History: Ilyushin+Il-76

Ilyushin Il-76 is a strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Ilyushin design bureau in 1976 with the specific purpose of delivering heavy machinery to remote, poorly-serviced areas of the Soviet Union. The multipurpose 4-engined aircraft is known under the NATO reporting name Candid and was intended as a replacement for the An-12.

Currently the aircraft has both military and commercial versions in use throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. It even has an airborne refueling tanker version but was also used as a moving command center, fire-fighting aircraft or zero-G training.

The Ilyusin Il-76's commercial version is used mostly as a freighter to deliver heavy cargo and outsized equipment that cannot be otherwise transported. It has been used in several occasions as an emergency response transport for delivering humanitarian/disaster relief aid. One of the reasons it is very good at this task is the capability to land and take off from unpaved runways.