Russia scrapping A‑100 flagship signals AWACS crisis
According to unofficial Russian-language sources, Russia has cancelled the long-standing programme to develop a new early warning aircraft, the A-100 Premier. The A-100 was intended to be a new generation AWACS, but it became obsolete before completion. Western sanctions are cited as one reason for the programme's failure.
Eurasian Times reports the cancellation of the A-100 aircraft development programme, referencing the Fighterbomber profile on Telegram. This source is known for providing extensive information on Russian aviation, which has been corroborated over time despite being an unofficial channel.
The A-100 is an early warning aircraft designed by Beriev. It utilises the airframe of the four-engine Il-76 jets, fitted with a distinctive disc-shaped radome housing a rotating radar antenna.
The A-100 was designed to replace the older Russian AWACS, the A-50 model, which first took to the skies in the early 1980s.
Why was the A-100 programme cancelled?
The urgency to develop and deploy a new design of this kind is critical because Russia, after suffering losses due to the war in Ukraine, currently has only a handful of early warning aircraft, probably around six.
These aircraft are invaluable; one of their roles is to act as the "eyes" for strike aircraft conducting operations over Ukraine. Aircraft like the Su-34 can fly at low altitudes—thus becoming difficult to detect—thanks to cooperation with AWACS, which monitor airspace ahead, ensuring safe flight paths.
According to Russian-language sources, the cancellation of the A-100's development is attributed to Western sanctions, but the reasons may be more complex.
Besides challenges resulting from Western economic sanctions, a significant problem with the A-100 is that—even though the aircraft has not yet entered service—it is already conceptually obsolete. Moreover, the increasing range of anti-aircraft missiles questions the design's ability to perform its intended tasks.
Russian AWACS A-100
Efforts to create the new Russian early warning aircraft began in the early 21st century, following previous unsuccessful attempts to build AWACS for China and India.
The aircraft was set to be based on the latest version of the Il-76 transport aircraft, with the radar supplied by the Vega Concern (now Vega Radioelectronics Concern), known for specialising in radar systems used in Soviet space vehicles. The entire project, like the prior A-50, was entrusted to the Beriev company.
The design expectations for the A-100 were highly ambitious. The aircraft was not just an upgrade or extension of the previous model, but, due to the completely new Premier radar station, it was intended to provide significantly enhanced target detection and tracking capabilities.
The aircraft was expected 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 detected targets. To enhance data accuracy, the radar antenna rotation speed, which originally rotated twelve times per minute, was doubled. The aircraft was outfitted with advanced communication systems—including satellite communications—and self-defence systems.
Delayed and obsolete
The issue is that—even after more than 20 years of development—the A-100 still has not been put into service. Although a prototype first flew in 2017, with what were reported as successful tests of the Premier system's functionality, the officially announced delivery start date for production machines has been postponed five times, with the latest updates about the aircraft dating back to 2023. The aircraft was photographed in flight in 2024.
According to Russian sources, the lack of news on the A-100's implementation could indicate the cancellation of the entire programme, which has grappled with technical pitfalls and delays for years. These issues are attributed to the Western sanctions imposed following the initial assault on Ukraine in 2014.
The discontinuation of the A-100 is even more likely because the new Russian AWACS, before even entering service, is already considered outdated. As noted by Defence Express, while iconic E-3 Sentry AWACS are being gradually phased out in the West, Russia cannot complete an aircraft that, fifty years after the Sentry entered service, will offer comparable capabilities.
A modern AWACS doesn't have to be large
Technological advancements have allowed new AWACS not to be as large as previous generations, which were characterised by the rotating antenna discs on their fuselage.
These are now being replaced by flat panel antennas integrated into the fuselage design or enclosed in elongated aerodynamic fairings.
This development means that the role of large AWACS is increasingly taken over by smaller aircraft, such as the Boeing 737 AEW&C (E-7A Wedgetail), the Saab 340 AEW&C acquired by Poland, their successor Saab GlobalEye, or other aircraft built on the basis of small commercial jets, like Embraer or Gulfstream.
Modern AWACS are aircraft with fewer engines and are more economical, easier to operate, and demand less from 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 disparity between the range of AWACS radars and anti-aircraft missiles is diminishing. The range of new missiles—like the AMRAAM-ER, AIM-260 JATM, Meteor, or PL-15—now exceeds 150 kilometres and even 200, and continues to grow with their development.
Ground anti-aircraft systems' mobility is also increasing, which, as shown by the war in Ukraine, facilitates setting up anti-aircraft traps for AWACS (Ukrainians have destroyed at least two Russian A-50s this way). Consequently, there is a rising risk that large, easily detectable, and costly early warning machines could be destroyed.
Too few AWACS
It remains uncertain which of these arguments determined the fate of the A-100, but—if the development of this design has indeed been halted—Russia faces a considerable challenge. The world's largest country's AWACS fleet, with airspace spanning thousands of miles, could be counted on one's fingers, with probably only six remaining operational.
Although Defence Express suggests that—it might theoretically still be possible to assemble a few (up to six) additional A-50s from incomplete airframes, the Russian air forces might increasingly experience a shortage of early warning aircraft over time.
