MOSCOW, March 22. /TASS/. The Ulyanovsk-based Aviastar-SP enterprise (part of the transport aviation division within the United Aircraft Corporation) plans to deliver six Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A heavily upgraded military transport planes to Russia’s Defense Ministry in 2019, the Ilyushin Aircraft Company reported on its Instagram page on Friday.

"Under the 2019 production program, the Ulyanovsk-based aircraft-making enterprise plans to manufacture and deliver six Il-76MD-90A aircraft," the statement says.

The statement also confirms that the first Il-76MD-90A plane with the factory No. 0109 from the pre-production batch will be handed over to Russia’s military in the coming days.

"Currently, the new transport plane is being accepted by the operator," the statement explains. Another plane with the factory No. 0110 is completing flight tests and is also being prepared for its delivery."

Russia’s Defense Ministry signed a contract in 2012, under which the Aviastar-SP enterprise is to manufacture 39 Il76MD-90A planes for the Russian Armed Forces. Overall, the Russian military is set to acquire more than 100 Il-76MD-90A heavily upgraded military transport planes.

As Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said during his visit to the Aviastar-SP enterprise, three Il-76MD-90A military transport planes (also known as the Il-476) were to have been delivered to the Defense Ministry under the state procurement plan in 2018. The delay in the planes’ delivery amounted to three-four months. As the Aviastar-SP enterprise disrupted the timeframe of fulfilling the state defense program, the Russian government has set up a special commission to prevent disruptions in the planes’ delivery in the future, the vice-premier said.

Il-76MD-90A military transport plane

The Il-76MD-90A produced at the Ulyanovsk-based Aviastar-SP enterprise is a heavily upgraded version of the Il-76MD military transport plane. The aircraft’s new navigation and automated control systems and its communications suite enhance flight safety and the accuracy of piloting and landing.

The latest modification of the widely known military transport plane is distinguished by its new equipment, including the glass cockpit, modern PS-90A-76 engines, the modified wing and the enhanced landing gear. Russia is developing an Il-78-90A aerial refueling tanker on the basis of the Il-76MD-90A plane.