Five years ago, on February 28, 2016, from the airfield of the Flight Research Institute.

M.M.

Gromov in Zhukovsky for the first time a heavy military transport aircraft Il-76MD-M took off.

The car was piloted by the crew under the command of the Hero of Russia, Honored Test Pilot of the Russian Federation Nikolai Kuimov.

In October 2016, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation concluded with JSC Aviation Complex named after S.V.

Ilyushin "(now - PJSC" Il ". -

RT

) the first contract for the supply of three units of the Il-76MD-M.

Simultaneously with this, the state flight tests of the aircraft took place.

In March 2018, the Aerospace Forces received the first serial upgraded Il-76MD-M.

Before that, the specialists of the 153rd military representative office of the RF Ministry of Defense carried out the entire cycle of acceptance tests.

In 2019-2020, the developer handed over six Il-76MD-M to the VKS.

In the near future, the troops will receive another such vehicle.

As noted in PJSC "Il", the modernization allows to extend the service life of the Il-76 fleet, equipping the machines with modern units and electronic systems.

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the assigned service life of the aircraft is extended by another 40 years.

The Il-76MD-M is a new modification in the legendary family of the Il-76 military transport aircraft, developed under the leadership of the talented Russian designer Genrikh Novozhilov.

These machines were assembled at an aircraft plant in Tashkent, but later production was transferred to Aviastar-SP in Ulyanovsk.

Il-76MD-M is designed for the transportation of personnel, military equipment and various cargoes.

Also, this type of aircraft is used for the landing of military personnel and armored vehicles.

In the standard version, the Il-76MD-M can take on board 145 military personnel or 126 paratroopers, transport 114 wounded or up to 48 tons of cargo.

The maximum take-off weight of the aircraft is 190 tons, the cruising speed is 770-800 km / h.

Qualitative improvement

Commenting on the first flight of his brainchild, Andrei Yurasov, chief designer of the IL-76 joint program directorate, emphasized that the purpose of the modernization was to replace components that are no longer produced by Russian industry.

According to the designer, this work has been successfully completed.

According to its results, the Il-76MD-M with new units and systems is capable of performing all tasks assigned to it at a higher level.

In particular, Yurasov noted "an increase in the accuracy of aircraft navigation, an improvement in the quality of radio communications."

  • Il-76MD-M military transport aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces

  • © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

In turn, test pilot Nikolai Kuimov said that the modernized model "flies great and shows all the best that the Il-76 project has embodied."

“A lot of new equipment, a new navigation system, new systems have been installed on the aircraft, which allow to qualitatively improve the characteristics of the aircraft when performing both transport and combat flights with direct support for the transportation of troops and military equipment,” Kuimov explained.

First of all, the aircraft flight and navigation equipment, communication systems, airborne transport, lighting and household equipment were modernized.

One of the main differences between the Il-76MD-M and its predecessors was the elements of the so-called glass cockpit, in which the controls are made using LCD displays.

It is known that an optical-electronic sighting system is installed in the nose of the cockpit of the modernized aircraft, which allows observing the landing sites and any objects in the infrared and optical ranges.

Also, the specialists of PJSC "IL" have equipped the IL-76MD-M with a satellite navigation system that meets all the requirements of flights on Russian and foreign air routes.

According to Yurasov, the Il-76MD-M received a modern defense complex, which provides "protection against all means of destruction that our potential enemy is currently armed with."

Experts believe that the vehicle is equipped with the Vitebsk system (export name - President-S -

RT

), designed to protect aircraft from being hit by anti-aircraft missiles and ammunition with infrared homing heads.

In "Rostec" "Vitebsk" was called a highly effective means of airborne defense.

Thanks to the equipment for detecting laser radiation, the complex is capable of detecting a threat coming from the enemy.

Protection against destruction of the machine is directly provided by devices for the ejection of false thermal targets and an optical-electronic suppression station.

  • Modernized military transport aircraft Il-76MD-M

  • © Armen Gasparyan / Il PJSC

In general, as noted in the state corporation, the radio-technical stuffing of the Il-76MD-M is identical to the equipment installed on the Il-76MD-90A aircraft of the new generation.

Recall that the first copy of the Il-76MD-90A was assembled in 2011.

This heavy military transport aircraft is equipped with automated loading systems and an increased power TA-12A auxiliary power unit.

The modernization made it possible to increase the carrying capacity of the machine's electric hoists and simplify the process of loading and securing cargo.

Also, the designers increased the level of information support for the crew due to the installation of multifunctional screens in different parts of the cockpit, which replaced analog equipment.

“There are nine such screens on the plane.

Six in the cockpit, two at the navigator, one at the flight engineer.

Each of the crew members can display the information that he needs at the moment.

One such screen replaces at least a dozen analog devices, ”Andrei Yurasov said earlier in an interview with the Zvezda TV channel.

"Optimal solution"

According to experts, the deliveries of the Il-76MD-M, along with the production of the Il-76MD-90A, are intended to increase the level of mobility of the Russian army.

Only in the presence of a large and modern fleet of heavy military transport aviation can Moscow effectively project force on distant frontiers, experts say.

“The Il-76 is not a new aircraft, but in its modernized form it copes well with the tasks of transferring troops and ensuring the landing.

In terms of carrying capacity, it surpasses western "classmates" and, in general, meets a wide range of modern requirements in terms of characteristics, "Dmitry Kornev, founder of the Military Russia portal, told RT.

According to him, the modernization of the Il-76 fleet will extend the service life, improve the controllability and safety of these machines.

An important achievement of Russian designers Kornev called the installation of the elements of the "glass cockpit" on the improved aircraft.

“The most important thing is that the electronics are being replaced on the Il-76MD-M and Il-76MD-90A.

These aircraft no longer have the old arrow indicators and control devices.

Instead of this, convenient, intuitive displays are installed.

And in the future, as I hope, new engines will appear, ”says Kornev.

In a commentary on RT, the executive director of the Aviaport agency, Oleg Panteleev, said that the military leadership of the Russian Federation had made an "adequate decision" by launching a program to modernize the Il-76 fleet.

According to the expert's forecast, these aircraft will serve the army for several more decades.

“The Il-76 remains a very popular vehicle for our military transport aviation.

Aircraft are used for a wide variety of tasks, including special operations.

Thanks to the modernization, a significant part of the previously produced machines remains in service, but at the same time they acquire wider opportunities, "Panteleev explained.

From his point of view, the creation of the Il-76MD-M and Il-76MD-90A allows Russia to successfully develop heavy military transport aviation without significant financial costs.

As Panteleev noted, the modernized Il-76 can compete with the families of American C-17, C-130 aircraft and the European A-400 on the world market.

“The characteristics of the updated Il-76 have been brought up to the requirements of today.

In general, in terms of price / quality ratio, the modernized Il-76 aircraft are the best option for solving transport issues, "Panteleev believes.