According to TASS agency, Russia’s new Airborne Command Post will be built on the basis of an Il-96-400M long-haul wide-body aircraft. Currently, an Il-80 plane is used for the purpose.
Airborne Command Post aircraft is designed for use in the event of a nuclear war or a major disaster in case ground-based command infrastructure cannot be used.
According to open-access sources, the Russian armed forces currently have four such planes in service.
