Russian Air Force To Receive First Fully Home Made Aircraft Tanker By 2018

Russian Air Force is expected to receive first aircraft tanker (Il-78-90A) fully produced in the nation by 2018, a defense industry source told RIA Novosti on Monday.

Earlier the Il-78 aircraft had been assembled by the Tashkent Chkalov Industrial Group in Uzbekistan.

The tanker aircraft,  Il-78M-90A is capable of refueling two front-line aviation aircraft (Su-27 or MiG-29-class) simultaneously with use of the fueling systems mounted on its wing. The tail fueling mechanism is used for refueling long-range and special aviation aircraft.

In February, United Aircraft Corporation began construction of an engineering prototype of the Il-78M-90A aircraft.