Oleksandr Kovalenko / Obozrevatel
The Russian Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex named after G.M. Beriev, which specializes in producing unique long-range radar detection aircraft A-50, A-100, and others, has announced losses for 2025 – over 5 billion rubles. Notably, Ukraine is directly related to this.
The significance of these aircraft for the occupying army and the potential consequences are explored in the material by the joint project OBOZ.UA and the group “Information Resistance”.
In 2024, the Beriev Complex proudly reported an annual profit of 1.19 billion rubles, and it seemed that under the current conditions, the enterprise should be developing and receiving new state orders. However, 2025 showed a completely different scenario. The complex not only incurred losses but also faced enormous debt to creditors amounting to 27 billion rubles.
In fact, this unique Russian aircraft manufacturing enterprise, specializing in the design, production, modernization, and servicing of high-tech aircraft, found itself on the brink of bankruptcy and ruin. How did this happen?
Strangely enough, the war with Ukraine contributed to the downfall of the enterprise.
Fall of the white “Bumblebee”
The most famous product of the Beriev Complex is the A-50 long-range radar detection and control aircraft, easily recognized by its disc-shaped radio-technical complex “Bumblebee”.
These aircraft are considered the most high-tech products of the enterprise, its pride and hallmark. Thanks to this complex, the company managed to survive all these years by engaging in the repair, modernization, and maintenance of the A-50s. Additionally, the enterprise received budget funds for the development of new, promising AWACS aircraft, such as the A-100, which were meant to replace the morally and technically outdated A-50s.
Yes, you heard right: while referring to the A-50 as the most high-tech product of the Beriev Aircraft Company, I called them morally and technically outdated. The aircraft have indeed outlived their usefulness, but they are the only AWACS in Russia. Or are they no longer?
The first A-50 was damaged and lost its ability to perform its tasks on February 26, 2023, during the war with Ukraine when an FPV drone struck the “Shmel” radar complex of the aircraft based at the Belarusian airfield “Machulishchy”. Watch the video.
The aircraft was evacuated to the Beriev Aircraft Company for repairs, but it turned out the specialists were unable to repair such an outdated yet complex system as “Shmel”.
Furthermore, on January 14, 2024, the aircraft A-50 was shot down over the northern Azov Sea near the village of Kyrylivka in the temporarily occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region. This aircraft was irretrievably lost. Just a month later, on February 23, 2024, another A-50 was shot down and crashed near the village of Trudovaya Armenia, Krasnodar region, Russia.
After these two losses, Russian command began avoiding the use of the A-50 near the borders with Ukraine, and given its limited capabilities for conducting airspace reconnaissance, this rendered the only AWACS in the arsenal of the Russian Aerospace Forces useless in a real war.
On the night of March 9, 2024, the A-50, which was under repair at the enterprise and parked near the hangar in the open air, was damaged by a long-range strike drone from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The aircraft was not completely destroyed, but it was clearly in a condition beyond flight capability.
During the SBU operation “Spider” on June 1, 2025, at the Ivanovo airbase at least two A-50 aircraft were damaged, one of which had been previously damaged at the Belarusian airfield “Machulishchi” by an FPV drone strike and had yet to be repaired.
On the night of November 25, 2025, a series of strikes were carried out on the Beriev Aircraft Company, resulting in the destruction of the unique experimental A-60 aircraft and the A-100LL flying laboratory, which were used for scientific and technical research for the modernization of the A-50 project and development of the A-100. Without this aircraft, the development of AWACS in Russia can be considered dead.
As of today, Russia may have only three A-50 aircraft in flight-capable, operational condition. However, their modernization and project development are not only impossible due to the destruction of the research base, but are also deemed unnecessary by the Russian command, as these aircraft have shown both low effectiveness and high vulnerability.
Essentially, the promising project of budget consumption on an unviable project, along with the loss of aircraft that the enterprise could have long relied on for support, now rest in peace.
But the loss of the aircraft themselves was not the only problem for the enterprise.
Priority Target
Beriev Aircraft Company has always been a priority target for strikes by the Ukrainian Defense Forces, but our drones and missiles could not always reach it. In the early years of the full-scale invasion, the obstacle was both the lack of long-range means of attack and the high density of Russian layered air defenses.
However, over time, Ukraine acquired means capable of reaching Taganrog, and Russia had fewer and fewer air defenses, with “blind spots” – gaps in the defense – widening and multiplying.
On the night of March 9, 2024, Taganrog suffered a massive drone strike. It lasted almost two hours, targeting military-industrial complex facilities and directly Beriev Aircraft Company.
The most destructive strike occurred on the night of November 29, 2025, during which the A-60, A-100LL, and Il-76 were destroyed. It is likely that the Tu-95MS, which was under repair in a hangar, was damaged.
Beriev Aircraft Company has not only become a dangerous enterprise but also a convenient stationary target for destroying rare examples of heavy, strategic aviation. Essentially, the repair and modernization of the A-50, Tu-95, and Il-76 at this enterprise turned into a Russian roulette, with all the consequences, risks, and irrevocable losses.
Conclusions
The financial losses of Beriev Aircraft Company are a completely expected result of the war with Ukraine. The products that the enterprise can service, repair, and upgrade have lost their former significance and interest to the command. As for the future development of the A-100, which is now morally and technically outdated, it can be forgotten.
Conducting any work on the enterprise’s facilities is a risk. Ukrainian drone and missile strikes not only destroyed several unique samples of Russian aviation but also caused damage to the enterprise itself, damaging production lines and slowing down the work process.
In fact, Ukraine’s actions in response to aggression have put an end to the future of Russia’s unique enterprise.
What can be said, “SVO” is going “strictly according to plan.”
Collage: 24 Channel
