Heavy military transport plane Il-76TD: technical characteristics

IL-76 is a heavy military transport aircraft, a model that has been flying for more than a quarter of a century. On its basis, various modifications, both civilian and military, were created. The ship itself was modified, new opportunities were added, the existing ones were expanded. Despite a fairly serious age, on the basis of this machine, new versions are still being designed.

The TD model became one of these modifications. Ilyushin Design Bureau presented it in 1982, a few years after the start of the production of the prototype. Two symbols in the title are deciphered as "transport far". Other details that distinguish this version will be considered below.

History of creation

In the mid-60s of the last century Ilyushin Design Bureau received an order for the development of a transport aircraft. The work was conducted for several years, and ended at the turn of the 70's. As early as March 1971, the first prototype IL-76 aircraft was launched into the air. In the same year at the air show in France it is presented to the general public.

In 1973, the model goes into mass production. The first cars were assembled at the aircraft factory. Chkalov in Tashkent. A few years later, in 1976, the aircraft was also accepted by the military. From this moment Tashkent becomes the main manufacturer of this model. In those same years, the war broke out in Afghanistan, and, according to unofficial information, 95% of transportation of transport and personnel during the hostilities was thrown exactly by the novelty of the Soviet aircraft industry - IL-76.

To date, more modern modifications of this machine still form the basis of Russian military transport aviation. And although the aircraft belongs to the cargo fleet - it was during the years of Afghanistan, he got a pair of small guns caliber of 23 mm, located in the tail.

Description

The Il-76 transport aircraft became the first aircraft for the Soviet Union, the main propulsion system of which was turbojet engines. The rest of the car was assembled according to the usual principle for heavy aviation: swept wings and a T-shaped tail unit with one keel. A distinctive feature is the full sealing of both service and cargo compartments. There are three cargo hatchways in the plane, one of them in the stern and two in the forward part. This arrangement allows the landing directly into the 4 streams (rear hatch of several doors), but in practice this was not applied. In most cases, the landing was dropped only from the front hatches, while the rear with the help of parachutes produced heavy equipment.

At the same time, like any other type of aircraft, the IL-76TD has special equipment, located in two tiers, four electric hoists and, of course, several freight winches. The design of the rear hatch is standard, with three doors, two of which open to the sides, and the central one sinks down, forming a kind of ladder for entry or roll-in. In addition, in the cargo hold there are several roller tracks to facilitate the movement of large containers.

The aircraft has 4 powerful engines, placed on pylons under the wings. When viewed from the front or from the top, it is clear that the wings are above the fuselage, in a kind of protuberance, which together with the front one (about which just below) is a characteristic difference of the prototype, present in its modifications, including the civil version of IL-76TD. A powerful chassis system, arranged according to a five-point scheme (4 under the wings, 1 under the nose), allows landing not only on concrete strips, but also on the primer.

Modifications

Before proceeding to modifications, it should be noted that the model described by us was born earlier in real life than on paper. Initially, these letters received a military aircraft with reinforced fuel tanks, as well as new engines. Then, after some time, when designers began to make civil versions, one of the new variants received the old name.

• IL-76 is a military transport aircraft. Served as a prototype for a series of subsequent trucks.
• IL-76T - in this modification added an additional fuel tank. The version became experimental, but the increased fuel reserve could significantly increase the flight range.
• IL-76TD - received turbofan engines D-30KP-1. In other respects it repeats the previous development.
• IL-76TDP - also repeats earlier developments. The main application is the extinguishing of forest fires, for which the cargo hold is slightly modified and the water discharge system is installed.
• A-50 - the basis of this development is the same prototype with an additional fuel tank. The aircraft was equipped with a DRLO system (long-range radar detection and control).
• IL-76M is a combined version especially for the Air Force. The technical part repeats the version of T, but has cannon armament, as well as the capabilities of the A-50.
• IL 76MD - military option above the indicated TD. New engines and military "stuffing". Could transport medium tanks or military units of up to 200 people.
• IL-76LL - this version was assembled in single copies and was a flying laboratory for developing and testing new engines. The customers themselves were the developers of the Ilyushin Design Bureau.
• IL-78 is a fuel tanker. Minimum armament, minimum load. Two additional fuel tanks.
• Adman1 - version A-50, collected for the Air Force of Iraq. Had an additional radar.
• Adman2 - the machines were also sent to the Iraqi Air Force. This aircraft was engaged in the control and guidance of fighters.

Non-standard developments

In addition to the version of LL, which was created for developers, released several more non-standard variations. According to unofficial information, existed in 1-2 copies and did not receive their own symbol-digital name. As a prototype for all served as IL-76T - the aircraft with an increased fuel reserve. Among them was a flying hospital, a carrier of laser weapons and even a zero-gravity simulator designed specifically for astronauts.

Lifting capacity

When developing any modern aircraft, no matter what type, designers must take into account a multitude of both external and internal parameters, otherwise the ship simply will not be able to rise into the air. When the development is completed and mass production is started, the airline customers will pay attention to other properties, but one of them will be common among designers and carriers.

This is the carrying capacity. IL-76TD in the course of numerous upgrades was able to carry a half times more than its prototype. The first cars had a figure of 28 tons. The latest developments - 42, and in new versions - up to 60 tons.

Crew

Like most Soviet transport aircraft, the aircraft received circular glazing in the bow. The upper part, where the main control was located, and the lower part - navigational cabin. The crew of the IL-76TD consisted of 5 people. This is the first pilot (aka FAC), co-pilot, flight engineer and radio operator. Also in the team was a navigator. The first planes and purely military versions have two more in the crew - these are the arrow soldiers. It is the navigational cabin of the aircraft that is due to the somewhat unusual appearance of the bow.

Refueling

A special mention deserves the fuel system. In an ordinary civilian liner, regardless of the number of engines, there are two, sometimes three tanks. The standard technical service instruction IL-76TD mentions 12 tanks divided into 4 sections (by the number of motors). In each of them there is still a division into the main, supplementary and spare tanks. Thus, the pilot has a flexible enough ability to manage the fuel consumption and can respond in a timely manner to any unforeseen situations. The full capacity of all tanks exceeds the mark of 100 thousand liters of fuel.

Characteristics

We examined the individual parameters of the Il-76TD aircraft. Technical specifications are summarized in the general list.

Considering that many aircraft have already flown for more than a quarter of a century, let's begin with the fact that the term of service declared by the developers is 30 years. True, it is worth noting that the new modifications still go off the assembly line, only not in Tashkent, which is now considered overseas, but in Ulyanovsk.

• The wing span is 50 m.
• The area of the wing is 300 square meters. M.
• The length of the aircraft is 46.5 m, the cargo cabin is 24.5 m.
• The height (on the keel) is 14.7 m; Cargo cabin - 3,4 m.
• Width - 3, 45 (cargo area).
• The volume is 321 cubic meters. M.

Note that the fuselage in the section represents the right circle, also it must be said that in the plane there is the possibility of installing a second ramp, while the length of the cargo cabin is insignificant, but decreases.

Flight Data:

• The minimum take-off weight is 88 tons, the maximum - 210.
• Cruising speed - 800 km / h, the maximum - 850.
• The range of flight is 4 000 km, the maximum - 6 000.
• Practical ceiling - 12 000 m.
• The landing speed is 210 km / h.
• The length of the runway for take-off (mini) is 850 m, for landing - 450 m.
• Engines - 4 (TVD D-30KP-2).
• Traction force - 12 000 kgf on each.
• The fuel in all tanks is 109.5 liters.

Prohibition of flights

The beginning of the new century was marked by a black streak in the development of the 76th model. In 2000, ICAO (an international organization overseeing all civil aviation) toughened the requirements for modern aircraft. For a car that did not meet the new standards, the airports of Europe, North America, Japan and even Australia were closed. The main complaints against the IL-76 were noise and air pollution.

The result of the equipment modernization was the version, which in addition to the basic index of the 90VD. Aircraft of a new class fly around the world without restrictions, delivering loads to the most diverse corners of the planet.

Currently

Since the first take-off, the 76th served in the Union Air Force for 15 years and continues to serve the CIS countries. New versions are in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries. Several hundred cars were assembled for export. In addition to the army, you can name several structures that today use the IL-76TD. Emergency Situations Ministry, rescue services, law enforcement agencies, as well as some airlines engaged in cargo transportation only. There is even an unofficial classification: An-124 is the heaviest, one of the 747's "Boeing" is the longest, and the IL-76 is the most multipurpose.

Conclusion

IL-76TD is a civil cargo plane, which is not as well known as Antonov's, but, nevertheless, due to the possibilities of landing on both ground and concrete strips, it has become equally widespread. Despite its more than venerable age, this model served and will certainly serve as a prototype for newer, more modern, but not losing the elegant appearance of conventional and military "trucks."