Military Pilot Suggests Equipping Tu-214 with "Irbis" Radar System to Replace A-100 AWACS

The A-100 program "didn't take off," despite the actual availability of a test aircraft

Military pilot Alexey Voevoda suggested building a new airborne early warning and control (AWACS) A-100 aircraft based on existing aircraft and components of combat fighters. He voiced his proposal on his Telegram channel.

A-100 "Premier"

According to him, it is necessary to equip civilian passenger three-engine Tu-214 aircraft manufactured by the Kazan Aviation Plant with the "Irbis" radar station, which is installed on Su-34 and Su-35 combat fighters.

There are excellent Tu-214s, there are magnificent "Irbis". All our own. With the budgets that were allocated to the A-100 program, it would have been possible to cross both inputs a long time ago.
Alexey Voevoda, military pilot

Aviation industry expert Alexey Zakharov explained that the impossibility of mass production of the A-100 "Premier" due to problems with components is not a reason to abandon testing the aircraft. Some of the equipment developed for the A-100 can probably be used to modernize existing A-50 family aircraft.

A-100 "Premier"

N035 "Irbis" is a multi-mode airborne radar station with a phased antenna array developed by NIIP and GRPZ. The average radar radiation power is about 5 kW, the maximum is 20 kW.

Earlier www1.ru reported that a frightening feature was found in the Russian Su-35.

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