Russia Ready to Upgrade Indian IL-76/78 Airlift Aircraft

Russia is ready to both upgrade the IL-76, IL-78 and IL-38s aircraft already in service and supply new equipment meeting long-term requirements of Indian partners, United Aircraft Corporation’s Vice President for Transport Aviation and CEO of Ilyushin Aleksey Rogozin has said.

UAC’s Transport Aviation Division made a detailed presentation of its IL-76MD-90A and IL-78MK-90A aircraft to the Indian delegation, which is on a tour of defense facilities in Russia’s Privolzhsky Federal District.

Il-76/78 family of aircraft are suitable for regional airlift of troops, military equipment, and cargo, as well as their air dropping. The IL-76/78 can be deployed from unpaved runways and can be deployed in roles that include fire-fighting, tanker, transport, flying hospital, airborne CP, and AWACS, Rosoboronexport said in a statement Monday.

India's delegation led by Apurva Chandra, Director General Acquisition of the Ministry of Defense, on tour of defense facilities in Russia’s Privolzhsky Federal District visited Ulyanovsk-based Aviastar-SP, constituting a part of the United Aircraft Corporation’s Transport Aviation Division.

The platform also dubbed as, ‘Universal Soldier’, has a replacement of the original D-30KP2 engines with modern PS-90A-76s.

Russian Ilyushins are heavy-lift aircraft.