India Plans Major Overhaul to Extend Lifespan of IL-76 Transport Fleet

In a move to bolster its strategic airlift capabilities, India is exploring a major overhaul program to extend the operational lifespan of its aging fleet of Soviet-era IL-76 heavy transport aircraft.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is collaborating with Russia to address the fleet's dwindling availability and outdated systems.

The IAF's IL-76 fleet, acquired in the 1980s, has served for nearly four decades. The aircraft face limitations due to their existing D-30KP engines, which have restricted operational time, and outdated avionics, making them incompatible with modern civilian air traffic control systems.

To counter these challenges, the IAF plans to replace the engines with fuel-efficient PS-90A engines (used on the IAF's IL-78 tankers) and upgrade navigation and communication systems for compatibility with international standards.

India has initiated a joint assessment with Russia's National Aviation Service Company to evaluate the overhaul's feasibility. This assessment will consider crucial factors like airframe condition, 'time between overhauls,' and the overall remaining lifespan of the 11 IL-76MD aircraft in the IAF's fleet.

If the evaluation proves positive, it could pave the way for a collaborative India-Russia upgrade program, extending the IL-76 fleet's operational life until 2050.

Notably, the IAF has previously implemented some upgrades to the fleet, including modernized electronics and navigation systems, along with structural modifications like the rear defensive turret removal.

Conclusion​

This potential India-Russia joint venture underscores India's commitment to maintaining a robust strategic airlift capacity. Extending the IL-76 fleet's lifespan would provide a valuable boost to India's ability to quickly transport troops and equipment in times of crisis or conflict.

 

[Pink Panther]

Tinkering with ancient items have become mantra of Athmanirbharata.

 

[NSR]

40 year olds are good for junk yard dogs and vermin to play with.
Just go for new ones and save tons of headaches.
Definitely not worth it.

 

[Anant]

Oh boy, and here we go!

MiG-21 saga Part 2: Electric Boogaloo!

"It's better! It's larger! It's got four times the number of engines!"

 

[Anant]

40 year olds are good for junk yard dogs and vermin to play with.
Just go for new ones and save tons of headaches.
Definitely not worth it.

New ones as in a new heavy-lift aircraft, or new ones as in new Il-76s?

 

[NSR]

New ones as in a new heavy-lift aircraft, or new ones as in new Il-76s?

India needs new heavy lift IL-76 types of aircrafts as Boeing is not making C-17s anymore.
But I doubt that they have manpower and capacity to make them.
CAATSA would be a spanner too.

One Russian IL-76 crashed just this week. Not sure how.

 

[Ramsses CDXX]

• ₹46 crore per plane was the cost back in 1985. Unbelievable & unfeasible now ❗
• IAF has make do with what it has until MTA sees the sun. But refurbished & zero-lifed IL-76MD isn't a bad option – new engines, glass cockpit, FLIR, TACAN,.....

 

[Frank]

₹46 crore per plane was the cost back in 1985. Unbelievable & unfeasible now ❗

46 crore per plane...

should have bought more

 

[Frank]

Thats why Kaveri is important...

if Kaveri was successful we could have developed our own MTA..

 

[Anant]

Thats why Kaveri is important...

if Kaveri was successful we could have developed our own MTA..

The Kaveri itself wouldn't have helped, but it would have been an important stepping stone towards an engine suitable for a MTA.

 

[Frank]

The Kaveri itself wouldn't have helped, but it would have been an important stepping stone towards an engine suitable for a MTA.

variant of kaveri can be used as MTA engines

 

[De_SECULARISED]

46 crore per plane...

should have bought more

46Cr sounds a little less to our ears. in 1985 my father was earning ~Rs400 /PM. It was quite a handsome amount I feel(lived). What about u n others I don't know.
I am able to recall that, the
annual state budget of some states at that time were of some (tens) Thousands of crores. Are you able to recall?

So 46Cr was not a small amount@1985

 

[Anant]

So 46Cr was not a small amount@1985

Exactly. Just adjusting that to inflation today brings it to almost 8,000 crores.

 

[Anant]

46 crore per plane...

should have bought more

For the 1980s, 17 heavy-lift aircraft was more than enough. Back then, the minimum requirement was 14.

That said, 46 crores back then was a very large sum. Just adjusted to inflation from 1983 to 2024, that comes out to just shy of 800 crores today. Adjust that with technological cost escalations, and you'll end up at around 2,000 crores or more.

Another comparison: When my father started his undergraduate studies in 1983, his fees was Rs. 250 per semester. Back then, my grandfather used to make around Rs. 1,000 per month (before taxes and everything). That gave my father and his siblings a good standard of life.

On top of that, the overall financial situation of India in the 1980s was an absolute mess. Remember that this is before liberalisation and the skyrocketing of the economy.

The overall Indian defence budget in 1983 was 6.38 billion USD, which represented some 3.32% of the GDP, and was considered to be an unsustainable level of spending in the era where Indian defence budgets skyrocketed from 5.42 billion USD in 1980 to 10.54 billion USD in 1990, before coming back to 8.62 billion USD around the time of liberalisation in 1991.

 

[Anant]

India needs new heavy lift IL-76 types of aircrafts as Boeing is not making C-17s anymore.
But I doubt that they have manpower and capacity to make them.
CAATSA would be a spanner too.

One Russian IL-76 crashed just this week. Not sure how.

Boeing isn't making new C-17s, but I am not entirely convinced modernised Il-76s are the solution either. Perhaps the A-400M or the C-2 (assuming the Japanese allow the export of the latter) would be a better idea.

 

[Kira]

Oh boy, and here we go!

MiG-21 saga Part 2: Electric Boogaloo!

"It's better! It's larger! It's got four times the number of engines!"

Old wine in new bottle 🍾,but at least with wine,it's better the older it is,no such thing with old Russian gear 😆

 

[CCPSmasher]

Why don't we extend till 2375 while we are at it?

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

Tinkering with ancient items have become mantra of Athmanirbharata.

This has nothing to do with atmanjrbharta. We will be doing this with russian help, using russian part and engines. Replacing these aircraft with indian made MTA would have been atmanirbharta

 

[Anant]

Considering that the 17 Il-76s were inducted between 1986 and 1988, that means even the newest Il-76 will be 62 years old by 2050. The MiG-21, as a type, has been in service for 62 years now.

 

[Anant]

variant of kaveri can be used as MTA engines

Not happening. The Kaveri couldn't power anywhere near the power you'd need for the MTA. Moreover, the Kaveri is a fighter jet engine. You could theoretically develop a larger variant for a MTA, but it wouldn't give you enough power.