United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has signed a multi-billion contract with the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the delivery of the newly developed Ilyushin Il-476 heavy transport aircraft, Russian president Vladimir Putin has revealed.
Putin was reported by RIA Novosti as saying that the Il-476 is the first new aircraft to be manufactured indigenously by the Russian aviation industry in the last 21 years.
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"I am confident that this plane will enjoy great demand here, and among our possible partners abroad," Putin said.
The announcement was made by the president during the recent 15-minute flight test of the upgraded Il-76 aircraft at the Aviastar-SP aviation complex in Ulyanovsk, Russia.
Valued at approximately RUB140bn ($4.5bn), the contract covers the delivery of 39 aircraft to the Russian Air Force by 2020, as part of the country’s ten-year Rearmament Program, which seeks acquisition of 100 aircraft.
The Il-476, an upgraded variant of the Ilyushin Il-76 multi-purpose aircraft, features a new glass cockpit, advanced avionics, on-board communication and navigation systems and four Aviadvigatel PS-90 high-bypass turbofan engines to reduce fuel consumption.
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By GlobalDataDisplaying a modernised wing-construction, the aircraft is also capable of transporting up to 50t of cargo, which is 20% greater than its predecessor, and can travel at speeds of 850km/h.
The first prototype aircraft completed an initial flight test in September and is expected to go through a comprehensive testing programme in the coming year.
Production work will be carried out at the company’s Aviastar-SP aircraft-manufacturing plant in Urals, Russia, and the first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2014.
Moscow currently operates Antonov An-12 Cub, An-72 Coaler, An-22 Cock, An-124 Condor and Ilyushin Il-76 Candid aircraft for air transport missions at home and abroad.
Image: An Indian Air Force’s Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft prepares to land in Leh, Kashmir. Photo: courtesy of Karunakar Rayker.
