Summary Ilyushin Il-80 is Russia's answer to the American E-4B Nightwatch. Il-80 is a doomsday aircraft designed to protect the Russian president in a nuclear attack. Russia plans to eventually replace the Il-80 with a new aircraft based on the Il-96-400M.
In the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union were the world's two superpowers with vast stockpiles of nuclear weapons. Both planned for the doomsday of an apocalyptic nuclear Armageddon. The Americans built the E-4B Nightwatch as the emergency airborne command and control aircraft for the President in case of a nuclear attack (the Nightwatch are still always kept in a high state of readiness ).
The Soviets did the same, building the Ilyushin Il-80 "Maxdome." As Russia considers itself a great power and the inheritor of the USSR, it continues to operate these "doomsday" aircraft . Ilyushin Il-80 - The Soviet come-Russian answer to the Nightwatch The Ilyushin Il-80 is built from the Ilyushin Il-86 airliner (the American Nightwatch is built from Boeing 747-200s).
If the Nightwatch is the flying doomsday White House, the Il-80 is the Russian flying doomsday Kremlin. It is designed to protect the Russian president in the event of a nuclear attack. The Maxdome is an airborne command post with special communications equipment placed within a dome on its fuselage.
Reportedly, the aircraft are able to resist the effects of electromagnetic pulse attacks. From these aircraft, the surviving higher echelons of the Russian government would be able to remain in command of the military and perhaps carry out retaliatory attacks. Ilyushin Il-80 Maxdome Introduction: 1992 Number built: 4 Number operational: unclear Airbase: Chkalovsky Air Base Role: "Doomsday" airborne command post Operator: 8th Special Purpose Aviation Division of Russian Air Force The Il-80s were built at the end of the Cold War for the Russian Air Force .
Their first flight occurred in 1987, and they were introduced in 1992—just after the collapse of the USSR. Four Il-80s were built, although it is unclear how many are operational (one was photographed in 2011 without engines). They are rarely seen in operation.
In December 2020, the Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported that unknown people had stolen equipment from one Doomsday aircraft while it was undergoing maintenance. The publication stated that radio equipment was missing from the aircraft. The Il-80 was developed from the Il-86 (NATO reporting name Camber).
It is a short- to medium-range wide-body jet airliner. It was first developed in the 1970s, and over 100 were built. The aircraft is regarded as symptomatic of the economic and technological stagnation in the USSR of the era (for example, it used engines more typical of the late 1960s).
It proved unsuccessful on the export market, with only three being exported. The E-4B is a highly coveted airborne command and control aircraft. Il-80 Maxdomes during the Ukraine War The Il-80s are typically elusive and kept out of sight.
However, according to Euro News , they were intended to be present at the 2022 May Day Parade in Moscow soon after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Maxdome was planned to fly over Red Square accompanied by two MiG-29s and Tu-96 "Bear" and Tu-160 "White Swan" bombers. The flyby was canceled (ostensibly due to poor weather conditions) despite being seen flying around Moscow the day before.
Boeing E-4B Nightwatch Introduction: 1974 Built from: Boeing 747-200 Number built: 4 Role: "Doomsday" airborne command post Operator: 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron of US Air Force Replacement: 4x aircraft built on Boeing 747-8I Replacement contractor: Sierra Nevada Corporation (primary contractor) On August 12, 2024, Ukraine reportedly attacked Russia's Chkalovsky Air Base near Moscow with drones. Chkalovsky is the base of the 8th Special Purpose Aviation Division that operates Russia's four Il-80 doomsday Maxdomes. The base is also commonly used for long-range VIP flights (with aircraft like Il-96s).
As of August 16, it is unclear if any Maxdomes were present at the air base at the time of the attack and if any damage was caused. This was not the first time Chkalovsky Air Base had been attacked. On September 18, 2023, unknown saboteurs damaged two aircraft – an Antonov An-148 and an Ilyushin Il-20 (along with a Mi-28N helicopter) – on the ground.
Time will tell if all four Russian Maxdomes survive the war in Ukraine (the Russian Air Force has lost dozens of aircraft of all types destroyed or damaged on the ground). The Ilyushin Il-80 is Russia's 'doomsday' plane that would carry the nation's top leadership in the event of a nuclear war. Eventual Ilyushin Il-96-400M-based replacement While the Russian Il-80 Maxdomes are much newer than their American counterparts, they are expected to eventually be replaced with another airborne command post based on the stretched Ilyushin Il-96-400M commercial aircraft.
In March 2022, Russian state-run news outlet Tass reported that the Il-96-400M's production would begin at the manufacturing plant in Voronezh, with the work on the aircraft and its modernized avionics to be completed in 2022. The Il-96-400M first flew in at the end of 2023 . However, in February 2024, RuAvaition cast some doubt on the aircraft, saying that 12 are meant to be produced by 2030 but that there are no plans to make commercial versions of the aircraft.
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