Russia's military transport aviation in crisis: Challenges and failures

According to military and political observer Oleksandr Kovalenko, Russian military transport aviation is in crisis, a situation made more apparent since the start of the war against Ukraine. While attention has mostly focused on tactical aviation, transport plays a crucial role in supplying the troops. The key factor is operational efficiency, and the question arises: how effective is Russia's transport aviation?

The main aircraft is the Il-76, and despite having 130 such planes in 2022, their operational reliability is lacking, with only 60% in working condition due to the absence of regular maintenance and upgrades. This has led to a high rate of failures and losses, both in combat and from Ukrainian drone strikes.

Production capabilities for new Il-76s are limited. The Ulyanovsk factory has only delivered 20 Il-76MD-90A units in recent years. This is due to low technological capacity and defects in production, such as engine problems.

Additionally, the project for a lighter military transport aircraft, the Il-112V, intended to replace older models, failed due to technical issues. Even with the new design, there were significant defects, including faulty engines and aerodynamic problems, leading to a crash in 2021.

As a result, Russia's transport aviation suffers from a lack of quality aircraft, and the absence of Western technologies worsens the crisis. Currently, producing new aircraft is impossible, and modernizing existing ones faces serious obstacles.

• Hennadiy Khazan, President of the Ukrainian Aviation Pilots and Aircraft Owners Association, noted that the modernized Mirage 2000 fighters are able to carry Storm Shadow cruise missiles.