Aviation / Aerospace

Ilyushin IL-80 (Maxdome)

Airborne Command Post (ACP) [ 1992 ]

Four Ilyushin IL-80 Maxdome aircraft take on the Airborne Command Post role for the modern Russian Air Force today.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/19/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

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The Ilyushin IL-80/IL-86VKP (NATO codename of "Maxdome") is an IL-86 four-engined, wide-body passenger airliner converted for specialized military service as an Airborne Command Post (ACP) / Command & Control (C2) aircraft. With the IL-86 developed in the early-to-mid-1970s, this mature airframe was selected for further development as a flying command post aircraft, resulting in the "Maxdome" offshoot. A first-flight involving a converted IL-86 airliner was had on March 5th, 1987 with deliveries following in 1988. Service introduction was unavoidably derailed by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 which led to official series introduction in 1992. Just four total aircraft were procured by the newly-minted Russian Air Force and this aging fleet continues in service today (2019).

The primary purpose of this IL-86 offshoot has been to support Russian governmental operations in the event of all-out war - namely nuclear war. This platform, therefore, is designed to keep high-ranking Russian personnel (including national leaders) out of harm's way, providing a "flying headquarters" of sorts while the situation on the ground is assessed and reacted to. In this fashion, the IL-80 is intended to operate along similar lines to the American's Boeing E-4B "Advanced Airborne Command Post" aircraft brought along by Boeing in 1974, these four examples built atop the framework of the classic Boeing Model 747 "Jumbo Jet" airliner.

A chief identifying feature of Maxdome is the rectangular protrusion seen along the dorsal line of the fuselage just above (and aft) of the flightdeck. This contains a powerful SATellite COMmunications (SATCOM) fit. Also along the dorsal line are a series of antennas running from the flightdeck to midships. The nose section sees a fuel probe fitted to help keep the aircraft in the air for considerable periods of time (via aerial refueling).

The four IL-80 aircraft in the Russian Air Force inventory (though only three are thought to be operational) are operated by the 8th Special Purpose Aviation Division out of Chkalovsky Airport.

The Maxdome series is set to be succeeded by a newer design being developed atop the IL-96 (IL-96-400) framework. The IL-96 airliner is considerably more modern and provides broadened performance capabilities.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1992

Origin

Russia

Status

ACTIVE
In Limited Service.

Crew

12

Production

4
UNITS

Ilyushin OKB - Russia

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Russia

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

Length

197.5 ft
(60.20 m)

Width/Span

157.6 ft
(48.05 m)

Height

51.5 ft
(15.70 m)

Empty Wgt

264,555 lb
(120,000 kg)

MTOW

485,017 lb
(220,000 kg)

Wgt Diff

+220,462 lb
(+100,000 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Ilyushin IL-80 (Maxdome) production variant)

Installed: 4 x Kuznetsov NK-86 turbofan engines developing 28,665lb of thrust.

Max Speed

186 mph
(300 kph | 162 kts)

Ceiling

40,026 ft
(12,200 m | 8 mi)

Range

2,485 mi
(4,000 km | 7,408 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

3,000 ft/min
(914 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Ilyushin IL-80 (Maxdome) production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None.

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

IL-80 ("Maxdome") - Base Series Designation; four conversions from the IL-86 passenger wide-body airliner.

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