Ilyushin Il-80

Ilyushin Il-80

Ilyushin Il-80 ( Russian Ильюшин Ил-80 , NATO code name : Maxdome) is an airborne command post (воздушный командный пункт, vosduschny komandy dot) of the Russian Air Force Ilj -86, which is based on the civilian model .

development

The NATO code name varies depending on the source between Maxdome and the code name of the Il-86 Camber . The Russian report name is Aimak or Eimak ( Mongolian for "clan").

The first flight of the first unmodified machine is said to have taken place in the summer of 1985. On March 5, 1987, the first flight of a converted Il-80 took place. The delivery of the known four modified machines began in the same year. The registration took place under the civil license plates CCCP-86146 to CCCP-86149 . The aircraft were first photographed by western photographers in 1992.

The Il-80, also known as Il-86WKP, is intended to be used as a command center for the President and Russian officials in the event of a nuclear war . The US government uses a Boeing E-4B based on the Boeing 747-200B for the same task . To protect against nuclear explosions and nuclear electromagnetic radiation, the Il-80 has no outside windows except for the cockpit. In addition, all doors were modified except for the upper left front door and the rear right door. Instead of three, only one air door was installed. A special screen blocks the rear cockpit window and protects against electromagnetic and high-frequency radiation.

Two auxiliary engines for generating electricity are carried outside in under-wing containers that are firmly attached between the fuselage and the inner engine nacelle. Each container is approximately 9.5 meters (32 feet) long and 1.3 meters (4 feet) in diameter. A landing light is built into each tip .

Like the American E-4B, the Il-80 has an advanced rear-mounted satellite communications system with a towed antenna. This is located in the lower rear fuselage and ensures radio contact via very low-frequency VLF signals. This was supposed to enable communication with carrier submarines with ballistic missiles .

Operational use

After completion, all four Il-80s were delivered to the 8th Aviation Division for special use (8-й авиационной дивизии особого назначения) of the Russian Air Force on the Chkalovsky military airfield , which is 30 km northeast of Moscow. The aircraft are stationed there and belong to the arsenal of the airline Aeroflot .

Since 2011 only three of the original four Il-80s have been in use. They carry the civil license plates RA-86147, RA-86148 and RA-86149. The missing Il-80 RA-86146 was photographed without engines and is apparently decommissioned. The aircraft are rarely observed in action. The participation of an Il-80 at an air show is proven.

replacement

It is expected that a development based on the Ilyushin Il-96-400 will be used as the successor to the current flight command center.

Web links

Commons : Ilyushin Il-80  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Ильюшин Ил-80 (87). Retrieved March 1, 2019 (Russian). 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Il-80 / Il-86VKP / Il-87 max cathedrals. Retrieved February 28, 2019 . 
2. ↑ Michael JH Taylor: Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999-2000 . Potomac Books Inc, 2000, ISBN 978-1-85753-245-6 , pp. 156 (English).
3. ↑ ^{a b} David Rendall: Jane's Aircraft Recognition Guide . 2nd Edition. 1999, ISBN 978-0-00-472212-2 , pp. 154 (English).
4. ↑ Sputnik: Russian Military Gets Customized Il-96-400 'Doomsday Plane'. Accessed February 28, 2019 .