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\u003cp\u003eThe Russian defence ministry and defence industry are attempting to renegotiate a contract that is critical to the country’s future military-airlift capacity, given the increasing age of its current fleet of heavy fixed-wing transport aircraft. Transport aviation was heavily involved in the initial deployment and then the continuing logistics support of Moscow’s military operation in Syria.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTalks are reportedly under way between the defence ministry and industry, including Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation subsidiary Aviastar-SP, on revised contract pricing intended to cover the delivery of 39 Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A \u003cem\u003eCandid\u003c/em\u003e heavy transport aircraft. The upgraded new-build version of the Il-76 would form the heart of a future heavy transport fleet, providing a replacement for the oldest variants of \u003cem\u003eCandid\u003c/em\u003e now in service with the Russian Air Force. Meanwhile, the air force’s more recently manufactured aircraft are the focus of a separate upgrade project, known as the Il-76MD-M, the first aircraft of which was delivered in March 2018.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ciframe class=\u0022highcharts-iframe\u0022 src=\u0022https://cloud.highcharts.com/embed/Jos7hUMnf/\u0022 style=\u0022border: 0; width: 650px; height: 450px;\u0022\u003e\u003c/iframe\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eRussia’s military-transport stalwart\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe IISS Military Balance + database currently records around 100 Il-76s as remaining in operational service, although at any one time the available fleet may be around 50–60 aircraft. The aircraft was designed in the late 1960s and a prototype first flown in 1971. It was introduced into Soviet service in 1975, and by the late 1980s some 400 had been built for the Soviet Air Force. Ilyushin had begun to consider a successor to the \u003cem\u003eCandid\u003c/em\u003e in the late 1980s, the Il-106, but this project fell into abeyance with the effects of the collapse of the Soviet Union.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\u0022highlight_panel\u0022\u003e\n\u003cp style=\u0022text-align: left;\u0022\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022font-size: 16px;\u0022\u003eRussia: heavy airlift assets, 1992–2017\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable style=\u0022width: 100%; height: 100%;\u0022\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eName\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eType\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e1992\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1997\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2002\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2007\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2012\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2017\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e An-124 \u003cem\u003eCondor\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e Heavy Transport Aircraft\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e 29\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\u00223\u0022\u003e 350\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\u00223\u0022\u003e 318\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e 12\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e 12\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e 9\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e An-22 \u003cem\u003eCock\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e Heavy Transport Aircraft\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e 55\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e 21\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e 21\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e 2\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e II-76MD \u003cem\u003eCandid\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e Heavy Transport Aircraft\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e 435\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e 210\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e 118\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e 100\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\u00222\u0022 style=\u0022text-align: center;\u0022\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eTotal\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e519\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e 350\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e318\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e 243\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e 151\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e 111\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll 39 Il-76MD-90A aircraft were due for delivery between 2014 and 2018, but so far only six or seven have been completed and none appear to have as yet entered squadron service. Two of the aircraft are being used as the basis for an upgraded tanker and an upgraded airborne early-warning aircraft. Improvements include a digital cockpit and upgraded engines with better fuel performance. The wing has also been redesigned, offering a considerable weight saving. The aircraft are also being fitted with a defensive-aids suite.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRussian Deputy Defence Minister Alexey Krivoruchko visited the Ulyanovsk-based Aviastar-SP at the beginning of August to discuss the armed forces’ transport- and tanker-aircraft needs. Krivoruchko suggested during the visit that the first three Il-76MD-90As could finally be put on the air force’s books by the end of this year, while he was also \u003cspan\u003e\u003ca href=\u0022https://tvzvezda.ru/news/forces/content/201808011713-mil-ru-yhq24.html\u0022\u003e\u003cspan\u003equoted\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e as saying: ‘\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: #26282a;\u0022\u003eAfter discussing technical and pricing issues, we might possibly reach new agreements on fulfilment of the state contract.’\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eTesting begins\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Il-76MD-90A and its airborne-refueling variant, the Il-78M-90A \u003cem\u003eMidas\u003c/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003eare now being evaluated by the air force. The prototype \u003cem\u003eMidas \u003c/em\u003ewas rolled out at the end of 2017, while the first Il-76MD-90A was flown for the first time in 2015.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 39-aircraft contract was signed in 2012, and was valued at 140 billion roubles (around US$4.5bn at the time). The deal was important to the future of the Aviastar production facility, which has been considerably underutilised. It was a production site for the An-124 \u003cem\u003eCondor\u003c/em\u003e very large transport aircraft, but none have been manufactured since 2004. It was also a manufacturing site for the Tupolev Tu-204 twin-engine passenger aircraft, but again production has been sporadic and in small numbers. The \u003cem\u003eCandid\u003c/em\u003e had previously been built by the Tashkent Aviation Production Organisation in Uzbekistan, but a decision to shift this to Aviastar was made in 2006.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe An-124 is also the subject of a potential upgrade, with overly ambitious plans to restart production having been shelved apparently in favour of a more achievable programme. The \u003cem\u003eCondor\u003c/em\u003e is reliant on a Ukrainian-manufactured Progress D-18T turbofan engine; a focus for the An-124 upgrade is replacing this with a yet-to-be-decided Russian design.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile Russian industry and the defence ministry continue to harbour ambitions to develop a successor to the \u003cem\u003eCandid\u003c/em\u003e, this remains very much an aspiration. Ensuring an adequate heavy airlift capability will remain dependent therefore on the Il-76, likely for at least the next two decades, if Moscow is to sustain even a baseline of air mobility.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr /\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis analysis originally featured on the \u003ca href=\u0022http://go.iiss.org/2gnVMys\u0022\u003eIISS Military Balance+\u003c/a\u003e, the online database that provides indispensable information and analysis for users in government, the armed forces, the private sector, academia, the media and more. Customise, view, compare and download data instantly, anywhere, anytime.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","className":"richtext reading--content font-secondary"}), document.getElementById("react_akFnYSpElEyhwyLtNL3lGg"))});
An appraisal of Russia\u0026rsquo;s future military-airlift investment plans is needed to ensure adequate capability.
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