Exactly 52 years ago today, on March 25, 1971, the Ilyushin Il-76 took off from a flight test center in Zukhovskiy, 25 miles southeast of Moscow. The plane was piloted by Hero of the Soviet Union, Eduard Kuznetsov, who sang the aircraft's praises after the hour-long test flight.

In 1966 Sergei Ilyushin and his team of engineers, led by Gienrich Vasilyevich Novozhilov, were given the task of building an aircraft for the Soviet Union that was similar to the American Lockheed C-141A Starlifter. At the time, the primary strategic cargo aircraft in the Soviet Union Air Force was the four-engined Antonov An-12 turboprop, military transport developed from the An-10 passenger plane. Regarding capacity and style, it was similar to the American Lockheed C-130 Hercules.

The Ilyushin Il-76 was displayed at the 1971 Paris Air Show

The requirements were that the plane needed to be able to operate from unpaved airports in the Arctic and Eastern Siberia. It needed to have a range of at least 3,100 miles and be capable of carrying up to 72,753 pounds. Following a successful series of test flights, the Ilyushin Il-76 was flown to Paris–Le Bourget Airport (LGB) on May 25, 1971. The aircraft was revealed to the press at that summer's Paris Air Show and given the NATO call sign "CANDID."

The job of building the Ilyushin Il-76 was given to the Tashkent Aviation Production Association in Uzbekistan, which was at the time a Republic in the Soviet Union. The Il-76 first entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1974 and has since gone on to become the main cargo plane for the Soviet and now Russian military.

During the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (1979-1989) the aircraft played a pivotal role in making more than 14,000 flights out of Afghanistan. During the conflict, the Il-76 is credited with transporting 89% of all troops and 74% of all air freight. Because of its high-altitude flights, the only chance the Taliban had of shooting one down was during takeoff and landing.

Il-76 variants

Over the years, the Il-76 has been modified and equipped with newer technology and engines. Variants of the plane include the following:

  • Il-76D: A paratroop transport aircraft with a tail gun turret.
  • Il-76K/Il-76MDK/Il-76MDK-II: A cosmonaut training
  • Il-76LL: An aircraft used for testing engines
  • Il-76M: A military troop transport
  • Il-76MD: An improved longer-range military transport.
  • Il-76MD Skal'pel-MT: A mobile military hospital
  • Il-76MD-90: A version fitted with quieter, more fuel-efficient high-bypass turbofan engines.
  • Il-76MF: A stretched military version with a higher payload capacity.
  • Il-76MD-M: A modernized version of the plane built especially for the Russian Air Force.
  • Il-76MD-90A: An upgraded variant with a glass cockpit, new avionics, and carbon fiber wings.
  • Ilyushin Il-78/Il-78M/Il-78MD-90A: An aerial refueling tanker
  • Il-78 MKI: A customized version built for the Indian Air Force.
  • Il-82: An airborne command and control aircraft.
  • Il-84: A maritime search and rescue plane.
  • Beriev A-50/Beriev A-50M/Beriev A-50I/Beriev A-50E: Airbourne Early Warning & Control aircraft.

Civil variants

  • Il-76MGA: A commercial freighter
  • Il-76P / Il-76TP / Il-76TDP / Il-76MDP: Water bomber firefighting aircraft.
  • Il-76T: A civilian cargo transport.
  • Il-76TD: Civilian transport fitted with Soloviev D-30 Turbofan engines
  • Il-76TD-90: An Il-76TD with Aviadvigatel PS-90 engines and a partial glass cockpit.
  • Il-76TD-90VD: Same as the above aircraft but developed especially for Volga-Dnepr.
  • Il-76TD-S: A civilian mobile disaster relief hospital.

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Specifications and general characteristics of the Il-76TD

  • Crew: Five
  • Capacity: Il-76M 92,594 lbs Il-76MD 132,277 lbs
  • Length: 152 feet 10 inches
  • Wingspan: 165 feet 8 inches
  • Height: 48 feet 5 inches
  • Wing area: 3,200 square feet
  • Empty weight: 203,928 lbs
  • Max takeoff weight: 418,878 lbs
  • Powerplant: 4 × Soloviev D-30KP turbofans

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 560 mph
  • Maximum speed: Mach 0.82
  • Range: 2,700 miles
  • Service ceiling: 43,000 feet

Since the production of the Ilyushin Il-76 began in 1971, 960 aircraft have been built.