Il-90

The Ilyushin Il‑90 was a Soviet strategic air‑liner project conceived in the early 1970s as a larger, more capable successor to the Il‑86. Developed by the Ilyushin Design Bureau, the aircraft was intended to serve both civilian long‑haul routes and potential military transport roles, reflecting the dual‑use philosophy of the period. The design featured a stretched, double‑deck fuselage with a capacity of up to 320 passengers, four high‑bypass turbofan engines mounted on the rear fuselage, and a spacious cargo hold that could accommodate military equipment or oversized freight. Advanced avionics, fly‑by‑wire controls, and an integrated pressurization system were planned to improve flight efficiency and passenger comfort. Although a full‑scale prototype was built and ground‑tested, the Il‑90 never entered series production; economic constraints, shifting airline priorities, and the emergence of more fuel‑efficient Western competitors led to the project's cancellation in 1985. Nevertheless, the Il‑90 remains a notable example of Soviet ambition to match Western wide‑body airliners, influencing later Russian designs such as the Il‑96 and leaving a legacy of engineering ideas that continue to inform modern transport aircraft development.