Zvezda 1:144 A-50 Mainstay

1:144 scale plastic assembly kit
Requires glue and paints to complete.
Russian Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft A-50 Mainstay

Positionable flaps
Positionable Landing gear
2 marking variations
Stand for in-flight display

Special mission aircraft are generally based upon a solid, reliable airframe. For the United States, the Boeing 707 and its smaller derivative that made up the C-135 series served as that airframe. In the days of the Soviet Union, none of the airliner airframes could fill that role, but the Ilyushin Il-76 Candid filled that void. Similar in layout to the C-141A Starlifter, the Il-76 had the internal volume, load capacity, and power generation capabilities to perform a variety of missions including that of the Airborne Warning and Control (AWACS) mission. Modified by the Beriev OKB, the Il-76 was transformed into the A-50 Mainstay which entered service in 1984 to replace the Tu-126 Moss (which uses the Tu-114 airliner airframe developed from the Tu-95 Bear bomber), and remains in service today.