The Chinese portal NetEase dedicated an article to the presidential Il-96-300PU aircraft, on which Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing. The authors called the aircraft the “flying Kremlin” and emphasized its special protection.
As the publication notes, externally, the Il-96-300PU is almost indistinguishable from a regular passenger liner and looks more modest than the American Air Force One.
However, this aircraft is equipped with secure communication via military satellites, which allows maintaining control of the country even in flight. It is indicated that the range of the aircraft reaches 14 thousand km without landing.
The Il-96-300PU is capable of withstanding the effects of electromagnetic pulses and ionizing radiation. The aircraft is also equipped with electronic warfare systems.
It is known from open sources that the Il-96-300PU is built at the Voronezh Aircraft Plant; it belongs to the aircraft fleet of the special flight detachment “Rossiya”.
The exact characteristics of the protection are traditionally not disclosed, but experts note that such aircraft are created as airborne command posts in case of emergencies.
