Aircraft
Russia Revives Large Airlifter Design Work
The Ilyushin Il-106 could be a replacement for the An-124s that are no longer supported by Ukraine.
This is how the Il-106 looked when first revealed by the Ilyushin design bureau 25 years ago. (Photo: Ilyushin)
This is how the Il-106 looked when first revealed by the Ilyushin design bureau 25 years ago. (Photo: Ilyushin)

The Ilyushin design bureau has resumed work on a very large, four-engine airlifter that was first drafted in the late 1980s. The move comes after support for the Russian air force fleet of An-124 Ruslan heavy airlifters by the Antonov design bureau ended, as a result of the poor relations between Russia and Ukraine.