Ilyushin Il-76 Candid

   The Ilyushin II-76 Candid is a landmark Soviet-era design. Russia's first four-jet heavy transport, it was conceived and used to fly strategic military cargos into front-line air bases in the most extreme operational conditions.

   The II-76 prototype made its first flight in March 1971. The basic II-76 Candid-A transport was built purely for military service, while the II-76M Candid-B is the military version of the civilian II-76T Candid-A, with additional fuel, higher operating weights, a powered lifting ramp, full pressurisation, and freight-handling equipment inside the hold.  The II-76MD Candid-B is a military version to the civil II-76TD Candid-A with uprated D-30KP-2 turbofans to maintain performance at higher ambient temperatures, increased fuel capacity and a strengthened wing.

   Apart from Russia, other military operators are Algeria, Belarus, China, Cuba, India, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria and Ukraine. The tough, dependable airframe spawned many variants - some designed to do the basic transport job even better, and others which serve as indispensable combat support roles. A bewildering array of other specialised variants have been developed for roles including mobile hospital, cosmonaut training and airborne command post, airborne laser platform and firefighter.

   The II-78 Midas is the Russian air force's standard in-flight refueling tanker, and is fitted with three UPAZ-1 external refuelling units (one under each wing and one at the rear fuselage). When fitted with fuselage fuel tanks the II-78 can transfer up to 65 tonnes / 84 639 liters (18 618 lmp gal) of fuel at a combat radius of 1 000 km.

   The A-50 Mainstay is a variant developed by Beriev for the AWACS role with a Shmel search radar mounted in a large rotodome above the rear fuselage.