The A 50 Mainstay SDRLO (Long Range Detection System) aircraft is based on
a stretched Ilyushin IL-76 Transport in widespread service with Soviet Forces
combined with an upgraded "Flat Jack" radar system. Developed to replace the
TU-126 Moss (a variant of the Bear bomber), the
Mainstay first flew in 1980 with about 40 produced by 1992. The Mainstay is
not as sophisticated as its western counterpart, the E-3
Sentry, but provides Russian Fighter Regiments with an airborne control
capability over both land and water. Mainstays have been used by the Russian
Air Force at bases in the Kola Peninsula and for observing Allied air operations
during the 1991 Gulf War from bases in what is now Ukraine. In 1994 NATO proposed
making the E-3 Sentry and the Beriev Mainstay interoperable to enable Russia
to provide AEW&C support to future United Nations or coalition operations.
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