Beriev A-40 Albatross faces uncertain future amid geopolitical tensions

The A-40 was built for anti-submarine warfare and intended to replace the amphibious turboprop Beriev Be-12 and land-based maritime patrol aircraft Ilyushin II-38. Designed for medium-range operations, two variants were planned as the Soviet Union neared its end: a search-and-rescue jet designated A-42 and a military patrol version called A-44.

Work continued briefly after the USSR's fall, combining these variants into a single jet by 1993 before shelving it later that year with an incomplete prototype. The solo completed prototype (an A-40) was restored to airworthiness in the early 2000s, and by 2006, an A-42 prototype was completed.

In recent years, Russia attempted to revive several Soviet projects like the Beriev A-40. In 2019, Army Recognition reported that Russia revived the A-42 project with plans for three units ordered by the Russian Navy. The report stated that "the A-42 can detect and track nuclear submarines and engage in rescue operations in rough seas." However, there has been no timetable for their production or delivery.

The new A-42s were expected to use two Progress D-27 propfans produced by Ukraine's Motor Sich in Zaphorizhia. However, since Ukraine suspended military cooperation with Russia after its first invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and following further conflicts leading up to mid-2024 when Russia reportedly destroyed Sich Motor's manufacturing plant during their invasion of Ukraine in 2022; it remains unclear how Russia would acquire these engines.

Due to these complications and changing military priorities from ongoing conflicts and imposed sanctions on Russia’s aviation sector, prospects for serial production of Beriev A-42 appear increasingly unlikely.

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