Transport aircraft Il 276. Medium transport aircraft

Il-276 is a new development of the aircraft design company S.V. Ilyushin, which is at the planning stage, but has already gained popularity in the aviation world.

In terms of its aerodynamic and technical characteristics, the aircraft should take a place between the An-12 and the heavy military carriers of the Il-76 group.

The new average type of military transport aircraft equipment, the Il-276, as planned by the developers, should make its first flight in 2023, and by 2026 it is planned to put the new product into mass production.

Aircraft Features

Il-276 model at the International Aviation and Space Salon

The project to create a new medium-heavy military transport airliner is considered important, since it will presumably solve several important issues in military transport aviation. Being a lighter analogue of the heavy-duty Il-76, the Il-276 will allow us to radically reduce the costs of military commercial operations and will also allow us to replace outdated versions of aircraft, which every year increasingly make us think about flight reliability.

According to preliminary data, the development of the Il-276 will make it possible to transfer 80% of all military transportation to it in the interests of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The airframe will meet the basic requirements of the BTA: Single-fuselage, high-plane aircraft, with a T-shaped tail. At the initial stages, they plan to equip the new product with PS-90A-76 power plants, created for the modernized Il-76 heavyweights. But in the future, the Il-276 may receive an improved new type of PD-14 engine, which will reduce the cost of the cost of the aircraft itself and its unification.

It turns out that the construction of such an aircraft is an expensive “pleasure”: to completely construct one such airliner it will take more than 40 million dollars, and to implement the entire project it will be necessary to spend more than 600 million dollars.

Of particular importance is the versatility of the Il-276, which, compared to most similar military carriers, can easily land on unequipped sites, even unpaved airfields. This will make it possible to safely deliver cargo to Arctic zones where landing on equipped areas is not provided.

The expected flight speed of the Il-276 is 800 km/h, and the flight range is from 2,000 km to 7,000 km, depending on the load.

Modifications

At the initial stages, the aircraft is considered only as a military transport. Developers are not yet thinking about creating modernized versions of it, although the aircraft’s platform allows it to be used to create a wide range of modifications.

Development history

The role of the country's main military carriers has so far been assigned to the An-12, An-26 and An-72 aircraft. But these machines, created in the USSR and becoming outdated in aerodynamic and technical terms, are increasingly making us think about improving the quality and conditions of air transportation. If not today, tomorrow they will begin to fail, and military aviation will be faced with the question of introducing an improved analogue.

In the role of such an analogue, the developers of the aviation complex S.V. Ilyushin presented a project for a medium-weight military transport aircraft Il-276. Initially, the project was called MTA (Medium Transport Aircraft) - Medium Transport Aircraft, and work on the project, according to the then agreement, was to be carried out jointly by the country and the Indian side. At the same time, the country agreed to divide the costs and rights to implement developments in half - 50/50%.

But in 2015, the Indian side terminated the agreement and left the project. Further work on the construction of aircraft, which were given the designation Il-276, was undertaken by the Ilyushin aircraft building team.

According to the designers, the IL-276 will have to replace several types of turboprop transport aircraft. It is known that just to replace the An-12s that are in operation in the country, several dozen new aircraft will be required.

Technical characteristics and flight data

Since the aircraft is at the stage of technical development, and there are no clearly established parameters, information about its tactical and technical data remains approximate.

When will it be put into operation

The release of the first prototype of the Il-276 is scheduled for early 2023. After thorough checks and many experimental flights, the aircraft will be cleared for mass production in 2025, and in 2026 it will be made available to the Russian Ministry of Defense for further operation.

It is known that the introduction of the Il-276 should begin no later than 2023, since it is at this time that the massive decommissioning of the An-12 is planned.

News

According to the latest data, the developers are intensively working on drawing up a technical plan and preliminary design of the future transport aircraft, which will be submitted to the Ministry of Defense for approval as soon as possible.

The Ulyanovsk Aviastar plant has been identified as the main base for the construction of a military transport aircraft.

Conclusion

The successful creation and introduction of the Il-276 aircraft guarantees that the country's military transport aviation will reach a new level. Its aerodynamic and layout data will make it possible to operate the aircraft in conditions that have so far been harsh for the operation of its predecessors.

A new medium military transport aircraft (SVTS) is being created in the interests of the Russian Ministry of Defense. By the end of the year, the military department must approve the tactical and technical specifications for this vehicle. Igor Bevzyuk, program manager at Il PJSC, spoke in an interview with TASS about what characteristics the new aircraft will have, from which airfields it will be able to take off and whether it will have weapons.

- Igor Anatolyevich, please tell us about the background of this project.

The idea of creating an SVTS to replace the obsolete An-12 appeared at the turn of the 80s and 90s of the last century. Already at that time, the Ilyushin Design Bureau had worked out the design of such a machine, but the characteristics of the first design did not yet provide a fundamental separation from other options. The project was postponed for a while.

Let me remind you that at that time the Tupolev Design Bureau and the Antonov Design Bureau actively proposed their own options, after consideration of which the An-70 was adopted as the basis. The history of this aircraft turned out to be a dead end, and at the beginning of the 2000s they returned to the Ilyushin Design Bureau project - especially since India expressed its interest in the joint development of a transport aircraft of this class.

After quite a long period, the requirements for the appearance of the Russian-Indian MTA (Multipurpose Transport Aircraft) aircraft were formed. However, the risks associated with the implementation of part of the requirements led to the “freezing” of this project, although legally the Indians have not yet completely abandoned it.

Be that as it may, the need for a middle-class transport ramp aircraft has not gone away, and has even become more urgent as the An-12 aircraft approaches the end of their service life. And the Ilyushin Design Bureau, together with the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, developed a draft tactical and technical specification (TTZ) for a medium military transport aircraft.

- Did the Indian side somehow explain this decision?

The set of requirements that were placed on the aircraft led to a high degree of technical risks. As soon as the degree of novelty in a project exceeds a certain threshold, questions arise related to either the timing of implementation, or the achievability of the declared characteristics, or the price.

- After 2015, did you decide to return the project to Russia?

The working name of the aircraft is Il-276

In 2014, the Ilyushin Design Bureau, together with the Ministry of Defense, proposed to develop technical requirements for SVTS according to Russian standards, without taking into account Indian specifics. As a result, the decision was made to create such a machine, and its proactive development began. The Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Industry and Trade agreed on the draft tactical and technical specifications (TTZ). The working name of the aircraft, which was adopted by the design bureau, is Il-276.

- That is, it has not yet been officially approved?

No, the process of coordination and approval of technical specifications at SVTS is currently underway. De jure, the name of the aircraft can be assigned later, as was the case, for example, with the T-50. Our project has not yet received its final proper name.

In Russia, the An-12 is nearing the end of its service life. Somewhere in 2023, a massive removal of these vehicles from combat units will begin.

In December we begin preliminary design of the Il-276. We plan to complete the design work, pre-production and the first flight in the first quarter of 2023, and the completion of the work itself with the assignment of the corresponding letter is 2025 with the start of serial deliveries to the troops in 2026.

The fact is that in Russia the life of the An-12 aircraft is coming to an end. Somewhere in 2023, a massive withdrawal of these aircraft from combat units will begin, which is why the time to develop a new aircraft, its entry into testing and into mass production remains relatively short.

- What kind of plane will it be? What are its characteristics?

This will be a traditional layout for a military transport aircraft: a single-fuselage high-wing aircraft (the pattern of attaching the wing to the fuselage when it passes through the upper half of its cross-section - TASS note) with a T-shaped tail, with two engines located under the wing. It will be able to take off from unprepared and unpaved airfields.

This is a ramp aircraft with the ability not only for loading and unloading operations on the ground, but also for landing from it. In addition to the main functions that are inherent in military transport aviation, it will have additional functions related to the delivery of cargo during rescue operations, emergency situations, etc.

- In a word, he will take all the best from his “big brother”-IL-76?

Undoubtedly. If we are talking about technical solutions related to the reliability of the aircraft, of course, we will use the best solutions, adapting them to the size of our machine .

- Are the engines the same as on the Il-76?

The engine of the first design is the well-proven PS-90A-76, which has the necessary characteristics to reduce technical risks. And as soon as the PD-14 confirms its characteristics in mass production, it will be used on the Il-276.

- Will the cross-section of the plane be the same as the Il-76?

Yes. At the same time, the length of the cargo compartment will be slightly shorter than the basic modification of the Il-76.

- What is its range and speed?

The speed is about 800 km/h, which is typical for aircraft with turbojet engines. Of course, it significantly exceeds the speed that the An-12 could afford. As a result, the delivery time of a particular cargo will be significantly reduced. At maximum load, its range will be a couple of thousand kilometers, but from the point of view of the ferry version, when it is necessary to ensure maximum range, it is up to seven thousand km.

- Will the IL-276 have a tanker version?

In the basic version we consider it as a typical transport aircraft, but this platform can be used for modernization in a very wide range.

- Does the Il-276 have standard weapons?

Any such aircraft is equipped with onboard defense systems. The Il-276 will also have means to protect the aircraft from external influences.

-Where will it be built?

The Aviastar plant in Ulyanovsk is today designated as the lead manufacturer.

- Is it still correct to call it a modernization of the Il-76, if the Il-76 combat aircraft are currently being modernized to the MD-M version and new Il-76MD-90A are being created?

These two projects have synergy, and the use of technical solutions in terms of developments in avionics, components and assemblies, of course, will be. But consider it a modification... A two-hundred-ton and a seventy-ton machine are still different things. Even with the visual similarity of some design elements, in many ways this is a new car.

- Il-112 does not overlap with this project?

Il-112 is a promising light aircraft. The IL-276 is located just between the light IL-112 and the heavy IL-76. A large amount of completely new equipment is being developed for the IL-112, the backlog of which will definitely be used.

How is the process of designing a new aircraft going?

We try to make the most of the opportunities that digital design provides. The key point is to link, starting from the preliminary design stage, all the requirements related not only to design developments, but also to the development of manufacturability of this design, production preparation, logistics requirements, as well as requirements related to the maintenance and operation of this aircraft. This allows you to find and correct all the shortcomings at the earliest stages, reducing the time it takes to enter mass production.

We pay special attention to development at a given cost

And of course, we pay special attention to development for a given cost; this applies not only to the product as a whole, but also to each technical solution. This approach ensures not only transparency of pricing, but also compliance with the price-quality parameter, which is especially important in the current economic conditions. In advanced design bureaus, this has already become a daily practice, which has made it possible to arrive at a specific numerical parameter, namely, correcting an error identified at the design stage costs 1 USD; the same error, identified during production, already costs 10 USD; at the stage of final assembly, the cost of correcting an error increases to 100 USD, and at the stage of testing and operation it is already 1000 USD or more.

- Has the team already been formed?

The team is being formed right now. Today, the Ilyushin Design Bureau has several major programs underway simultaneously, and we are, of course, very interested in attracting both experienced and novice specialists to create an aircraft with world-class performance by applying best development practices.

- How many of these vehicles will the troops need?

According to preliminary estimates, in the next decade, the troops will need to replace several dozen An-12s. In general, the demand for such aircraft in Russia and the world is great, and we are confident that the Il-276 will find its place in the sky and will become an indispensable “hard worker aircraft.”

Interviewed Anna Yudina

The new medium military transport aircraft (SVTS) Il-276 is being created in the interests of the Russian Ministry of Defense. By the end of the year, the military department must approve the tactical and technical specifications for this vehicle. Igor Bevzyuk, program manager at Il PJSC, spoke in an interview with TASS about what characteristics the new aircraft will have, from which airfields it will be able to take off and whether it will have weapons.

- Igor Anatolyevich, please tell us about the background of this project.

Be that as it may, the need for a middle-class transport ramp aircraft has not gone away, and has even become more urgent as the An-12 aircraft approach the end of their service life. And the Ilyushin Design Bureau, together with the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, developed a draft tactical and technical specification (TTZ) for a medium military transport aircraft.

- Did the Indian side somehow explain this decision?

Project of a medium military transport aircraft Il-276 / © PJSC "Il"

- After 2015, did you decide to return the project to Russia?

- That is, it has not yet been officially approved?

No, the process of coordinating and approving technical specifications at SVTS is currently underway. De jure, the name of the aircraft can be assigned later, as was the case, for example, with the T-50. Our project has not yet received its final proper name.

The fact is that in Russia the life of the An-12 aircraft is coming to an end. Somewhere in 2023, a massive withdrawal of these machines from combat units will begin, which is why the time to develop a new aircraft, its entry into testing and mass production remains relatively short.

- What kind of plane will it be? What are its characteristics?

This will be a traditional layout for a military transport aircraft: a single-fuselage high-wing aircraft with a T-tail, with two engines located under the wing. It will be able to take off from unprepared and unpaved airfields.

This is a ramp aircraft with the possibility of not only loading and unloading operations on the ground, but also the possibility of landing from it. In addition to the main functions that are inherent in military transport aviation, it will have additional functions related to the delivery of cargo during rescue operations, emergency situations, etc.

- In a word, will he take all the best from his “big brother” - Il-76?

Undoubtedly. If we are talking about technical solutions related to the reliability of the aircraft, of course, we will use the best solutions, adapting them to the size of our machine.

- Are the engines the same as on the Il-76?

- Will the plane be the same in cross-section as the Il-76?

Yes. At the same time, the length of the cargo compartment will be slightly shorter than the basic modification of the Il-76.

- What is its range and speed?

- Will the IL-276 have a tanker version?

In the basic version we consider it as a typical transport aircraft, but this platform can be used for modernization in a very wide range.

- Does the Il-276 have standard weapons?

Any such aircraft is equipped with onboard defense systems. The Il-276 will also have means to protect the aircraft from external influences.

-Where will it be built?

The Aviastar plant in Ulyanovsk is today designated as the lead manufacturer.

Is it still correct to call it a modernization of the Il-76, if the Il-76 combat aircraft are currently being modernized to the MD-M version and new Il-76MD-90A are being created?

- Il-112 does not overlap with this project?

IL-112 is a promising light aircraft. The IL-276 is located just between the light IL-112 and the heavy IL-76. A large amount of completely new equipment is being developed for the IL-112, the backlog of which will definitely be used.

How is the process of designing a new aircraft going?

We try to make the most of the opportunities that digital design provides. The key point is, starting from the preliminary design stage, to link all the requirements related not only to design developments, but also to the development of manufacturability of this design, production preparation, logistics requirements, as well as requirements related to the maintenance and operation of this aircraft. This allows you to find and correct all the shortcomings at the earliest stages, reducing the time it takes to enter mass production.

- Has the team already been formed?

On October 31, 2017, most leading media published an interview with the program manager at Il PJSC, Igor Bevzyuk, in which he stated that the start of flight tests of the aircraft with the tentative name Il-276 is planned for 2023. What kind of aircraft this is and why so much attention is paid to it will be discussed in this article.

History of the aircraft

Back in 1959, the Irkutsk Aviation Plant launched the development series of the O.K. Antonov ASTC. For more than half a century, this unpretentious hard worker participated in all significant events not only in our country, but throughout the world.

He was rightfully considered the best transport worker on the planet. About sixty of these aircraft are still in service, and 46 are mothballed. But the service life of an obsolete centenarian is not endless. The development of a new ramp transporter has become increasingly urgent.

Back in the 80s, the Ilyushin Design Bureau began to develop a prototype of the future aircraft, but it did not stand out in any way among similar projects from the Tupolev and Antonov Design Bureaus.

It was decided to give preference to the creation of the An-70. But these developments reached a dead end and we had to return to the Ilyushin concept, especially against the backdrop of interest in this topic in New Delhi. In 2001, a Russian-Indian protocol was signed on the joint development of MTA (Multipurpose Transport Aircraft), as this promising aircraft was then called.

The plans were for its simultaneous adoption into service in Russia and India. During the work, it became clear that the requests made by the Indian side carried unjustified risks. The joint work did not work out, and the Indians left the project.

In 2014, on instructions from the Ministry of Defense, the Ilyushin Design Bureau began work on a medium military transport aircraft exclusively according to the standards adopted in the Russian Federation.

The preliminary design of the Il-276 will begin in December 2017. Under this name the design bureau will work on a new aircraft. It is possible that the finished product will receive a different name. Plans for 2026 include deliveries of the first copies to the troops, and test flights for 2023.

Planned use of IL-276

The Il-276 ramp transport aircraft is being created for the needs of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The word in the name “ramp” means that the fuselage is equipped with a mechanized hatch in the rear section.

The hatch cover will be able to lower to the surface of the earth for loading large cargo and military or civilian equipment. Experts believe that up to 80% of transportation in the interests of the armed forces will be carried out by the Il-276.

It is planned to be used for:

landing of airborne units;
providing ammunition, weapons and other supplies to troops behind enemy lines;
ensuring the movement of aviation units;
transportation of troops, weapons, ammunition and other cargo of the Ministry of Defense;
evacuation of sick and wounded;
use in rescue operations;
assistance to peacekeepers.

The ability to use unpaved airfields will make this model simply indispensable for all of the above tasks. It is believed that the aircraft being created will become the best assistant in the Arctic.

The Il-276 base model platform is going to be used for deep modernization to suit various needs. And import orders should be added to the currently required 55 aircraft for the Russian Armed Forces.

Planned performance characteristics of the Il-276

Traditionally configured single-fuselage high-wing aircraft with a T-shaped tail and two engines.

The aircraft will have the following performance characteristics:

Crew – 3 (4) people.
Load capacity – up to 20 tons.
The length of the aircraft is 37.7 m (40.235 m).
Wingspan - 32.25 m (39.37 m).
Height – 12.51 m.
Maximum take-off weight – 68 t (72 t).
The capacity of internal fuel tanks is 2.5 tons.
Engines – 2 × PS-90A-76
Thrust – 2 × 17400 kgf

The engines are planned to be placed under the wings. Initially, it is planned to equip the aircraft with engines for the Il-76 (PS-90A-76), and subsequently it is planned to install the PD-14.

The development of these engines was carried out during the creation of the MS-21 airliner. There is information that after the PD-14, a more powerful version based on the engine gas generator (PD-18R) will be installed.

During development, all the best will be taken into account and used.

This will allow you to achieve the following flight performance:

Maximum speed – 870 km/h.
Cruising speed - 800 km/h.
Flight range with maximum load is 2000 km.
Ferry range – 7300 km.
High ceiling – 12000 m
Take-off run length is 1450 m.
The length of the landing run is 1350 m.

Airplanes with turboprop engines have the speed indicated in the flight characteristics. It is much higher than the speed of the An-12, which reduces cargo delivery time and reduces the cost of transportation.

In addition, the cost of operating the transporter being created will be noticeably lower than that of its legendary predecessor.

Design features of the IL-276

Being the most modernly equipped enterprise, Ilyushin Design Bureau uses only modern digital design. This allows us to take into account all the design nuances, logistical wishes and production organization even at the preliminary design stage.

Correcting an error during such a design costs 10 times less than when launching into series, 100 times less than at the final installation stage, and 1000 times less than one discovered at the beginning of testing.

Particular attention is paid to the specified cost and ensuring the optimal price-quality ratio. Only this approach will allow us to win competition from Chinese and Brazilian manufacturers, who are already offering expert samples of aircraft of this class.

By the way, it is planned to place orders for the production of the Il-276 product at the Aviastar enterprise in Ulyanovsk, where the Il-76MD-90A is currently being produced.

A new product with such characteristics, capable of occupying a niche between small transport aircraft and heavy aircraft like the Il-76, is highly anticipated in the army.

Video

By 2026, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will have one more long-awaited new product: designed to radically change the face of military transport aviation. Nothing lasts forever Any board, even the most reliable and easy-to-use one, needs to be replaced sooner or later. However, in the field of delivery of cargo, equipment and personnel, even the most remote areas could not do without a record holder. The An-12 transport aircraft, designed and produced in the USSR, is still in service: just like several decades ago, the “workhorse” of the armed forces, along with the Il-76, performs the same complex and difficult work - transporting cargo and delivering people to where they need to go. an ordinary civilian aircraft cannot reach. Aviation engineers, flight mechanics and aircraft commanders explain that several implemented technical solutions help the An-12 remain in service: a power plant, a well-designed cargo compartment, a simple and reliable control system. It is generally accepted that aircraft Fighter and bomber aviation are the main providers of records, but military aviation aircraft also account for many unique indicators. For example, it was the An-12 that was the absolute record holder for the cost of transporting commercial cargo: for transporting equipment or people over distances of several thousand kilometers, Soviet specialists established the lowest cost among BTA aircraft - only ten kopecks per kilometer.

At the same time, the aircraft delivered to dozens of foreign countries was distinguished by its unique survivability: in the mid-90s, after planned maintenance and inspection procedures as part of the service extension program, it turned out that the service life of individual aircraft could be at least 40 thousand hours - approximately 40 years of service. Successful replacement However, like most aircraft built in the USSR, the An-12 will inevitably retire. And although the BTA legend is still far from the demobilization chord, they decided not to delay designing a replacement for the unique aircraft. There was no sensation when choosing a developer: the development of a medium military transport aircraft with a flight range of several thousand kilometers will be carried out by the Ilyushin Design Bureau, but the heir to the military transport empire deserves special attention. The development of the “younger brother” Il-76 is in many ways called a particularly important project and because, along with other new products created in the interests of the BTA, the Il-276 will not only radically reduce the costs of military and commercial logistics, but will also “rejuvenate” the appearance of military transport aviation and, as a result, will deprive customers of the problems associated with machine reliability.

Despite the fact that the project is still in the design stage, some technical details of the new aircraft are already known: experts believe that the multi-purpose transport aircraft will be able to undertake up to 80% of all transportation in the interests of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The aircraft will be built according to the classic BTA layout: a single-fuselage high-wing aircraft with a T-shaped tail. The developer has also lifted the veil of secrecy associated with the choice of the machine’s power plant: at the first stages, the Il-276 will be equipped with PS-90A-76 aircraft engines, originally developed for the modernized Il-76 transport aircraft. However, after completion of factory and flight tests, as well as delivery of the first aircraft to the customer in order to reduce the cost and unify the Il-276 may receive a long-awaited new product - the PD-14 aircraft engine, which was initially developed as part of the creation of the promising MS-21 civil airliner. Battle messenger At the same time, the Il-276 will occupy a niche between light transport aircraft and heavy-duty BTA aircraft - the Il-76 aircraft. “The cost of operating such machines will be noticeably lower. This is very good news for the military, since they will no longer have to send heavy transport aircraft like Il-76 to supply garrisons,” said aviation engineer Andrei Miroshnichenko in an interview with the Zvezda TV channel.

At the same time, according to the expert, purchases of Il-276 in the future will make it possible to abandon several types of turboprop transport aircraft at once. At the same time, the new aircraft will not lag behind its predecessors in terms of versatility of use: the Il-276 will be able not only to land on prepared runways, but also to land at airfields that are not equipped to receive aircraft, including unpaved ones. Another feature of the aircraft, according to experts, will be the ability to deliver cargo to facilities in the so-called Arctic zone, where landing at an equipped airfield is often not provided. Experts note that the development of the Il-276 is a kind of “pill for headaches” associated with the aging fleet , cost of operation and other purely material problems not only of military, but also of any commercial transportation. Speaking about this, experts note that the Il-276 in the future will replace not only the aging An-12, but also other military transport aircraft - the An-26 and An-72. The developers do not provide precise data on the aircraft’s carrying capacity, but experts believe that taking on board 20 tons of cargo will allow the Il-276 to cover a little over two thousand kilometers at a speed of 800 km/h without any problems. Considering the importance of the project, it is worth noting that behind the need to radically update military transport aviation and reduce the cost of regular transportation, without which the functioning of individual facilities will be impossible, lies something more. Representatives of the development company note that only to replace the An -12 will require several dozen Il-276 aircraft. If you multiply the number of promising boards by the number of promising customers, you can easily get an approximate result.

“If we take into account foreign customers with their needs for replacing the aircraft fleet, then it is possible to sell aircraft of this type in various versions well already at the initial stage of production. And now I am not taking contracts for maintenance, spare parts and everything that will be needed in the future,” aviation engineer Nikolai Dobrodeev explained in an interview with the Zvezda TV channel. The appearance of a promising aircraft is expected in the near future: the first flight of the Il-276 is planned for 2023 year, and the start of mass production is planned for 2026. Experts note that the solutions incorporated into the new machine and the low cost of operation provide the project with good chances of success not only within the country, but also on international markets.

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