Russian military transport aircraft, photos of which are given below, are focused on landing military units and operational tactical groups. In addition, these aircraft are designed to transfer 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 build
In Russia, work continues on the creation of a new heavy military transport aircraft, which should replace the proven, but already quite outdated machines such as IL-76, AN, Ruslan. The conditional name of the project is PAK TA (“Promising Aviation Complex for Transport Aviation”). Currently, such developments are at an early stage. At this stage, the designers, in conjunction with representatives of the Ministry of Defense, are trying to describe the appearance and characteristics of future aircraft as much as possible.
Despite all the controversyproposed programs, the movement in this direction continues without stopping. It is worth noting that the updated modern machines attracted not only military units. The largest corporation Volga-Dnepr decided in 2018 to purchase 20 American counterparts of the Boeing 747. Several billion dollars had to be spent on this. Many experts argue that if there was a competitive domestic analogue, the choice would certainly have been made in its favor.
Achievements of the present
Now Russian military transport aircraft 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 tons);
- 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 Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation also has a similar aircraft, which includes about 100 copies of the 76th Ilov. Not so long ago, a modification of the MD-90A was released, equipped with economical power plants and improved on-board equipment.
Interesting facts
The vast majority of work on the creation of Russian military transport aircraft was entrusted to the Antonov Design Bureau. The lion's share of gliders was developed by this Kyiv enterprise, which were widely used not only in the military sphere, but also in civilian industries.
When the USSR fell into oblivion, forThe organization began a very problematic time. The number of aircraft produced has decreased by an order of magnitude, although Antonov is still trying to produce new aircraft. Serial production of "Ruslanov" ceased, almost without starting. In addition, due to known circumstances, an enterprise from Ukraine imposed a ban on independent maintenance of the AN-124 to Russian plants 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. At the same time, most of the agreements were unsuccessful. Recent years have shown that the process has only continued to worsen. Let's try to figure out how things are going with potential opponents of Russian military transport aircraft, or rather, all combat aviation?
The most important and serious competitor is the United States of America. The air fleet of this country has over 400 aircraft of various types. This variation makes it possible to carry out large-scale operations several thousand kilometers from their borders. The main transport carriers of the American Air Force are the C-130 Hercules, Globemaster III, C-5 Galaxy multi-purpose units, with a carrying capacity of 19 to 120 tons. European and American military leaders consider the development and production of heavy aircraft, with a carrying capacity of more than 100 tons, notnecessary and costly program. At the same time, both sides do not hesitate to use Ruslans for certain military and civilian purposes.
New Russian military transport aircraft in the future
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 experts. The project in this direction will have supersonic speed characteristics (over 2,000 km/h) with a flight range of at least seven thousand kilometers. At the same time, the carrying capacity of the machine will be up to 200 tons. Within 10 years, the Russian Air Force should receive about 80 units of this equipment.
The developers of new Russian military transport aircraft are planning the possibility of supplying such units in the shortest possible time with armored equipment from 400 of the most modern Armata tanks and similar analogues. Bold maneuvers are supposed to be carried out anywhere in the world. Structurally, the PAK TA should be equipped with a multi-level deck with the possibility of landing any equipment.
Such characteristics look like something "transcendental", because the provision of such "monsters" is not entirely clear. Equipment of this class requires special runways and a huge supply of fuel. In addition, when creating Russian military transport aircraft 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 PTS.
Military transport aircraft Il-106
The specified aircraft is a rather old project of the "Ilyushin" 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" capable of replacing the legendary but outdated IL-76.
The Antonov and Tupolev design bureaus also offered their projects, but the victory went to the Ilyushins. The plans were to complete the development and testing of equipment before 1995. Nevertheless, the political and economic situation in the country has made its own adjustments. According to the characteristics, the IL-106 would have a carrying capacity of up to 100 tons, was manufactured according to the classical aerodynamic scheme, with the possibility of transporting goods over a distance of up to five thousand kilometers. In addition, it was planned to equip the updated airframe with a front and rear cargo ramp. The model was supposed to enter the series in 1997, which did not happen for obvious reasons.
Regarding the new PAK TA, there have been statements that this project is nothing more than a modified IL-106. Most likely, the old development will still serve as the creation of a modernized military transport aircraft of the Russian Federation. According to unconfirmed reports, the preliminary design of the specified model began in 2018.
Modification "Ermak"
Often, another vehicle is mentioned in the indicated direction - PTS "Ermak". This is another project of the Ilyushin Design Bureau,mention of which is dated 2013. The parameters of the aircraft are similar to the IL-106. Below are brief characteristics of the technique:
- carrying capacity - up to 100 tons;
- aerodynamic scheme type - standard design;
- speed - about 2000 km/h;
- coverable distance at one gas station is about 5 thousand kilometers.
The car is planned to be put into mass production in 2024. Developments will be mainly borrowed from the project on the IL-106. In order to successfully implement all the ideas, it was decided to involve not only the Design Bureau of IL, but also the Myasishchev plant, the Transport Aircraft enterprise, aircraft plants 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 type of Russian military transport aircraft is fraught with many difficulties. In many ways, this is due to the collapse of the USSR, when many cooperative systems simply fell apart and separated. One of the reasons is the termination of funding for the creation of a new engine of the NK-92/93 type. Nevertheless, despite all the difficulties in solving a number of technical problems, there is no other way.
New armored vehicles require improved transportation capabilitiesby air. For example, IL-76 is designed for the dimensions and weight of the following vehicles:
- T-72 and T-90 tanks. In the second case, some disassembly of the unit is required. The problem is no better with analogues created and developed on the Almaty platform.
- Kurganets-type combat vehicle.
- BMP-3.
- Motorized rifle units.
According to the designers, they plan to create a Russian military transport aircraft of the PAK TA project by the end of this decade, after which they will begin its real tests.
Finally
Judging by the foreseeable future, no radically new military "transport workers" are foreseen. However, the existing developments make it possible to produce quite competitive analogues that can compete on equal terms with American and European counterparts. The main thing is that the projects do not sink into oblivion and receive decent support from the state.
