'Flying Radar': Russian A-100 AWACS Aircraft Makes Maiden Flight

Russia's A-100, the most advanced airborne early warning and control aircraft (or AWACS), made its maiden flight, the press service of the Vega concern, which creates equipment for the "flying radar" has announced.

The A-100 first flight test was aimed at checking its aerodynamic characteristics, the performance of avionics and part of the equipment of the radio engineering complex.

The Beriev A-100 aircraft, which was constructed on the base of the Il-76MD-90A (Il-476) transport aircraft, is expected that A-100 will replace the Beriev A-50 Mainstay AWACS aircraft, which is currently in service of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

READ MORE: Russian-Built AWACS-Type Aircraft to Detect New Generation Targets — Shoigu

Serial deliveries of the state-of-the-art AWACS aircraft to the Russian Aerospace Forces is expected to begin in 2020.