The Ilyushin Il-76 (NATO designation Candid) was fielded by the Soviet Air Force in 1974 as a medium range, medium payload, rough surface capable cargo aircraft. Produced by the Ilyushin Aviation Complex Joint Stock Company in Moscow and the Tashkent Aircraft Production Corporation in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the Il-76 was purpose built as a combat support aircraft who's primary mission was to deliver infantry and light armored vehicles. The Il-76 is also paratrooper capable, and can air deliver palletized cargo and specially prepared military vehicles.
The test flight of Il-76 finished in 1975 and then turn into batch prodution. The customers of Il-76 were the USSR airforce and USSR airline at that time. More than 950 Il-76 have been built before 1997, about 50 per year. And over 100 of them were exported to Algeria, Iran, UK, Syria, India, Czech, Porland, Iraq, Libya, Cuba and China.
