and no engines
Despite being declared “in serial production,” the Be-200 has only been built in token numbers—25 aircraft in 25 years, according to Defense Express.
Russian factories cannot fill existing contracts because the jet relies on Ukrainian-made engines, now unavailable. A domestic replacement engine, supposedly derived from the Superjet program, remains unfinished.
That leaves the entire proposal on shaky ground before development even begins.
Russia wants a single aircraft to do everything
Instead of designing separate aircraft for separate missions, Beriev’s new concept attempts to cram four distinct roles into one airframe:
airborne early warning (AWACS);
long-range reconnaissance;
maritime patrol;
anti-submarine warfare.
February, 14 a new serial Be-200ES amphibious aircraft first took off from the Beriev factory airfield. This aircraft has a rare color scheme and been ordered by the Russian Navy. pic.twitter.com/mxn9NMeAba
— UAC Russia (@UAC_Russia_eng) February 14, 2020
In addition, Defense Express reports that the design also includes two internal bays for torpedoes or anti-ship missiles, a suite of radar and electronic-surveillance systems, and four R-73 air-to-air missiles on wing pylons for self-defense.
This approach resembles multipurpose aircraft such as Europe’s Atlantique/ATL2, but even those platforms do not combine as many roles as Russia proposes—and they are backed by functioning supply chains, which Russia currently lacks.
Earlier, Ukraine released new footage showing the launch of a Soviet-designed S-200 surface-to-air missile system, highlighting its role in past long-range strikes.
The system is reportedly linked to the downing of two high-value Russian aircraft: the Tu-22M3 strategic bomber and the A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft (AWACS).
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