Third generation special purpose airborne command post is going to be developed on the base of the upgraded Il-96-400 aircraft.
A representative of the UIMC told TASS that the plane’s design is ready and they are finalizing it with the Russian Defense ministry.
“Detailed project design is ready. We are now awaiting the military authorities to decide on the proceedings. In case of positive decision, we shall make the state-of-the-art object of this type. The upgraded Il-96-400 will be the carrier”, — he noted.
According to the agency’s interlocutor, they are going to install on the plane a new set of on-board equipment to provide generation and dissemination of commands both to modern and advanced objects of the Armed Forces of ground, sea as well as of air echelon.
We remind that the UIMC experts have developed the first Il-80-based on-board set of equipment. The system has successfully passed state tests. Development of the second-generation system is underway. According to UIMC, the second-generation airborne strategic command post will be delivered to military soon.
The strategic airborne command post is designed to be used amid operational deployment, lack of ground infrastructure as well as break down of ground control posts, communication lines and stations.
In US, these aircraft were nicknamed the ‘Judgement Day planes’. They are used for network managing when the infrastructure either lacks or was destroyed. Given that the enemy can destroy ground objects with certain coordinates, the airborne command post is harder to destroy due to constant change of location.
In the USSR, the Il-80 ACP was developed on the base of the Il-86 liner. There were four planes of this kind made altogether.
Orphus system