IL 80 new. "Doomsday Plane"

Next year, Russia will begin the development of a new air command headquarters based on the Il-96-400 aircraft. The new aircraft will have to replace the current Il-80. He will be able to stay in the air without landing for up to 3 days, and control the country's nuclear triad from almost anywhere in the world. Life understands what the "Doomsday Aircraft" is - that is what the air command posts for command and control of troops are called.

In itself, the idea of ​​creating a mobile command post in case of war is not new. The issue of creating the so-called MCP, or mobile command post, began to work out almost immediately after the end of World War II. However, the first experiments on the creation of the MCP did not bring serious results. Basically, the topic of a ground-based control and communications complex, consisting of several trucks, was considered as a working option.

Later, the idea was rejected: a potential enemy could detect the movement of a convoy of cars with the help of reconnaissance and aviation. The failed idea with the desire to create mobile ground control posts was picked up and deployed in the right direction almost immediately, and in the early 60s, the first samples of aircraft converted to communicate with troops on the ground began to appear.

The beauty of the decision was that the constant duty of such aircraft in the sky ruled out any unexpected attack from the enemy, and even the worst-case scenario in this case did not look hopeless. If, for one reason or another, all ground communications and communication lines could fail, then several aircraft converted into an air command post could ensure the transmission of the order and guarantee a retaliatory strike. According to the plan, the CPSU had to provide at least two important conditions. Firstly, to establish a stable channel of communication between the first persons of the state with the troops and the most important state structures, and secondly, to guarantee the inevitability of a strike even in the event of a full-scale nuclear war.

The first swallows

The first Soviet VKP - Il-22 turboprops, built on the basis of civilian Il-18 - turned out to be universal. The aircraft was designed and equipped in such a way that with its help it was possible not only to set the "nuclear flywheel" in action, but also to control troops in certain directions. A new generation of aircraft - Il-86VKP - was also created taking into account long flights and was finalized in order to work in conditions of a full-scale war. A roomy Il-86 passenger aircraft was chosen to accommodate equipment, communications and personnel. Four engines, two thirds long football field and a carrying capacity of 42 tons guaranteed the placement of the necessary equipment and comfortable work for special passengers.

Despite the peaceful base, the converted Il-86VKP differed significantly from its civilian counterpart. It will not be difficult to distinguish a special board in the parking lot from civilian liners even if the aircraft is poorly lit or it is not possible to approach it at a close distance. A massive compartment for communications, a kind of "hump" a little behind above the cockpit is business card domestic "doomsday aircraft".

There are several similar containers for electronic equipment that are not intended for installation in civilians, but all the main secrets of the flying General Staff are still inside. Despite the fact that access to such aircraft is closed to all outsiders, judging by the level of implementation of the idea, it can be argued that the Il-86VKP, in addition to powerful transceivers, is equipped with a full range of processing, encryption / decryption of signals, a special communication channel (including satellite) and means electronic warfare to protect the board from being hit by air missiles.

Information about the composition of the Il-80 equipment is still classified - an unprecedented case in the history of aircraft construction. And although the design, communication frequencies, the number of people on duty at the posts and the means of onboard defense are still closed, it is worth talking about some devices of the air command post separately. Along with the control of the Ground, Aerospace Forces and other branches of the armed forces, the nuclear triad - nuclear charges placed on land, aviation and sea carriers - is of particular value in the Russian Armed Forces.

To communicate and exchange information with submarines operating covertly in all areas of the World Ocean, the IL-80 is equipped not only with a special communication channel, but also with a unique antenna mounted in the tail section. The length of the antenna deployed to the working position is eight kilometers and allows you to communicate with submarines at long ranges, and submarines do not need to "move" to the surface for a radio communication session.

Like any aircraft of strategic importance, the air command posts of the Il-86VKP have been repeatedly modernized - programs for refining and re-equipping the board with modern radio-electronic equipment will keep the air command post in service until 2025. Looking ahead, it is worth noting that the IL-86VKP was not the only aircraft to provide communication at X-hour.

Back in the USSR, the Il-76VKP aircraft was designed and built - a communications and command and control vehicle based on the Il-76 transporter. And although the 76th is much smaller than its older counterparts, the number of advanced technical solutions of the IL-76VKP is in the same ranks with other aircraft. Most of the components, assemblies, communication systems and the redesigned fuselage migrated to the Il-76VKP from another special-purpose aircraft - the A-50 early warning and control aircraft (AWACS). As in the case of the "senior comrades", the Il-76VKP from the 3rd Aviation Squadron differs from the passenger and transport aircraft by special communication equipment units, as well as by a modified and modified fuselage.

Strategic Siberian Crane

The third generation of "Doomsday aircraft" will differ from its predecessors a little more than completely. According to Life's source, the Il-96-400T aircraft, a cargo modification of the Il-96-300, was taken as the basis for the next generation air command post. On the same plane, Il-96-300PU, the President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin flies.

The characteristics of the Il-96-400T already now allow developers and manufacturers of radio-electronic equipment to fully use their own developments in the field of communications and secure channels for data transmission. Unlike the modernized Il-86VKP, the Doomsday aircraft built on the basis of the Il-96-400T will be able to receive up to 92 tons of payload. And although the long-range aircraft was developed for commercial use, 92 tons of electronic equipment will ensure stable communication with all headquarters and military districts.

According to Life's source in the defense industry, the fuel supply and the design of productive aircraft engines will allow the new " air fortress"fly at a distance of up to 11 thousand kilometers. The third generation of the VZPU, taking into account the solutions already implemented in industrial production, will be head and shoulders more efficient than the IL-86VKP. Firstly, such a concept as "limited flight range" will practically disappear: a new special aircraft without any problems can move across the country.

Secondly, compared to the previous VZPU, the new aircraft based on the Il-96-400T is almost ten meters longer, which allows you to place additional equipment or items for the life of crew members on the free section of the fuselage. Thirdly, the modern element base, the production of which by the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex has already been established, will allow reducing the dimensions and weight of special equipment for communication and data transmission by several orders of magnitude. Experts say that in this regard, the new aircraft can be equipped with additional fuel tanks, with the use of which the range non-stop flight the air command post will increase significantly and amount to 13 thousand kilometers instead of 11. It is also reported that, having absorbed all the experience of domestic science and modern electronics, the new aircraft based on the Il-96-400T will be able to replace all operated aircraft of this type in the near future.

Only two countries in the world - Russia and the United States - are armed with such aircraft. The technical characteristics of the IL-80 allow you to control the ground forces, military navy, aerospace forces, strategic missile forces.

An Il-80 was spotted at Tolmachevo Airport - the Strategic Air Command Post is intended to control the Ground Forces, Aerospace Forces, Navy and nuclear missile forces in case ground control posts, nodes and communication lines are disabled as a result of a massive missile attack.

The IL-80 differs from its "progenitor" IL-86 by a large "hump" located on the roof, in front. In addition, it does not have windows, and “rockets” are suspended under the wings (in fact, these are additional turbogenerators - energy sources)

And of course, our AWACS, AWACS aircraft (airborne early warning and control aircraft). It is used to control fighter and strike aircraft when they are aimed at air, ground and sea targets, and can also serve as an air command post.

This is what we have air communication. This is not all, but what I shot myself.

Air command posts are intended to control strategic forces in the event of a failure of ground command posts and to withdraw the top leadership of the country from attack in the event of a nuclear conflict.

For the first time such aircraft appeared in the United States, they were specialized machines, with a set of special equipment and means of communication, converted from KS-135A tanker aircraft, created in turn on the basis of the civilian Boeing 707.

In 1965, 11 KC-135A tankers, commissioned by SAC, were converted into EC-135A repeater aircraft for command and control in the event of a nuclear attack. Externally, the aircraft stood out only with a few additional whip antennas and the presence of a fuel receiver above the cockpit. In addition, since the planes were supposed to operate in conditions of radioactive contamination, red and white stripes were applied to the tail section near the fueling rod - signs "Danger, radiation". This was a warning to ground personnel: they say, the plane is "dirty".

The first VKP, created in 1962, was not converted from a tanker, but specially built as such. KC-135B (Model 717-166) was a combined tanker/VKP. There was a fuel receiver above the pilot's cabin. At the ends of the wing from above, slightly retreating from the tips, long whip antennas of VHF communications directed forward were installed on small "pylons" (equipment fairings), of the same type as the one that stood on the top of the keel as standard. Above the center section was a square radio-transparent radome for an ELF antenna, known as a "saddle antenna" because it vaguely resembled a saddle on a horse. There were two small teardrop fairings in front of it, and another one in the back; they had satellite antennas. In the fairing in front of the right main landing gear, a drum was installed, from which a towed wire antenna for ultra-low-frequency special communications with a stabilizing cone at the end was unwound. She served to communicate with submerged submarines. Having released the antenna, the plane began to describe circles; the cone, having lost speed, fell off, and the antenna hung almost vertically - only in this position the signal could pierce the water column.

The cargo compartment of the KC-135B was equipped with an office, communications center and living quarters. At any time, at least one such aircraft was on duty with a senior officer on board to provide command of nuclear forces in the event of a nuclear attack on the United States that could disable ground command posts.

17 KC-135Bs were built as such, and in October 1964 all but the last three were redesignated EC-135Cs. In addition, five late-series KC-135As were additionally converted to the EU-135C standard.

The last three machines of the original EC-135C series were converted to the EC-135J standard. I must say, the presence of a cargo door made it possible to relatively easily and quickly convert the "electronic" versions of the KC-135 from one modification to another, the special equipment was modular and was located in the front of the cargo compartment, and the operator's workplaces were in the back. Externally, the EC-135J differed from the original version only with seven additional whip antennas on top of the fuselage.

Initially, the KS-135J served as the aircraft of the Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces and operated from Andrews Air Force Base (Maryland), until they were replaced in this capacity by three VKP Boeing E-4A. There were also options for the European and Pacific theater of operations.

The next step was the creation of an aircraft for this purpose, based on the wide-body Boeing-747.

In 1973, the US Air Force announced the start of work on the AABNCP (Advanced Airborne National Command Post) program, which received the code 481B. This program provided for the creation of new aircraft-air command posts of a strategic level, with large working premises, which were supposed to be subsequently equipped with the latest communications and information processing equipment.

The program provided for the conversion of several civilian wide-body Boeing 747-200V aircraft into VKP aircraft, designated E-4A. At different stages of work, the required number of aircraft varied from four to seven (there were plans to have three VKP KNSh and four aircraft in the role of VKP SAK), in the end, however, it was decided to build three VKP E-4A and one more aircraft - immediately in an improved option E-4B. At the same time, it was decided to retrofit all E-4A aircraft to the E-4B level over time. Aircraft - VKP E-4B are intended for the highest political and military leadership of the United States - the president, the secretary of defense, and other decision makers.

It was decided that all E-4 aircraft would be placed at the disposal of the US Chiefs of Staff and would serve as a backup command post for the country's top military leadership in an emergency.

E-Systems was appointed as the main executor of work on the development of advanced electronic equipment for the E-4B aircraft. The contractors for the development and supply of avionics were Electrospace Systems, Collins and RCA.

Boeing in accordance with the work plan for the 481B program during 1973 - 1975. three Boeing-747-200V airliners were converted into VKP KNSh aircraft. The US Air Force assigned the following serial numbers to these aircraft: 73-1676, 73-1677 and 74-0787.

The communication and information processing equipment installed on board these aircraft was borrowed from the previous aircraft - the VKP KNSh EC-135J, which were being withdrawn from the US Air Force SAC. This equipment was protected from the effects of the electromagnetic pulse of a nuclear explosion.
The area of ​​the working premises of the aircraft is 429.2 m2, which is approximately three times higher than that of the EU-135C aircraft.
The passenger cabin of the E-4A was divided into six compartments: an office of the top military leadership, two meeting rooms, a room for the KNSh task force, a communications center and a rest room. On the upper deck The aircraft was equipped with a flight crew rest room.
The power plant of the first two aircraft consisted of four Pratt & Whitney F105 (JT9D) turbofan engines, common for the Boeing 747-200B modification. The third car was equipped with new F103-GE-100 (CF6-50E2) engines manufactured by General Electric. Later, all E-4 aircraft were equipped with these engines.

The first flight of the first E-4A aircraft took place on July 13, 1973. In December of the same year, the aircraft was included in the combat strength of the 1st squadron of the CPSU of the 1st mixed aviation wing stationed at Andrews Air Force Base, located near Washington. In May and September 1974, two more E-4A aircraft were added to it.

Since the beginning of 1982, in accordance with the plan, work was carried out on all E-4A aircraft to convert them into the E-4B variant. The aircraft received new electronic equipment, F103-GE-100 engines (the first two aircraft) and in-flight refueling system receivers. It took a year to re-equip one car. The first E-4B aircraft converted from E-4A returned to the 1st squadron of the 55th STRAKR in June 1983, the second - in May 1984, and the third - in January 1985.

The E-4B differed from the previous modification with improved radio communications equipment, new systems for processing, displaying and transmitting information, as well as the presence of a fuel receiver for an air refueling system located in the forward fuselage of the aircraft.
The presence of a refueling system made it possible for the aircraft to be continuously in the air for 72 hours.

The power plant consisted of four F103-GE-100 bypass engines, which developed a maximum thrust of 23.625 kgf. The take-off weight of the aircraft is 360 tons. The maximum speed was 960 km/h. The practical ceiling is 12,000 m. The flight range without refueling in the air reached 11,000 km.
The main deck is divided into six functional parts: NCA (National Command Authority) workstations, a meeting room, a briefing room, an operator's workplace, communications and recreation rooms. The E-4B crew can include up to 114 people, including the operator team, ACC flight crew, maintenance, communications and security teams. E-4s are equipped with defenses against a variety of nuclear hazards including electromagnetic pulse. There is a filtering system from radioactive dust in the intake and air conditioning systems for ventilation of the cabin and compartments.

The E-4B aircraft is equipped with AN/ARC-89(V), AN/ARC-150, AN/ARC-164(V), AN/ARC-196 and AN/ARC-513 VHF radios. In addition, there is an AN / ARC-58 shortwave station on board and equipment for a backup VLF communication system with a 200 kW transmitter using a towed antenna about 8 km long.

The air command post has AFSATC0M and MILSTAR VHF satellite radio stations, as well as an AN / ASC-24 satellite microwave radio station. The latter is intended for operation in strategic multichannel satellite communication systems DSCS-2 and DSCS-3. It provides the transmission of voice, telegraph messages and data in digital form. The range of radio frequencies used is 7 - 8 GHz. Transmitter power - 11 kW. The parabolic antenna of the AN / ASC-24 radio station with a diameter of 91 cm is installed under the fairing in the upper part of the aircraft fuselage.

On board the VKP E-4V, terminal devices for displaying a missile attack warning system are installed. The aircraft is also equipped with ALCS ICBM launch control system equipment. The presence of this equipment makes it possible to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as retarget them directly from the aircraft, bypassing intermediate control points. Like the aircraft, the VKP of the previous generation EC-135C, E-4B is equipped with AN / ASQ-121 HARDS equipment.

In 1982 - 1985 three previously manufactured E-4A aircraft were converted into the E-4B variant. One of the four aircraft - VKP KNSh is on constant combat duty at Andrews Air Base in a state of 15-minute readiness for take-off.

The call sign of the duty board is "Nightwatch". The number of the operational group on board the aircraft when it is on combat duty on the ground is 30 people. The total capacity of the aircraft is 114 people.

In addition to carrying out combat duty on the ground, E-4 aircraft are involved in escorting the US President's aircraft during the latter's long flights. During the stay of the US president abroad, one of the air command posts is based at a nearby American air base. In all these cases, the crew of the VKP aircraft is tasked with maintaining constant communication between the president and the command centers of the US armed forces, ensuring, if necessary, through the operational group of the Joint Headquarters of the CNS, which is on board the air command post, bringing the president's orders to all necessary command and control bodies of the armed forces.

Satellite image of Google Earh: VKP E-4B, at Andrews Air Force Base

Currently, all four E-4B aircraft continue to be in service with the US Air Force. They are part of the 1st Squadron of the All-Union Communist Party of the 55th Aviation Wing of the 8th Air Army of the US Air Force Combat Aviation Command. In connection with the decrease in the level of military danger after the end of the Cold War, the combat readiness of the aircraft fleet - the VKP of the Committee of the Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces was to a certain extent lowered. The range of tasks solved by these aircraft has expanded. Since 1994, the E-4B, now referred to in the United States as NAOC (National Airborne Operations Center), has been used, in addition to its main purpose, as mobile command posts for operational groups federal agency FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) emergency response teams that ensure the work of these groups (on the ground) directly in peacetime emergency zones. In addition, these aircraft are often called upon to carry out mission-critical operations for the United States Department of Defense.

In January 2006 Donald Rumsfield announced that the entire fleet of E-4Bs would be phased out. They can be replaced by two Boeing C-32s, upgraded to the level of the US President's CPSU in case of nuclear war, natural disasters and unrest.

LTH:
Modification E-4A
Wingspan, m 59.64
Aircraft length, m 70.51
Aircraft height, m ​​19.33
Wing area, m2 510.95
Weight, kg empty
equipped aircraft 148069
maximum takeoff 364552
Internal fuel, kg 150395
Engine type 4 turbofan General Electric F103-GE-102 (CF6-80C2B1)
Thrust, kgf 4 x 252.44
Maximum speed, km/h 969
Cruise speed, km/h 933
Practical range, km 12601
Flight duration, h/min
without refueling 12.0
with refueling 72.0
Practical ceiling, m 13715
Crew, people 2-4

Aircraft - VKP E-6B, simultaneously performing the functions of the Looking Glass (ABNCP) and TACAMO programs, are intended for senior officers of the US armed forces - the US Strategic Command USSTRATCOM and other commands. They provide military control and communication with the US strategic triad: ICBM installations, SLBM submarines and bombers and the transmission of orders adopted by the US political leadership to them.

At the end of the 80s. The U.S. Navy has begun upgrading its standby ultra-long-wave communication system with the TASAMO (Take Charge and Move Oul) nuclear-powered missile submarines. It was originally based on 16 EC-130Q repeater aircraft, consolidated into two air squadrons (3rd and 4th). The modernization program provided for the replacement of all EC-130Q aircraft with new E-6A aircraft, which received the name "Hermes". These aircraft were designed by Boeing on the basis of the airframe of the Boeing 707-320C.

The first experimental aircraft of the E-6A type was built in 1983, its flight tests began in 1987 (the first flight took place on February 19). Since 1988, deliveries of serial E-6A aircraft to the naval aviation units that previously operated EC-130Q aircraft began. As a result, by 1992. all the old repeater aircraft were replaced by new E-6A machines and sent for conservation to TsOVAT. Both squadrons of TASAMO repeater aircraft were then relocated to Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma.

Satellite image of Google Earh: E-6B aircraft, at Tinker airbase

In the second half of the nineties, the American military leadership decided to decommission the remaining by that time in the 7th squadron of the CPSU of the 55th air wing of the 8th air army of the BAK of the US Air Force, the VKP aircraft of the United Strategic Command of the US Armed Forces EU-135С, and the transfer of their functions to the E-6B dual-purpose aircraft, in which it was supposed to convert all sixteen E-6A repeater aircraft, already renamed by that moment to Mercury.

The re-equipment program provided for the placement on board the E-6A of special radio equipment removed from the EC-135C aircraft. Thus, relay aircraft would turn into dual-purpose vehicles capable of performing both their previous functions within the TASAMO system, as well as the functions of the USC air command post and the Minuteman ICBM launch control center.

Work on the re-equipment of the E-6A aircraft was carried out by Raytheon E-Systems. In the course of these works, the aircraft were dismantled: VLF transmitter OG-127; dipole VLF antenna OE-159; a set of automation equipment for the repeater aircraft; voice messaging system; navigation system Lilton Omega LTN-211; analog-digital flight control system; antenna OE-242.

The new equipment installed on the modified aircraft included the following devices:
a set of aircraft automation equipment-VKP AN / ASC-37;
equipment for automatic switching of radio communication channels AN/ASC-33(V) DAISS;
ICBM launch control system ALCS;
VHF radio AN / ARC-171 (V) 3;
the terminal radio station of the satellite communication system M1LSTAR AN / ARC-208 (V) 2;
radio antenna control equipment of the communication system AFSATC0M
VHF radio station AN/ART-54, consisting of transmitter G-187/ART-54 and towed dipole antenna 0E-456/ART-54;
GPS satellite navigation system equipment, consisting of R-2332/AR GPS ZA navigation receiver and AS-3822/URN antenna unit;
digital flight control system. Upgraded flight information display system.

The avionics also include three interface buses of the "Manchester-2" type (MIL-STD-1553B) used by SNS and VLF communication devices. In addition, these tires are designed to facilitate interfacing with electronic devices that will be installed on board aircraft in the future.

The first modernized VKP aircraft of the joint strategic command E-6B began combat duty in October 1998, replacing the former EC-135C aircraft in this capacity. By 2002, the conversion of all sixteen aircraft was completed. At the moment, both squadrons of E-6B aircraft are combined into the 1st Wing of the US Navy's Strategic Communications Aviation (Strategic Communications Wing One).
The E-6B aircraft is equipped with four F108-CF-100 (CFM56-2A-2) turbofan engines manufactured by General Electric with a maximum thrust of 9980 kgf. The maximum takeoff weight of the aircraft is 155 tons. The maximum flight speed is 972 km/h.
Cruising flight speed at an altitude of 12000 m - 825 km / h. Practical ceiling - 12810 m;
The flight altitude during combat duty is 7600 - 9150 m. The flight range of the aircraft without refueling in the air is 12.400 km.
Flight duration: without refueling - 16.5 hours; with one refueling - 32.5 hours; maximum with several refueling - 72 hours. The duration of stay in the area of ​​combat duty at a distance of 1850 km from the base is 10 - 11 hours. The flight crew of the aircraft - 14 people; the number of the operational group of the USC headquarters on board the aircraft is eight people.

The C-32 is a multipurpose transport aircraft created by the American company Boeing on the basis of the Boeing Model 757-200 civil airliner.

The aircraft is intended for the transportation of VIPs, including the President and his entourage. The first aircraft was produced at the Boeing plant in Seattle on June 19, 1998. A total of 4 aircraft were produced. The aircraft is capable of covering the distance from Andrews Air Force Base to the city of Frankfurt in Germany. Four Boeing 757-200s ordered by the USAF entered 1st Squadron, 89th Wing, Andrews AFB in 1998.

Google Earh Satellite Image: C-32A Presidential Aircraft, at Andrews Air Force Base

The planes were intended to perform special tasks - transporting members of the US government. The aircraft replaced the VC-9 and VC-137, supplementing the shorter-range VC-25 and less capacious C-20 and C-37C. The last VC-137 was retired in 1997, but the VC-9 continues to operate. The specification issued by the Air Force required that the C-32A be as unified as possible with the civilian Boeing 757, but the aircraft received a completely new cabin interior, designed to carry only 45 passengers. On the S-32A installed the latest radio communication
equipment with communications encryption equipment, GPS satellite navigation system receivers, airborne proximity warning system. The planes are painted blue and white and bear the inscription "United States of America". Located near Washington DC, Andrews Air Force Base is ideal for VIP passengers.

In the USSR, work on the creation of similar aircraft began much later. To ensure operational control at the strategic level, on the basis of the Il-86 transport aircraft, an air command post Il-80 (Il-86VKP, in some sources the aircraft is referred to as Il-87, an analogue of the American VKP Boeing E-4B) was created in 1992.

The choice of the initial type of machine is due to the significant internal volumes of the Il-86 passenger cabin, sufficient to accommodate special equipment. Additional electronic equipment is located in a special overhead compartment 1.5 m wide, located above the forward fuselage. Measures have been taken to protect the aircraft from the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion. Among the others design features: no windows (except for the cockpit canopy), as well as a reduced number of access hatches in the IL-86 fuselage.

The on-board equipment of the Il-80 aircraft includes a satellite communication station. To power numerous on-board electronic systems, the aircraft is equipped with an additional turbogenerator. A total of four aircraft were built (their side numbers are USSR-86146, -86147, -86148 and -86149). According to some reports, all aircraft are part of the Separate Control and Relay Squadron of the 8th Special Purpose Air Division. Aircraft are permanently based at the Chkalovsky airfield.

Satellite image of Google Earh: Il-80 aircraft at the Chkalovsky airfield

Installed equipment:
- a unified set of tools developed by the Polet enterprise - Link-2;
- shortwave receiving antenna, made as two ridges behind the center section;
- a short-wave transmitting antenna made in a radio-transparent radome;
- transmitting antenna of ultra-long waves of the exhaust type on a cable 4000 meters long.
- receiving antenna of ultra-long waves, made in front of the keel;
- relay communication antenna is made at the top/bottom of the fuselage;
- VHF antenna is made from above/below the fuselage;
- communication antenna with the Strategic Missile Forces units is made from above/below the fuselage;
In 2009-10, a scheduled overhaul of the Il-86VKP (86147) was carried out, during which some changes were made to the dorsal arrangement of the antennas.

In the middle of 1990, Il-86VKP (86146) made a test flight, during which he controlled the launch of ICBMs. The tests were considered successful.

Also in the middle of 1991, an agreement was signed for the development of a complex of funds "Link-2". The value of the contract amounted to 1.1 billion rubles. In 2005, Il-86VKP aircraft begin to make the first intensive flights as part of the air units of the RF Armed Forces. In 2010-11, the main tests of the 9A9675 equipment. Probably, under this name the unified complex "Link-2" is hidden.

All aircraft of this type are based at the Chkalovsky airfield. Since the aircraft is one of the currently unclassified samples of the Russian military equipment, there is very little information on the aircraft and its operation. It is known that at least one of the Il-86VKPs is in full combat and technical readiness, another one is under major overhaul (engine repair).

LTH:
Modification of IL-80(IL-86VKP)
Wingspan, m 48.06
Aircraft length, m 59.54
Aircraft height, m ​​15.81
Wing area, m2 320.0
Weight, kg
normal takeoff 208000
Engine type 4 TVD Kuznetsov NK-86
Thrust, kgf 4 x 13000
Maximum cruising speed, km/h 850
Practical range, km 3600

By special order of the USSR Ministry of Defense, two Il-76MD USSR-76450 and USSR-76451 were built as strategic air command posts (VKP) to lead the country's nuclear forces in the event that ground control points were disabled. The aircraft received the designation Il-82 (Il-76VKP).
Part of the equipment of these machines is unified with the Il-86VKP aircraft also built on special order, the other part is with the A-50 AWACS aircraft. The aircraft have the design designation Il-76VKP.

The appearance of the IL-76VKP is very characteristic - you cannot confuse them with anything. The entire top of the forward fuselage from the cockpit to the center section is occupied by a box-shaped superstructure with satellite communications equipment, as on the Il-86VKP.

The glazing of the navigational cockpit is covered with metal, and the meteorological radar is closed by a reduced fairing of a modified form but of the A-50 type. Like the A-50, there is no left front door - a non-landing aircraft does not need it.

The fairings of the landing gear cleaning mechanisms are also borrowed from the A-50 - their front parts are noticeably thickened, expanded and have two round air intakes of different sizes. They housed electronic equipment, so the APU was moved to the rear of the left chassis fairing and equipped with a protruding air intake, as on the A-50. To the left of the nose landing gear, a box-shaped wiring fairing stretches to the left wheel fairing of the landing gear.

On the fairing of the center section behind the wing there are four petal antennas in a rhombus, on the sides of the leading edge of the keel there are two oblong fairings, as on the Il-86VKP.

Two huge lobe antennas are installed on the side doors of the cargo hatch, and on the middle one there is a drum from which a towed wire antenna of ultra-low-frequency special communication with a stabilizing cone at the end is unwound. This 5 km long antenna (!) serves to communicate with submerged submarines. The drum is located inside the fuselage, only a small fairing and a cone semi-recessed in it are visible from the outside. The installation of the drum forced the lower flashing light to be moved from the middle door of the hatch to the tip of the fuselage.

After releasing the antenna, the plane begins to describe circles. The cone, having lost speed, falls off, and the five-kilometer antenna hangs almost vertically. Only with this position of the antenna can the radio signal penetrate the water column.

Finally, under the outer wing consoles, small oval containers with forward-facing VHF whip antennas are mounted on short pylons.

According to some reports, both sides are part of the Separate Control and Relay Squadron of the 8th Special Purpose Air Division. Aircraft are permanently based at the Chkalovsky airfield.

Any other information on these machines is closed. This is one of the few still not declassified samples of aviation equipment.

LTH: Modification of IL-82
Wingspan, m 50.50
Aircraft length, m 46.59
Aircraft height, m ​​14.76
Wing area, m2 300.00
Weight, kg
normal takeoff 190000
Engine type 4 turbofan D-30KP
Thrust, kgf 4 x 12000
Maximum
cruising speed, km/h 780
Practical range, km 6800
Practical ceiling, m 12000

Until 1956, the top leaders of the USSR flew military aircraft piloted by Air Force officers. This tradition was interrupted on April 13, 1956: By the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR N496-295C, the USSR Ministry of Defense was released from the obligation to transport the country's top officials.

In Soviet times, a special flight squad was assigned the responsibility of transporting not only the top leadership of the party and the government of the USSR, but also the heads and public figures of countries friendly to the USSR. From 1959 to 2009, the airline also, in order to provide flight crews, carried out regular and charter passenger commercial air transportation in the USSR (Russia) and abroad.

With the collapse of the USSR, changes occurred in the air fleet of its leaders. In 1993, Separate Aviation Detachment No. 235 was transformed into the State Transport Company Rossiya.

In October 2006, Pulkovo Airlines was merged with STC Rossiya. The united airline began to fly under the flag of the State Transport Company Rossiya, and the name of the airline was changed to the Federal State Unitary Enterprise State Transport Company Rossiya.
On January 31, 2009, the squadron was withdrawn from the State Customs Committee "Russia" and belongs to the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, transporting only a limited circle of persons specified by order of the President of the Russian Federation.

In 1995, board number 1 of the Il-62, inherited by B.N. Yeltsin by inheritance from M.S. Gorbachev, was replaced by the latest Il-96-300PU (PU - control point), equipped with the Swiss company Jet Aviation. With the advent of V.V. Putin, the second such aircraft appeared in the detachment, equipped in Russia, but under the supervision and technology of the British company Dimonite Aircraft Furnishings.

A special version of the Il-96-300, designed to transport the President of Russia. It has practically no differences in flight performance from the basic version, except for the increased range due to some improvements. The Il-96-300PU differed from the civilian versions of the "ninety-sixth" in its increased flight range and, according to unofficial data, in the presence of optoelectronic jamming stations for missile homing heads.
The aircraft is equipped with equipment that allows you to control the armed forces in the event of a nuclear conflict. Externally, the aircraft also has no differences from the base version, with the exception of a characteristic groove in the upper fuselage.
At the moment, the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation has at its disposal four Il-96-300s of various modifications.

At hand, the first person of the state has everything necessary for governing a huge country: computers and office equipment, satellite communication systems, special communication channels.

AIR-TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS of IL-96:
Engines 4xPS-90A
Engine thrust, kgf 4x16,000
Maximum number of passengers 300
Maximum payload, kg 40000
Flight range with a payload of 30,000 kg at an altitude of 9,000 - 12,000 m at a speed of 850 km / h and fuel reserve, km 10,000
Cruise flight speed, km/h 850-900
Flight altitude, m 10000-12000
Required takeoff distance, m 2700
Required landing distance, m 2000
Weight of equipped aircraft, kg 119000
Takeoff weight, kg 240000
DIMENSIONS
Wingspan, m 57.66
Aircraft length, m 55.35
Aircraft height, m ​​17.57

The total cost of the Il-96-300PU wide-body aircraft, which is considered the most expensive domestic airliner, reaches $300 million in mid-2000s prices. The aircraft cabin is two-story, with two bedrooms, showers, a meeting room, a rest room and even an intensive care unit.

Prepared from:
http://www.airwar.ru/enc/spy/ec135c.html
http://www.aviaport.ru/digest/2003/11/12/64897.html
http://www.airwar.ru/enc/spy/e4.html
http://commi.narod.ru/txt/2001/1201.htm

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At the international airport "Kazan" gathered more than a strange solitaire of aircraft. Among the usual Boeings and Airbuses, you can also see rarer cars. Here is the Il-62, on which Syrian President Bashar al-Assad flew to Moscow last winter in an atmosphere of secrecy. Nearby is the giant An-124 Ruslan in a long parking lot. Nearby - two military transport Il-76M. But the most unexpected aircraft is the Il-80 - the "doomsday plane"! Only four of these were produced, and, according to the Kazan Reporter, none of them had been in Kazan before, especially in civil airport. All these planes are standing next to each other. The Kazan Reporter tried to find out what brought all these aircraft to the civil airport of the capital of Tatarstan. The piquancy of the situation is added by the fact that this time, as if by chance, the secret planes were demonstrated to the press. True, few people seem to have noticed the "bait".

The photo shoot at the airport, the official stated goal of which was “attracting the student youth of the Republic of Tatarstan to the field of aviation photojournalism,” left a whole scattering of intriguing questions. It looks like it's time to compare the minor details of life and plunge headlong into discussions on the topic of "Conspiracy Theory".

Events at such sensitive facilities as airports are a rarity in our difficult times. Especially if they are not connected with the arrival of any VIPs, sports teams that have won cups, or world-famous pop stars. However international Airport"Kazan" such holidays for lovers of aviation and photography are sometimes satisfied.

Inviting to the “aviation holiday”, airport employees initially pointed out the presence of some highlights in the program. The day turned out well for the guys with expensive cameras, the sun was shining, birds were singing, including iron ones. The eye-catching refrain of the meeting of photographers with equipment was the photo points near the giant AN-124 Ruslan, which stood at the airport for a long parking. The world's largest serial cargo aircraft really makes an indelible impression on the public.

However, for the majority of photographers, contact with the “highlights” happened already in a cozy editorial office, at the stage of processing photos and studying the side numbers of the captured equipment. For example, in the pictures from the Kazan airport, journalists from the Kazan Reporter found an Il-62M. The fact that the aircraft is special is indicated by the characteristic "hump" of government special communications. Judging by the tail number (RA-86539), who participated in the special operation to deliver the "invincible" President of Syria Bashar al-Assad from fire-ridden Damascus to Moscow last winter. this flight was tracked by enthusiasts specializing in aviation.

Nearby, two extraordinary military transport aircraft Il-76 were identified. Aviation historians will remember that the same aircraft landed in Kazan on the night of August 18-19, 1996. Then Vladimir Sharpatov And Gazinur Khairullin were able to organize an escape from the Taliban captivity and bring the car to their native harbor.

However, for some reason, the so-called “doomsday plane” that ended up in the pictures can be fully considered the pearl of the photo collection. IL-80 is a secret air strategic control center built on the basis of IL-86. That is why the name of the base model flaunts on board the aircraft. In total, 4 copies of these were released, but this one, apparently, is the very best. This is the first and, probably, the only aircraft of the second generation, which has undergone modernization and is equipped with a complex of technical means of the second generation "Link 2". In December last year, United Instrument Corporation JSC handed over the Il-80 RF-93645 to the Russian Ministry of Defense. It is this board that is now at the Kazan airport. However, it is not clear what one of the most secret aircraft in the world is doing in a civilian harbor.

Aircraft of this specialization are at the disposal of only two countries of the world: Russia and the USA. The Il-80 aircraft complex is primarily designed to maintain communication between different regions of the country, control strike weapons in the most extreme conditions and move the top leadership of the state, that is, the aircraft will become a headquarters in the most extreme case if ground communication points are destroyed. In addition to the huge "hump", it is especially striking lack of portholes. This was done in order to reduce the impact of the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion. At hour X, the plane is ready to receive the President of the country and the highest military command. Another striking exterior detail is the fuel rail. Thanks to an autonomous aerial refueling system, the machine can be in flight for three days.

What the “doomsday plane” is doing in Kazan and for what reasons it was demonstrated to the media - these are the main questions that the correspondent of the Kazan Reporter asked himself during the preparation of this material.

The first call is to Kazan Airport, to the head of the press service Adel Gataullin. Gatalullin called such a set of aircraft on the territory of the airport “a coincidence for which nothing was guessed”; in addition, the official airport "does not know the owner and purpose of the IL-80" and does not give any detailed comments on this issue. But the reaction to the Il-62 (Bashar al-Assad’s plane) was more open: “You opened my eyes with your call about Bashar al-Assad, I didn’t know anything about it, I myself now became interested.”

The second logical call is to the press service of the Kazan Aviation Production Association named after S.P. Gorbunov, which is strict to dryness or dry to severity. The answer is short: "The plant does not deal with these aircraft." The company's media relations managers even warned us against sending a written request, stubbornly insisting that the whole story was not to their liking.

A series of calls to the void. Aviation specialists, officials and aviation historians shrug their shoulders. Moreover, they are so bred that you won’t understand what is more in it - fear, truth or devotion to the cause.

The most patient and open interlocutor from the collected micro-pool of aviation stakeholders turned out to be Anton Bortyakov, chairman of the primary trade union organization "KAPO-Avia".

According to an aviation specialist, some aircraft caught in photographic lenses are at least undergoing a procedure in Kazan Maintenance. “There is nothing extraordinary in the presence of the aircraft you mentioned at the civil airport of Kazan. Ruslan arrives once a month and picks up Mi-8 helicopters for customers. Routine work is underway for other aircraft. The KAPO-Avia company has its own laboratory at the airport, rents concrete sites, the company has an aviation technical base. The aircrafts being serviced may include, among other things, invited profile specialists from other regions of Russia. Systems are being tested. This happens ... On arrival V.V. Putin the whole story lined up at the airport civil aviation».

However, despite his openness to the press, even Bortyakov on certain issues referred to the secrecy of information. So, for example, the aviator reacted to the topic of modernization of the Il-80, which was rumored to be carried out with the participation of Kazan aircraft manufacturers.

The modernization itself, by the way, is not secret. A press release about its passage by the Il-80 aircraft is posted on the official website of the United Instrument-Making Corporation. In particular, it says that the work on the first onboard complex of technical means (BKTS) is carried out by the Nizhny Novgorod research and production enterprise Polet. The side numbers of the car from the Rostec website and the Kazan airport are the same.

Another source in the aviation industry, on condition of anonymity, said that the plane had arrived in Kazan for maintenance, which is under the control of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Kazan specialists for these works will be allowed only after a corresponding check by the special services, so for now the IL-80 is waiting in the wings. This version looks very plausible, but there are others. In conditions of limited awareness, one can build the most daring hypotheses:

– Kazan participated in the project and wants to demonstrate it;

- Kazan somehow claims to participate in the project to develop a third-generation air strategic control center. The fact that it will be has already been officially announced;

- Kazan (specialists and technical complex) brings the car, based on the complaints that appeared after the upgrade.

It should be understood that with the collapse of the USSR, the aviation complex, which at one time had a clear division into firms by the names of legendary designers, actually ceased to exist. Equipment and personnel are aging, the change to factories and design bureaus is carried out according to the residual principle. The first aviation specialists who have never participated in the creation of new types of aircraft will soon retire in the country.

Under these conditions, the remnants of the former guards are gathering for major projects around the country, as if in the bottom of the barrel. Against this background, visits to Kazan of unexpected types of aircraft in need of maintenance and modernization do not look strange or out of place.

Anton Glukhov, Anton Reichshtat.

The United Instrument-Making Corporation (OPK, part of the Rostec State Corporation) has created a second-generation strategic air command post (VKPSU) based on the Il-80 aircraft for the Russian Ministry of Defense; it will be delivered to the customer by the end of the year. This was reported to TASS on Tuesday by the corporation.

"The first airborne complex of technical means (BKTS) based on the Il-80 aircraft has successfully passed state tests and will be handed over to the customer by the end of 2015," the report says.

The strategic air control post is designed for the rapid deployment of troops, it is also necessary in the absence of ground infrastructure or in the event of failure of ground control posts, nodes and communication lines.

"This is a unique complex in its characteristics that provides strategic control of all types and branches of the troops. As part of the corporation, Nizhny Novgorod Research and Production Enterprise Polet is working on the BKTS. In addition to Russia, aviation equipment of this level is produced only in the United States - the US military called a similar complex "aircraft Doomsday," said Sergey Skokov, deputy general director of the defense industry complex, whose words were quoted in the corporation.

He noted that the new generation of air command posts is distinguished by increased survivability, functionality, reliability, improved weight and size characteristics and lower power consumption.

Specifications The complex allows you to control the ground forces, the navy, the aerospace forces, as well as the strategic missile forces.

Earlier, TASS Corporation said that the development of a third-generation air strategic control center is already underway.

Technical reference

IL-80(87)

To ensure operational control in the strategic link, an air command post was created in 1992 on the basis of the Il-86 transport aircraft. IL-80(IL-86VKP, in some sources the aircraft is designated as IL-87) (similar to the American VKP Boeing E-4B).

Additional electronic equipment is located in a special overhead compartment 1.5 m wide, located above the forward fuselage. Measures have been taken to protect the aircraft from the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion. .

Among other design features: the absence of windows (except for the cockpit canopy), as well as a reduced number of access hatches in the IL-86 fuselage.

A total of four aircraft were built (their side numbers are USSR-86146, -86147, -86148 and -86149). According to some reports, all aircraft are part of the Separate Control and Relay Squadron of the 8th Special Purpose Air Division. Aircraft are permanently based at the Chkalovsky airfield. Any other information on these machines is closed. This is one of the few still not declassified samples of aviation equipment.

Photos posted on the website of the aviation encyclopedia "Corner of the sky"