Russia's Newly-Refurb'd 'Air Force One' | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-05.05.25

Airborne-NextGen-05.06.25

AirborneUnlimited-05.07.25

Airborne-Unlimited-05.01.25

AirborneUnlimited-05.02.25

Thu, Feb 13, 2003

Russia's Newly-Refurb'd 'Air Force One'

Vladimir Putin's Plane Costs $300 Million

We've found out a little about the Il-96-30 that Russian President Vladimir Putin inherited from Boris Yeltsin. As it is soon to go into service, we figured we owed it to the taxpayers of Russia to let them know what they've invested in: one impressive big jet!

The biggest upgrades were in the accommodations themselves, and the avionics and communications; the total bill was about $300 million. Official sources won't comment on the electronic upgrades.

A worldwide group of artisans and craftsmen worked on the big "new-version Camber" [for the nitpickers, we know it was the Il-86, on which the -96 was based, that was nicknamed 'Camber' by NATO --ed.]

What can you fit into such a machine? Two bedrooms, two showers, a conference room, a resting room, and even a "reanimation room." [No -- we didn't ask --ed.]

Paint came from the Netherlands; the $35 million saloon work was done in Switzerland. Then, that interior work, we're told, was torn out, and English craftsmen, who know how a pub should look, sent at it. Yeltsin, known for his fondness for spirits, had "only" two bars in the plane; now, there are three. The bathroom, Gala says, cost $75,000 -- and its fixtures didn't come from the Pentagon.

Although luxurious, the actual presidential office got squeezed by the opulence of the rest of the living space. It's just under 100 square feet.

First flight is scheduled for April, with Viktor Galkin at the helm. Captain Galkin is a veteran presidential flier -- he has 27 years' cockpit experience, and is already Putin's pilot, in his "old" Il-96. [The USA also has two presidential planes, tail numbers 28000 and 29000, that look like 747s, but are officially designated VC-25A --ed.]

FMI: www.gala.net; (VC-25A):  www.af.mil/news/factsheets/VC_25A___Air_Force_One.html

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (05.05.25): Circle To Runway (Runway Number)

Circle To Runway (Runway Number) Used by ATC to inform the pilot that he/she must circle to land because the runway in use is other than the runway aligned with the instrument appr>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (05.05.25)

Aero Linx: National Aviation Safety Foundation (NASF) The National Aviation Safety Foundation is a support group whose objective is to enhance aviation safety through educational p>[...]

NTSB Prelim: De Havilland DHC-1

At Altitude Of About 250-300 Ft Agl, The Airplane Experienced A Total Loss Of Engine Power On November 6, 2024, at 1600 central standard time, a De Havilland DHC-1, N420TD, was inv>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: The Boeing Dreamliner -- Historic First Flight Coverage

From 2009 (YouTube Edition): Three Hour Flight Was 'Flawless' -- At Least, Until Mother Nature Intervened For anyone who loves the aviation business, this was a VERY good day. Afte>[...]

Airborne-NextGen 05.06.25: AF Uncrewed Fighters, Drones v Planes, Joby Crew Test

Also: AMA Names Tyler Dobbs, More Falcon 9 Ops, Firefly Launch Unsuccessful, Autonomous F-16s The Air Force has begun ground testing a future uncrewed jet design in a milestone tow>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC