September 5, 2007:
Russia has
rolled out an upgraded version of the Il76 transport. New engines and
electronics give the Il-76MD-90 eight percent better fuel efficiency, and the
ability to lift up to 60 tons of cargo. Further improvements, in development,
will increase fuel efficiency another 14 percent. Russia is trying to make the
Il-76 a contender in the military air transport market
The Il-76 is somewhat similar
in capability to the U.S. C-17, but uses older technology, more similar to the
just-retired U.S. C-141. The Russians have been buying a stretched version of
the Il-76 (the Il-76MF). This version first flew in 1995, and has become
popular with users of earlier Il-76 models. The Il-76MF has better engines and
can carry 50 tons of cargo over 4,000 kilometers. Another popular Il-76 is the
tanker version (called the Il-78.)
Over 900 Il-76s were
manufactured there over the last thirty years, with nearly a hundred exported,
so far, mainly to Cuba, Iraq, China, India, Libya and Syria. With few foreign
or domestic sales in the last decade, the Il-76 manufacturer (Chkalov) was
surviving by manufacturing wings and other components for the An-124, An-70 and
An-225 transports. In addition, it made replacement parts for the Il-76 and
Il-114 aircraft.
A Chinese order for 75 Il-76s
forced the Chkalov firm to reorganize, and move at least 60 percent of the
Il-76 production to a Russian firm (Ilyushin). The new assembly line at the
Ilyushin Ulyanovsk plant will produce its first Il-76 in three years time.
Now the Il-76 will have two
production lines, as well as some protection against political problems in
Uzbekistan (which needs the 18,000 jobs the Chkalov operation creates). Russia
always produced many of the Il-76 components, and the Chkalov plant still has
plenty of work manufacturing replacement parts, and refurbishing aircraft.
Russia is also renegotiating
the deal with the Chinese, because the Chkalov low balled the price so much
that they were sure to lose a lot of money on it. Russia is a major user of
Il-76 aircraft, and expects to buy or refurbish 75 of them in the next decade,
and do nearly as much business with foreign customers. The new models of the
Il-76 indicate a substantial R&D investment, and an effort to make the
Il-76 a serious competitor (mainly on price, at about $50 million each) with
the C-17 (which costs about three times as much, and is able to carry up to 86
tons). What the C-17 is best at is carrying about half that weight, half way
around the world, non-stop. The Il-76 has a hard time matching that. The C-17
is also easier to maintain, and more reliable. But a fuel-efficient Il-76, that
can be refueled in the air, has a price that's tough to beat.