Mainstay & Maxdome

Hi again!

I was just browsing around on the internet, reading about planes and stuff.

I came to think about one certain airplane while reading about some special/rare aircrafts: The Il-80 ‘Maxdome’. I belive this plane have approx the same usage area as the American E-4B. Are they comparable? And how many Maxdomes were built/are in current Russian service?

As of the Mainstay, I’ve read its much weaker an AWACS aircraft than the E-3 for example. It has a weaker radar, and much shorter endurance. Are the Ruskies planning to develope any new AWACS (if they had the funding, that is), or will the use the Mainstay for several years to come?

Oh, and do anyone have pics of these two magnificant birds (other than a Google-search)? 🙂