Tests of Russia’s Beriev A-100 airborne early warning and control (AWACS) prototype aircraft are set to begin in July 2017, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said Thursday.

"This is one of priorities of the current arms procurement program. I can tell you that works are on schedule and we will be carrying out state-run joint tests in July," Borisov told reporters.

The A-100 is based on the Il-76MD-90A transport aircraft, and it is expected to replace the Beriev A-50 Mainstay AWACS aircraft currently in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu last year described the A-100 aircraft as superior to its foreign rivals, and said the plane’s advanced reconnaissance and control capabilities would enable it to detect new classes of targets and to improve combat management.