On January 24, a large Russian military transporter Il-76 crashed in the Belgorod region not too far from the border with Ukraine. To date, there is no reliable information about what was inside it or even what modification of the Il-76 it was. In fact, two different registration numbers are being floated on the internet. Regardless, the Il-76 is a big heavy lifter and Russia certainly doesn’t like losing those.
The Ilyushin Il-76 took off for its maiden flight in 1971 and entered service in 1974. Image credit: Igor Dvurekov via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The Ilyushin Il-76 is a large four-engine plane that took off for its maiden flight in 1971 and entered service in 1974. The Il-76 has civilian versions as well, including commercial freight jets and firefighting planes, but the most famous are military transporters that carry troops and weapons.
The length of the Il-76 is 46.59 m, its wingspan – 50.5 m. Its crew consists of at least 5 people. The Il-76 can reach a max speed of 900 km/h.
The maximum cargo weight of the Il-76 depends on the version. Il-76M can carry 42 tonnes of cargo, Il-76MD – 48 tonnes, and Il-76MD-90A can lift even 60 tonnes. In the Russian forces, these planes often transport soldiers, including paratroopers. But, of course, such planes also transport weapons, equipment, and ammunition.
Interestingly, it is still unknown what exactly crashed on January 24 in the Belgorod region. Two different registration numbers are posted online. It looks like it should have been an Il-76MD. Ukrainian sources previously said the plane may have been carrying missiles for S-300 systems, but the Russians say there were people on board (more specifically, 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war).
Ukrainian aviation expert Valery Romanenko says that such a plane can carry up to 145 soldiers in a single-decker configuration, and about 225 people in a double-decker configuration. This is a really big and capacious plane – its loss in itself is bad news for Russia.
By the way, on the morning of January 24, Russian air defence systems were operating in the Belgorod region, residents reported explosions, and sirens sounded. Some Russian sources reported that the Il-76 was actually shot down by Russian air defences in a friendly fire incident.
It needs to be said that Russian sources have previously attributed the achievements of the defenders of Ukraine to themselves, because they are trying not to cause panic, not to recognize the capabilities of the Ukrainian arsenal. It is hard to believe that such a large plane was mistaken for a drone. In addition, Ukraine confirmed that it shot down the Il-76.
Russia still has hundreds of the Il-76 planes. But even one is a huge loss, because of its cost, crew and the sense of security they previously had while flying over border regions.
Written by Povilas M.