Russia has developed a new deck-based airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft with a disc-shaped fuselage. The unusual project was presented by specialists from the Moscow Aviation Institute, and the documentation appeared in the FIPS database.
The main difference of the idea is the abandonment of the classic scheme with a radar antenna above the fuselage, as in aircraft such as the A-50. Instead, an active phased array antenna is integrated directly into the fuselage, made in the shape of a disc.
This arrangement eliminates signal shading by structural elements and eliminates "dead zones", while reducing aerodynamic drag.
The aircraft is designed to be based on an aircraft carrier. The wings are made folding for placement in the hangar. The cabin and engines are placed in a superstructure that transitions into a tail boom.
MAI also claims to have improved visibility in the lower hemisphere and the possibility of an emergency landing on water due to the sealed hull.
In theory, this scheme can simplify the design of the AEW&C and increase the efficiency of target detection due to a uniform radar field.
In December 2025, the former pilot and author of the Telegram channel Fighterbomber reported that the development program for the Russian AEW&C A-100 "Premier" aircraft had been closed. The only "Premier" left the Beriev plant back in 2024 and never returned there.