Il-76/476 Military Transports

Hole wrote:Il-96 is great for moving pallets/containers/people from one large airport/base to another. But it has no rear ramp for dropping cargo from the air and it can´t operate from rough airstrips/grass. Nevertheless a tanker/transporter combi of the Il-96-400 would be nice for support of missile carriers. Also useful for the support of operations like Syria.

yes basically the Il-76 is a military transport plane and the Il-96 is not. Also the Il-96 is too big for that function of airborne assault/parachute operations. Could be good as MRTT.

The Il-76 is already 100% combat ready for military operations, including take-offs and landings from dirt runways
It is also optimized and standardized to carry all the military logistics of the VDV, including vehicles and, as seen in the video above, a field hospital by modules

In the video the Il-76M RF-86733, the oldest Il-76 , in service since 1979, operating from the field in Tver

That's good but in the future they will very likely need more something like the il-96T to land far away on an airport to support allies rather than an il-76 to land in the middle of nowhere.

And all their vehicles are getting bigger and bigger (tanks, BMPs...) so they need a bigger plane to transport them without the need of using the huge an-124.

The il-96 looks awsome. The 400-T variant is 2 times better than the il-76 in terms of perfs.

Since they will use both PS-90 engine they should replace il-76 with the il-96-400T.

Il-96 is great for moving pallets/containers/people from one large airport/base to another. But it has no rear ramp for dropping cargo from the air and it can´t operate from rough airstrips/grass. Nevertheless a tanker/transporter combi of the Il-96-400 would be nice for support of missile carriers. Also useful for the support of operations like Syria.

The Il-96 is a big heavy aircraft that is low drag and very efficient... in terms of refuelling heavy aircraft like strategic bombers the Il-96 wins hands down, but for supporting smaller lighter tactical aircraft that could be operating all across Russia the smaller lighter Il-78 can operate from rough airstrips and is good enough and already in service and can be upgraded and could be optimised for other jobs when not needed for inflight refuelling it makes a good choice too.

I would say not only do both make sense but a smaller lighter aircraft perhaps based on an Il-276 or a Tu-330 with 20-35 tons of fuel to off load would be useful as well...

That's good but in the future they will very likely need more something like the il-96T to land far away on an airport to support allies rather than an il-76 to land in the middle of nowhere.

And all their vehicles are getting bigger and bigger (tanks, BMPs...) so they need a bigger plane to transport them without the need of using the huge an-124.

For inflight refuelling strategic aircraft like Blackjacks and PAK DAs an Il-96 could take off from the same airfields as those strategic aircraft so short takeoffs is not an issue... they can cruise at high subsonic speeds with those strategic aircraft for a couple of thousand kms and then refuel them to full fuel loads and then fly back to base leaving the strategic aircraft over the north pole somewhere with full fuel ready to go...

Equally it makes sense to use them as inflight refuelling aircraft in some places over the arctic where they could fly 2,500km out to sea and meet carrier aircraft to top up... having an Il-96 flying around the Kuznetsov during operations could have saved two fighters... they could have taken on fuel and attempted to land several more times and then taken on more fuel and flown to recover on a land airfield... and it could also extend the range of AWACS A-50 aircraft as well.

Its airliner pedigree means it can fly enormous distances without burning a lot of fuel itself with a decent payload and with new engines it should be even better.

Not using Il-96 as tanker aircraft is pure waste, they are perfect for that and are readily available

Yes it can't land on dirt runways but it doesn't need to, they can be stationed in major air bases while Il-76 tankers could be moved further afield if they have such a boner for dirt runways

When was the last time large military aircraft had to use dirt runway anyway?

PapaDragon wrote:
Not using Il-96 as tanker aircraft is pure waste, they are perfect for that and are readily available

Yes it can't land on dirt runways but it doesn't need to, they can be stationed in major air bases while Il-76 tankers could be moved further afield if they have such a boner for dirt runways

When was the last time large military aircraft had to use dirt runway anyway?

and it would help Russia to keep production of widebodies until the two engine version will be available without the president having a new il96 every year

When was the last time large military aircraft had to use dirt runway anyway?

Did you not watch the video at the top of this page?

They train to operate from the dirt strips next to their runways in case those runways are damaged...

Of course with tactical aircraft getting the inflight refuelling aircraft airborne from a dirt runway makes sense because those tactical aircraft can also take off from dirt runways, but for strategic bombers the Il-96 inflight refuelling aircraft does not need to get airborne if the Blackjacks and Bears and PAK DAs can't get airborne either.

GarryB wrote:

When was the last time large military aircraft had to use dirt runway anyway?

Did you not watch the video at the top of this page?

They train to operate from the dirt strips next to their runways in case those runways are damaged...

We are talking about nuclear superpower here

If their runways are being bombed it means that transport aircraft are no longer relevant in this scenario and that everything went to next level

Chasing these obsolete conventional warfare fantasies is what ballooned Soviet military budget, destroyed their economy and doomed the entire country

That is a transport plane and not a strategic bomber... of course it is going to be testing operations from dirt runways... in many places around the world that might be all they have...

For strategic aircraft they want to be careful... their runways are enormous and fixed and an enemy sneaking troops or somehow damaging runways is always a threat and a possibility they have to be aware of and be able to do their job regardless of.

https://vk.com/aviastarsp_uacrussia?w=wall-121703908_1145

The first Il-76MD-90A, assembled at Aviastar-SP JSC on a new production line, was handed over to the customer

The first heavy transport aircraft Il-76MD-90A, assembled on the new assembly line of the Ulyanovsk aircraft building enterprise Aviastar-SP JSC (part of the UAC Transport Aviation Division as part of the Rostec State Corporation) was transferred to the VTA aviation regiment based in Ulyanovsk. The aircraft was built under a contract with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

“This is an important stage for the team of Ulyanovsk aircraft builders, confirming the ability to effectively solve all assigned tasks. Thanks to the modernization of production facilities and the introduction of a new technological process, the plant in the near future plans to steadily increase the serial production of aircraft, reaching the production rate of 12 aircraft per year. To implement a large-scale production program, the company is actively recruiting new employees, "said the managing director of Aviastar-SP JSC Sergey Sheremetov.

In contrast to the previously used technology, the new production line reduces the labor intensity of the aircraft assembly. The line consists of ten productions for joining the fuselage, wing, tail sections and stations for the installation of power plants and aircraft systems. It is equipped with a laser positioning system of the units, which ensures high accuracy of joining of all aircraft elements.

At present, Aviastar-SP JSC is ready to transfer another heavy transport aircraft Il-76MD-90A for testing. Several more aircraft of this modification are in the workshops of the enterprise in varying degrees of readiness.

(In the image it is not appreciated but it must be the RF-78661, the 9th plane delivered to the VKS)

This Il-76MD-90A was also the first aircraft built on the new PLC-76 assembly line, which was put into operation at Aviastar-SP in October 2019. Work on the installation of the PLC-76 line at Aviastar-SP has been carried out since the fall of 2016 in a workshop with a length of 500 m and a width of 100 m. Constructive and technological development of the assembly of products at PLC-76 takes place on three production aircraft Il- 76MD-90A with serial numbers 0206, 0207 and 0208. Apparently, the aircraft with serial numbers 0207 and 0208 will be able to take off by the enterprise by the end of 2021, although their delivery will probably go to 2022. It is assumed that the production line for the assembly of the PLC-76 in the future will be able to ensure the rate of construction of up to 12 Il-76MD-90A aircraft per year.

https://bmpd.livejournal.com/4392177.html

First flight of the next IL-476, serial 0207, register RF-78662 , today

Yes here it is

https://bmpd.livejournal.com/4413715.html

Picking up pace? That would be a real breakthrough...

The current problems show it requires a higher production rate. More aircraft and please until 2027 with PD-14 or PS-90M Upgrade with more Power and efficiency.

Not just a higher production rate of Il-476 aircraft, but also Il-276, and honestly I think the Tu-330 is different enough and has enough potential to also go into production together with the Il-276.

20-35 ton payload aircraft are very useful, and with the Il-276 being a jet makes it even better.

Here in New Zealand we believed the sales pitch that the C-130 is a great plane for us.

It isn't.

We would have been much better off buying Il-76s to be honest.

The C-130 is not a bad plane... a few of its problems for us is that it is slow to it takes time to get anywhere, and when carrying full payload its range is effected which might not be a problem for some but being surrounded by a moat almost 1,000km wide at the closest distance to our neighbour Australia then it is a problem.

When we send our Hercs to the Islands they have to hop from island to island because they lack strategic range, they are a theatre transport that has strategic range with uselessly tiny payloads...

With an Il-276 or Il-476 we could fly to the islands in one flight without having to stop all over the place to top up the fuel... it could get there much faster and fly above the weather instead of through it.

But politically it is very unlikely.

New military transport aircraft Il-76MD-90A are involved in the transfer of troops to Kazakhstan

Flight tests of the first Il-76MD-90A aircraft built in 2022 have begun

https://bmpd.livejournal.com/4500800.html

The Russian Aerospace Forces received the first Il-76MD-90A military transport aircraft in 2022



https://bmpd.livejournal.com/4517020.html

https://twitter.com/Cyberspec1/status/1529673912522768384
#RuAF #Il76
The second IL-76MD-90A military transport aircraft built this year at Aviastar-SP JSC in Ulyanovsk. Flight tests are expected in the near future.

so hmmmm

2nd one seems to have had 1st flight June 7th ....
1st one's first flight was March 16 ...

"The first IL-76MD-90A military-technical cooperation in 2022 took to the sky
20.03.2022, 06:52  40
Photo Telegram channel AviaChatChannel
In Ulyanovsk, flight tests of the next serial military transport aircraft IL-76MD-90A with registration number RF-78663
began. This was reported by the Telegram channel AviaChatChannel.
This is the first IL-76MD-90A aircraft, released in 2022. On March 16, the aircraft made its maiden flight."

11 weeks apart ... getting there ..... what's that 4-5 p.a.
they will probably hit 8 p.a. this time next year I suspect

bearing in mind these things weigh close enough to 100 tons each ....
and very few countries in the world can build planes that big ...

The Il-76MD-90a aircraft built in 2022 raised

As reported, the flight tests of the military transport aircraft IL-76MD-90A, which was built at Ulyanovsk JSC Aviastar-SP (part of the Transport Aviation Division of JSC United Aircraft Corporation-UAC), began at Ulyanovsk-Vostochny Fabrik airfield complex with serial number 0210 (registration number 78665). This is the third IL-76MD 90A aircraft of a new construction that was taken up in 2022.
@bmpd

This is a good aircraft. I think in far away future Russia needs to make the Slon to replace An-124 and perhaps a twin engine with PD-35 to replace Il-76 in most uses. But this may be over a decade away.

The Kawasaki C-2 uses two huge CF-6 engines so the twin engine would look kind of like that maybe. CF-6 is 25 tf thrust and PD-35 is 35 tf like name implies.

A new 5 year contract from 2024.
2024 = 12 IL-76MD-90A
2025 = 12 IL-76MD-90A
2026 = 12 IL-76MD-90A
2027 = 12 IL-76MD-90A
2028 = 12 IL-76MD-90A
= 60 New IL-76MD-90A

The year 2022 and 2023 should be used for 12 units by 2024. New workforce, new supply chains, etc.

In addition, a separate contract for 3 prototypes from 2028 with PD14M (exactly the same engine for the TU-214NEO!)
Both aircraft must be the basics and backups for Russia! No bet on MC-21 or the New An-124.

A new 5 year contract again from 2028.
2028 = 12 IL-76MD-90A
2029 = 12 IL-76MD-90A
2030 = 12 IL-76MD-90A
= 36 new IL-76MD-90A

2031 = 12 IL-76MD-14M
2032 = 12 IL-76MD-14M
= 24 new IL-76MD-14M

2033 - 2037 = 60 IL76MD-14M
~ 170 90A and 14M IL-76

The first IL-76MD-90A would then be 25 years old and could be replaced by IL-76MD-14M at a rate of 8-12 a year from 2038.
The Company has a concrete work and thus maintaining ability and the Air Force has enough new material.

Due to the PD-14M, the payload should increase to approx. 66t and the consumption should decrease by further ~ 10% or better. The range at 40T should also rise to approx. 7000km.

The TU-214 platform should be used for a submarine defense aircraft or AWACs. A new possible AN-124NEO should get four PD-35. Their production will hardly exceed 6 per year and will probably not start before 2030. That would also be an enormous challenge.

If necessary, the IL-76 could also be extended by approx. 2x2m if that is possible to get more volume and load space.

That PD-14M engine is also required for MC-21-400 and Il-276 projects. In addition it can be used in the Tu-214, Il-96, and Il-76. You mentioned some of these.

Tu-214SM (is that what you were talking about with the NEO?) is an old project which unfortunately got canned with lack of client orders. It makes the Tu-214 into a fully electric aircraft and removes the need for the third crewman. I doubt there is a production pipeline for it. Would likely take about as much time for it to come out at this time as the MC-21-400 which would be much better in specs.

This engine just makes way too much sense not to be funded and in active development. Yet here we are. I have heard of no news on this for years. I suspect the relevant main team is working on the PD-8 right now and the lead designers in the house on PD-35. Maybe after PD-8 comes out we will see work on PD-14M happen. Or maybe those guys will be put on PD-35 main development. Who knows.

Russia needs more design staff working on engines and aircraft. Russia is isolated from imports of the duopoly and given its geography it needs transport aircraft.