#sovietaircraft

Ilyushin Il-96-300 Aeroflot – Russian Airlines

Registration: RA-96015 Named: M. Gromov Type: 96-300 Engines: 4 × PS-90A Serial Number: 74393202012 First flight: Dec 1995

The history of the Il‑96 aircraft is inextricably linked with the era of late Soviet aircraft manufacturing and the transformation of Russian civil aviation in the post‑Soviet period. Developed by the Ilyushin Design Bureau in the late 1980s, the Il‑96 became the first Soviet wide‑body long‑haul airliner, incorporating cutting‑edge engineering solutions and technological advancements of that time.

The creation of the Il‑96 was a response to the global trend of the 1970s–1980s – the shift by airlines towards wide‑body aircraft that offered increased passenger capacity on long‑haul routes. The USSR faced an urgent need to replace the aging Il‑62 and Tu‑154 with an aircraft capable of competing with the Boeing 747, Airbus A300, and McDonnell Douglas DC‑10. The Il‑96 was intended to become a symbol of technological sovereignty and proof of the Soviet aviation industry’s ability to produce modern long‑haul airliners.

For Aeroflot – the flagship of Soviet and later Russian civil aviation – the Il‑96 held special significance. The aircraft’s entry into service in the early 1990s coincided with dramatic changes: the collapse of the USSR, the liberalization of the aviation market, and the opening of international routes. The Il‑96 did not merely join the carrier’s fleet – it became part of its image as an airline capable of operating long‑haul routes using domestically produced aircraft.

However, economic reality proved harsh. The four‑engine configuration was less fuel‑efficient compared to the twin‑engine Boeing 767. In 2006, Aeroflot’s statistics showed that the Il‑96 consumed significantly more kerosene on comparable routes. In the context of fierce competition and rising fuel prices, this became critical. In December 2013, the company announced the withdrawal of this aircraft type from service.

Today, former Aeroflot Il‑96s are in storage. Other aircraft of this type are in service with the Special Flight Detachment «Russia» as the presidential aircraft, confirming the highest level of safety. For Aeroflot, the Il‑96 remains an episode of a transitional era – a symbol of ambition and a lesson in market realities.

Antonov An-26B-100 Kostroma Aviation Enterprise

Registration: RA-26081 Named: Sharya Type: An-26B-100 Engines: 2 × AI-24VT Serial Number: 117-03 First flight: 1981

Kostroma Aviation Enterprise is a regional airline founded in 1944 and based at Sokerino Airport, located six kilometers from Kostroma. Over eight decades of operation, Kostroma aviators have experienced much: the golden era of Soviet regional aviation, when An-2s flew to every village with a dirt runway; the arrival of turboprop L-410s in the late 1970s, which expanded the geography of flights; then the difficult 1990s with reduced routes and an uncertain future. Nevertheless, the enterprise survived.

Today, the core of the small fleet consists of An-26 turboprop aircraft – reliable Soviet machines capable of operating in harsh conditions. The company operates regular passenger flights on the Kostroma–Saint Petersburg route three times a week. During the summer season, additional routes to Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan are opened. The fleet also includes Mi-2 and Ansat helicopters, used for medical aviation, search and rescue operations, and VIP transportation.

Kostroma Aviation Enterprise performs an important social function, maintaining air connections under conditions where it would be unprofitable for commercial carriers to operate. Despite challenges – high costs, competition from ground transportation, aging fleet – the company continues its work thanks to state support and the loyalty of the local population, providing connectivity between the Kostroma Region and cities across Russia.

Tupolev Tu-154M Transportgeschwader 44 (TG-44)

Registration: DDR-SFA Type: Tu-154M Engines: 3 × D-30КU-154 Serial Number: 0799 First flight: 1989

In the year the Berlin Wall fell, a pair of brand-new Tu-154s appeared in the fleet of Transportgeschwader 44 (TG-44), a special transport unit of the GDR Air Force, painted in the colors of Interflug, East Germany's flagship carrier. The philosophy was simple: government aircraft should look like ordinary passenger airliners.

This was characteristic of an era when socialist leaders preferred modesty to ostentatious luxury. Moreover, the civilian livery helped remove certain barriers to obtaining flight clearances to foreign countries. The paradox was that the GDR's national airline never operated the Tu-154.

The aircraft entered service at the most inappropriate historical moment. 1989 became the year of the socialist bloc's collapse, and soon the GDR itself ceased to exist. The two practically new aircraft served East German leadership for only a very short time.

After German reunification in 1990, TG-44 was disbanded, and both Tu-154Ms were transferred to the Luftwaffe – the air force of unified Germany. They received new registration numbers: 11+01 and 11+02, and continued to perform VIP transport duties, as well as participating in observation flights under the Treaty on Open Skies from 1992.

The further paths of the two aircraft diverged dramatically. The first aircraft – 11+01 (formerly DDR-SFA), was withdrawn from service and received a second life in Iran. In 2011, it was finally retired and sent to storage in Iran, where it probably remains to this day.

The second aircraft – 11+02 (formerly DDR-SFB) – met a tragic end. On September 13, 1997, it collided in mid-air with an American C-141B at a distance of 65 miles off the coast of Namibia. Both machines were completely destroyed.

This brief story vividly demonstrates how aviation reflects the political changes of an era, and that even the most modern aircraft can become hostages to historical circumstances.

Antonov An-12 Juba Air Cargo

Registration: ST-JUA Type: An-12B Engines: 4 × AI-20A Serial Number: 11-10 First flight: May 1963

Juba Air Cargo, a former cargo airline based in Khartoum (Sudan), was established in 1996. It operated domestic cargo transportation within Sudan from its main hub at Khartoum International Airport and an additional base in Sharjah (UAE). In 2000, the airline became part of the JAMA Group alliance, alongside other regional carriers such as Attico, Airwest, and Marsland. Juba Air Cargo served destinations including Khartoum, Juba, Waw, and Malakal, with a particular focus on transporting goods along these routes.

The airline operated a small fleet of Soviet-era cargo aircraft, the An-12 and Il-76, which were widely used across the African continent due to their reliability and ability to operate in challenging conditions. However, its operational history was overshadowed by several significant incidents. Following air crashes in 2007 and 2008, Juba Air Cargo halted all flights, effectively ceasing to exist in June 2008.

The airline’s brief history reflects the challenges faced by cargo operators in the region, including aging aircraft, difficult operating conditions, and limited resources. While Juba Air Cargo once played an important role in Sudan’s cargo transportation network, its end is largely defined by these tragic accidents and its ultimate dissolution.

Tupolev Tu-154B-2 Aeroflot

Registration: СССР-85412 Type: Tu-154B-2 Engines: 3 × NK-8-2 Serial Number: 0412 First flight: Apr 1980

During the era of the USSR, Aeroflot—Soviet Airlines reigned supreme as the sole airline in the nation, and it held the title of the largest aviation company in the world. Predominantly, its extensive network of routes spanned the vast Soviet territory, while its international operations, which bridged all five continents, were steadily expanding.

In the mid-1970s, the Soviet Union embarked on the ambitious endeavor of preparing to host the XXII Olympic Games in Moscow, slated for August 1980. Two years prior to the commencement of the Games, Aeroflot was designated as the official carrier of the event. The airline commenced operating charter flights to numerous countries worldwide, with the frequency of these flights surging as the Games approached. Aircraft assigned to international routes were emblazoned with stickers featuring the Olympic Games-80 emblem and the proclamation "Official Olympic Carrier." Approximately one hundred aircraft, including the IL-62, Tu-154, and Tu-134, proudly bore the Olympic symbols.

During this period, Aeroflot was vigorously augmenting its fleet with new aircraft, among which was the Tu-154, registered as USSR-85412. This particular aircraft, which would later be depicted on the poster, was constructed in April 1980 at the Samara Production Association of the 6th Main Directorate of the MAP of the USSR. After a distinguished service life, this aircraft ceased operations in 2007 in Kazan following the expiration of its airworthiness certificate. By that time, it had become part of the fleet of Tatarstan Airlines.

Ilyushin Il-18 Interflug

Registration: DDR-STE Type: Il-18V Engines: 4 × AI-20 Serial Number: 051-01 First flight: 1962

Interflug GmbH was the national airline of East Germany from 1963 to 1990. Based in East Berlin, it operated scheduled and chartered flights to European and intercontinental destinations out of its hub at Berlin Schönefeld Airport, focusing on Comecon countries. Following the German reunification, the company was liquidated. Over the 1960s, the airline saw a significant growth, concerning both its route network and fleet of Soviet-built aircraft. The Ilyushin Il-18 turboprop airliner became the backbone of Interflug's short haul flights during that period. Now Ilyushin Il-18 DDR-STE is an exhibit of the Hans Grade Museum, Borkheide, Germany.

Antonov An-24B MIAT Mongolian Airlines

Registration: БНМАУ-6207 Type: An-24B Engines: 2 × AI-24 Serial Number: 062-07 First flight: 1970

MIAT Mongolian Airlines, is the state-owned national airline of Mongolia, headquartered in the country's capital of Ulaanbaatar. The airline operates scheduled services from its base at Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Sergelen, near Ulaanbaatar. Regular flights of the airline started on July 7, 1956 using an Antonov An-2 from Ulaanbaatar to Irkutsk. The first Antonov An-24 turboprop aircraft was received in 1964. An-26 turboprops were also obtained in the era. By 1970, the airline was conducting services to 130 separate airfields in the country, by flying from the capital's Buyant-Ukhaa International Airport to provincial centers.