The Il-76 military aircraft takes Bashar al-Assad to Russia in exile (Flickr – KoenH)
Former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, after the fall of his regime, has exiled himself in Russia, which granted him asylum for humanitarian reasons, according to a diplomat speaking to the Russian agency Tass.
Assad and his family boarded a flight to the country on an Il-76 aircraft, according to military sources. The Il-76 is a military aircraft designed in the 1970s by the Soviet Union, but also used for civilian purposes.
The Il-76 is a robust four-engine aircraft, designed to operate in extreme temperature conditions and on unpaved runways, with the capacity to transport up to 60 tons of cargo. The aircraft can reach a cruising speed of 850 km/h, with a range of up to 4,000 km with maximum load.
The Il-76 comes in several versions, such as the Il-76T for commercial transport and the Il-76MD for long-range military operations. Its design and cargo capacity make it an essential aircraft for missions in remote and hard-to-reach areas.
The model serves various purposes, including the transport of troops, military equipment, humanitarian operations, and even in-flight refueling, and is widely used by armed forces of countries with ties to the former USSR, such as Russia, China, India, and Iran.
Source: UOL | Photo: Flickr – KoenH | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
Last night we tracked a Ilyushin Il-76T flight over Syria.
The flight took off from Damascus and the signal was lost near the city of Homs.
* We can confirm that flight took place.
* The aircraft was old with an older transponder generation, so some data might be bad or… pic.twitter.com/uCGUnVeug0— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) December 8, 2024
