Ilyushin Il-76 Candid
Il-76 'Candid-A: First flown in prototype form during March 1971, this is the Soviet replacement for the Antonov An-12 'Cub' series in both the civil freighting and military transport roles with a powerplant of four PNPP 'Aviadvigatel' (Soloviev) D-30KP turbofans. Design of the new type began in the late 1960s to met a requirement for a freighter able to carry a payload of 88,183 lb (40000 kg) over a range of 2,698 nm (3,107 miles; 5000 km) in less than 6 hours, able to operate from short and unprepared airstrips, and capable of coping with the worst weather conditions likely to be experienced in Siberia and the USSR's arctic regions.
The configuration of the new Soviet transport was probably inspired by that of an American logistic freighter, the Lockheed C-141A StarLifter, in its overall layout with a circular-section fuselage offering pressurized accommodation, swept flying surfaces including a high-set wing and T-tail, a powerplant of four fuel-economical turbofans pod-mounted below and ahead of the wings, and multi-wheel landing gear of the tricycle type, in this instance with a nose unit carrying two side-by-side pairs of wheels and the main units (retracting into two ventral/lateral blisters whose use left the fuselage clear for payload) each comprising a tandem arrangement of two four-wheel axles.
One of the major keys to the type's success as an airlifter, as in any modern type fulfilling the same role, is the design of the upswept rear fuselage that allowed the incorporation of a ventral ramp/door arrangement for uncomplicated loading and unloading of bulky items as well as the paradropping of heavy equipment and/or men. In the case of the Il-76, the ramp/door arrangement is hydraulically powered and comprises two outward-hinging clamshell doors, a downward-hinging ramp, and an upward- and inward-hinging panel between the clamshell doors. This arrangement provides unobstructed access to the rectangular-section hold, which is 65 ft 7 in (20.00 m) long or 80 ft 5 in (24.50 m) including the ramp, 11 ft 4 in (3.46 m) wide and 11 ft 2 in (3.40 m) high. The hold can handle freight with the aid of roller panels in the floor and two overhead cranes each carrying one hoist rated at 6,614 lb (3000 kg or two hoists each rated at 5,511 lb (2500 kg).
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