Russian long-haul airliner is preparing for rebranding

IL-96-300 and IL-96-400, as the name implies, are two modifications of the same aircraft, created by Russian designers. The second version was supposed to be a logical continuation of the first, but for a number of reasons it turned out to be a completely different car. Aircraft differ in interior, technical parameters, flight characteristics and ... fate.

Initially, these were liners for transporting passengers, respectively, to medium and long distance. But now the 300th model serves only in the presidential detachment, and the 400th ... Actually, first things first. Specifications, features and photos of the IL-96-400 model we will consider.

Story

At the beginning of the 80s, the Ilyushin Design Bureau was developing a medium-range aircraft, which received the name Il-86. The machine was created according to the accepted standards of the time. Unlike the earlier 62 and some Tupolev designs, the 86's engines are on pylons under the wings. This is a wide-body aircraft with modern (at that time) engines and control systems. One thing: completely replace the obsolete IL-62 this machine cannot yet.

At the end of the 80s, data on the IL-96 passenger aircraft appeared. This development should also belong to the wide-body type, but become a long-range machine. The basis of the new aircraft should be 86, but with appropriate amendments regarding speed, fuel tank capacity, and the possibility of a long flight. In 1988, the first flight tests were carried out, and in 1993 mass production began. In 2009, the production of the model was announced as unpromising. Over the years, only 22 (according to other sources 28) cars saw the light. Of the remaining in operation, it works in Cuba, several more modified versions are used by Rossiya airlines to serve the top officials of the state.

Model 300

After the start of mass production new model, which received an index of 300, enters Aeroflot. For a car that can compete with the leading developments of Boeing and Airbus, the team of developers receives the State Prize. And although this aircraft was cheaper, safer, and in some respects even surpassed the designs of the Americans, domestic carriers bought the Boeing. At the same time, the motivation for such a purchase sometimes took the most ridiculous forms. For example, that there are two crew members on a Boeing, and three on an IL. Or that the Boeing is safer, although design tests of our design proved otherwise.

The detailed technical characteristics of the IL-96-300 aircraft practically repeat the 400 version, just note that the presence of this airliner allowed Aeroflot to make direct flights from Moscow to any city in both Americas, and at the same time carry up to 300 people (single-cabin layout).

Birth 400

The first truck in the line was the IL-96T. He was born in 1997 as part of a Russian-American treaty. Russia provided a glider, and the Americans provided 4 engines from Pratt-Whitney (the same ones are used by Collins on-board avionics. The aircraft received a slightly lengthened fuselage, cargo equipment, and even passed certification according to American FAR25 standards. But further production was never It was on its basis that the first 400 was subsequently designed.The aircraft was equipped with Russian avionics and Russian engines.

Model 400

At the turn of the century, developers released an airliner capable of flying 500 km further, and at the same time taking 435 people on board. But the difficult financial situation in Russia practically puts an end to the passenger aircraft, however, a transport version is being designed on its basis. Passenger doors are being changed, cargo doors are being added, and in 2007 the following development of the Voronezh enterprise, IL-96-400T, is demonstrated at air shows. This is not a new development because flight characteristics remain unchanged. The aircraft has been idle for two years, changing owners like gloves, but in 2009 the Russian company Polet became interested in the machine, and the first three aircraft are sent to it (two were assembled before 2007 and existed as experimental samples). Thus, April 23, 2009 is considered to be the date of commencement of operation. Karpov, the president of Polet, plans to increase the number of cars to 6, but in 2013 the carrier is declared bankrupt. Voronezh assembled the fourth aircraft, but, for obvious reasons, it was never bought by the company.

But another buyer, the Russian Air Force, became interested in the transport version. To date, there are rumors of 30 transport aircraft and the same number of model 300. Official sources from the Ministry of Defense they say that the program is planned for 10 years, so that the last car will be received in 2024.

The lineup

During its difficult life, the IL-96 has undergone several modifications. In addition to the main models - 300 and 400, several more variants were released, most of which were either converted to other versions or left as a prototype. These include:

• IL-96T is the first prototype of the modern 400 model. The only copy of the entire line, for some time wearing American equipment.
• Il-96M - the second prototype. The main difference was the lengthened fuselage.
• IL-96-300 - passenger model wide-body aircraft. For almost 20 years, these models were used in a limited number by Aeroflot (according to unofficial data, the company had only 6 cars on its balance sheet).
• IL-96-400 and 400T - passenger and transport aircraft models, respectively. Either up to 92 tons of luggage, or over 400 people.
• IL-96-400TZ - the model was redesigned from the previous version. The Russian Air Force became interested in the tanker. It was in this version that the 400th model was ordered for the planned replacement of IL-78.
• Il-96-550 is a prototype double-deck aircraft. Analog Whether there will be further development is not yet known.

The list specifically does not include several more models of the "PU" category (control point), these modified 300 and 400 models that serve in a separate detachment of the Rossiya airline and are referred to as "Aircraft No. 1" according to the international classification

Peculiarities

The Russian aircraft IL-96-400 in the process of creation received several features that distinguish it favorably from the aircraft of other companies.

The tanker aircraft that interested the military is a two-in-one model. placed in the fuselage, are connected to the main fuel system and are able to accommodate 62 tons of additional fuel. An aircraft can deliver this stock over a distance of 3,500 km. If there is no need for a tanker, it is easy to convert it into a regular transporter. The flight range will not change, but the cargo can be taken up to 92 tons.

The second feature of this liner concerns flight safety. The 96th became the only aircraft in the world that is able to land normally even if all 4 engines on board fail. Such a check was carried out during the first tests by Russian test pilots. In flight, all 4 engines were turned off, after which the plane was calmly landed according to the usual landing pattern.

Technical specifications

Below we consider other features and parameters of the IL-96-400 aircraft. Technical characteristics of the transport version:

• length - 64 m;
• height - 15, 7m;
• width - 6.1m;
• wingspan - 60.1 m;
• wing area - 392 sq. m;
• takeoff weight(max) - 270 tons;
• cruising speed - 850 km / h;
• ceiling - 13100 m;
• range - 10000 m;

• passenger capacity - 435 people (for one class of accommodation);
• Runway for takeoff - 2600 m, for landing - 1980 m.

Flight ban

The history of this aircraft was not without a short-term, but nevertheless brought great losses to Russian carriers, a ban on flights. The decision was made as a result of an incident in August 2005, when, when departing from Finland, the presidential plane could not gain the speed necessary for separation. According to the chief designer, this decision was unlawful. The fact is that the characteristics of the IL-96-400 aircraft provide for possible failures of the units for various reasons. Hydraulics has a reserve that exceeds consumption by 4 times. Such a reserve is quite enough to maintain the normal braking mode for all 12 wheels of the liner, even if the system fails on one or two wheels. Their functions will be switched to others.

Conclusion

For a number of reasons, the IL-96-400 aircraft, originally designed as a long-range airliner, switched to military service. At the same time, due to the passenger past, the Air Force is getting a car that is capable of performing several tasks: from an ordinary transporter to an escort aircraft. Had the situation turned out differently, these steel birds would have flown across the territory former Union for medium and long distances. After all, the entire 96 line was originally planned as a replacement for two machines: Il-86 and Il-62.

"The program for the production of long-haul IL-96-400M and regional ones based on the IL-114 will be modest"published by the newspaper" Vedomosti",On May 27, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin announced plans to start production of the Il-96-400M wide-body long-haul aircraft (an upgraded version of the Il-96-300) and a regional aircraft based on the Il-114 at the board of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Their release will be handled by enterprises that are part of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), the Voronezh Aircraft Building Association and Nizhny Novgorod plant"Falcon", respectively.

The cost of both development programs is 50 billion rubles each. But the scale of the planned release was small.

It is planned to produce six long-haul ships, regional - a maximum of 100, a federal official and a person close to the KLA told Vedomosti. These figures were confirmed by another federal official, specifying that the number of Il-96s could be increased to eight.

Il-114 passenger aircraft (registration RA-91014, serial number 1023823024) in the colors of the Vyborg airline, St. Petersburg, the parking lot of the Pulkovo airport 04/14/2010 (c) Pavel Todenkov / russianplanes.net

The Il-96-400M (more than 400 seats, production should begin in 2019) will be intended primarily for government agencies, primarily for the special Rossiya flight squad that transports top officials, two Vedomosti interlocutors say. It will not have commercial potential, as it is an outdated, fuel-inefficient aircraft, they explain. The previous modification of the Il-96-300 has not been produced since 2009. The idea is being discussed to subsidize the leasing of this aircraft so that the payment is about twice as low as for competing Boeing-777 and Airbus 330; this may be of interest to some carriers, given that fuel has fallen in price and the gain in efficiency is no longer so fundamental, the second official objects.

50-100 modernized Il-114s (designed in the 1980s) will be produced, the planned capacity is 64 seats, a federal official says. In 2019-2023 it is planned to produce 20-25 cars, and then, depending on demand, bring their number to 100, a person close to the UAC knows. Until 2019, six Il-114s located at the plant in Tashkent will be completed, a source in the UAC told Vedomosti earlier.

Now 100-150 are operated in Russia regional jets different capacity still Soviet development, the official continues. This market has not been studied in depth, he admits, but a survey of operators revealed a need for about 50 new vessels. The IL-114 is being redesigned with a fuselage to make the aircraft lighter, and the engines will be improved, explains a person close to the KLA. If the updated version is successful, then the aircraft may have export potential, he hopes.

“With such a scale of output, no program, of course, will pay off,” the federal official argues. - But UAC has local tasks: government agencies need some of their own wide-body aircraft, domestic airlines need some regional aircraft; also will be loaded production capacity". True, resources are scattered, he adds, because future prospects these models do not, unlike the short-haul SSJ100 produced by UAC and the medium-haul MS-21 being developed - the export potential of these aircraft will help create new aircraft.

The production of Il-96 and Il-114 will be financed in the fourth quarter, subject to adjustments to the budget, a spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Trade says. A spokesman for the KLA declined to comment.

"Airplane only for Russian market- a deliberately unprofitable project, - the leading researcher at the Institute of Transport Economics of the Higher School of Economics Fedor Borisov is categorical. “In such projects, one must initially focus on a competitive product for the world market and making a profit, even in the conditions of a mobilization economy.” However, a regional aircraft may be in demand, he admits: the An-24s that prevail in the domestic fleet have been flying for a very long time. And it is impossible to create a wide-body aircraft based on the Il-96 that is in demand on the world market, he is sure.

If we talk about flight safety ... then n perhaps it would be worth mentioning the safest civilian airliner.

I’ll make a reservation right away - I don’t consider “old age” or poor technical readiness of the Airbus A321 to be the cause of the tragedy in Egypt. In my amateurish opinion, this is a terrorist attack (an explosion on board) or external influence. But, if we ignore this case, then the main cause of air crashes today is the human factor. Although technology has a lot of influence on the positive or negative ending of a particular flight accident.
For example, I strongly doubt that the feat of the “Alrosovskaya” Carcass (completely de-energized with idle communication and navigation, and even the rest of the fuel for half an hour of flight) could be repeated in a similar situation by the crews of modern Boeings and Airbuses.

So - which long-haul is the safest?
The answer is IL-96. For 22 years of operation, this last airliner, created in the USSR, did not kill a single person in flight accidents.

Yes, yes - this is the plane on which V.V. flies. Putin, you got it right.

Il-96-300 of the special flight squad "Russia"

IL-96 became our first wide-body long-range passenger aircraft. The diameter of the fuselage is 6.08 meters, by the way, it is surpassed only by the Boeing 777 (which flew 6 years later). Others are still thinner.
But comparing it with the 777th is incorrect - the car is newer and of a slightly different class. The maximum takeoff weight of the Il-96-300 is 216 tons, while that of the Boeing 777-300 is already 299 tons. But at one time, the IL-96 could well have seriously competed with “classmates”.

- When in the 90s I flew to the States on an IL-96 and I there is fuel left in the tanks for another three hours of flight, the Americans were terribly surprised. A representative of their aviation authorities then bluntly stated: for some positions, this type of aircraft is unattainable for us. It is strange that Russia is still able to create a competitive product.
On the Il-96, on the instructions of the general designer, I made six landings with an imitation of the failure of all engines. No one has done this on any foreign type. And on the IL-96, even a crew of an average level of training can do this.
Anatoly Knyshov, test pilot, Hero of Russia.

- If we compare two long-haul aircraft: Boeing-767 and Il-96-300, then an American with two engines carries 200 passengers and consumes 6 tons of fuel. IL-96 takes on board 300 passengers and 15 tons of cargo with a consumption of only 7 tons. Divide tons by kilometers - and everything will become clear to you. In addition, the IL-96 is a magnificent machine: a spacious cabin, large screens - the blind will see everything. The fuselage diameter is 6 meters, like a subway tunnel. You feel like you are in a normal, reliable liner with four engines. By the way, in its entire history, the IL-96 has not been involved in a single accident. Didn't kill a single person.
Sergey Knyshov, commander of the Il-96 (had an internship in the USA on Boeings).

The Il-96 made its first flight in 1988.

Initially, it was assumed that the domestic long-range wide-body aircraft would be further development aircraft IL-86 and retain the maximum possible constructive commonality with it. In accordance with this approach, the new aircraft, which received the designation Il-86D ("long-range"), had the same design of the fuselage, plumage, and main on-board functional systems as the Il-86. This made it possible to reduce the time for creating a new machine, quickly introduce it into mass production in parallel with the production of the Il-86 aircraft and simplify the maintenance of the Il-86 and Il-86D in operation. However, in connection with the active struggle for fuel efficiency, as well as in connection with the emergence of new production technologies, the designers had to seriously revise the project.
At the same time, a requirement was put forward to equip two new-generation aircraft - long-range Il-96-300 and medium-range aircraft Tu-204 - with a single unified PS-90 engine with a high bypass ratio and low cruising power. specific consumption fuel.
As a result, the designers abandoned the use of airframe units and systems from the Il-86 aircraft and created a completely new Il-96-300 aircraft. The priorities in the creation of the machine were design solutions aimed primarily at improving the aerodynamic perfection of the aircraft, reducing its weight, and ensuring ease of maintenance of the machine in operation.
The required aerodynamic perfection of the Il-96-300 was provided by the introduction a large number various events developed jointly with TsAGI. Work to improve aerodynamics was carried out both in the direction of improving the aerodynamic layout of the aircraft, and along the path of introducing new design and technological solutions that led to an improvement in the quality of the outer surface. For example, countersunk rivets were used over the entire surface of the aircraft.

The aircraft was a big step forward in relation to its predecessors. For example, in relation to the Il-86, the flight range has seriously increased, with the remaining maximum take-off weight. And the minimum fuel consumption per passenger-kilometer of the Il-96-300 came out two times less than that of the previous "narrow-body" long-haul aircraft - the Il-62M.

In the process of testing, the Il-96 performed several long-range flights, including "Moscow - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - Moscow" without landing in Petropavlovsk. The plane covered 14,800 km in 18 hours and 9 minutes. June 9, 1992 Il-96 flew from Moscow to Portland via the North Pole, spending 15 hours in the air. The aircraft was tested in Yakutsk at -50°C and in Tashkent at +40°C. According to the test results, on December 29, 1992, the aircraft was awarded a certificate of airworthiness. For six months, new cars were “run in” on Aeroflot routes, and due to lack of funding, operational tests had to be combined with commercial freight traffic - they carried radio equipment. The work of the Ilyushin Design Bureau team on the Il-96-300 was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation.

Safety

The use of multi-channel redundant systems on the IL-96-300 with automatic shutdown or switching of faulty channels basically frees the crew from any actions in the event of failures. The information display system notifies the crew of a failure that has occurred, and only in some cases the crew needs to manually duplicate the operation of the automation. Only in some cases, when untimely turning on or off of the most critical systems (engines, second and third fire extinguishing stages) can significantly affect flight safety, automation is not used and the decision is made by the crew.

The main feature of the Il-96-300 aircraft in terms of its operational manufacturability in comparison with the Il-86 is the presence on the Il-96-300 aircraft of more advanced and advanced systems built-in control, detection and recognition of faults in maintenance. These systems collect information about the operation of the on-board functional systems and equipment (up to the operation of individual components) of the aircraft in flight, register it and, if necessary, can provide information about the malfunctions that have occurred or on the indicators of the integrated information signaling system, or in the form of printouts(Interestingly, do Boeings and Airbuses have printers?).

Much attention was paid to ensuring the fail-safety of the Il-96-300 aircraft control system. Its EDSU is duplicated by a mechanical control system. As on the Il-86, the various control surfaces are divided into sections, each of which is deflected by one or more actuators (boosters). Drive redundancy also increases the operational reliability of the control system.

The design of the Il-96-300 fuselage has been significantly changed (compared to the Il-86) to increase its reliability and ensure safety in case of damage, reduce the rate of crack growth, ensure a given resource, reduce weight, improve the quality of the outer surface and manufacturability of the structure during production .

Sharks of capitalism

However, the real competition to foreign cars did not work out.
The plane in the Russian Federation has already turned out to be of no use to anyone - Western corporations burst into the open market in anticipation of a big piece of the pie. Despite the fact that the Boeing was twice as expensive ($180 million versus $90 million) and the Il-96-300 flight hour cost a thousand dollars less than the B-767-300ER... Lobbying did its job. No wonder Boeing sold us their expensive simulators at a price of ... $ 1!

November 2nd, 2015

On July 9, 1990, the first serial Il-96-300 airliner took to the skies for the first time. It was the "dream liner" of the Soviet aviation industry, which Aeroflot was looking forward to. However, when the aircraft was ready for operation, Russian air carriers turned to face the manufacturers of foreign liners. This happened largely due to the intrigues of these same manufacturers, supported by domestic bureaucracy.

At that time, we had an extra-class airliner - a wide-body comfortable aircraft Il-86, which could accommodate up to 350 passengers. However, it was a medium-range aircraft, and it was necessary to fly long distances on the morally obsolete Il-62.

From the new car they demanded a range of at least 9000 kilometers. And in 1988, a prototype took to the air for the first time. Two years later, tests of the first serial Il-96-300 began. And three years later, the aircraft was certified and released on long distance routes, connecting Moscow with the cities of Asia and both Americas. For the creation of an airliner capable of competing with Boeing and Airbus, the team of developers was awarded the State Prize.

However, there was no real competition. IL-96 was literally "eaten" by American firms and local officials who were not interested in the development of domestic aviation industry. Rather, they are even interested in its collapse. As a result, the Voronezh Aviation Plant produced only 28 such aircraft. Most of them are operated in the "presidential" squadron. Several cars sold to Cuba.

Let's remember this story and find out Current state affairs...

In the 70s, on the basis of the country's first wide-body Il-86, the development of a new machine began, capable of covering distances of up to 9000 km with the same passenger load. The development was named Il-86D and differed from the base machine in wings with an increased area and NK-56 engines. The first flight, which lasted 40 minutes, was made by an experimental Il-96-300 aircraft (tail number 96,000) on September 28, 1988 from the Frunze Central Airfield on the Khodynka field. Crew in command Honored Test Pilot of the USSR Hero Soviet Union Stanislav Bliznyuk held it right over central regions Moscow. The difficulty was that the car assembled in the OKB workshops had to either be dismantled in order to be transported in parts to Zhukovsky, or to take the risk of lifting it from the Central Airfield, where the runway was only 1800 m long. Bliznyuk insisted on the second option.

“Many years have passed since that first takeoff. Once, in a conversation with me, Bliznyuk admitted that, sensing that the acceleration of the plane had obviously slowed down, he decided to count to three, and then decide to abort the takeoff, which was tantamount to disaster. I knew about three seconds, but in this conversation Stanislav Grigoryevich admitted that he counted to four. These seconds, when you remember the past, instantly, like a fragment from a movie, flash through your head, causing an unpleasant feeling that remains for a lifetime ... At the Central Airfield, I had to meet the landings of Il-76 and Il-38 aircraft. I confess honestly - you don’t feel pleasure from this, only acute joy after the plane stops serves as a good compensation for the experience. ( G. V. Novozhilov. From the book "About myself and airplanes")

In the process of testing, the Il-96 performed several long-range flights, including Moscow-Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky-Moscow without landing in Petropavlovsk. The plane covered 14,800 km in 18 hours and 9 minutes. June 9, 1992 Il-96 flew from Moscow to Portland via the North Pole, spending 15 hours in the air. The aircraft was tested in Yakutsk at -50°C and in Tashkent at +40°C. According to the test results, on December 29, 1992, the aircraft was awarded a certificate of airworthiness. For six months, new cars were “run in” on Aeroflot routes, and due to lack of funding, operational tests had to be combined with commercial freight traffic - they carried radio equipment. The work of the Ilyushin Design Bureau team on the Il-96-300 was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation.

On April 6, 1993, a modified Russian-American Il-96MO (experimental) aircraft took off at the Central Aerodrome of Moscow with four Pratt & Whitney PW-2337 turbojet engines and Collins flight and navigation equipment. This extraordinary event was preceded by the efforts, which began many years ago, not only of the aviation specialists of the two countries, but also of the leaders of the USA and the USSR. The idea of ​​​​building a joint long-range aircraft was approved back in 1973, when tension subsided cold war, but if then the designers were going to take the Tristar of the Lockheed company as the basis for the development, then by the time the project was implemented, the Il-96-300 was already ready. Moreover, the idea was warmly supported by the well-known American billionaire businessman A. Hammer. It was like this: our airframe plus their engines and electronics.

In fact, the first international commercial project was born in civil aviation, designed to combine the best elements of domestic and foreign production in terms of technical and economic criteria. As a result of this work, on August 11, 1992, at the first aviation exhibition in Zhukovsky CEO TsUMVS (Central Administration of International air communications(now Aeroflot) V. Potapov, G. Novozhilov and General Director of VASO (Voronezh Aircraft Building Association) A. Mikhailov signed a decision “On the acquisition of Il-96M, Il 96M \ T aircraft with PW-2337 engines and a set of navigation equipment from the Collins company. And it was - nothing less than the development, construction and delivery of 20 aircraft to Aeroflot. Moreover, both participating countries agreed to “share the risks”, i.e. each took payment for his own work. Has the process started?

It's all wrong guys…

Work on the creation of a joint machine, which began in the third quarter of 1990, was scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 1993. The reader knows that much has changed in the relations between our countries during this period. First of all, the Soviet state collapsed. However, in early 1993, at the request of the vice presidents of Collins and Pratt & Whitney, in the presence of the then capital mayor Y. Luzhkov Ilyushin Design Bureau hosted a presentation of the Il-96MO. And again, Bliznyuk skillfully takes off from the Central Airfield. And flight tests of the Russian-American flying brainchild began, and then in June of the same year, its debut flight at Le Bourget in Paris. “For the first time, the West is buying a Russian plane. Ilyushin and Pratt Whitney announced yesterday that Partners, headquartered in Amsterdam, has ordered five Il-96T "trucks" with an option for five Il-96M freighters or passengers. Deliveries will begin in 1996" ( from an article in the daily issue of "Fligt" at the Le Bourget exhibition of June 17, 1993).

“In view of the importance of implementing the project for the production of the Il-96M wide-body aircraft, I ask you to include it in the list of priority work for cooperation with the United States” (resolution President B. Yeltsin dated July 20, 1994, sent to the Prime Minister V. Chernomyrdin).

The matter remained for the "small" - "Eximbank" of the United States for the project had to provide a loan of about a billion dollars under the guarantees of the Russian government. But… “Boeing is concerned that the American loan is creating yet another competitor in the placement of capital investments. Boeing Board Representative Franz Schronz appealed to high officials and the presidential administration on this issue B. Clinton". ("Aviation Week" dated 3.04.95).

The Russians' partners at Pratt & Whitney tried to argue in the US Congress: "Such concern about competition with Ilyushin in the long run is just a cover for Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, seeking to reserve market share for their commercial aircraft in the former Soviet Union" . How far did they go then!

Not going to surrender to the mercy of the overseas victors, Genrikh Vasilyevich Novozhilov, on the day of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Victory in the Kremlin, seeks a meeting with US President B. Clinton to remind him of the joint agreement on the construction of the Il-96M. The result was a document sent shortly from America, in which "the President of the United States confirmed that the US Expert Import Bank (EXIMBANK) is considering an application to finance this project."

In June 1996, a meeting was held with the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation V. Chernomyrdin on the issue of state support for the creation and certification of the Russian-American aircraft and equipping Aeroflot-Russian airlines with it. international lines". From the reference to the meeting: “American engines and components were supplied free of charge. The total investment of American partners in the form of equipment supply, engineering and financial support amounted to about 150 million US dollars ... The issue of financing the Russian part of the project, i.e. 500 million dollars, has not been finally resolved, although a number of Russian banks have agreed.

On March 31, 1998, the AR IAC type certificate for the Il-96T aircraft was received. Now the cargo version of the joint Russian-American aircraft has become suitable for sale.

After receiving a certificate from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the same aircraft, the Ilyushin team reasonably considered that the main task had been solved. Now mass production and the creation of a passenger Il-96M on its basis were to begin. It's just a matter of creating the interior. And then it began...

June 28, 1998 VASO visited Russian Prime Minister S. Kiriyenko. During the visit, an agreement was drawn up, signed by representatives of the plant, the Ilyushin company and the general director of Aeroflot V. Okulov. It confirmed an order for the manufacture of 20 aircraft, including 17 Il-96M. The agreement was signed Head of the Board of the National Reserve Bank A. Lebedev.

But then came a memorable default. The volume of GDP in the country decreased, the banking system ceased to function, and payments stopped. Hard times have come for the Ilyushins. For some reason, the scheme for delivering aircraft to the customer has changed dramatically. Now, in order to reduce taxes for Aeroflot, the planes had to be sold first to a foreign leasing company. And only from her on lease to be in Sheremetyevo.

In connection with this, a lump of various bureaucratic formalities grew. For the most part - impossible. What prompted the management of Aeroflot in early 2000 to abandon the Il-96T. The outbreak of the NATO war with Yugoslavia also played a negative role. Knowing about which Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, who flew an Il-62 to the USA for negotiations with Vice President Gore, made a sharp turn over the Atlantic.

In his book “The Minefield of Politics”, Yevgeny Maksimovich wrote about this as follows: “A meeting of the Russian-American commission was scheduled for March 20, 1999, which was headed by Gore from the United States, and from our side by the constantly shifting heads of government. Our government inherited unresolved problem US funding of the joint project for the creation of the Il-96M\T aircraft.

The “loop over the Atlantic” frightened the “money people” who worked with us ... There was no doubt that an opinion appeared in these circles: work on the Il-96T project is hardly worth continuing. I note that the government of the Russian Federation also refused to give guarantees to Eximbank on a loan.

By the end of August 1999, the only copy of the Il-96T (or rather, the airframe of the aircraft with all components of Russian production) with tail number RA-96 101 was sold for the debts of VASO and became the property of bankers. By the way, before that, it had been repeatedly shown at air shows in Aeroflot's corporate coloring, although the airline refused it. So sadly ended the history of the Russian-American project. Truly, "and happiness was so possible ..."

Landing

Well, what about the IL-96-300? The first such aircraft entered service with Aeroflot in 1993. Currently, these aircraft are available only in the Rossiya State Customs Committee as a VIP transport and in Cubana (the leader of Cuba also flies on it). In total, the Voronezh enterprise produced 20 aircraft, including experimental ones.

On August 11, 2009, it was announced that the Il-96-300 aircraft would be discontinued as "unpromising". And before that, Dmitry Medvedev visited the VASO plant. After getting acquainted with the aircraft, he said: “This is a good aircraft. You go inside and you feel that we still have power in the country. Well done! Congratulations again! Our cars are the best, of course. Simply handsome!"

Expert opinions

Sergey Knyshov, Il-96 commander, underwent an internship in the USA on Boeings, but prefers to fly only on the IL-96:

If we compare two long-haul aircraft: Boeing-767 and Il-96-300, then an American with two engines carries 200 passengers and consumes 6 tons of fuel. IL-96 takes on board 300 passengers and 15 tons of cargo with a consumption of only 7 tons. Divide tons by kilometers - and everything will become clear to you. In addition, the IL-96 is a magnificent machine: a spacious cabin, large screens - the blind will see everything. The fuselage diameter is 6 meters, like a subway tunnel. You feel like you are in a normal, reliable liner with four engines. By the way, in its entire history, the IL-96 has not been involved in a single accident. Didn't kill a single person.

Anatoly Knyshov, test pilot, Hero of Russia:

When in the 90s I flew to the States on an Il-96 and I had fuel left in the tanks for another three hours of flight, the Americans were terribly surprised. A representative of their aviation authorities then bluntly stated: for some positions, this type of aircraft is unattainable for us. It is strange that Russia is still able to create a competitive product. On the Il-96, on the instructions of the general designer, I made six landings with an imitation of the failure of all engines. No one has done this on any foreign type. And on the IL-96, even a crew of an average level of training can do this.

Genrikh Novozhilov, chief designer of IL-96:

I am often asked to compare two aircraft: ours and the Boeing 767. There is an official assessment carried out by the State Research Institute of Civil Aviation. These aircraft are not inferior to each other in terms of characteristics. Ours is bigger. If you look at the monthly flight time at Aeroflot, then the Il-96-300 sometimes has more than the Boeing. And in terms of the number of landings per month, we are superior to the Boeing 767, because the IL-96-300 is not always operated on the ultra-long routes for which it was created.

Last year Aeroflot put up for sale all six Il-96-300 aircraft. "In connection with the planned phased decommissioning of Il-96-300 aircraft, Aeroflot invites all interested parties to send their proposals for the purchase of aircraft of this type," the air carrier said in a statement.

The company does not name the cost of the aircraft, explaining that this is a matter of negotiations. Last flight under the flag of "Aeroflot" Il-96-300 completed March 30, 2014 from Moscow to Tashkent.

As an Aeroflot representative explained to Interfax, the planes are old, with high fuel consumption and cause complaints from passengers because of the low cabin comfort. All Aeroflot Il-96-300s were produced in 1991-1995.

A new chance for this beautiful car appeared a year ago. And, apparently, it will be implemented. But the "revived" Il will no longer be a civilian, but a military machine.

At the end of the last century, the Ilyushin Design Bureau released the Il-96-400 aircraft - a new modification of a passenger liner that can accommodate not 300, but 435 passengers. Cuba intends to acquire it in limited quantities. On the basis of the "four hundredth" transport Il-96-400T will appear very soon. It has a dual purpose and can be used both in civil and military aviation.

But most of all, the Ministry of Defense became interested in the modification of the Il-96-400TZ. This is a tanker, which in 10 years should replace the Il-78M. In terms of its parameters, it significantly exceeds the obsolete Ilyushin tankers that have been in operation in the Air Force since the late 70s.

The main advantage is the carrying capacity and range. Il-96-400TZ is capable of delivering 65 tons of fuel over a distance of 3,500 km. While the upgraded modification of the Il-78M-90 carries up to 40 tons of aviation kerosene over a distance of 3000 km.

At the moment, the Ministry of Defense has targeted 30 tankers. There is a good chance that new car interested in other armies. For example, in Indian. A clean transporter Il-96−400T also has a significant export potential. By the way, the Il-96-400TZ is easily transformed into a conventional transport aircraft with a payload capacity of 92 tons.

The Ministry of Defense also has plans to acquire 14 passenger Il-96-300s by 2024.

The upcoming purchase of a significant number of Il-96-300 and Il-96-400T will also play a beneficial social role. Since the capacities of the Voronezh Aircraft Plant are almost completely occupied with servicing other orders, the plant has already begun hiring new specialists, that is, additional jobs are appearing.

Flight performance of Il-96−300 and Il-96−400T

Length: 55.35 m - 63.94 m

Height: 17.57 m - 15.72 m

Wingspan: 57.66 m - 60.11 m

Wing area: 350 sq.m. - 392 sq.m.

Maximum takeoff weight: 250 t - 270 t

Engine power: 4×16,000 kgf - 4×17,400 kgf

Cruise speed: 850 km/h - 850 km/h

Ceiling: 12,000 m - 13-spoiler>
Record aircraft P-42. Maybe someone else does not know about and about

Moscow, February 14 - RIA Novosti, Valeria Khamraeva. United aircraft corporation(UAC), together with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Defense, developed a version of the reconstruction of a civilian passenger aircraft IL-96-400M. This was reported to a RIA Novosti correspondent in the press service of the KLA.

The updated IL-96 will have to replace some foreign aircraft, the service life of which is coming to an end. By February 20, the ministries must draw up a schedule for the retirement of such aircraft from the operation of Russian airlines and submit a plan for their replacement with new Il-96s, Kommersant writes on Tuesday.

The decision to revive the IL-96 was known back in May last year. Then the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said that the government was ready to allocate about 50 billion rubles for the resuscitation of aircraft production.

Main problems

IL-96 has been produced in Voronezh since 1987. Until 2014, the Aeroflot airline used such aircraft: the airline had about eight to ten aircraft, says Yuri Sytnik, honored pilot of Russia, former flight director of Vnukovo Airlines. However, all of them have already flown the prescribed 55 thousand hours and therefore were decommissioned.

“If we really modernize the Il-96 aircraft, we will get a model that is quite comparable with some Boeing and Airbus,” Sytnik notes. However, in this case, everything in the aircraft will have to be replaced, even parts of the fuselage. Untouched, according to Sytnik, only the "conceptual development" of the aircraft will remain.

The main problem of the IL-96, like many others Russian aircraft, — fuel inefficiency. If a modern Boeing or Airbus burns about 17.5 grams of fuel per passenger-kilometer, then Russian counterparts consume much more - from 21 to 28 grams. But this problem can be solved, Sytnik is sure: a new generation of engines with reduced fuel consumption has already been put into operation, and others are being developed - lighter in weight and the same in power. With their involvement, the Russian aircraft will be able to produce about 15.5 grams of fuel per passenger-kilometer.

“Russian avionics has also shown itself well — Tu-160, Sukhoi Superjet 100 and MS-21 fly on it, in addition, it is also used in space activities, so it can be safely installed in the new Il-96,” Sytnik is sure.

In addition, according to him, built-in ladders may appear in the updated aircraft, as was the case in the previous model, the Il-86. This will significantly reduce the time of loading and unloading the aircraft, as well as save on paying for airstairs at airports, the expert notes.

Better old than new

The resuscitation of IL will require large-scale changes, but it is still better and more profitable than creating a new aircraft, Sytnik is sure. To build a modern ship, it will take about ten years, and the modernization of the old apparatus will take a maximum of five.

However, there can be no talk of a complete replacement of such wide-body long-range aircraft as the Boeing-767 and 777 or Airbus 330 with new Il today, Sytnik is sure. “We cannot replace Boeing or Airbus with our aircraft, developed 50 years ago: these machines have gone far ahead,” he notes.

The main idea of ​​the launched modernization is different, the pilot is sure. The resuscitation of the old aircraft and its commissioning will give the development of the Russian aviation industry as a whole. “Passengers will give money for flights on our planes, and we will not pay for the leasing of foreign cars, each of which costs us from 60 to 120 million dollars,” emphasizes Sytnik. If IL replaces at least part of foreign vessels, then this money will remain in Russia.

“With the deductions from the sales of these aircraft, factories will be able to purchase new equipment and machine tools, and in the process of modernizing the IL, we will grow a well-trained working class - thus, in 10-15 years it will be possible to build a new, modern aircraft,” Sytnik is sure. If Russian airlines will operate only foreign aircraft, they will only continue to pay for the production and modernization of Boeing and Airbus. In this case, catch up with the level of development of the foreign aviation industry Russian production no longer succeed.