Beriev A-60

Beriev A-60
Company type	Military airborne laser laboratory aircraft
Industry	Aerospace, Defense
Founded	1977
Headquarters	Taganrog, Soviet Union / Russia
Products	Airborne laser systems, Laser laboratory aircraft

The Beriev A-60 represents a Russian airborne laser laboratory aircraft derived from the Ilyushin Il-76MD transport platform, originally developed within the Soviet Union to advance military airborne laser technologies.

During the 1970s, a dedicated aviation complex was established at the Taganrog machine-building facility to focus on airborne laser system development. In 1977, Beriev OKB initiated the design of the '1А' flying laboratory to overcome technical challenges related to airborne lasers and atmospheric beam propagation. This endeavor involved close collaboration with various scientific institutions, particularly TsKB Almaz led by B.V. Bunkin.

Design and development

The foundation for this project was the Il-76MD, extensively altered to integrate the laser apparatus:

The original nosecone was substituted with a movable beam director turret designed for targeting lidar, a feature that later influenced Boeing's YAL-1 design.
Due to space constraints, the primary laser firing optics were installed within a sizable retractable turret on the dorsal fuselage rather than in the nose.
Two prominent nacelles were mounted beneath the fuselage: one contained turbo generators supplying power to the laser system, while the other housed an auxiliary power unit for the targeting lidar.
The rear cargo doors were removed, though the ramp was maintained to ensure structural support.
The tail gunner station was eliminated.

These alterations maintained aerodynamic efficiency while accommodating a 1 MW carbon dioxide laser developed by the Kurchatov Institute. The '1A' flying laboratory took its maiden flight on 19 August 1981, piloted by E.A. Lakhmostov.

A second flying laboratory, designated '1А2' (СССР-86879), equipped with an enhanced laser system based on prior experimental data, first flew on 29 August 1991. After more than fifteen years of dormancy, development briefly resumed in May 2009, with reports of an A-60 observed near Rostov on Don and Taganrog.

Russia progressed with a military airborne laser system known as 1LK222 Sokol Eshelon, installed on an A-60 platform. By 2016, test aircraft RA-86879 was retired and placed on display at Taganrog Airport. The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed that laser weapon systems derived from this research had been adopted into service. In 2020, Beriev pursued modernized A-60 variants based on the Il-76MD-90A airframe.

On 25 November 2025, amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict, Ukrainian drone strikes targeted Beriev facilities at Taganrog Airport. This assault resulted in the destruction of the A-60 aircraft and reportedly caused damage to a mothballed Beriev A-100LL.