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Russian airborne command post aircraft based on Il-86 airliner From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ilyushin Il-80 (NATO reporting name: Maxdome) is a Russian airborne command and control aircraft modified from the Ilyushin Il-86 airliner.[1]
| Il-80 | |
|---|---|
| Ilyushin Il-80 flying over Moscow on 6 May 2010 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Airborne command post |
| Manufacturer | Ilyushin |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | Russian Aerospace Forces |
| Number built | 4 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1992 |
| First flight | 5 March 1987 |
| Developed from | Ilyushin Il-86[1] |
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The Ilyushin Il-80 has the NATO reporting name Maxdome[2] (though some sources claim it uses the reporting name Camber, like the Il-86 passenger jet).[2] The Russian reporting name for the aircraft is Aimak, or Eimak (Mongolian for "clan").[2] The aircraft is believed to have first flown in the summer of 1985, with the first post-modification flight taking place on March 5, 1987, and deliveries starting later that year.[2][3] In all, four aircraft are known to have been converted from Il-86s.[2] They were registered CCCP-86146 through 86149, and were first observed by western photographers in 1992.[3]
Heavily modified from the Ilyushin Il-86, the Il-80 (also referred to as the Il-86VKP) is meant to be used as an airborne command center for Russian officials, including the President, in the event of nuclear war.[2] The role of the Ilyushin Il-80 is similar to that of the Boeing E-4B.[4] The Il-80 has no external windows (save those in the cockpit), to shield it from a nuclear blast and nuclear electromagnetic pulse.[3] Only the upper deck forward door on the left and the aft door on the right remain from the standard design.[2] There is only one airstair door, instead of three. An unusual baffle blocks the aft cockpit windows. This may serve to block EMP or RF pulses.[2]
Unlike the standard Il-86 airliner, the Il-80 has two electrical generator pods mounted inboard of the engine nacelles.[2] Each pod is approximately 9.5 metres (32 feet) long and 1.3 metres (4 feet) in diameter.[2] Both pods include landing lights.[2]
Like the E-4B, the aircraft has a dorsal SATCOM canoe, believed to house advanced satellite communications equipment,[2][3] and a trailing wire antenna mounted in the lower aft fuselage for very low frequency (VLF) radio transmission and reception (likely for communication with ballistic missile submarines).[2][3]
When the present upgrades have reached the end of their life, it is expected that a new airborne command post, based on the Ilyushin Il-96-400M commercial aircraft and delivered as the so-called Doomsday plane, will replace them.[5]
Upon completion, all four Il-80s were delivered to the 8th Special Purposes Aviation Division at the Chkalovsky Airbase near Moscow.[2]
As of 2011 three Il-80s remain in service.[2] They are painted in the current livery of Aeroflot, the Russian state airline; and carry international civilian registrations RA-86147, RA-86148, and RA-86149.[2] The first Il-80, registration RA-86146, has been photographed without engines and is apparently out of service.[2] As of 2011 the Il-80s remain based at Chkalovsky Airbase, located 30 km (19 mi) northeast of Moscow.[2] The aircraft are rarely observed in operation, though at least one was seen at an air show.[2]
In December 2020, Russian media reported that radio communication equipment had been stolen from one of the Il-80s while it was undergoing maintenance.[6][1]
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