Ilyushin Il-96

Cubana de Aviación Ilyushin Il-96-300

The Il-96-300 is the initial variant and is fitted with Aviadvigatel (Soloviev) PS-90A turbofans with a thrust rating of 16,000 kgf (157 kN, 35,300 lbf). Development started in the mid-80s while the first prototype flew on 28 September 1988. The first Il-96 entered service with Aeroflot in 1993.

Range with 262 passengers and fuel reserves (for holding 75 minutes at an altitude of 450 m) in a two-class configuration is about 11,000 km (5,940 nmi), allowing flights from Moscow to US west coast cities, a great improvement over the Ilyushin Il-86.

A highly customized version of the Il-96-300, called the Il-96-300PU, is used as the primary aircraft in the Russian presidential aircraft fleet. Four were used by Russian president Vladimir Putin, and by Dmitry Medvedev as VIP planes. The VIP aircraft is operated by Russia State Transport Company.[7] The Cuban leadership use the IL-96-300.

There were plans to produce a variant dubbed Il-96-300V which would include two sets of airstairs in it.[8]

The Il-96M is a stretched variant of the Il-96-300. It features a 10 m (30 ft) fuselage stretch, is 15 tonnes (33,000 lb) heavier, is fitted with Western-style avionics, and is powered by four Pratt & Whitney PW2337 engines with a thrust rating of 165 kN (37,000 lbf). Range with 312 passengers in a three-class configuration or 92 tonne (203,000 lb) payload is about 10,400 km (5,600 nmi). This turned it into a true—but vastly more capable—Il-86 successor. Development on the M/T variant stalled when the US Export–Import Bank suspended talks on financing the engines and avionics, following pressure from Boeing. The dispute was later settled following an Aeroflot order for ten Boeing 737-400s—placed in April 1997 in a deal worth US$440 million that were granted a tax exemption by the Russian government. Nevertheless, the financing was blocked again when four Boeing 767-300ERs also ordered by Aeroflot were not included in the accorded exemption. The deal was never realised.

This is the freighter version of the Il-96-400. It is powered by four Aviadvigatel PS-90A1 engines.[9]

Ilyushin Il-96-400VVIP

The Il-96-400 is similar to the Il-96M, but features Russian avionics and engines. It is powered by four Aviadvigatel PS-90A1 turbofans and can carry up to 436 passengers. Typical two-class configuration will have 386 passengers. Range with 315 passengers in a three-class configuration is about 10,000 km.[10] A special version, dubbed Il-96-400VT, was reported on Friday 19 March 2010 by the Wall Street Journal to bid on the US$40 billion Air Force Tanker Program contract.[11] In February 2013, Cubana signed a deal for the order of three 350-seater Ilyushin Il-96-400s.[12]

One modified Il-96-400, the Il-96-400VPU, nicknamed the "doomsday plane," is being converted to serve as an Airborne Command Post by the Russian Air Force as part of "Project Zveno-3S" calling for two such aircraft to enter service to replace the current Il-80-based planes.[13]

In February 2017, it was announced that Russia's United Aircraft Corporation had signed a contract with its subsidiary Ilyushin Aviation Complex for the development of a new version of Ilyushin Il-96-400 wide-body passenger airliner. Il-96-400M is the passenger version of the Il-96-400T cargo aircraft. Its fuselage is 9.65 m longer than the existing Il-96-300 passenger variant. The planned seating capacity is 390 passengers.[14][15] In 2017, the Russian Government injected ₽3.6 billion ($57.4 million) into the Ilyushin Il-96-400M.[16] By January 2020, the first test-flight airframe was in final assembly and the wing and fuselage were joined, to be finished at the end of 2020 before a first flight in 2021.[17] In April 2021 it was announced that the aircraft will not enter mass production as expected because of "lack of interest from the airlines and the worldwide idling of the long-range fleet due to the pandemic".[18]

On 15 August 2022, it was announced that the first flight of the variant is planned before the end of 2022.[19]

In January 2015, a new tanker variant of the Il-96, designated the Il-96-400TZ (Russian: ТЗ for топливозаправщик - fuel replenisher), was proposed, with an initial order for two aircraft placed by the Russian Ministry of Defense.[20] The new tanker would have been able to transfer more than 65 tons (IL-78M 40 tons) of fuel at a distance of up to 3500 km (Il-78M 3000 km). Universal aviation refueling systems ORM-1, proven on existing combat aircraft tankers Il-78/78М, would have been installed on the aircraft.[21] According to Alexei Krivoruchko, Russian Deputy Minister of Defense, factory trials of the Il-96-400TZ are expected to be completed in May, 2020.[22] However this is previously cancelled due to differences between Russian MoD and Ilyushin,[23] and in favor of much proven Il-76MD-90A platform, which is the Il-78M-90A.

To reduce fuel consumption and maintenance costs, Ilyushin is studying a twin-engined development, powered by over 340 kN (76,000 lb_f) Aviadvigatel PD-35s developed by 2025 from the PD-14, or foreign powerplants.[24]

As of December 2016, current operators of the Ilyushin Il-96 are:[25]

Operator	Aircraft Type	In service	On order	Stored
Cubana de Aviación	Il-96-300	4	3	1
Ilyushin	Il-96-300	1	—	—
Rossiya (government fleet)	Il-96-300	10	—	—
VASO	Il-96-400T	—	—	1
Russian Ministry of Defence	Il-96-400TZ	—	2	—
Total		15	5	2

Sources: Planespotters.net,[26] Russianplanes.net[27]

In March 2022, after International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War, the CEO of Rostec Sergey Chemezov announced a big production relaunch of Il-96.[28]

PS-90A engine

The airplane has the following systems installed, providing compliance with ICAO recommendations and Eurocontrol requirements:

• Integrated communication and navigation control panel and flight management system
• Upgraded EFIS with LCD indicators
• Inertial navigation system
• Ground proximity warning system
• TCAS
• SELCAL
• Weather radar
• Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System with satellite communication.
• Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder