Il-76/476 Military Transports

Russia is to fill the gap left in its strategic airlift capabilities by the abandonment of the Antonov An-70 project with Ukraine with additional numbers of the Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A, a senior service official said on 13 January.

The Russian Air Force (Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily - VVS) is to receive an undisclosed extra number of the newly introduced Il-76MD-90A to offset at least some of the 60 An-70s that the service was due to induct, of which more than 12 were to be handed over by 2020, the commander of the Military Transport Aviation, Lieutenant General Victor Benedictine, reportedly told Russian journalists.

Co-development of the An-70 with Ukraine was ceased in early 2014 following the breakdown in relations between the two countries over the ousting of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych and Russia's subsequent invasion and annexation of Crimea. With relations no better some two years later, Russia appears now to have abandoned the four-engined turboprop aircraft entirely, in favour of its own upgraded jet airlifter.

The VVS has received the first of 30 Il-76MD-90A aircraft that are expected to be delivered by 2020. Also referred to as the Il-476, the Il-76MD-90A is an upgraded variant of the Soviet-era Il-76 'Candid' that features a digital 'glass' cockpit as well as modernised flight, navigation, and communication systems. Structural improvements include a modified wing and reinforced landing gear. The engines have also been updated, giving the aircraft a 60-tonne payload (up from 40 tonnes for the baseline Il-76) and a 12% reduced fuel consumption.

The upgraded platform can fly up to 8,500 km with a 20-tonne payload (or 4,100 km with a 50-tonne load), which compares favourably to the 6,598 km with a 20-tonne payload of the An-70. The Il-76MD-90A has a 60-tonne payload compared with 47 tonnes for the An-70.

Previously the VVS has stated a requirement for 100 such aircraft (as well as about 40 Il-76MD-90A-derived Il-478 tankers and an expected 20 A-100 Airborne Warning And Control System [AWACS] platforms), of which 30 have so far been contracted.

Austin wrote:Russia to fill gap left by An-70 with more Il-76MD-90A airlifters

http://www.janes.com/article/57172/russia-to-fill-gap-left-by-an-70-with-more-il-76md-90a-airlifters

Russia is to fill the gap left in its strategic airlift capabilities by the abandonment of the Antonov An-70 project with Ukraine with additional numbers of the Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A, a senior service official said on 13 January.

The Russian Air Force (Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily - VVS) is to receive an undisclosed extra number of the newly introduced Il-76MD-90A to offset at least some of the 60 An-70s that the service was due to induct, of which more than 12 were to be handed over by 2020, the commander of the Military Transport Aviation, Lieutenant General Victor Benedictine, reportedly told Russian journalists.

Co-development of the An-70 with Ukraine was ceased in early 2014 following the breakdown in relations between the two countries over the ousting of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych and Russia's subsequent invasion and annexation of Crimea. With relations no better some two years later, Russia appears now to have abandoned the four-engined turboprop aircraft entirely, in favour of its own upgraded jet airlifter.

The VVS has received the first of 30 Il-76MD-90A aircraft that are expected to be delivered by 2020. Also referred to as the Il-476, the Il-76MD-90A is an upgraded variant of the Soviet-era Il-76 'Candid' that features a digital 'glass' cockpit as well as modernised flight, navigation, and communication systems. Structural improvements include a modified wing and reinforced landing gear. The engines have also been updated, giving the aircraft a 60-tonne payload (up from 40 tonnes for the baseline Il-76) and a 12% reduced fuel consumption.

The upgraded platform can fly up to 8,500 km with a 20-tonne payload (or 4,100 km with a 50-tonne load), which compares favourably to the 6,598 km with a 20-tonne payload of the An-70. The Il-76MD-90A has a 60-tonne payload compared with 47 tonnes for the An-70.

Previously the VVS has stated a requirement for 100 such aircraft (as well as about 40 Il-76MD-90A-derived Il-478 tankers and an expected 20 A-100 Airborne Warning And Control System [AWACS] platforms), of which 30 have so far been contracted.

Not really 1on1 replacement i was hoping for but oh well. I always had thing for 4 engined medium lifters with turboprop engines.

The first upgraded Ilyushin Il-76MDM (NATO reporting name: Candid) military and transport aircraft has performed its first flight at the airfield of the Gromov Flight Research Institute near Moscow, a TASS correspondent reports from the scene.

After the successful flight, the test pilots from the Ilyushin Aviation Company who operated the aircraft were greeted by Ilyushin CEO Sergei Velmozhkin.

"This is a new upgrade of the Il-76MD aircraft in service with Russia’s Aerospace Force. The new aircraft has a lot of new equipment, a new navigation complex, new systems to improve its transportation and combat flight characteristics in its missions to carry troops and military hardware," Ilyushin test pilot Nikolai Kuimov said.

The aircraft’s nose-based electro-optical sight system allows observing landing areas and any facilities both in the infrared and the optical bands. Also, the Il-76MDM aircraft is equipped with a satellite navigation system that meets all the requirements and rules for flights along Russian and foreign air routes that both exist and will appear in future.

"This is a good aircraft. It flies excellently and shows all the best the Il-76 plane incorporates," Kuimov said.

The Ilyushin Aviation Company is currently working on two projects for Russia’s Aerospace Force. In particular, it is upgrading in-service Il-76 aircraft and Il-78 (Midas) refueling tankers and manufacturing modernized versions of these planes.

The first Il-76 aircraft arrived for its upgrade in 2014. Its upgrade was expected to complete in December 2015.
A new defensive suite mounted on the upgraded Il-76MDM aircraft will defend it from all hostile weapon systems, chief designer of the Il-76 aircraft Andrei Yurasov said.

"The defensive suite will defend the upgraded Il-76MDM aircraft from all hostile weapon systems," the chief designer said. According to him, the aircraft’s defensive suite includes infrared decoys and other systems.

The upgrade aimed to extend the service life of serial-produced Il-76 combat aircraft that are currently accomplishing various tasks in Russia and beyond its borders, Yurasov said.

"This work was aimed at replacing parts and items that are no longer produced in Russia rather than improving the aircraft’s flight characteristics considerably," the chief designer said.

This work has been done and the aircraft with new equipment can accomplish more complex combat and transportation tasks. "The new aircraft has better pilotage and radio communications characteristics," Yurasov said.

George1 wrote:Lifetime of updated Il-76MD-M is extended by 15 years. Russia to update 41 Il-76MDs

https://twitter.com/KURYERSAT/status/704409731687981056

The most interesting feature seems to be the instalation of a DIRCM suite.

GarryB wrote:

The most interesting feature seems to be the instalation of a DIRCM suite.

I don't see a DIRCM suite... I do see FLIR ball just in front of the nose windows, but no DIRCM turrets.

GarryB wrote:I don't see a DIRCM suite... I do see FLIR ball just in front of the nose windows, but no DIRCM turrets.

Berkut wrote:Are you telling us that humans are able to see in IR and see well at any time of the day? Shit, that is a capability i have missed out on mine Mark 1 eyes.

Take a closer look.

"The defensive suite will defend the upgraded Il-76MDM aircraft from all hostile weapon systems," the chief designer said. According to him, the aircraft’s defensive suite includes infrared decoys and other systems.

Also, right above the navigator windows, behind the radome, you will see the UV sensors associated with DIRCM systems.
And why would Il-76 need FLIR ball? It has huge windows in the chin.

The aircraft’s nose-based electro-optical sight system allows observing landing areas and any facilities both in the infrared and the optical bands. Also, the Il-76MDM aircraft is equipped with a satellite navigation system that meets all the requirements and rules for flights along Russian and foreign air routes that both exist and will appear in future.

Hahaha, very funny. But no, not quite what I meant. I was thinking more about the An-70 prototype and how it received an optronic ball in 2014 right before the Russians jumped off the project, opposed to the newly built Il-76MD-90 which didn't. That ball surely is helpful to give the crew better forward and downward views when landing in short, unprepared runways, but not so much neeeded in the Il-76 with that glass nose (unless they also want to land in unprepared fields in the middle of the night with no lighting, or with very bad weather).

Upgraded IL-76 Service Life Extended by 40 Years: Russian Company Claims  02:45 PM, July 25
The Ilyushin Il-76MD-M military transport plane is currently performing test flights as part of its production flight tests. "As of today, the plane has performed ten test flights. During the upgrade, the plane’s service life was extended to 40 years. The plane also received a new flight and navigation system and its lighting, airdropping, utility, self-defense and communications equipment has been replaced," the press office of Russia’s Radio-Electronic Technologies Group said last Friday. According to the press office, a multipurpose electro-optical sighting system was installed in the Il-76MD-M plane’s nose to make airdrops more accurate and safer. The system allows watching the drop zone in all weather conditions as it works in the infrared and optical bands. "During the upgrade, the plane received some units interchangeable with parts of the advanced Il-76MD-90A military transport plane," the press office said. According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, the upgrade of the Il-76MD plane to the Il-76MD-M level is expected to cost 30% or less than the cost of advanced aircraft. In all, 41 Il-76MD planes are planned to be upgraded to the Il-76MD-M level. Work is currently under way to upgrade the Il-78 (Midas) and Il-78M aerial refueling planes to the Il-78-2 and Il-78M-2 level, respectively.
Upgraded Il-76MD-M Airlifter Makes First Flight in Russia
by Vladimir Karnozov  - March 1, 2016, 10:23 AM
Russian aircraft manufacturer Ilyushin conducted the first flight of an upgraded Il-76MD-M airlifter on February 28. Chief test pilot Nikolai Kuimov headed the design bureau’s crew for the flight, which was uneventful.
The Il-76MD-M is a mid-life upgrade of the four-engine Il-76MD airlifter. The flight-test aircraft, registered as RF-76746, was reworked at Ilyushin’s flight-test facility in Zhukovsky near Moscow. The design bureau plans to complete flight tests later this year and use RF-76746 as the prototype to upgrade 40 Il-76M/MDs now in service with the Russian air force. Ilyushin is performing the work under contract to the Russian defense ministry. The latter also plans to fund a similar upgrade on a still undetermined number of Il-78M tankers. The TAPO factory in Uzbekistan built nearly a thousand Il-76M/MDs and delivered the last airlifter in 1992. Forty will be upgraded to the MD-M standard over the next 12 years. The MD-M upgrade targets the youngest part of the Il-76M/MD fleet—mainly those airframes with the longest remaining service life. The upgrade features a modern avionics suite, a new radio communications set and a self-protection system. The aircraft keeps its original Soloviev D-30KP2 engines. Its service life is extended by 10 years to 40 years. Some of the MD-M onboard systems are replaced with systems developed for the new Il-76MD-90A transport, which is being produced by the Aviastar factory in Ulianovsk. As of late February, the Russian air force had accepted two of the 39 Il-76MD-90As it has ordered; a third was undergoing acceptance trials. Aviastar will deliver the -90A model through 2021. Another Il-76MD upgrade solution that centered on replacing the D-30KP engines with Aviadvigatel PS-90A-76 turbofans has been scrapped due to cost. One aircraft, designated Il-76MD-90, underwent flight trials and later provided a testbed for the Il-76MD-90A project. “There will be no massive replacement of D-30KP engines by the newer PS-90A on in-service aircraft,” Ilyushin general designer Nikolai Talikov told AIN.  
Russia’s Il-76MD-M Plane Undergoing Production Flight Tests  26 july 2016
The Ilyushin Il-76MD-M military transport plane is currently performing test flights as part of its production flight tests, the press office of Russia’s Radio-Electronic Technologies Group said. "As of today, the plane has performed ten test flights.

At least four countries - Iran, Algeria, South Africa and Kazakhstan - had shown interest in buying the Il-76MD-90A (also known as Il-476), the general director of aircraft-maker Aviastar-SP said Friday.
ULYANOVSK (Sputnik) — Russia's Ilyushin Il-76-MD-90A heavy military transport aircraft has a promising exports potential and its first deliveries to foreign customers deliveries may begin as early as in 2017, the general director of aircraft-maker Aviastar-SP said Friday. .."I think, that the Il-76-MD-90A has a big exports potential…I hope the first plane will be ready for export in 2017," Sergei Dementyev told RIA Novosti.
According to the general director, the aircraft-maker has plans to expand the production capacity of the modernized Il-76, which would allow the company to produce up to 18 aircraft a year. Under this financial model, Aviastar-SP would make up to 190 heavy transport planes by 2030, Dementyev said.

PapaDragon wrote:
Three newly built or overhauled old ones?

Судя по имеющейся информации, теперь российские вооруженные силы получат 28 новых транспортников, вместо 39. ..С другой стороны, наладить качественное и быстрое производство может экспорт реанимированного Ил-76 — уже ведутся предконтрактные переговоры с двумя государствами, заинтересованными в приобретении самолётов этого типа. В «Рособоронэкспорте» при этом рассчитывают поставлять за рубеж по 4−5 самолётов в год. https://regnum.ru/news/polit/2291941.html

Tsavo Lion wrote:

Судя по имеющейся информации, теперь российские вооруженные силы получат 28 новых транспортников, вместо 39. ..С другой стороны, наладить качественное и быстрое производство может экспорт реанимированного Ил-76 — уже ведутся предконтрактные переговоры с двумя государствами, заинтересованными в приобретении самолётов этого типа. В «Рособоронэкспорте» при этом рассчитывают поставлять за рубеж по 4−5 самолётов в год.  https://regnum.ru/news/polit/2291941.html

11 planes less- with 41 IL-76MD-M, it seems the difference won't be felt by the AF. Some countries may also trade in their IL-76MDs which could also be modernized, should Russia ask for them.