IL 96 interior layout. Russian aviation. Reserve for the future

Photo: Alexey Petrov / @aviationcolors / https://twitter.com/aviationcolors?s=20

The history of domestic airbuses, now more often called wide-body aircraft, begins in 1967, when in October a Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR was issued, which launched the development of the first Soviet medium-range wide-body aircraft Il-86 with a passenger capacity of 350 people.

The first domestic airbus Il-86

The design of the aircraft was entrusted to the Design Bureau named after. Ilyushin. At the initial stage, a version of the Il-62-250, increased to 250 seats, with a fuselage extended by 6.8 meters, was being developed. This project did not receive further development. To accommodate 350 passengers, it was necessary to increase the number of seats in a row, and in order to maintain the level of comfort achieved on the Il-62, options for a double-deck aircraft and a single-deck aircraft with an oval fuselage and two separate passenger cabins were being studied. These studies also remained only on paper.

February 22, 1970 OKB im. Ilyushin was given technical specifications for the development of a wide-body passenger aircraft with 350 seats. On March 9, 1972, the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted Resolution No. 168-68 on the start of work on the Il-86 aircraft. A distinctive feature of the first Soviet Airbus was the ability to transport luggage according to the “baggage with you” principle. Together with TsAGI, an extensive set of studies was carried out on the choice of fuselage diameter. The result was a fuselage designed with nine seats in a row and two wide aisles. The wing was equipped with slats and three-slot flaps, which were later replaced with double-slot ones. Such mechanization provided high lifting force and made it possible to take off from relatively short runways.

The experimental Il-86 made its first flight on December 22, 1976. In June 1977, the aircraft was shown at the Le Bourget air show. Factory tests were completed at the end of September 1978, after which certification tests began. The application for a certificate of airworthiness was submitted on May 15, 1974, and the certificate itself was received on December 24, 1980. Two days later, the Il-86 performed its first regular flight on the route Moscow - Tashkent - Moscow.

For more than 30 years, this comfortable, handsome giant has carried passengers on the busiest air routes. In the 80s, the Ilyushin Design Bureau received a State Prize for its creation.

At the beginning of 2017, four Il-86 aircraft were in operation. All of them were used in the country's Air Force and did not carry out passenger transportation. A total of 104 production aircraft and two prototypes were produced.

Il-86 RA-86140, SVO, October 4, 2009 Before the flight Moscow - Hurghada - Moscow

Wide-body long-range aircraft Il-96-300

With the growth of air traffic in the Soviet Union, the need arose to create a domestic high-capacity long-haul aircraft. In foreign airlines, a significant part of the fleet of long-haul aircraft were wide-body airliners, which, during multi-hour flights, provided passengers with a significantly higher level of comfort than long-range narrow-body aircraft.

Initially, it was assumed that the long-range airbus would be a further development of the Il-86 aircraft and would retain the greatest possible structural similarity with it. In accordance with this approach, the new aircraft, designated Il-86D (“long-range”), had the same design of the fuselage, tail, and main on-board functional systems as the Il-86. This made it possible to reduce the time required to create a new aircraft and quickly introduce it into mass production in parallel with the production of the Il-86 aircraft. The IL-86D differed from its predecessor only in its wing area (470 m2) and new NK-56 engines with a high bypass ratio and low specific fuel consumption in cruising flight.

In 1978, using the results of work on the Il-86D project, the OKB began developing the Il-96 aircraft with a T-shaped tail, a high aspect ratio wing with a supercritical profile and an area of ​​387 m 2. Development of this version of a long-haul Airbus was carried out at the Design Bureau until 1983. By this time, progress had been made in the field of aviation science and aircraft manufacturing, which made it possible to abandon the idea of ​​​​creating the Il-96 aircraft using many ready-made units and systems of the Il-86 aircraft in its design. The OKB decided to develop a fundamentally new wide-body aircraft, the Il-96-300.

Initially, it was planned to equip the new aircraft with four NK-56 engines with a take-off thrust of 18,000 kgf each. But due to numerous complex and contradictory reasons, Minister of Aviation Industry I.S. With his power decision, Silaev relied on the D-90 (PS-90) engine, a single engine for passenger aviation, developed by the Perm Design Bureau under the leadership of P.A. Solovyova. An order was given to stop the development of NK-56, at the same time OKB im. S.V. Ilyushin was ordered to redesign the Il-96 for four D-90 engines. The thrust of the Perm engine being developed (13,500 kgf) turned out to be insufficient. At the request of "Ila", P.A. Soloviev agreed to bring it to 16,000 kgf.

The Ilyushin team had to reduce the length of the aircraft, abandon the T-shaped tail and increase the keel area by increasing its height by one and a half meters. The need to increase the area of ​​the vertical tail was determined by the requirement to ensure directional stability in the event of failure of one engine. The wing span was increased to 60 m and its sweep was reduced, while the wing area was reduced to 350 m 2. Winglets with a height of 3.1 meters and an angle of deviation from the horizontal axis of 15 o appeared on the wingtips.

Wing and airframe structure

The Il-96-300 wing is equipped with complex and effective takeoff and landing mechanization, consisting of slats along its entire span, internal double-slotted and external single-slotted flaps, as well as lateral control elements: internal ailerons and spoilers. In order to reduce wear on the power elements of the wing and make the aircraft more resistant to bumps, a wing vibration damping system was developed, which uses external ailerons operating in automatic mode; they do not participate in the lateral control of the aircraft; the roll is controlled by internal ailerons.

The design of the power wing box was developed using monolithic prefabricated panels with a higher level of design stresses than on the IL-86, while ensuring the required strength, service life and survivability. This was achieved by using new materials in the construction of panels, both with increased characteristics of fracture toughness, low-cycle fatigue, low crack growth rates, and high-strength materials with increased tensile strength and good fatigue characteristics.

To reduce the number of longitudinal and transverse joints, which are the main source of fatigue cracks, long and wide semi-finished products are used in the airframe design of the Il-96-300 aircraft. Another feature of the wing is the large amount of honeycomb structures used. They are used to make the nose and tail parts of the wing, landing gear compartment doors, and various elements of the wing mechanization: spoilers, ailerons, and part of the flaps.

In order to reduce the drag of engine nacelles, thrust losses and, ultimately, to reduce fuel consumption in cruising flight, the Il-96-300 engine nacelles have smooth, rather than stepped, external contours, characteristic of engine nacelles with a high bypass ratio, which were previously installed on domestic and foreign aircraft. And although the gain from gondolas of this shape is relatively small, it is expressed in very significant fuel savings when performing long-distance flights.

The Il-96-300 fuselage has the same diameter as the Il-86 - 6.08 m. However, the fuselage design has been significantly changed to increase its reliability, ensure safety in case of damage, reduce the rate of crack growth, ensure a given resource, reduce weight and improve quality of the outer surface.

Reducing the length of the fuselage led to a reduction in passenger capacity. The various layouts of the passenger compartment provide a capacity from 235 to 300 people. The standard layout of economy class allows you to place 300 seats in two salons: in the first - 66 and in the second - 234 seats with a pitch of 870 mm, nine in a row with two aisles 550 mm wide. The layout for 235 seats provides a three-class cabin: in first class - 22 seats with a pitch of 1020 mm, in business class - 40 seats and in economy class - 173.

Cockpit, avionics and equipment

The IL-96 uses a glass cockpit control system, which includes a modern Russian digital avionics complex with six color multifunction displays, an electric remote control system with a backup mechanical control system, an inertial navigation system and satellite navigation. The aircraft is equipped with a comprehensive system for distributing information to the crew on monitors about the operation of the aircraft systems. The on-board flight navigation system provides almost complete automation of aircraft navigation in difficult meteorological conditions over any region of the globe and automatic landing in conditions corresponding to ICAO category IIIA. The aircraft is controlled by a crew of three: the aircraft commander, co-pilot and flight engineer.

When developing the flight deck, the engineers of the Ilyushin Design Bureau were tasked with reducing pilot fatigue during long-term work on long-distance flights of many hours, and increasing the reliability, safety and regularity of flights. As on the Il-86, the principle of a forward-looking crew located in a single group, which has proven itself in operation, is used here, which ensures mutual control and mutual assistance between its members. All information display devices and controls are located in accessible and visible places. This approach required the integration of individual signaling devices, indicators and controls into a single multifunctional information and control system, providing the issuance of signals (light, sound, speech), display of parameters of the flight navigation complex, power plant and aircraft systems, as well as control of the operation of systems and on-board equipment.

The use of multi-channel redundant systems on the IL-96-300 with automatic shutdown or switching of faulty channels basically frees the crew from any actions in the event of failures. The information display system notifies the crew about the failure that has occurred, and only in some cases does the crew need to manually duplicate the operation of the automation. Only in individual cases, when untimely switching on or off of the most critical systems, such as engines or the second and third fire extinguishing stages, can significantly affect flight safety, automation is not used and decision-making is entrusted to the crew.

All information about the operation of on-board systems, as well as the display of data necessary for piloting and navigation, are combined into a single information display system, the basis of which is two subsystems - screen display and integrated information signaling.

Cockpit of the Il-96-300

The screen display system is part of the flight navigation complex and its main means of presenting information to the crew are four color screen indicators at the edges of the instrument panel, two of which are intended for the ship’s commander and two for the co-pilot. Each pair of these indicators consists of an integrated flight indicator and an integrated navigation situation indicator, which provide the crew with the information necessary for piloting the aircraft and navigation.

The integrated alarm information system indicators are located in the middle of the instrument panel. The right screen is intended mainly to display engine operating parameters, and the left one is for signal information.

In addition, it is possible to manually call up any information that the system has on each of these screens. It has storage devices that allow, after the flight, to display information on the screens about failures and malfunctions of on-board systems that occurred during the flight. To quickly document failures and malfunctions, there is a printing device on board the aircraft, which, if necessary, issues a form with a list of systems and assemblies that failed during the flight for ground maintenance personnel and crew.

The fuel system of the Il-96-300 was developed on the basis of the fuel system of its predecessor, the Il-86. The fuel system operates automatically, without requiring crew participation, and manual control is provided only when necessary. The fuel is located in nine caisson wing tanks, of which eight are located in the wing consoles and one in the center section.

The fuel system is made separate for each of the four engines, in turn, each engine is fed with fuel from the supply compartment of its tank. The consumable compartments are filled with fuel throughout the entire flight, which ensures its reliable supply to the engines in all flight modes. Fuel production from the console tanks is delayed to unload the wing and increase the critical flutter speed.

The Il-96-300 landing gear consists of three main supports located behind the aircraft's center of mass, and a front support located in the forward part of the fuselage. Each of the three main legs is equipped with a four-wheel trolley with brake wheels, and the front leg has two non-braking wheels. All fourteen wheels are the same size 1300x480 mm and the pressure in the tires is 11.5 kg/cm 2.

Current state of the IL-96 program

As of January 1, 2017, 15 Il-96 aircraft were in operation. Of these, 4 aircraft in the Il-96-300 version are operated by the Cuban national airline Cubana de Aviacion (one of them is in storage), two Il-96-400 and 9 Il-96-300 aircraft are operated by the special flight squad "Russia" . Aircraft are used to transport first persons (RA-96019, RA-96102). The Il-96-300PU aircraft, tail number RA-96019, is Air Force One, Control Point, on which the president of the country flies; board RA-96102 is intended for the Minister of Defense.

The Il-96-400T aircraft is a cargo modification of the Il-96-300. The fuselage length of the Il-96-400T aircraft has been increased by 9.35 m compared to the base Il-96-300 aircraft.

The main difference between the Il-96-400T cargo aircraft and its passenger version is that the passenger cabin has been converted into a cargo cabin with reinforcement of the cabin floor and the installation of additional rails for attaching floor mechanization intended for loading and unloading international aviation pallets and containers. The layout of the cargo deck of the IL-96-400T allows the use of various loading schemes and packaging means when stowing cargo. The maximum payload is 92 tons.

Regular passenger transportation in our country is not carried out on this type of aircraft. At the end of 2013, Aeroflot management proposed to the company’s board of directors to abandon the operation of the Il-96, citing economic considerations as the reason for their proposal.

On March 30, 2014, the Aeroflot airliner Il-96-300 with tail number RA-96008, flying from Tashkent, made its last landing at Sheremetyevo Airport. These planes no longer carried passengers on regular flights.

As of January 1, 2017, five Il-96s were being built in the assembly shops of the Voronezh Joint-Stock Aircraft Manufacturing Company (VASO) - three Il-96-400T and two Il-96-300, the UAC plans to produce two or three aircraft per year at period until 2023-2025.

PJSC "Il", on instructions from the Ministry of Defense, developed the Il-96-400TZ fuel tanker based on the Il-96-400T cargo modification. It was planned that it would be a “clean” tanker with an overhead tank, capable of transferring over 65 tons of fuel at a distance of up to 3.5 thousand km from its home airfield. However, in May 2018, it became known that the military department abandoned the development of this vehicle in favor of the Il-78M-90A 2 tanker.

Airplane Il-96-400M
Dimensions
wingspan (m)	60,105
aircraft length (m)	63,939
aircraft height (m)	15,717
wing area (m2)	350
wing sweep angle along the 1/4 chord line (deg)	30
fuselage diameter (m)	6,08
Main engine characteristics
engine quantity and model	4 x PS-90A3M 1
maximum take-off thrust, not less (kgf)	4 x 17400
compliance with ICAO standards	Appendix 16, Chapter 4
Mass characteristics
maximum take-off weight (t)	265
58
maximum fuel tank capacity (l)	152620
Flight performance
cruising speed (km/h)	870
flight range with maximum number of passengers (km)	10000
flight altitude (m)	9000-12000
take-off distance (m)	2700
landing distance (m)	1650
Number of places
flight crew	3 (2)
passenger	single-class layout - 436 two-class layout - 386 three-class layout - 315

Il-96-400M

There are only three manufacturers in the world that are capable of producing wide-body airliners - the American Boeing, the European Airbus and the Russian Ilyushin. And the Euro-Atlantic duopoly does not need a competitor in the form of our country.

In the years after the collapse of the USSR, Russia has lost a lot in the field of civil aviation. Often the industry surrendered its position voluntarily, but for the most part the anti-industrial lobby put a lot of effort into destroying the Russian aviation industry. We now have the results of this “fruitful” work - the overwhelming number of aircraft in Russian airlines are foreign-made.

In 2010, the most experienced Aeroflot pilot, with over 20 thousand flight hours, Il-96 crew commander Vladimir Salnikov, said that Airbus directly states in the contract for the sale of aircraft: the intermediary receives 10 percent of the transaction amount. The Boeing Corporation, without any hesitation, reports that in 2009 it spent $72 million on bribing officials in the CIS. And if, for example, Aeroflot, instead of IL-96, purchases several Boeings or Airbuses worth a billion dollars, 100 million of them will immediately go into the pockets of interested people.

In addition to direct bribery of officials, efforts are being made to restrict flights for domestic aircraft to Europe and the USA, and such restrictions did not begin yesterday. Suffice it to recall the end of the 50s, when in order to improve safety, a ban on jet aircraft with two engines was introduced in Europe. This measure was a response to the appearance in the USSR of the breakthrough jet passenger airliner Tu-104. To overcome this limitation, the Tupolev Design Bureau had to develop the Tu-110 aircraft with four engines.

The sanctions introduced in 2014 and constantly extended by Washington and Brussels are aimed, among other things, at limiting the import into Russia of new technologies that our country does not possess. In such conditions, Russia has no choice but to take care of strengthening its defense and the means of maintaining air traffic between the European part of the country and its eastern borders. We need an updated version of a wide-body long-haul airliner.

Reports about the resumption of production of the Il-96 in the Il-96-400M version and the development of the ShFDMS project - a wide-body long-range aircraft - appeared almost simultaneously in 2014-2015. Initially, it was not entirely clear why it was necessary to develop two similar aircraft. Complete clarity was made in September 2016 by Dmitry Rogozin, who, during a visit to Voronezh, said that in the period until the creation of a strategically new passenger aircraft (Russian-Chinese CR929), which is approximately 2027, the Il-96-400M will cover the basic needs of Russia as on long-haul flights to the Far East from the European part, as well as charter flights during the holiday season to those countries where spacious aircraft are needed.

The IL-96-400M is developed on the basis of the transport version "-400T", so its fuselage will be 9.35 m longer than the base aircraft Il-96-300 and will be 63.939 meters.

The main differences between the "-400M" version and previous modifications are two pilots in the cockpit and the replacement of the PS-90A1 engines with the next generation PD-14M engines, which develop a take-off thrust of 16-17 tons. As is known, the basic PD-14 with a thrust of 14 tons is designed for installation on the MS-21 airliner, and the version with the “M” index is being developed for the Il-214 military transport aircraft (in June 2017, the Il-214 aircraft (MTA/SVTS) received official name Il-276 1). Replacing the PS-90A1 with the PD-14M promises a significant reduction in fuel consumption and power plant maintenance costs.

Note from Russian Aviation: information about the future replacement of the engine was taken from the UAC Horizons magazine No. 4 2016 (#12) p. 31, where this data is provided by Olga Kruglyakova, deputy head of the preliminary design bureau of the Il company. In our opinion, the power of the PD-14M is not enough for the new Il-96, and we can talk about the promising PD-18R with a take-off thrust of 18-20 tf. Probably, until a new engine with a thrust of at least 18 tf is created, tested and certified, the same time-tested PS-90A1 will be installed on the aircraft.

At the beginning of March 2017, the general director of Perm Aviadvigatel, Alexander Inozemtsev, announced that the PS-90A1 engine will be upgraded to the PS-90A3M version, which will ultimately be installed on the Il-96-400M 1.

The rearrangement of the passenger cabin will further improve the aircraft's fuel efficiency. If business class is available, the capacity will be 370 seats, and in economy class - 436.

These improvements will bring the Il-96-400M closer in operating economics to the popular Western models Airbus A330-300 and Boeing 777-200.

OKB im. Ilyushin compared the Il-96-400M, in the version with 332 passenger seats, and the serial Airbus A330. Calculations showed that, taking into account the entire complex of planned improvements, the PER indicator (direct operational costs, in the Western style - direct operational costs, DOC) was almost equal. “The planes turned out to be close in terms of operating economics. And taking into account the price difference due to changes in the exchange rate, the Russian car reaches a competitive level,” says Ila General Designer Nikolai Talikov.

It is not intended to make any other major changes to the time-tested airframe and systems. Also no additional testing is required. The aircraft has a high confirmed design life of 70 thousand hours. The maximum take-off weight of the aircraft consistently increased from 235 to 250 and then to 270 tons. It will not increase further either.

In 2019, the first prototype of the Il-96-400M passenger aircraft will be assembled at VASO facilities, at the same time the aircraft will receive a new designation - Il-496, according to reports from PJSC "IL", a fundamental decision on this has already been made 3, for the implementation of the project It is planned to allocate about 50 billion rubles for the production of Il-96-400M for the period until 2021. From 2020 to 2023, five new aircraft should be accepted by the State Transport Leasing Company (STLC). It is expected that they will be operated on lines between Moscow and Vladivostok with Khabarovsk.

On January 18, 2019, General Director of PJSC Il Alexey Rogozin outlined priorities for the year, one of which was the launch into serial production of the wide-body long-haul passenger aircraft Il-96-400M 4 .

In the spring of 2018, VASO began manufacturing parts for the first prototype of the Il-96-400M. At the same time, the slipway was cleared for assembling the fuselage of the aircraft, which had previously been occupied by the fuselage of the unfinished fifth Il-96-400T. The production of the prototype Il-96-400M should be completed by the end of 2019; in the first half of 2020, preliminary and certification tests of the airliner will take place, which by June 2020 should end with the issuance of an addition to the type certificate - approval of the main design change 3.

Il-96-400M is a promising project for deep modernization of the Il-96 airliner. Increased capacity, improved flight and economic characteristics suggest the return of the aircraft to the commercial air transportation market.

Il-96-400– wide-body long-haul passenger airliner. It is a deeply modernized modification of the basic Il-96-300 aircraft. An improved version of the Il-96-400M is being developed.

The passenger version was not produced due to lack of orders.

Story

Il-96M

In 1988, the newest Soviet long-range wide-body airliner Il-96, which received an additional index of -300, made its first flight. Equipped with new on-board equipment and engines, the Il-96-300 was significantly superior to both the long-range Il-62 and its direct ancestor, the Il-86. However, among its advantages over its predecessors there was one more - the Ilyushin team took into account the problems that arose when trying to modify the Il-86 and, when creating the Il-96, invested in it huge potential for modernization in various directions. All this could have made the airliner very successful if not for the collapse of the USSR and the sharp weakening of the aviation industry of the new Russia. The IL-86 ceased to be produced by 1997, and although the IL-96 was retained, it is produced individually.

However, the modernization potential of the aircraft worked well in its favor. In 1993, on the wave of euphoria and mutual friendship between the Russian Federation and the United States, the updated Il-96M was lifted into the air - the first-ever brainchild of joint work between aviators of the two countries. The aircraft received a fuselage extended by as much as 8.5 meters, American avionics and Pratt & Whitney PW2337 engines (from the family of engines used on the Boeing 757 and C-17 Globemaster III). At the same time, the capacity increased to 435 people, the maximum take-off weight to 270 tons, and the range to 12,800 km (similar indicators of the IL-96-300: capacity of 300 people, maximum take-off weight of 250 tons, range of 9,000 km). The airliner even received an FAA certificate, but, of course, did not see much demand: it’s 1997 - the United States has a lot of its own aircraft, but in Russia there is no money for such airliners. As a result, the plane returned to its homeland for some time, received old NK-86 engines and appeared at MAKS-2003 under the symbol Il-96-400. In 2009, the plane was cut down.

Il-96-400

However, the very impressive performance of the Il-96M did not allow it to sink into history forever. Moreover, in the 1990s, large twin-engine airliners had not yet conquered the skies, and in Europe the Airbus A340, which was similar in characteristics, was gaining popularity.

The Ilyushin team decided not to let go of the opportunity and created a new version based on the Il-96M, replacing foreign components with Russian ones. They left him with the designation Il-96-400, but it was a modernized vehicle: the onboard systems were improved, and new, forced PS-90A1 engines with a thrust of up to 17.4 tf were installed under the wing (regular PS-90A with a thrust of 16 tf were not able to pull the heavier vehicle) . Attempts to sell the passenger version were unsuccessful, but the cargo version of the Il-96-400T was more successful: several aircraft were operated by Atlant-Soyuz and Polet airlines, but by 2017 both of them ceased to exist. One of the aircraft for the Flight is modified into a version of the VKP - an air command post. Also, the Ministry of Defense announced the purchase of a trial batch of the Il-96-400 tanker version. There is information about a potential large order for 30 aircraft in the future.

Power point

The main power plant of the Il-96-300 is PS-90A engines with a thrust of up to 16 tf. The IL-96-400 is 20 tons heavier than its younger brother and to ensure the required flight characteristics it is equipped with four PS-90A1 engines, the thrust of which reaches 17.4 tf each. A very serious drawback of the PS-90A family of engines has always been considered to be their rather low reliability and low maintainability. Often, the main problem with the commercial operation of the Il-96 was its engines. However, over the course of many years these engines have been improved to acceptable performance and the PS-90A1, A2, A3 engines can already be considered acceptable. Versions of these engines are equipped with the Il-76MD-90A, also known under the designation Il-476.

However, it’s one thing that a good engine for military transport is one thing, and another thing is that it’s a fairly cheap and economical engine to operate for a commercial airliner. PS-90 was developed back in the 1980s and can no longer be called the cutting edge of modern progress. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind when pronouncing the phrase “new Russian aircraft engine” is the PD-14. PD-14 is the latest and most promising aviation jet engine, which is being developed primarily for the MS-21 medium-haul airliner. In addition, the aviation industry management is clearly betting on this engine in the long term. However, with all its advantages, the engine has a drawback - with its thrust of 14 tf, it is not powerful enough to be installed on the Il-96-400M. The option of installing the PD-14M - a forced version of the PD-14 with a thrust of already 15.5 tf - is often discussed - it is being made for the promising, larger version of the MS-21-400. However, this is not enough, even taking into account the possible reduction in the weight of the airliner due to less fuel or lighter materials.

The solution is the PD-18 - an engine created on the basis of the PD-14. With a thrust of 18-20 tf, it is closest to what should be under the wing of the Il-96-400M. However, at the moment it is unknown when this engine will be created and put into production. Perhaps, taking into account the modernization of the IL-96, the creation of this engine will be accelerated.

So for the Il-96-400M there are 3 options:

• PS-90A1 - available, but outdated
• PD-14M - promising, but not powerful enough (the limits of effective boost are unknown, perhaps it can be accelerated to 17-17.5 tf)
• PD-18 is the most optimal option, but the timing of its creation is still unknown

Il-96-400M and ShFDMS

SHFDMS - Sh Iroko F usable D alne M backbone WITH The aircraft, also known as the CR929, is a project for a new wide-body long-haul airliner with a capacity of 250-300 seats. The aircraft is being created jointly by the Russian UAC and the Chinese Comac.

It is assumed that this aircraft will appear in the mid-2020s. It will be equipped optionally with European or American-made engines (Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney or General Electric), and then with Russian PD-35 engines.

At first glance, it may seem that Russia is creating two long-haul airliners at once, which, given the economic situation, is strange. However, it is necessary to keep in mind that these aircraft belong to different market niches:

The CR-929 seats 250-300 passengers, while the Il-96-400M seats 330-435 passengers. That is, in the IL-96 line it goes one step higher, the CR-929 is different and complementary aircraft.

Il-96-X

In addition, by the end of the 2020s, when the CR-929 receives the PD-35, the same engine may become the basis for the power plant of the updated Il-96 - let's call it conventionally - X.

This is the same version of the IL-96 with two engines, which has been discussed in expert circles and in the media for a very long time.

Taking into account the experience of creating the CR919, the IL-96-X can receive not only new engines, but also a twin-engine design, improved hardware and a new, black wing. Under such conditions, the Il-96 may not be a bad aircraft at all.

IFC proposes to make a salon at 415

However, in its current iteration, the IL-96-400 still does not meet the requirements of customers (whether government agencies or commercial organizations). It requires modernization, which will be discussed below:

“... Air Force Commander Alexander Novikov reported that two aircraft were ready for flight. The first will be led by Colonel General Golovanov, the second by Colonel Grachev. The Supreme Commander was offered to fly with Golovanov, but Stalin grinned: “Colonel generals rarely fly planes, we’ll fly with the colonel...” ... Together they arrived in Tehran - Stalin, Molotov, Voroshilov and my father” (from the book of memoirs of Sergo Beria).

Stalin's visit to the Tehran Conference in November 1943 became the first air travel of the First Person of the State in the Russian Federation. The details of this event are quite scarce: it is only known that the original American Douglas C-47 was chosen for the flight (according to other sources, its individually assembled licensed copy of the Li-2). During the flight, Air Force One was accompanied by an escort of 27 Red Army Air Force fighters.

Nikita Khrushchev, on the other hand, was an avid air traveler and regularly used airplanes during his world tours. The story of his visit to the USA (1959) became the most famous. For the transatlantic trip, Khrushchev chose the Tu-114, the largest turboprop aircraft in the world, also the civilian version of the Tu-95 intercontinental bomber. In addition to the Secretary General, his family and a retinue of 63 accompanying persons were on board the airliner. There was some embarrassment - upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, it turned out that all the American ladders were not long enough to reach the door of the tall TU-114. The Soviet delegation had to go down the fire truck ladder.

Visit of N.S. Khrushchev in the USA. Andrews Air Force Base near Washington

Leonid Brezhnev's favorite airliner was the swift, handsome Il-62, the flagship of civil aviation of the Soviet Union. Brezhnev’s successors, Yuri Andropov and Mikhail Gorbachev, flew on the same plane. During all this time, the plane never let its VIP passengers down; each time it confidently took off from the runway and, a few hours later, carefully landed on the other side of the Earth. Extremely reliable technology. Only once, while in Algerian airspace, the Brezhnev Il-62 came under fire from French Mirages. Fortunately, everything worked out well (it is still not known for certain whether it was a mistake, a provocation or an attempt at sabotage).

First President of the Russian Federation wished to replace the elderly Il-62 with a more modern wide-body airliner Il-96 (a special modification of the Il-96-300PU - “control point”). To this day, there are legends about this aircraft (tail number RA96012): exclusive interior design from Ilya Glazunov, painting in Holland, interior decoration in Switzerland, armored glass and electronic cabin locks, precious woods, inlay with precious stones, tapestries and rare works of art. Finally, the communication and remote control systems of the Strategic Missile Forces in the event of a conflict involving nuclear forces - the presence of special equipment is indicated by a characteristic plexiglass “trench” on the fuselage of the aircraft. In addition, the “Yeltsin” Il-96-300PU differed from the civilian versions of the “ninety-sixth” in its increased flight range and, according to unofficial data, the presence of optical-electronic jamming stations for homing heads of MANPADS missiles, as well as a system for rescuing the First Person from a falling aircraft (parachutes or an ejection capsule - here the inexhaustible folk fantasy goes into infinity).

The same one, RA96012

If you do not take into account various speculations of questionable quality and adequacy, then the Il-96 is simply an elegant aircraft with noble lines and a harmonious appearance, which, moreover, has excellent reliability - for all 20 years of operation of aircraft of this type, not a single one has been noted major accident resulting in loss of life. Agree, it sounds impressive against the backdrop of incessant reports of Boeing and Airbus disasters! The high safety of the Il-96 is partly explained by the theory of probability (only about 30 aircraft were built) and specific operators - the quality of aircraft maintenance in the flight squad of the Presidential Administration is probably higher than that of any private airline.

Currently, the Special Flight Detachment “Russia” includes four Il-96-300 of various modifications. The flagship is the Il-96-300PU(M), tail number R96016 - a modernized version of the Yeltsin Il-96-300PU, which first flew in 2003. A real “Flying Kremlin” with the President’s office, meeting rooms, a conference room and a luxury cabin for accompanying persons and guests on board the aircraft. At hand, the First Person of the State has everything necessary to govern a huge country: computers and office equipment, satellite communication systems, special communication channels. The unique radio-electronic “filling” of the airliner, developed at one of the defense enterprises in Omsk, allows you to broadcast messages encrypted with a special code from any height to anywhere in the world.

Other features of the super-aircraft include a mini-gym on board, lounges for VIP guests, a dining room, a bar, showers and even a medical unit for resuscitation and emergency medical care. To avoid a repeat of the 1959 incident when Nikita Khrushchev had to climb down the ladder of a fire truck, the new Russian aircraft has a built-in stairway. In addition, the “Putin” plane is equipped with modernized PS-90A engines.
Il-96-300PU(M) was built by special order in Voronezh, the best jewelers from Zlatoust worked on the interior decoration, the interior is decorated with engravings on historical themes, embroidered by masters of the Pavlovo-Posad silk factory. The layout of the premises and the technical arrangement of the aircraft were carried out by specialists from Diamonite Aircraft Furnishings Ltd. The interior is made in predominantly light colors, with preference given to the colors of the Russian flag.

Despite the occasional indignation about the rich interior decoration of the Il-96-300PU(M), it should be noted that this is not just an aircraft for personal use. Foreign guests, diplomatic missions and media representatives are regularly present on board the Il-96-300PU(M). The President's plane is a special symbol that creates the image of our country in the eyes of foreigners.
To the disappointment of spiteful critics, there are no “golden toilets” here; the interiors of the Flagship are designed in a “sovereign” style with a hint of the Imperial ambitions of Russia. Noble, beautiful and high quality, without unnecessary “tinsel” and other vulgar elements of flashy luxury.

In a word, the presidential IL is a comfortable flying office for business trips around the world - nothing like the “expensive toy” of Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, who ordered a huge swimming pool and a huge swimming pool to be placed on board his personal three-story Airbus A380 concert hall with a symphony orchestra!
The high cost of the “government IL” is largely due to the complex of secret radio-electronic equipment installed on board and special measures related to ensuring the safety of the government “aircraft”.

In December 2012, the air fleet of the Special Flight Detachment "Russia" was replenished with another Il-96-300 (tail number RA96020), which replaced its predecessors. At the end of this year 2013, the Presidential Administration will receive the second ordered Il (tail number RA96021).

Special government aircraft exist in all countries of the world. The President of the United States flies on a comfortable blue and white Boeing 747 Air Force One. The Chancellor of Germany is on a European airliner Airbus A340 with the personal name “Konrad Adenauer”. The President of Ukraine uses a small An-74 business class aircraft for his visits. However, most of the powers that be are forced to travel on foreign aircraft. Only a few countries have a developed aviation industry capable of independently creating an aircraft for the top officials of their state. Here we can proudly state that senior officials of Russia continue to fly domestic aircraft.

Long-haul passenger aircraft Il - 96-300.

Dimensions
Wingspan: 60.1 m; aircraft length 55.35 m; aircraft height 17.57 m; wing area 391.6 m2; sweep angle along the 1/4 chord line - 30 degrees; fuselage diameter 6.08 m;

Passenger cabin dimensions
Length 41 m;
maximum width 5.7 m;
maximum height 2.61 m;
volume 350 cubic meters

Engines
Turbofan engine of the Perm engine-building design bureau PS-90A with reversing devices (4x156.9 kN, 4x16000 kgf)

Masses and loads
Maximum take-off weight - 230 tons; maximum landing weight - 175 tons; empty weight - 119 tons; maximum weight without fuel - 157 tons; maximum payload - 40 tons, maximum fuel capacity - 122 tons (150400l).

Flight data
Cruising speed at an altitude of 10100 m is 850-900 km/h; approach speed - 260-270 km/h; balanced takeoff distance - 2600 m, required landing distance - 1980 m; practical flight range with fuel reserve: with a maximum payload of 7,500 km, with a payload of 30 tons - 9,000 km; with a commercial load of 15 tons - 11,000 km.

Design features and technical and economic characteristics
Wing with a supercritical profile and end aerodynamic surfaces. Design life 60,000 flight hours (12,000 landings over a 20-year service life), maintenance labor intensity 11 man-hours per 1 hour of flight, preparation time for re-flight 45 minutes. Fuel consumption per passenger-kilometer is within 23 g.

Equipment
Flight navigation equipment ensures the operation of the aircraft to a minimum of ICAO category IIIA. It uses a built-in analog fly-by-wire flight control system and a flight mode optimization system, a built-in inertial navigation system, satellite navigation equipment and the Omega radio navigation system, and an electronic information display system with six indicators on a CRT and HUD. There is built-in control equipment and an automatic system for displaying information about the aircraft's alignment.

Production and release
Serially produced since 1992.

Program status
Certification of the aircraft according to Russian standards was completed by the end of 1992. To date, the IL-96 corresponds to the second ICAO category, i.e. can take off and land in very low visibility conditions.

Developer
Aviation complex named after. S. V. Ilyushina.

Il 96 is designed on the basis of the previous Il-86 model. This is a domestic wide-body passenger airbus. It is designed to operate medium and long-haul flights. Its development began in the 80s of the twentieth century. Already in 1988, the world saw the first copy of this aircraft.

According to the established test program, the airliner made several long-distance flights. One of the indicative ones is the flight “Moscow - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - Moscow”. It did not provide for an intermediate landing. The flight length was 14,800 km at an altitude of up to 12,000 m. The aircraft covered this distance in 18 hours and 9 minutes. At that time, this was a record figure for passenger aircraft produced in the USSR.

Based on the results of numerous tests of flight characteristics, the aircraft was issued a certificate in 1992. All tests were carried out on Aeroflot's free air routes.

Good to know! Due to a lack of finances, operational tests were carried out together with commercial cargo flights.

Features and benefits of the aircraft

The diameter of the fuselage of the Il-96 aircraft does not differ from its predecessor. Only its length has changed, which is 5 m shorter. The wings of the Airbus are swept with a large aspect ratio. They are equipped with supercritical profiles and vertical ends.

Interesting fact! Such design features made it possible to increase aerodynamic characteristics.

The shape of the tail section is the same as that of the Il-86. The designers increased the length of the vertical tail. This was done in order to ensure flight safety in the event of a failure of one of the Airbus engines.

The chassis is mounted on three supports, which are equipped with a trolley with four brake wheels.

Note. Two non-braking wheels are mounted on the front landing gear. This increases speed as the aircraft accelerates on the runway.

The IL-96, like its predecessor, is equipped with four PS-90A turbofan engines. An automatic fuel system is installed. If necessary, you can control it manually.

The fuel is stored in nine tanks, one of which is located in the center of the fuselage. The rest are in the wing consoles. Fuel consumption, as well as its balance, is controlled using special devices. The design of the airliner provides consumable compartments for each engine. They always contain fuel.

Advantages:

• significant flight range;
• optimal maximum load indicator;
• high speed;
• reliability and safety.

The airliner is equipped with two decks. The first one houses the luggage compartment. On the second is the passenger compartment.

Specifications

The weight of the airliner is 117,000 kg. It is lighter than the IL-86. Weight at maximum load exceeds 200,000 kg. The hull length is 55.35 m, the height is 17.55 m. The wing area of ​​the Il-96 is reduced and reaches 391.6 sq.m. The aircraft is designed for flights at altitudes of up to 12,000 m and distances of no more than 9,000 km. The maximum speed of the Airbus at zero load is 910 km/h, and the cruising speed is 850 km/h.

Cabin capacity is 230-300 passengers. How many seats are in the liner depends on its modification.

Il-96 equipment

The aircraft's fuel efficiency has been improved through the use of dual-circuit engines. The body is made of new alloys and composite materials. This made it possible to reduce the main load on the chassis, as well as improve aerodynamic characteristics.

For safety purposes, the aircraft is equipped with the following devices:

• Russian digital aviation complex with 6 multifunctional displays;
• EDSU (electrical remote control system);
• modern multifunctional navigation system;
• satellite communication devices.

An electric pulse anti-icing system with cyclic action is also built-in. It is designed to protect the leading edges of the wings, stabilizers and fin.

Il-96 passenger compartment diagram

There are two layouts of this aircraft: mono-class and three-class. The cabin of the first type of airliner has 300 passenger seats. They belong to economy class. The distance between the seats is 87 cm.

The second type aircraft has three compartments in the cabin:

• 1st class;
• Business Class;
• Economy class.

First luxury class. It houses 22 chairs in a 2+2+2 layout with two aisles. The distance between the rows is 102 cm. During the flight, you can recline the seat back and not disturb your neighbor. In this class, the seats in the last row are considered comfortable.

Business class accommodates 40 passenger seats. Arrangement: 2+4+2 with two aisles. The distance between the seats is 90 cm. In this compartment, it is better to choose seats in the first row on the sides of the cabin.

In economy class there are 173 seats, the distance between which is 87 cm. In this compartment it is not possible to fully recline the seat back. Seating arrangement: 3+3+3. The exception is the rows in the first row of a given compartment. It has 2 chairs in the center and on the sides of the cabin.

Good to know! There are the same number of seats in the rear of single- and three-class airliners.

Versions of Il-96

Il-96-300 is a basic aircraft. He “entered service” at Aeroflot in 1993. The airliner is equipped with powerful domestic engines. A total of 20 units of such equipment were produced.

On its basis, the Il-96-300PU was designed. This airbus is designed to transport the President of the Russian Federation. It has no differences in technical characteristics from the base model. Two airliners of this series were produced: in 1995 for B. Yeltsin and in 2003 for V. Putin.

Il-96-400 is a modernized Il-96-300. The aircraft can fly at altitudes of up to 13,000 m. The maximum cabin capacity is 435 passengers. Maximum take-off weight - 270 tons.

Good to know! Aircraft of this model have never been produced. Since 2009, there have been no orders for their production.

Il-96-400T is a cargo version of the Il-96-400 airliner. It was created by modernizing the Il-96. Flight characteristics remained similar to those of a passenger aircraft.

Other models have been developed:

1. Il-96M is the first Russian airliner, which was designed in cooperation with foreign companies. It has an extended fuselage.
2. Il-96MD is an airbus with two foreign-made engines. In airlines it was replaced by the more functional and fast Boeing.
3. Il-96MK is an aircraft equipped with four NK-92 engines. Their thrust reaches 20,000 kgf.

In 1997, the Il-96T cargo airliner was released. He participated in various exhibitions.

Safety of the Il-96 aircraft

During 22 years of operation, not a single passenger or crew member died during travel. The aircraft was equipped with multi-channel backup systems with automatic control. They independently switch communication channels and send signals to additional devices in the event of a breakdown of any aircraft device.

A crew warning system about engine failure is also installed. It can be controlled manually. The safety of the aircraft is affected by the fuel control system and untimely notification of the breakdown of one of the engines.

Where is the IL-96 produced?

The airliner was designed in the late 80s of the 20th century at the Design Bureau named after. Ilyushin. Serial production of this model began in 1993 at the aircraft manufacturing plant in Voronezh. The first copy was released in 1988 by the Design Bureau in Moscow on Leningradsky Prospekt.

Cost of different models

The price of IL-96 of various modifications is constantly changing. Models are being improved. The approximate cost of the basic IL-96 is 1.320 billion rubles. The newer version (Il-96-400) exceeded this figure by 200 million rubles.

Aircraft modernization

The IL-96 was first modernized in 1993. The new model was named Il-96M. She has an elongated body. It is equipped with American PW-2337 engines. The aircraft flies over distances of more than 12,000 km. Its cabin accommodates 435 passenger seats.

In 2000, the IL-96 was improved again. The Il-96-400 aircraft was assembled at its base. It has a fuselage like the Il-96M. The aircraft was equipped with PS-90A-1 turbojet engines. This increased its flight and technical characteristics. It can fly at an altitude of about 13,000 m.

The airlines have at their disposal the Il-96-300 aircraft and the Il-96-400T cargo model. The passenger version of the latest airliner is not in demand at present. There are no orders for its production.

Il-96 is a wide-body passenger aircraft, the creation of which began at the Ilyushin Design Bureau back in the late 70s of the last century. This aircraft became the first aircraft of this class developed in the Soviet Union. The Il-96 made its first flight in 1993.

Serial production of the Il-96 aircraft was launched at the Voronezh Aviation Plant; a total of 30 airbuses have been manufactured since its start.

Currently, the Il-96 is operated by the Special Flight Detachment "Russia", which includes the presidential flight. Since 1996, Russian leaders have been flying on the Il-96-300PU, a modification of the airliner created specifically for the head of state. In 2003, a new aircraft of this modification was built for Putin.

Il-96 is rightfully considered one of the most reliable passenger aircraft in its class. Since the start of operation, not a single accident has occurred with these machines that would have resulted in casualties. True, the total flight time of these aircraft is much lower than that of their foreign counterparts.

The Il-96 is also operated by the Cuban company Cubana. In 2014, Aeroflot wrote off the last six Il-96s, citing the high cost of operating them.

We can say that this aircraft was very unlucky, because the moment of its birth occurred during the period of the collapse of the country and the economic crisis, when the domestic aviation industry was literally surviving, and there was no time for updating the aircraft fleet. At the end of the 90s, an attempt was made to modernize the aircraft, which resulted in the appearance of the Il-96-400 modification. However, it did not interest domestic air carriers too much; there were no orders for it from airlines.

Il-96 can be called one of the most famous and discussed domestic passenger aircraft. With enviable frequency, interviews with high-ranking Russian officials appear in the press with promises of an early resumption of production of the Il-96 aircraft. But things are still there.

If we talk about the latest news related to this aircraft, then at the beginning of this year, Deputy Prime Minister Rogozin visited the Voronezh aircraft plant and promised government support to aircraft manufacturers. According to the official, the Il-96-400 is quite capable of meeting the needs of domestic airlines for long-haul wide-body aircraft until the new Russian-Chinese airbus is ready.

Earlier, Industry Minister Manturov promised to allocate 50 billion rubles to resuscitate the production of Il-96. True, according to him, it is first necessary to solve the problem of excessive fuel “gluttony” of the machine, because according to this characteristic, the Il-96 cannot compete with the Boeing-767 and 777 or the Airbus 330 - its main competitors.

Despite all the difficulties of the early 90s, the new Il-96 had good prospects. At that time, foreign companies were seriously interested in the car. A modification of the Il-96M with Pratt&Whitney engines and advanced Western avionics was developed specifically for promotion abroad. In 1993, a prototype of this aircraft already flew, and soon it received Russian and American certificates. Why was this project never brought to fruition? And does he have a chance to take his rightful place in the sky?

History of creation

Work on the creation of a Soviet wide-body passenger aircraft began in the first half of the 70s. At that time, most long-haul transportation in the Soviet Union and socialist countries was carried out on the Il-62 airliner. However, this aircraft, built in the early 60s, at that moment could no longer cope with the significantly increased passenger traffic. Due to its low capacity, the number of flights had to be increased, which created excessive pressure on airports. In addition, this aircraft was significantly inferior in terms of comfort to its Western counterparts.

A wide-body passenger aircraft is a machine with a fuselage diameter of 5-6 meters. These sizes allow you to place from 6 to 10 chairs in one row. It should be noted that the advent of long-range wide-body passenger airliners almost immediately made narrow-body aircraft unprofitable. They had to be transferred to routes with low passenger traffic. An analysis carried out in the USSR in the mid-70s showed that within ten years Aeroflot would not be able to provide transportation on long-distance routes without a spacious wide-body aircraft.

At this time, in the OKB im. Ilyushin were developing a new large-capacity passenger aircraft, the Il-86. It was on the basis of this machine that it was decided to build a new long-range passenger aircraft. It received the name Il-86D. It differed little from the basic modification: only the wing area and the power plant, which consisted of more economical engines with a higher bypass ratio, increased. The idea of ​​​​creating two aircraft with a high degree of unification seriously reduced the development time of new aircraft, reduced their cost, and in the future should have significantly simplified maintenance.

However, the IL-86D was never realized in metal. At the end of the 70s, on its basis it was decided to create a new long-range passenger aircraft - the Il-96 aircraft. Changes were made to the design of this machine, which significantly increased its technical excellence.

At the turn of the 70s and 80s, aviation technology developed so rapidly that after completing work on the Il-96, the designers had to take up the work again and create a fundamentally new project, because the aircraft they created was already seriously at the start of its career. lagged behind Western counterparts. The new promising airliner received the name Il-96-300, and during its development the components and assemblies of the Il-86 airliner were no longer used.

The first takeoff of the Il-96-300 took place in September 1988, testing continued until the end of 1992, after which the airliner was certified. In 1989, the aircraft was demonstrated at the Le Bourget air show. If we talk about the flight performance characteristics of the new aircraft, it can be noted that the designers managed to reach a new level in comparison with the aircraft created at the Design Bureau named after. Ilyushin earlier. For example, the fuel consumption of the Il-96-300 per passenger kilometer was two times lower than that of the long-haul Il-62.

For their work on the creation of a new aircraft, the OKB team named after. Ilyushin was awarded the State Prize.

The first Il-96-30s were transferred to the Domodedovo air squad, and commercial operation of the airbus began in 1993. Initially, the airliners were mainly used for flights on international routes.

A serious blow to the further development of the Il-96 project was the decision of the Russian government to remove duties on the import of foreign high-capacity aircraft into the country. Aeroflot openly lobbied for him, promising to purchase a large batch of Il-96 if duties were reduced. The decision was made, but the purchase of domestic aircraft never took place.

In 2000, a new modification of the airliner was developed - Il-96-400, which had a larger passenger capacity and an increased flight range. However, domestic air carriers were not interested in this aircraft; only a few Il-96-400Ts, the transport version of this aircraft, were purchased.

In the mid-2000s, three Il-96-300s were sold to Cuba, and one of them was made in the “presidential” version. Now not only Putin flies on the Il-96, but also the top management of Freedom Island.

Over the years, negotiations on the supply of the aircraft were conducted with China, Syria, Iran, Peru and even Zimbabwe. They were not particularly successful.

In 2009, the government announced the need to phase out the Il-96-300, allegedly due to the fact that it cannot compete on equal terms with the latest European and American analogues.

In 2014, Aeroflot decommissioned all of the company's Il-96 aircraft.

However, already next year, the Ilyushin Aviation Complex OJSC announced plans for the next modernization of the Il-96 and the resumption of its serial production. Next year, representatives of the enterprise reported that they were improving the fuel efficiency of the airliner and planned to bring it to the level of modern Western analogues. The General Director of the Voronezh Aviation Plant said that the Il-96-400M will be ready by 2019. And the government has already promised to allocate funds for this project.

In February of this year, a message appeared in the media that a firm contract had been signed between the manufacturer and UAC to carry out design work on the Il-96-400M. The aircraft prototype is scheduled for production in 2019.

Description of design

Il-96-300 is a cantilever wide-body low-wing aircraft with four engines, vertical tail and swept wings.

The fuselage of the aircraft has a diameter of 6.08 meters; depending on the layout of the passenger cabin, it can accommodate from 235 to 300 passengers. With a standard layout (300 seats), the passenger cabin is divided into two salons, with 66 seats in the front cabin and 234 seats in the rear cabin. They are arranged in a row of nine seats with a pitch of 870 mm and two aisles of 550 mm. Aircraft with a passenger capacity of 235 people have a passenger cabin divided into three cabins: first class (22 seats with a distance between rows of 1020 mm), business class (40 seats) and economy class (173 seats). The IL-96 cabin is in no way inferior to the best foreign analogues in terms of comfort for passengers.

The lower deck of the Il-96-300 is occupied by cargo compartments. There are three of them, the first two can accept nine standard ABK-1.5 aviation containers, and the third is intended for the transportation of piece cargo.

The IL-96 has a wing with a span of more than 60 m and an area of ​​391 m2 with large vertical tips at the edges. In area it significantly (by 70 m2) exceeds the wing of the Il-86 and is equipped with complex mechanization. It consists of slats that occupy the entire length of the leading edge and double-slotted flaps.

The vertical tail of the aircraft is also significant; it is one and a half meters higher than that of the Il-86. This feature of the airliner allows it to maintain stability in flight even if one of the engines fails.

The IL-96 has four landing gear: three main ones, located under the center section, and a nose gear. Each of the main struts has a four-wheel trolley with brake wheels, and the front strut has two non-brake wheels. The size of all aircraft landing gear wheels is the same.

The power plant of the airliner consists of four PS-90A turbofan engines with a high bypass ratio, which can create a thrust of 16 thousand kgf. They are installed in pylons that are attached to the wing consoles. PS-90A is made according to a two-shaft design, there is a reverse. The engine is equipped with a four-stage low-pressure turbine and a two-stage high-pressure turbine. PS-90A is distinguished by a modular design, which facilitates its maintenance: if necessary, one or another module - out of eleven available - can be quickly replaced.

For the first time in the history of Soviet aircraft construction, the aircraft's power plant was equipped with an electronic control and monitoring system "Diagnoz-90", which had two channels. This system automatically monitors fuel consumption and protects engines from surge. They plan to equip the promising Il-96-400M with a new PD-35 engine, which is currently being developed.

The Il-96-300 was equipped with the latest (for its time, of course) flight and navigation system, which made it possible to abandon the navigator and make do with a crew of three people. The IL-96-300 is the first Soviet aircraft to be equipped with the VSUP-85-4 electronic flight control system - in addition to traditional analog instruments, electronic indicators also appeared in the IL-96-300 cockpit. This aircraft is equipped with an EMDS system.

The Airbus fuel system is in many ways reminiscent of a similar system in the Il-86. The fuel is located in nine caisson tanks, from where it is pumped into the pre-consumption tank and, further, into the supply compartment, which each engine has. Four tanks are located in the wing consoles, another is located in the center section.

Il-96-300 is equipped with an automatic air conditioning system. Air is supplied to the cabin from the engines.

The aircraft is equipped with an electric pulse anti-icing system. The air intakes are heated by air supplied from the compressor chamber.

Modifications

Since the start of mass production of the Il-96 aircraft, several modifications of the aircraft have been developed. Below are the main ones:

• IL-96-300. Basic modification, equipped with four PS-90A engines. The airliner first took to the skies in September 1988 and entered service with Aeroflot in 1993. A total of twenty aircraft of this modification were produced; in 2009, it was decided to withdraw it from production. This machine has a maximum flight range of 13.5 thousand km, it can carry up to 300 passengers;
• Il-96-300PU/PU(M1). “Presidential” modification of the airliner, which was specially developed on the basis of the Il-96-300 for transporting the country's top officials. A total of five aircraft of this modification were built. The letters “PU” in the designation of the machine mean “control point”. In terms of its characteristics, it practically does not differ from the basic version of the aircraft; the flight range of the aircraft is slightly increased. In essence, the Il-96-300PU is an air command post that allows you to control the country and the armed forces during a nuclear conflict. Externally, this airliner is practically no different from a regular production aircraft. This machine was manufactured in 1995 for the first Russian President Boris Yeltsin. The second Il-96-300PU was created for Vladimir Putin; it first flew in 2003. The last aircraft of this modification was manufactured at the end of 2019;
• IL-96-400. A modification of the aircraft that was developed in 2000. The vehicle has a longer fuselage compared to the Il-96-300, it is equipped with PS-90A-1 engines (17.4 thousand kgf thrust) and more advanced avionics. This liner can accommodate 435 passengers;
• IL-96-400T. Transport version of the Il-96-400 airliner. The first aircraft was assembled in 2007; a total of four aircraft were produced. In 2014, it was decided to convert one of the Il-96-400Ts into an air control center for the needs of the FSB of the Russian Federation. In 2019, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the purchase of two aircraft in the tanker modification. If the operation of these aircraft is successful, then the military department is ready to order 30 more aircraft;
• IL-96-400TZ. This is a tanker aircraft based on the Il-96-400T. It will be capable of transmitting 65 tons of fuel over a distance of 3.5 thousand km;
• IL-96VKP. This modification of the airliner is a strategic air command center. Currently, Ilyushenites are working on its creation; in the future, this aircraft will replace the Il-86VKP;
• Il-96M. Modification of the base model Il-96-300 with an extended fuselage, Pratt&Whitney engines and Western avionics. The prototype of this aircraft first took off in April 1993 and was later repeatedly demonstrated at various air shows. In 2009, cut into scrap;
• IL-96MD. Modification of the aircraft equipped with Pratt & Whitney PW4082 engines;
• IL-96MK. Modification with four NK-92 engines.

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