Quarter of Il-76 aircraft in Russia fail due to poor quality parts - media

According to Ukrinform, this was reported by the Vazhnye Istori (Important Stories) publication with reference to the Kommersant newspaper.

The Investigative Committee in Moscow Region has opened a criminal case against a supplier of bearings for Il-76MD-90A military aircraft. According to the investigation, the Balashikha Foundry and Mechanical Plant (BLMZ) purchased bearings from an unknown manufacturer that did not meet the requirements of the documentation and then transferred them to Aviastar for the production of upgraded IL-76 aircraft intended for the transport of troops and cargo.

As a result, five aircraft were out of service due to landing gear problems, while according to open source information, as of the end of 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defence had 18 such aircraft at its disposal. Most of the aircraft, 11 units, were delivered in 2022-2023.

The criminal case was initiated under the article on "abuse of power in the execution of the state defence order". According to the investigation, "significant damage was caused to the legally protected interests of the state, represented by the Russian Ministry of Defence", as well as "damage to the country's defence and security".

The security forces searched the BLMZ. 

As reported by Ukrinform, on 20 July, a series of explosions occurred near the Millerove military airfield in the Rostov region of Russia, as well as near an oil depot.

Later it became known that a hangar and a fuel depot were damaged as a result of a drone strike on the airfield in Millerove.

Photo: getty images