Ilyushin IL-76 (Candid)

History

The Ilyushin IL-76 heavy transporter debuted in the early 1970s, entered service in the mid-1970s and is still in use today - about 36 years after its introduction. Regardless, the IL-76 has written a success story, with an estimated 960 units delivered worldwide.

Airframes have also become highly adaptable to the needs of customers in different roles. These roles include military and civilian functions, transporting military paratroopers or civilian passengers, and transporting heavy cargo.

Other roles were moved to IL-76, including Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), AWACS-like duties, Air Hospital, Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) (IL-76PP), Airborne Command Post (IL-VPK), Maritime Search and rescue (SAR), firefighting, "zero gravity" training of Soviet astronauts (IL-76MDK) and aerial refueling.

The hardships of the Soviet Union

The Ilyushin IL-76 grew out of the Soviet Unions need for a heavy tugboat in 1967 capable of towing loads in excess of 88,000 lbs at 3,000 mph. The aircraft is intended to serve the Soviet military transport service VTA and the civilian operator Aeroflot to replace the propeller-driven Antonov An-12BP heavy freighter.

Additionally, the new design will have Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) capability in all weather types and inherent characteristics to allow operation on rough or unprepared runways. The aircraft will play an important role in resupplying the remote, hard-to-reach suburbs of the Soviet Empire. Ilyushin presented their concept - starring G.V.

Novozhilov - and the first prototype flew on March 25, 1971.

Aircraft design uses reverse thrusters and high lift devices to meet short takeoff and landing requirements. The wings feature triple-slotted trailing edge flaps, nearly full-span leading edge slats and a spoiler on top. The chassis was developed for field use and contains a total of twenty low-pressure tires on five chassis legs. The crew quarters include a crew of seven, including a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, flight engineer, communications officer and two cargo handlers.

Although the IL-76 had a girth comparable to the American C-141 star liter, it proved to be larger in size and had a higher operating weight, but with a shorter range and a smaller internal cargo hold. The IL-76 entered service with the VTA Development Squadron in June 1974 under the NATO codename "Candid-A". Since 1975, the Tashkent Aviation Production Association in Tashkent, Uzbekistan is responsible for serial production.

During the Cold War, Uzbekistan was a republic of the Soviet Empire.

Although originally intended to replace the turboprop An-12, the IL-76 proved it could only complement the former in joint operations - just as the U.S. continues to use the propeller-engined C-130 Hercules-Family. As such, the IL-76 never fully replaced the sufficiently versatile An-12 in service.

However, the IL-76 continued to develop while in service. Later production models improved MTOW and increased range, setting more than two dozen flight records for the type.

The IL-76MDP was designed as a fire fighting device capable of delivering approximately 44 tons of flame retardant into two large cargo hold tanks. These aircraft are equipped with special aiming and triggering instruments to help the crew be accurate.

At the same time, if necessary, the IL-76MDP can carry up to 40 firefighters and "weather-altering" launch cartridges.

The IL-76PP is notable for its dedicated role as an ECM aircraft. The IL-76PP, developed from the IL-76MD, is equipped with longer landing gear and Landysh avionics. Another IL-76MD development became the dedicated IL-76VPK command post sport antenna, ventral radome and various probes.

Beriev changes

Beriev converted the IL-76 into an Airborne Early Warning (AEW) platform sometime in the 1970s to replace the outgoing Tupolev Tu-126 "Moss". The Tu-126 became Russia's first AEW platform and was nothing more than a modification of the Tu-114 airliner. Development of the new Beriev aircraft, designated the A-50 "mainstay", began in 1969.

These aircraft are based on the IL-76MD model and are equipped with Liana radar. The first flight took place on December 19, 1978, and the model finally entered service in 1984, with a total of 24 aircraft. The A-50 can be identified by a radome on the fuselage's foredeck and consists of a crew of 15. The system was inevitably improved in the A-50U released in 1995 and quickly replaced the first production models. The U is equipped with a Vega-M Shmel-II radar capable of tracking up to 50 targets simultaneously at a maximum distance of 125 nautical miles.

Israel Aircraft Industries installed Elta phased non-rotating radar array units on the A-50I for its Chinese customers in 1999, but pressure from the United States forced the work to be cancelled. The A-60 was the relevant airborne laser test bed, while the IL-76SKIP/Be-976 proved to be a surveillance platform for monitoring missile launches and aircraft flight data.

Ilyushin IL-78 "Midas"

IL-78 (NATO codename "Midas") is a modified aerial tanker version of the IL-76 transport aircraft with a three-point "hose and cone" delivery system - two under each wing, the third from Tail extension. Trials of a modified IL-76MD were conducted in 1977, and after a long evaluation period, the model finally entered service in 1987, replacing the old Mya-4 "Bison" series tankers. Fuel is installed in the wings and fuselage. The standard crew of seven operated the aircraft, with the rear tail gunner replaced by a rear observer.

Applicable ranging radars and formation lights are located along the cargo bay ramp doors, visible to any aircraft approaching from behind. The IL-78 "Midas" form is detailed here.

Ilyushin IL-76 Tour

Visually, the IL-76 embodies many elements of Soviet Cold War aircraft design. It's not the prettiest plane, but it has "it" where it matters - it's fully functional. Candid installed the cockpit flight deck at the very forward end of the hull, which features heavy glazing in its cockpit and a lower framed deck - also heavy glazing (positions for the navigator and parachute).

The lower deck rests on a spherical base below the nose cone. The wings are mounted high on the top of the fuselage and can be identified on the plane by their curved center section. The wings are also noticeably swept back and clipped at the tip. Below the wings are the engines, two per wing, mounted in cylindrical nacelles on forward-swept pylons. Their positioning along the high-wing array ensures that engine washes can be moved away from the ground when the aircraft is unloading and loading cargo or for general maintenance.

The tail is dominated by a single large-area vertical tail with a "T" wing assembly attached. The horizontal plane is mounted at the very end of the vertical stabilizer, completing the unique appearance of the IL-76.

The landing gear adopts a semi-traditional layout, with one nose landing gear strut mounted under the front of the fuselage and four main landing gear struts mounted in bulbous locations below the fuselage. The nose gear has four tires mounted in two pairs, while the four main gears each carry a larger set of tires, four on one leg, also mounted in pairs.

Standard personnel access doors are located on the forward side of the fuselage in front of the wing assemblies and engines.

Cargo compartment

The fuselage tapers to the raised rear end just below, easily passing the bottom of the tail (this is also where the rear pylon is located). Access to the cargo area is via this raised rear bottom via two vertical doors hinged on the outer edge and a lowered ramp. The cargo compartment is designed to be fully pressurized (suitable for paratrooper operations) and has two overhead winches to assist in loading and unloading of cargo. The cargo compartment can be adjusted to fit three different prefabricated "modules" for the task at hand - air ambulance, passengers and cargo.

These modules provide a degree of convenience when time-constrained conversions are required. The floor is made of titanium and has an optional folding conveyor belt. The loading dock is also designed as an elevator with a capacity of 66,150 pounds.

All of these details add up to really showcase the IL-76's superiority in a combat environment.

Ilyushin IL-76D

Take the base production IL-76D as an example, which is equipped with four D-30KP series Aviadvigatel (Soloviev) turbofan engines, each with 26,500 pounds of thrust. Empty weight is specified at 159,000 pounds, while maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) may be 346,000 pounds. Top speed is around 560 mph, and a reported range is 3,650 km.

Service cap is capped at 42,700 feet. The wingspan is 165 feet 8 inches and the fuselage length is 152 feet 10 inches. Height is 48 feet 5 inches. Depending on the type of operation, the crew can accommodate 5 to 7 people.

Armed

While the core of the IL-76 remains a transport-oriented aircraft, the militarized version has limited weapons capabilities. More standard is the use of an optional radar-guided manned turret mounted on the bottom of the stern for self-defense. 2 x 23mm GSh-23L cannons are mounted in this position.

Other forms use optional pylons (two per wing) to support bomb guns as needed. These fittings are located on each wing outside the engine.

IL-76 in Afghanistan

During the Soviet-Afghan war, the IL-76 played a key role in transporting troops, supplies and weapons. Nearly 15,000 flights in and out of the region.

Although the Soviet Union ultimately suffered military losses in the conflict and subsequently withdrew its troops from the region, Candor had proved its worth in many ways, once again proving the value of logistical planning and execution.

Operators

IL-76 is widely used in military and civilian forms around the world, depending on the needs of customers. Most notably its use (and previous use) in the USSR/Russia as well as in the US (civilian), China, India, the Middle East (including Iraq and Iran) and parts of Africa. Casual observers will notice its heavy use in countries allied to the Soviet Union, as well as in countries of the former Soviet Union. North Korea, Libya, and Cuba all use different numbers of IL-76s in some way.

Ukraine operates civilian and military versions of the frank.

one side

Two Russian IL-76s land in Little Rock, Arkansas, on September 8, 2005, to provide humanitarian assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina. This is the first instance of a Russian-operated aircraft landing on U.S. soil in this capacity.

About five days later, an Indian-operated IL-76 also provided assistance to the area.

Specification

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Production

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Dimensions

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Performance

Armor

Junkers Ju 252 History

Junkers of Germany was approached by passenger carrier Lufthansa for a new transport design to succeed their classic Junkers Ju 52 tri-motor series. The entry would be of dimensionally greater size for more internal space and solve issues with both performance and operational range in the process.

Like the Ju 52 before it, the new design would rely on a tri-engine configuration with the third engine installed at the nose and the remaining two powerplants residing in the wings. The resultant aircraft became the Ju 252 whose success was largely derailed by the growing German commitment to World War 2 (1939-1945).

The aircraft (project model "EF. 77") carried low-set, straight monoplane wings fitted ahead of midships. The fuselage was long and slender, dotted with rectangular viewports along its side.

The cockpit was fitted forwards, aft of the nose engine installation, and the empennage was conventional featuring a sole vertical fin and low-mounted stabilizers. A conventional "tail-dragger" undercarriage was featured. Internally, the Ju 252 held the capacity to ferry up to 35 persons in comfort. Power would come from 3 x Junkers Jumo 211F liquid-cooled V12 engines of 1,350 horsepower each.

A hydraulically-driven loading ramp (developed in-house by Junkers) was used to level the aircraft when parked (literally lifting the tailwheel from the ground to level the cargo hold), allowing entry and exit of heavy cargo loads.

Heading into 1942, Germany was fully committed to the war and severe material restrictions were placed on the production of any non-military aircraft. The Ju 252 program therefore suffered and only prototypes and those airframes under construction at the time of the directive were allowed to be completed.

This netted the series just fifteen total aircraft which went on to serve the German Luftwaffe during the conflict - armed for defensive purposes only through 1 x 13mm MG 131 machine gun in a dorsal turret and 2 x 7. 92mm MG 15 machine guns in side beam positions.

The German Air Ministry then returned to Junkers and charged engineers with designing a copy of the Ju 252 that utilized far fewer war materials in its construction. This work then begat the Ju 352 "Herkules" transport which saw considerably more examples produced - fifty.

Needless to say, the Ju 252 failed in its attempt to supersede the popular Ju 52 tri-motor line but this was not through any failing of the aircraft directly.

As completed, the Ju 252A production model featured a crew of three to four operating personnel and an overall length of 25 meters, a wingspan of 34 meters and a height of 5. 75 meters. Empty weight became 13,130 kg against a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 22,260 kg.

Performance specifications included a maximum speed of 440 kmh, a cruise speed of 335 kmh, a range out to 4,000 km and a service ceiling up to 6,300 meters. Rate-of-climb reached 750 feet-per-minute.

Junkers Ju 252 Specification

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MANUFACTURING

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DIMENSIONS

WEIGHTS

POWER

PERFORMANCE

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