Russian Air Force to Receive New Aircraft Tanker in 2018

The Il-78M-90A tanker is a version of the Il-76MD-90A aircraft. The new aircraft will be the main aerial tanker designed for refueling aircraft of long-range, front-line and special aviation.

The delivery of the new tanker aircraft Il-78M-90A to the Russian Air Force will begin in 2018, a defense industry source told RIA Novosti on Monday.

The Il-78M-90A will be the first air tanker to be fully produced in Russia. Earlier the Il-78 aircraft had been assembled by the Tashkent Chkalov Industrial Group in Uzbekistan.

"The delivery of the Il-78M-90A to the Russian Air Forces is expected to begin in 2018," the source said.

In February, United Aircraft Corporation began construction of an engineering prototype of the Il-78M-90A aircraft.

The Il-78M-90A is a version of the Il-76MD-90A aircraft. The new aircraft will be the main aerial tanker designed for refueling aircraft of long-range, front-line and special aviation.

The Il-78M-90A can refuel two front-line aviation aircraft (Su-27 or MiG-29-class) simultaneously with use of the fueling systems mounted on its wing. The tail fueling mechanism is used for refueling long-range and special aviation aircraft.