Russia abandons A‑100 AWACS project amid sanctions and obsolescence
Russia has canceled its long-standing program to develop a new early warning aircraft, the A-100 Premier, according to unofficial Russian-language sources. The A-100 was meant to be a new generation of AWACS, but it became obsolete before completion. Western sanctions are cited as one of the reasons for the failure.
The cancellation of the A-100 aircraft development program is reported by the EurAsian Times, based on information from the Fighterbomber profile on Telegram. Although revealed by an unofficial channel, this source has been confirmed over time as credible regarding Russian aviation.
The A-100 is an early warning aircraft designed by Beriev. The aircraft uses the airframe of the four-engine Il-76 aircraft, with a distinctive disc-shaped radome housing a rotating radar antenna.
The A-100 aircraft was designed to replace the older Russian AWACS, the A-50, which first flew in the early 1980s.
Why was the A-100 program canceled?
The need to develop and implement a new design of this kind is urgent because, after losses incurred due to the war in Ukraine, Russia currently has only a few (likely six) early warning aircraft.
These few planes are very useful; one of their roles is to act as the "eyes" for strike aircraft, carrying out tasks over Ukraine. Aircraft like the Su-34 can fly low, making them difficult to detect, thanks to cooperation with AWACS, which controls the airspace ahead, ensuring a safe flight.
According to Russian-language sources, the cancellation of the A-100's development stems partly from Western sanctions, but the causes may be more complex.
In addition to difficulties arising from Western economic sanctions, a problem with the A-100 is that—even though the aircraft has not yet entered service—it is already conceptually obsolete. Moreover, the increased range of anti-aircraft missiles calls into question the capability of such a design to perform its assigned tasks.
Russian AWACS A-100
Work on the new Russian early warning aircraft began in the early 21st century, after earlier attempts to build an AWACS for China and India were abandoned.
The aircraft was supposed to be based on the latest version of the Il-76 transport aircraft, with the radar to be provided by the Vega Concern (now Vega Radioelectronics Concern), which specializes in radar systems, among others, for Soviet space vehicles. The entire project was entrusted—similar to the earlier A-50—to the Beriev company.
The design assumptions for the A-100 were very ambitious. The aircraft was not meant to be an upgrade of the previous model, but due to the entirely new Premier radar station, it was expected to offer significantly greater target detection and tracking capabilities.
The aircraft was planned to detect hundreds of air targets at a distance of up to 595 kilometres, detect sea targets, and guide dozens of its own aircraft and missiles to these targets. To increase data accuracy, the rotation speed of the radar antenna, which rotated 12 times per minute, was doubled. The aircraft was equipped with advanced communication systems—including satellite communications—and self-defence systems.
Delayed and obsolete
The problem is that—even after more than 20 years of development—the A-100 still has not been put into service. Although a prototype flew as early as 2017, with successful tests—according to official statements—of the Premier system's functionality, the start date for serial deliveries has been postponed five times, with the latest reports about the plane coming from 2023. The aircraft was photographed in flight in 2024.
According to Russian sources, silence on the implementation of the A-100 could indicate the cancellation of the entire program, which has faced technical problems and delays for years. These issues are said to result from Western sanctions imposed after the first attack on Ukraine in 2014.
The abandonment of the A-100 is even more likely because the new Russian AWACS—before even entering service—is already obsolete. As noted by the Defence Express service, while iconic E-3 Sentry AWACS are gradually being phased out in the West, Russia cannot complete an aircraft that—50 years after the Sentry entered service—would offer comparable capabilities.
A modern AWACS doesn't have to be large
Technological development means that new AWACS no longer need to be the large aircraft of the previous generation, carrying on their fuselage the characteristic rotating antenna discs.
They are being replaced by flat panel antennas embedded in the fuselage or housed in elongated aerodynamic fairings.
All this means that the role of large AWACS is now taken over by smaller aircraft, such as the Boeing 737 AEW&C (E-7A Wedgetail), the Saab 340 AEW&C purchased by Poland, their successor Saab GlobalEye, or other machines built on the base of small commercial jets, like Embraer or Gulfstream.
Modern AWACS are aircraft with fewer engines, are cheaper, easier to operate, and less demanding in terms of airport infrastructure, while also requiring smaller crews.
A classic AWACS is increasingly easier to destroy
Commenting on reports from Russia, EurAsia Times also notes that the difference between the range of AWACS radars and the range of anti-aircraft missiles is decreasing. The range of new missiles—like the AMRAAM-ER, AIM-260 JATM, Meteor, or PL-15—now exceeds 150 kilometres, and even 200 kilometres, and continues to grow.
The mobility of ground anti-aircraft systems is also increasing, which facilitates—as demonstrated by the war in Ukraine—the setting of an anti-aircraft trap for AWACS (Ukrainians have destroyed at least two Russian A-50s this way). As a result, the risk is increasing that large, easy-to-detect, and at the same time few and very expensive early warning machines could be destroyed.
Too few AWACS
It is unclear which of these arguments decided the fate of the A-100, but—if indeed the development of this design has been halted—Russia is in a difficult situation. The AWACS fleet of the world's largest country, whose airspace stretches over thousands of kilometres, can be counted on the fingers of two hands (probably only six are capable of flying).
Though the Defence Express service notes that—it might be possible, in theory, to assemble a few (up to six) additional A-50s from incomplete airframes, Russian air forces may increasingly feel the lack of early warning aircraft over time.
