72042 ILYUSHIN IL-76MD

The Ilyushin Il-76 was a Soviet, and is now mainly a Russian, high-wing long-range transport aircraft. A prototype flight took place in 1974, and the machine entered production in 1974. The drive - in the basic version - is provided by four motors Sołowiew D-30KP turbojets with a thrust of 117.7 kN each. The plane is 46.59 meters long with a wingspan of 50.5 meters. The single 23mm GSz-23 cannon was rarely used as a deck armament. The Il-76 model was developed at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s as a new, basic Soviet aviation transport aircraft capable of transporting cargo weighing up to 40 tons over a distance of approximately 5,000 kilometers in less than 6 hours. It was also assumed that the new machine would replace the Antonov An-12 aircraft in service. Work on the new machine proceeded relatively quickly and in 1971 a prototype test took place. Ultimately, the serial versions of the Il-76 met the requirements set for them. Moreover, the Il-76 has a very solid construction, resistant to small caliber fire from the ground, which was clearly demonstrated by the war in Afghanistan (1979-1989). The machine - from 1976 - entered the Aeroflot airline as a transport plane, and later also to other civil operators. In the course of the process, many variants were created - both military and civilian. These include, for example: Il-76D (version intended for the transport of paratroopers), Il-76MD (military version with extended flight range) or Il-76T (civilian transport version). The Il-76 aircraft has also been operated by many foreign operators, including the PRC, India, Iraq and Hungary.