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