Il-76
Russia's heavy four-engine strategic airlifter, in service since 1974 and now modernised as the Il-76MD-90A with PS-90A engines, serving as the backbone of operational lift and the platform for the A-50 AWACS and Il-78 tanker.
The backbone of Russian operational airlift since 1974 — a four-engine heavy-transport that moves troops, outsize cargo and paratroops, and provides the airframe for the A-50 Mainstay AEW&C and the Il-78 Midas tanker.
Overview
The Ilyushin Il-76 (NATO reporting name Candid) is a long-range, four-engine jet-driven strategic airlifter that entered Soviet service in the mid-1970s and remains the Russian Aerospace Forces’ primary military-transport workhorse. The modernised Il-76MD-90A (also labelled Il-476) keeps the type in production at Aviastar-SP in Ulyanovsk, mating a redesigned wing and digital flight deck with Aviadvigatel PS-90A-76 high-bypass turbofans. Apart from airlift and airdrop, the airframe underpins the Beriev A-50 airborne early-warning aircraft and the Il-78 Midas tanker. More than 950 airframes have been built across all variants, and the aircraft operates with a wide export user base including India, Algeria, China and Belarus.
🔒 The full Il-76 file is for BattlePolicy Pro members. Below the line: development history, design and capabilities, variants, the combat record, advantages and limitations, comparable systems, outlook, the full specifications table, our sourcing, and the analyst assessment — procurement, suppliers and the BattlePolicy verdict. Unlock the full file with BattlePolicy Pro →
Below this point
- Development
- Design & capabilities
- Variants
- Combat record / operational use
- Advantages
- Drawbacks / limitations
- Counterparts
- Outlook
- Key specifications
- Sources
- Analyst Section
- Procurement & contracts
- Suppliers & related companies
- Comparable systems — analyst view
- Analyst note