MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/. The A-50U long-range air surveillance/control aircraft will be upgraded following the results of its employment in the special military operation in Ukraine, a source in the domestic defense industry told TASS on Friday.

"A-50U aircraft are actively employed for accomplishing missions in the special operation. Following the results of the use of these aircraft platforms, the Defense Ministry has placed an order for their further upgrade," the source said.

TASS has no official confirmation of this information yet.

The A-50U is a heavy upgrade of the A-50 aircraft produced by the Vega Group (part of the Ruselectronics Holding Company within the state tech corporation Rostec) and the Beriev Aircraft Company (part of the United Aircraft Corporation).

The plane is designed to detect, track and identify aerial, large ground and naval targets, transmit relevant data to command posts, direct fighter jets to aerial targets and frontline aviation aircraft to ground and sea targets. Vega Group CEO Vyacheslav Mikheyev said in 2021 that seven A-50U aircraft had been delivered to Russian troops.