View Full Version : Equipment Stolen from IL-80 Airborne Command Post
SLXOwft
8th Dec 2020, 18:38
Thieves have targeted a Russian “doomsday” plane, the military aircraft that would be used by top officials, including Vladimir Putin, in case of a nuclear war.
The robbery of the Ilyushin-80, a mobile command post specially designed to keep officials alive and in command of the military during a nuclear conflict, took place at an airfield in southern Russia, state media reported.
The thieves managed to open the highly classified aircraft’s cargo hatch and make off with 39 pieces of radio equipment. They have not been caught.
The Guardian 07DEC2020
The BBC and the Guardian are repeating stories from the Russian news media that "39 units of equipment and five radio boards were taken" were taken from the E-4B equivalent which is under maintenance.
Anyone got a story of equipment theft from Western military aircraft that can be repeated on a public forum?
Imagegear
8th Dec 2020, 19:04
Ooops
Which five boards would they be now?, I doubt they are for the pie microwave.
More to the point, who half-inched them, and where are they now?
Any one for Russian football?
IG
atakacs
8th Dec 2020, 19:24
The BBC and the Guardian are repeating stories from the Russian news media that "39 units of equipment and five radio boards were taken" were taken from the E-4B equivalent which is under maintenance.
Anyone got a story of equipment theft from Western military aircraft that can be repeated on a public forum?
Not sure you will find many equipment stollen form a VC 25 on the market...
treadigraph
8th Dec 2020, 19:47
Not sure you will find many equipment stollen form a VC 25 on the market...
Would that be taking the cake?
etudiant
8th Dec 2020, 23:16
That seems like valuable gear for any major intelligence service to have. Apart from the Mossad, which agency would have the guts to pull this off? Is China getting that aggressive?
West Coast
9th Dec 2020, 02:12
Anyone check eBay?
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Ilyushin_Il-80_in_2009_%282%29.jpg/1024px-Ilyushin_Il-80_in_2009_%282%29.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/VVS_Ilyushin_Il-80_Naumenko.jpg
From
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-80
https://theaviationist.com/2020/12/07/someone-opened-a-cargo-hatch-and-stole-radio-equipment-from-an-il-80-maxdome-russias-doomsday-plane/
atakacs
9th Dec 2020, 20:18
That seems like valuable gear for any major intelligence service to have. Apart from the Mossad, which agency would have the guts to pull this off? Is China getting that aggressive?
My money is on some local operator and very lax security.
tdracer
9th Dec 2020, 22:10
Is China getting that aggressive?
Do you really need to ask? They only reason they wouldn't do it would be if they thought they'd get caught.
Hydromet
10th Dec 2020, 05:52
Do you really need to ask? They only reason they wouldn't do it would be if they thought they'd get caught.
...and then only if they thought it could be sheeted home to them with no doubt, or that the Ruskies would respond disproportionately. Not sure about the first, but wouldn't be surprised by the second.
I guess this is as embarrassing for the Russians as Matthias Rust, maybe more so.
Less Hair
10th Dec 2020, 12:38
Interesting to go for it when the aircraft is in long term industrial heavy maintenance. Possibly less guarded then when on standby.
sandiego89
10th Dec 2020, 12:39
From
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-80
https://theaviationist.com/2020/12/07/someone-opened-a-cargo-hatch-and-stole-radio-equipment-from-an-il-80-maxdome-russias-doomsday-plane/
Wow those are quite the APU's on the inner wings. Could likely run my mini television and beer fridge on those.
Less Hair
10th Dec 2020, 13:09
More like jamming pods?
air pig
10th Dec 2020, 17:05
My money is on some local operator and very lax security.
If it is, once the FSB has had a few quite words and stay at Black Dolphin will seem like a summer holiday, if they get that far?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Dolphin_Prison
TEEEJ
11th Dec 2020, 15:04
More like jamming pods?
Another departure from the standard Il-86 airliner configuration is the two large turbine-powered electrical generator pods mounted on large pylons inboard of the inboard engine nacelles. These pods are approximately 9.5 metres (32 feet) long and 1.3 metres (4 feet) in diameter. Each features an air intake scoop on its right side, with a jet exhaust on the outboard side of the aft end. Smaller intakes are on each side near the nose, and both pods have a landing light mounted at their extreme front end.
https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/il-87.htm