In Russia, began to build a command and control aircraft in the event of a nuclear war

At the end of July 2021, it became known that Russia they began to build a command and control aircraft in the event of a nuclear war. Two air command posts based on the wide-body long-haul liner Il-96-400M are in production.

According to RIA Novosti, in the future, the order of the third air control post is not excluded. The project was called "Link-3C."

By mid-2021, four IL-80 air command posts were in service with Russian aerospace. These aircraft were created in the late 80s on the basis of the medium-haul passenger IL-86. They are protected from the consequences of a nuclear explosion, so they do not have portholes, but there is an air filtration system.

Construction of a command and control aircraft in case of nuclear war started in Russia

In the bow of the IL-80 there is a large overhead compartment for electronic equipment, and in the tail - an exhaust cable antenna about eight kilometers long. It is needed to communicate with submarines in the very low wave frequency range. Lukov at the IL-80 is the minimum number.

It is assumed that the new IL-96-400M, the creation of which became known at the end of July 2021, will be able to cover the distance twice as much as the previous version could. The aircraft's equipment will allow bringing orders to troops, including strategic aviation, mobile and mine installations, strategic nuclear weapons submarines within a radius of 6,000 km.

Doomsday aircraft are designed to evacuate the country's top leadership and command troops in the event of destruction of ground and satellite infrastructure. Aircraft can be refueled in the air. In flight, they are accompanied by fighters.

Earlier in the United States, the air command post of the US Air Force E-4B Nightwatch, which is also called the "Doomsday aircraft," was shown. By July 2021, four such aircraft, built on the basis of a passenger Boeing 747, are in service, they are assigned to an air base in Nebraska.^[1]

Notes