Aircraft
Russia Considers Redundant Jetliners for Anti-Sub Role
Russia’s naval aviation is looking at the cheap-to-acquire Tu-204 and Tu-214 to supplant its elderly Tu-142s and Il-38s on maritime patrol duties.
A number of special-mission Tu-204s and Tu-214s are already in service with Russian government agencies. This command post Tu-214 is operated by the Presidential Air Detachment. (photo: Vladimir Karnozov)
A number of special-mission Tu-204s and Tu-214s are already in service with Russian government agencies. This command post Tu-214 is operated by the Presidential Air Detachment. (photo: Vladimir Karnozov)

The Russian navy has prepared a revised specification for a next-generation anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft that permits using the Tupolev Tu-204/214 narrow-body twinjets as a platform. Dubbed PLAK, the Russian acronym for “Antisubmarine Aviation Complex”, the future asset could be broadly similar in performance to the U.S. Navy’s Boeing P-8A Poseidon, which is based on the Boeing 737-800 platform.


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