First in-line Il-76MD-90A assembled and handed over for testing in Ulyanovsk.

The first heavy transport aircraft Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A, assembled at the new assembly line at the Ulyanovsk-based Aviastar-SP (part of Rostec's UAC), was transferred to the flight test station of the aircraft factory.

Follow Air Recognition on Google News at this link

First in-line Il-76MD-90A assembled and handed over for testing in Ulyanovsk  (Picture source: UAC/United Aircraft Corporation)

"This is a landmark event for the enterprise. It confirms the ability of the Ulyanovsk aircraft manufacturers' team to effectively solve the most important tasks. The introduction of the new technological process will further contribute to increasing the volume of serial production of more than ten aircraft per year," said Sergey Sheremetov, Managing Director of Aviastar-SP.

In contrast to the previously used technology, the new assembly line in Aviastar-SP will reduce the complexity of aircraft assembly by 38%. The line consists of ten workstations for docking the fuselage, wing, and tail compartments and stations for mounting the aircraft's power plants and systems. It is equipped with a laser positioning system of units, which ensures high accuracy of docking of all elements of the aircraft

It was announced in 2010 that the production of a modernized Il-76 Candid, the Il-76MD-90A (also known as project Il-476 during the design stage), would begin; a proposed new production line would be located in Aviastar's facility in Ulyanovsk, Russia, and be operated in cooperation with the Tashkent works. At that point, the construction of two Il-76MD-90A prototypes had begun at the Ulyanovsk facility. The 1st Il-76MD-90A was rolled out at Aviastar's Ulyanovsk plant on 16 June 2014. On 29 April 2015, it was reported that the Russian Air Force received the first Il-76MD-90A built at the Ulyanovsk plant "Aviastar-SP" from the 2012 contract for 39 aircraft. The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) received its first serial production Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A airlifter on 2 April 2019. As of early 2021, 27 aircraft are ordered to be delivered in the period up to 2028 and 9 had been built.