Alexander Velovich/MOSCOW

RUSSIA CLAIMS to have developed and deployed an infra-red (IR) ballistic-missile launch-warning system on board the Beriev/Ilyushin A-50 Mainstay airborne-warning-and-control system (AWACS).

According to the Russian defence ministry, the A-50s (modified Il-76s) can be used to give launch warnings of tactical, medium-range and submarine-launched missiles.

The defence ministry claims that IR launch-warning devices have been fitted to the A-50. These are capable of being used to detect missile launches at ranges of up to 1,000km (540nm) when the aircraft is at 33,000-39,000ft (10,000-12,000m).

The A-50 is known to be fitted with the LO-82 IR warning receiver, but this is only intended to protect the aircraft against attack from short-range air-to-air IR-guided weapons.

Use of the A-50s has also been stepped up in an attempt to close gaps in Russia's radar-warning network, which appeared after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The operational workload on A-50 crews has grown considerably and they are coping with difficulty.

The air-defence force claims that it has tracked more than 270 sorties of reconnaissance aircraft of foreign countries along the Russian borders since the beginning of this year.

Speaking at Pechora air base, where the A-50s are stationed, the commander of the space-missile defence section of the air-defence force, Col Victor Smirnov, says that the loss of air-defence radars such as those in Skrunde (Latvia) and Mukachev (Ukraine) has resulted in gaps in coverage.

Despite speculation that the air-defence forces would be swallowed-up by the air force, Russian defence minister Gen Pavel Grachev says that there are no immediate plans to do this.

Apparently substantiating this, the air-defence-force commander, Col Gen Victor Prudnikov, has been appointed as chairman of a co-ordination committee of the CIS joint-air-defence system.

A preliminary agreement has been reached to base at least one squadron of defence-force interceptors in Turkmenistan. Russia has a squadron of Mikoyan MiG-23 interceptors in Armenia.

Source: Flight International