Nothing... 2015 was the last year they were delivered - that's what I am talking about.
"The Ilyushin design bureau and the Russian navy have revealed details of a mission systems upgrade and airframe refurbishment of the Il-38 antisubmarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. At a ceremony on January 31 at Ramenskoye airbase south of Moscow, Russian naval aviation commander Gen. Igor Kozhin said that “about 30” of the 54 Il-38s in the inventory will be modernized, in a program that will continue until 2025.
Nikolai Stolyarov, director for special aviation programs with United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), said
Ilyushin and its sister companies Myasischev and Aircraft Repair Plant No.20 have fulfilled "the second defense ministry order for Il-38Ns" (for five and three aircraft, respectively).
...
"This platform has proved itself as very reliable, durable and robust airplane. We hope the Il-38N program would resume...after successful completion of special flight trials that will commence shortly."
...
The Il-38N that was accepted during the January 31 ceremony (RF-755345) was the eighth to be upgraded."
So basically they were still delivering them in 2017. So much for your whole argument. You said three upgraded aircraft and it turns out there are least eight of them. You said they didn't have the capability to make the upgrade after 2014 sanctions and they were still making upgrades in 2017.
Obvious answer - either A-50U was sanctions-resistant in the first place, or VKS was bothered enough to replace the lacking parts instead of simply stopping the procurement. In reality it was a mix of both.
To be fair, VKS have their own fleet of aircraft they can't get since 2014 (most famously and crucially - Tu-214R), but at least they struggle with really advanced and capable aircraft.
Yes, yes. Russia cannot manufacture cruise missiles, because the engines are made in Ukraine, and they cannot manufacture the R-77, because the sensor is made in Ukraine. And they cannot manufacture helicopters because the engines come from Ukraine. They cannot manufacture thermal sights because they come from France. Until they don't and Russia replaces everything with their own components. Just because Russia used to use the international division of labor, i.e. they bought components from abroad with their oil & gas export income, does not mean they cannot make something themselves if they want to.
It could not possibly be that the government wants a more modern aircraft or something like that.
"...
the Tu-204/214 is also available cheaply on the secondhand market. Over 20 such jetliners are stored following their withdrawal from commercial airline service. Another dozen could be assembled by the Tu-214 manufacturing plant in Kazan (KAPO), and that of the Tu-204 in Ulyanovsk (Aviastar), using pre-manufactured parts from their stocks.
...
Last year, the chief of aviation with the Russian navy, General Igor Kozhin, spoke of the need to induct a next-generation ASW aircraft by 2030. The minister for industry and trade, Denis Manturov, responded in August with mention of a special Tu-204/214 version able to meet the given requirement. As a consequence, Tupolev has resumed work on the Tu-204P project, which began in the early 1990s and subsequently experienced several halts and restarts. The design house insists that the jetliner platform offers sufficient range and on-station patrol time, while ensuring good levels of comfort and working conditions for the crew.
In its turn, Beriev points to the Be-200’s and A-40/42’s ability to operate from water, which makes possible operations such as the open-ocean rescue of crews of crippled submarines and surface ships, and the ability to deploy and recover “combat robots”."
The thing is, the whole Western sanctions on civilian aircraft probably put a kibosh on the whole thing since Russia right now probably needs those Tu-214 to replace Western aircraft. I think that is more of an issue than the electronics.
