Russia's lone Il‑76PP prototype faces the scrapyard
At the Irkutsk air base, the sole prototype of the Il-76PP aircraft has been languishing for years. It was conceived as a new electronic warfare aircraft capable of disrupting the Patriot missile system. However, the aircraft never advanced to mass production, and the only existing model is set to be scrapped to make way for a new building.
Information regarding the plans to scrap this unique machine was reported by the Ukrainian service Defence Express. According to the information they obtained, the sole Il-76PP specimen has been deteriorating at the training base in Irkutsk since the 1990s, where it was stationed following a series of tests.
Based on the Il-76 transport aircraft, it was designed in the 1980s as an electronic warfare aircraft. The Russians intended to create a large aircraft capable of disrupting the operation of Western radars and anti-aircraft systems, including the Patriot missile system.
Lantana electronic warfare system
The key component of the Il-76PP was to be the Lantana electronic warfare system. Originally, Lantana was developed for the Su-24 attack aircraft. In the Su-24MP variant, these aircraft carried reconnaissance equipment and were designated for electronic warfare. Only 10 Su-24MP units were produced, of which – following the collapse of the USSR – some were acquired by Russia, and others by Ukraine.
In 2015, pro-Kremlin media reported that an aircraft outfitted with such equipment disrupted the sensors of the American missile destroyer USS Donald Cook and, the year prior, the destroyer USS Ross.
According to the Russians, in both instances, the Su-24MP prevented the Americans from using the ships' sensors and the AEGIS battle management system. These claims, repeated by Kremlin propaganda, were not verified by any sources.
Il-76PP – electronic warfare aircraft
The same electronic warfare system that was fitted to the Su-24 was also attempted on the much larger Il-76 aircraft, offering a longer flight range. For this purpose, the prototype was equipped with two large pods for electronic warfare systems, located at the wingtips, as well as additional power sources in the form of two generators using extra AI-24 turboprop engines.
The Russians had high hopes for the aircraft, but tests revealed the ineffectiveness of the Lantana system—when installed on the Il-76, it was incompatible with the onboard avionics and disrupted the aircraft's equipment operation. Consequently, the Il-76PP never progressed to mass production, and the lone aircraft has been decaying for decades at the Irkutsk air base.
