In 2012, Russia signed an agreement with United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) for 39 Il-76MD-90A transport aircraft. It was announced that the platform had successfully completed the leak test. The cargo aircraft, which is tested under a certain air pressure, will be transferred to the final assembly line after checking the water penetration resistance.

A contract worth 2.1 billion USD was signed for the planes that would be in the inventory of the Russian Armed Forces. The Il-76MD-90A is an upgraded version of the IL-76. Glass cockpit and PS-90A-76 engines were used on the platform. This reduced the aircraft's fuel consumption by 10 percent. Il-76MD-90A can carry a 60-ton payload to a range of 4,000 kilometres.