Thieves Break Into Russia’s Nuclear War 'Doomsday' Jet
Thieves broke into a Russian military Il-80 transport plane and made off with more than three dozen pieces of communications equipment.
The Il-80 is specially designed to carry Russia’s president and general staff during a nuclear war, keeping them safe.
The jet is also designed to allow Russia’s leadership to maintain secure communications with its nuclear forces.
A Russian military aircraft designed to allow the country’s leadership to survive and fight a nuclear war has been crippled, the victim of a particularly brazen burglary. Thieves stole 39 pieces of communications equipment from the Ilyushin Il-80 aircraft, nicknamed “Maxdome” by NATO.
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The incident took place at the Beriev Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex, outside the Russian city of Rostov. Inspectors noticed an open hatch leading inside the plane and soon discovered the equipment was missing.
The Ilyushin Il-80 strategic airborne command post is a modified Il-86 widebody passenger jet converted for military use. Four airplanes were converted, with one reserved for use by the Russian president. The remaining three planes belong to Special Air Group Rossiya and are meant to carry members of the Russian General Staff.
In a national crisis, the Russian president and military officials would board the aircraft, which would then fly to remote areas of Russia far from any potential nuclear impact zones or encroaching enemy aircraft.
The Il-80s are designed to protect their passengers from nuclear war. The planes lack windows except for the flight crew, in order to prevent passengers from being blinded by nuclear explosions. Special air filters remove radioactive particles from air entering the aircraft, and the number of interior doors have been reduced.
The planes also feature an aerial refueling probe, allowing Russia’s leadership to loiter in midair or fly long distances to safety.
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The planes are designed to allow Russia’s leaders to prosecute a nuclear war from midair. A large, canoe-like fairing over the cockpit houses satellite communications gear, preserving a communications link with other Russian military forces. In flight, the Il-80 unspools a wire-like, very low-frequency antenna that's several kilometers long, which is designed to keep the leadership in contact with Moscow’s fleet of ballistic missile submarines.
The Il-80’s American equivalent is the E-4B National Emergency Airborne Command Post, or NEACP (“Kneecap”). Also known as Nightwatch, the four converted Boeing 747-200 jetliners have a similar mission and equipment. The planes, based at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, have never been the victims of theft (as far as we know).
It isn’t clear what equipment was stolen from the Il-80, but given the airplane’s mission, there is little doubt the absconded goods are rare and expensive. It’s hard to believe an airplane so important could be sidelined by a simple breaking and entry, but that’s 2020 for you.
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