The first Il-76MD-90A aircraft manufactured under the State Defense Order was delivered to Beriev Aircraft Company in order to develop and manufacture a special-purpose aircraft on its basis. The new Il-76MD-90A is the first aircraft manufactured by Aviastar-SP (part of United Aircraft Corporation) under the State Defense Order for heavy transport aircraft.
The Governor – Chairman of Ulyanovsk Region government Sergey Ivanovich Morozov, CEO of Ilyushin Company Sergey Alekseevich Sergeev, CEO of Beriev Aircraft Company Igor Borisovich Garivadskiy, CEO of UAC – Transport Aircraft Olga Petrovna Fedonyuk, CEO of Aviastar-SP Sergey Gennadievich Dementiev, took part in the solemn ceremony.
S.A. Sergeev said that this aircraft was developed and manufactured under the State Defense Order in accordance with the performance specification issued by Russian Ministry of Defense and it meets all the latest requirements. Il-76MD-90A is a multi-role aircraft. It will be used as a transport aircraft as well as a platform for different special-purpose aircraft. This jet may serve as a tanker or may take part in firefighting and search-and-rescue operations. Besides the Ministry of Defense, EMERCOM, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Federal Security Service and other agencies operating Il-76 jets are interested in purchase of Il-76MD-90A aircraft.
«The corporation has successfully started the mass production of the aircraft in Ulyanovsk. Now we are focused on increasing the output in order to preserve the program schedule and deliver all the aircraft to our major customer in the transport aircraft segment (the Ministry of Defense) on time,» president of UAC, Mikhail Pogosyan, said.
Il-76MD-90A named Ulyanovsk was handed over to Beriev Aircraft Company in order to manufacture a special-purpose aircraft in accordance with an order placed by Russian air forces. «We are satisfied with the aircraft performance and progress of this program. New capabilities obtained after an upgrade of the jet significantly expand its operational capabilities. It is a platform for production of multi-role transport aircraft designed for paradrop of military units, transportation of military vehicles, equipment, fuel, containers; it may also be used for development of a special-purpose aircraft. Potential of Il-76MD-90A meets all the latest requirements of the national air forces and the jet has a “bright future”,» Commander-in-Chief of the Russian air forces, Viktor Bondarev, said.
In the course of the ceremony a symbolic key to the aircraft was handed over and then the parties cut the ribbon near the airstairs. «Delivery of Il-76MD-90A aircraft is the result of work of all the employees of Ulyanovsk-based Aviastar-SP plant. The existing Aviastar’s production program assumes gradual increase of output in the segment of transport aircraft. It is planned to reach the output of 15-17 aircraft per year by late 2017,» CEO of Aviastar-SP, Sergey Dementyev, said.
