MOSCOW. Dec 30 (Interfax-AVN) - A tentative resolution on the compliance of the IL-76MF Candid military transport plane with Russian Air Force requirements is likely to be issued in the first half of 2003, a competent source in the Defense Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency on Monday.
"A tentative resolution is issued by the customer after a certain volume of joint state tests. The resolution is to confirm that technical specifications of the plane comply with the Defense Ministry's requirements and that facilities are ready for the plane's mass production," the expert said.
He recalled that IL-76 planes are being manufactured by the Chkalov aircraft production association in Tashkent.
"However there are serious negative aspects of mass production of the IL-76MF in Uzbekistan," the source said.
"It was planned that IL-76MF planes will be mass-produced at an aircraft plant in Russia's Voronezh. However the situation is getting aggravated because the Defense Ministry has no funds to invest in preparations for mass production of the IL-76MF at a plant of the Voronezh Joint-Stock Aircraft Building Association. Moreover, a government resolution is needed to launch mass production of the IL-76MF in Russia in case funds are raised for it," he noted.
The military transport aviation's stock of IL-76 planes can be operated until 2010-2015, the source went on.
"While determining the future type of the plane for the military transport aviation, the Defense Ministry updated missions assigned to military transport aviation for the period under consideration, considered the cargoes that the military transport aviation is to airlift in the interests of the military, and analyzed the state's military doctrine that will be used as a framework for assigning missions. Local and limited military conflicts are mostly expected in the future. Former missions regarding intercontinental transportation of troops and long-range transportation of cargo are being revised," he said.
The IL-76MF is different from the baseline IL-76MD military transport plane by the fuselage that is 6m longer, the payload that is increased to 60t, and the specifications advanced through application of a power plant consisting of four PS-90A-76 engines developing 16t each. The baseline modification has four D-30KP engines developing 12t each.