The military transport aircraft of Russia, the photos of which are shown below, are aimed at landing military units and tactical groups. In addition, these aircraft are designed for the transfer of weapons, ammunition, materiel and ammunition to the rear of the enemy. Some of these machines can be used as a tool for special tasks.
Design and Creation
In Russia, work continues on the creation of a new heavy military transport aircraft, which should replace the proven but already quite obsolete aircraft such as IL-76, AN, and Ruslan. The conventional name of the project is PAK TA (“Advanced Aviation Complex of Transport Aviation”). Now similar developments are at the initial stage. At this stage, designers, in conjunction with representatives of the Ministry of Defense, are trying to maximally describe the appearance and characteristics of future aircraft.
Despite the contradictory nature of the proposed programs, movement in this direction continues without stopping. It is worth noting that the updated modern cars attracted not only military units. The largest Volga-Dnepr corporation decided in 2018 to purchase 20 American Boeing 747 counterparts. It was necessary to spend several billion dollars on this. Many experts argue that if there was a competitive domestic counterpart, the choice would certainly be made in his favor.
Achievements of the present
Now military transport aircraft in Russia are four types of machines that differ in carrying capacity and some technical nuances. The best representatives are listed below:
- AN-12 (payload - up to 20 tons);
- AN-26 (up to 6 t);
- IL-76 (up to 60 tons);
- Ruslan AN-124 (up to 120 tons).
The total number of such machines is about 250 units. The Ministry of Emergencies of the Russian Federation also has similar aviation, which includes about 100 copies of 76 Ilov. Not so long ago, the MD-90A modification came out, equipped with economical power plants and improved on-board equipment.
Interesting Facts
The vast majority of work on the creation of aircraft of military transport aviation in Russia was assigned to the Antonov Design Bureau. The lion's share of gliders was developed precisely by this Kiev enterprise, which were widely used not only in the army sphere, but also in civilian sectors.
When the USSR sunk into oblivion, very problematic times began for the organization. The number of cars produced has decreased by an order of magnitude, although Antonov is still trying to produce new aircraft. The serial production of the Ruslans ceased, almost without beginning. In addition, due to well-known circumstances, an enterprise from Ukraine imposed a ban on the independent maintenance of the AN-124 to Russian factories and branches. Such a policy may lead to the fact that aircraft from the Russian Federation simply will not be released outside the state.
Competition
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the authorities of Ukraine and the Russian Federation took various steps to stabilize the military aviation of both countries in cooperation. However, most of the agreements were unsuccessful. Recent years have shown that the process has only continued to worsen. Let’s try to figure out what is the situation with potential opponents of military transport aircraft of Russia, or rather all combat aircraft?
The most important and serious competitor is the United States of America. The air fleet of this country has over 400 vehicles of various types. This variation makes it possible to carry out large-scale operations several thousand kilometers from their borders. The main carriers of the Air Force of America are the multipurpose units C-130 Hercules, Globemaster III, C-5 Galaxy, with a carrying capacity of 19 to 120 tons. European and American leaders of military departments consider the development and production of heavy airplanes, with a carrying capacity of more than 100 tons, an unnecessary and costly program. At the same time, both parties are not shy about using Ruslan for specific military and civilian purposes.
New military transport aircraft of Russia in perspective
Just a few years ago, a special commission of the Russian Federation decided to implement the PAK TA plan. As a result, the parameters of the updated aviation surprised many specialists. A project in this direction will have supersonic speed characteristics (over 2000 km / h) with a flight range of at least seven thousand kilometers. In this case, the carrying capacity of the machine will be up to 200 tons. For 10 years, the Russian Air Force should receive about 80 units of this equipment.
The developers of new military transport aircraft of Russia are planning the possibility of delivering such units in the shortest possible time with armored equipment from 400 modern Armata tanks and similar analogues. Bold maneuvers are supposed to be carried out anywhere in the world. Structurally, PAK TA should be equipped with a multi-level deck with the possibility of landing any equipment.
Such characteristics look somewhat "transcendental", since it is not entirely clear how to ensure such "monsters." For equipment of this class, special runways and a huge fuel supply are needed. In addition, when creating military transport aircraft of Russia of this type, certain difficulties will arise that are not comparable with the technological capabilities of domestic plants. Another nuance is the stuffing of information about the appearance of other analogues, such as the Ermak TCP.
Military transport aircraft IL-106
The specified aircraft is a rather old project of the "Ilyushinsky" design bureau. The development of the machine began in the mid 80s of the last century. It all started with the announcement of a competition for the creation of a “transporter” that could replace the legendary but outdated IL-76.
OKB Antonov and Tupolev also proposed their projects, however, the victory went to the "Ilyushinites." The plans were intended to complete the development and testing of equipment before 1995. Nevertheless, the political and economic situation in the country has made adjustments. According to the characteristics, the IL-106 would have a load capacity parameter of up to 100 tons, manufactured according to the classical aerodynamics scheme, with the possibility of transporting goods over a distance of up to five thousand kilometers. In addition, the updated glider was planned to be equipped with front and rear cargo ramps. The model was supposed to go into series in 1997, which did not happen for obvious reasons.
Regarding the new PAK TA, statements have appeared that this project is nothing more than a modified IL-106. Most likely, the old development will nevertheless serve to create a modernized military transport aircraft of the Russian Federation. According to unconfirmed reports, the outline design of the specified model began in 2018.
Modification "Ermak"
Often in the indicated direction one more car is mentioned - PTS "Ermak". This is another project of the Ilyushin Design Bureau, the mention of which is dated 2013. The parameters of the aircraft are similar to the IL-106. The following are brief technical specifications:
- capacity indicators - up to 100 tons;
- type of aerodynamic design - standard design;
- speed - about 2000 km / h;
- the overcome distance at one gas station is about 5 thousand kilometers.
It is planned to put the car into mass production in 2024. Proceeds will mainly be borrowed from the project over IL-106. In order to successfully implement all the ideas, it was decided to attract not only OKB IL, but also the Myasishchev plant, Transport Aircraft enterprise, aircraft factories in Ulyanovsk and Voronezh. It is worth noting that the ambitions on this project do not end there. The plans include the development of IL-112 (carrying capacity - up to 6 tons), MTA (Russian-Indian variation with the ability to transport 20 tons of cargo), as well as a heavy aircraft under the index 476 (carrying capacity up to 60 tons).
Difficulties and possibilities of their solutions
Creating a new military transport aircraft in Russia is fraught with many difficulties. This is largely due to the collapse of the USSR, when many cooperated systems simply collapsed and separated. One of the reasons is the cessation of financing the creation of a new engine of the NK-92/93 type. Nevertheless, despite all the difficulties with solving a number of technical problems, no other way is provided.
New armored vehicles require improved capabilities for transporting them by air. For example, IL-76 is designed for the dimensions and weight of the following machines:
- Tanks T-72 and T-90. In the second case, a certain dismantling of the unit is required. The situation is no better with the analogues created and developed on the “Almaty” platform.
- Fighting vehicle type "Kurganets."
- BMP-3.
- Motorized rifle units.
If you believe the designers, they plan to create the Russian military transport aircraft of the PAK TA project by the end of the current decade, and then proceed to its real tests.
