The back of Putin's plane hides confidential equipment, and our C929 will also replace Boeing's plane in the future

The specifications of Putin's visit to China this time are not low, except for the five Il-76s that stood in front of him on the 15th. Lavrov and Putin both flew two Il-96 special planes one before and one after

The specifications of Putin's visit to China this time are not low, except for the five Il-76s that stood in front of him on the 15th. Lavrov and Putin both flew two Il-96 special planes one before and one after. The Il-96, painted with red, blue, and white waistlines, can be said to be the exclusive seat of high-level Russian government officials, but the Lavrov plane is significantly different from Putin's one.

(The Il-96 presidential plane arrived at the Capital Airport on the morning of the 17th)

In fact, the term "presidential plane" in various countries does not refer to a single aircraft, but rather to an entire fleet. The famous US presidential plane, Air Force One, is theoretically just a call sign. The plane on which the President is on is called Air Force One. The Russian government has a total of 11 "special planes" of various types, including the common Il-96 and the smaller Tu-204.

These planes are on standby at all times, not only to pick up and drop off President Putin, but also to serve senior government officials such as the Russian Vice President, Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister, all of whom are qualified to travel to countries around the world by special plane. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov was riding on one of these 11 planes and arrived in China early on the 16th, laying the groundwork for President Putin.

(Same as Il-96, but there is a significant difference in appearance between Lavrov's ride and Putin's ride)

Of course, out of Russia's 11 government jets, there are a total of 4-5 "presidential jets", all of which are upgraded and modified from Russia's largest Il-96 large civil aviation aircraft. Like the US Air Force One, these aircraft are also equipped with Russia's most advanced defense systems, which can effectively interfere with incoming surface to air missiles and air to air missile weapons, and have strong battlefield survival capabilities. At the same time, the "presidential plane" also uses an internal radiation resistant lead lining and thickened insulation glass, which can effectively respond to radiation under nuclear strikes, thus also being imaged as the "apocalyptic plane".

(The Russian government has a total of 11 various "special planes", including the Il-96, Tu-204, and other models.)

Although most of Russia's presidential and government jets are modified using the Il-96, there are still slight differences between the two. For example, compared to the Il-96 flown by Lavrov and the plane flown by Putin, there is a less obvious protrusion on the back of the plane, which is actually a large radio antenna array.

Relatively speaking, although the Il-96 is also a dual channel wide body four engine large passenger aircraft, its volume size is smaller than the double-layer Boeing 747. However, Russia has always been relatively backward in electronic technology, so the volume of its various electronic products is larger than that of contemporary American equipment. Due to two factors, the space left by the Il-96 for electronic devices appears limited, which is the fundamental reason why Putin's special plane will have specialized large antenna fairs.

(Although they are all "special planes," Putin's Il-96 has a prominent antenna fairing on the back.)

What is this 6-antenna array for? As the President of Russia, Putin has always held control of Russia's strategic weapons, commonly known as the "nuclear button". The so-called "nuclear button" in Russia is a set of suitcases, but on the one hand, it needs to follow the President closely, while also ensuring smooth communication with Russian strategic forces at all times, even on airplanes.

The Il-96 presidential plane can ensure that Putin can effectively control and command Russia's strategic strike force even during flight by installing large communication antennas and maintaining contact with the Russian strategic rocket army and naval nuclear submarines through radio systems or satellites at any time.

(The "nuclear button" is a true "major power weapon" that must always be accompanied by the President)

(In the footage of Putin's visit to China released by Russian news agency, two accompanying naval officers carry "nuclear suitcases")

As the President of Russia, Putin has always held control of Russia's strategic weapons, commonly known as the "nuclear button". Although this so-called "nuclear button" is a suitcase, it requires following the President closely and ensuring smooth communication with Russian strategic forces at all times, even on airplanes. In this way, the Il-96 can maintain contact with Russia at any time through radio systems or satellites by installing large communication antennas, which can effectively ensure that Putin can effectively control and command Russia's strategic strike forces even while in flight.

Air Force One is a symbol of the strength of the United States

At present, there are a total of 6 countries in the world that have their own "presidential jets", including the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. You are not mistaken. In addition to the United Nations' "five permanent missions", there is also Germany. Among them, it goes without saying that the United States' "Air Force One", also known as the VC-25A special plane, is the most famous among the "presidential planes" of various countries. Hollywood even made a movie specifically around "Air Force One".

There are a total of 2 VC-25A planes, and these two planes are backup to each other. One plane is responsible for transporting the President's visit, while the other plane is on standby at any time, so that it can be quickly replaced in case of problems with the mission plane. At present, the US President's plane is also undergoing a facelift, and two new planes are expected to be delivered in 2027. The new model is based on a Boeing 747-8 modification, which has already cost 5.2 billion US dollars before and after.

(The Prime Minister's plane in the UK is not only a fuel dispenser, but also responsible for transporting vehicles during foreign affairs missions)

In fact, in addition to the United States and Russia, the governments of Britain, France, and Germany also have so-called "special planes". However, the UK's "Prime Minister's Jet" was modified from a Royal Air Force refueling aircraft, which, like other Royal Air Force refueling aircraft, had to carry out the daily task of refueling fighter jets when not on a dedicated mission. The origin of France's "presidential plane" is a bit awkward, as the French government's budget has been tight in recent years, so second-hand passenger planes have been used for a long time to modify special planes. The latest one is a second-hand A330 aircraft modification.

Germany, on the other hand, is the only country outside the P5 that has an independent "private jet". However, Germany's "private jet" is more suitable to be called "government private jet" because Germany ordered three A350 aircraft under the name of "government official jet". These three aircraft are not used solely by the German President or Prime Minister, but can be used by senior officials of the German government.

(The future C-929 is expected to become a "Made in China" government jet)

Among the countries with "special planes", China is considered an alternative. Previously, the Chinese government did not have a dedicated government plane, but instead selected planes from Air China to take on the role of "special planes" during foreign affairs visits. However, after 2010, the Chinese government specifically purchased two Boeing 747-8 aircraft and converted them into dedicated government aircraft for use.

After all, using someone else's plane is not a solution. After more than a decade, these two 747-8 special planes will retire to the second tier, and the domestically produced C929 large wide body aircraft will already be in mass production. From the perspectives of safety, brand promotion, and national image, the C929 is clearly a suitable modification target. The C929, a large mainline civil aviation aircraft, has sufficient space to be modified as a government aircraft and used as a private aircraft, which is undoubtedly the best advertisement for "Made in China".

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