Pakistan at Air Force operational base welcomed the first aircraft tanker for aerial refueling. This is the great news for Pakistan Armed forces
Ilyushin Il-78 is the aircraft that Pakistan has bought from Ukraine and Pakistan will receive three more aircraft tankers in the next year 2010. Pakistan’s defence capability will be significantly enhanced with the inclusion of the refueling aircraft in PAF fleet. Some details of this aircraft are following;
General characteristics
- Crew: Six
- Capacity: 138,000 kg (304,233 lb) of fuel
- Length: 46.59 m (152 ft 10 in)
- Wingspan: 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in)
- Height: 14.76 m (37 ft 1 in)
- Wing area: 300 m² (3,230 ft²)
- Empty weight: 72,000 kg (202,821 lb)
- Useful load: 85,720 kg (188,980 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 210,000 kg (462,962 lb)
- Powerplant: 4× Aviadvigatel D-30 KP turbofan engines, 118 kN (26,500 lbf) each
- Special equipment: 3 x UPAZ-1M ‘Sakhalin’, (oonifitseerovannyy podvesnoy agregaht zaprahvki – standardised suspended refuelling unit), refuelling pods; Two on pylons under the outer wings, and the third on the port side of the rear fuselage.
Performance
- Maximum speed: 850 km/h (460 kn, 530 mph)
- Range: 7,300 km (3,942 nmi, 4,551 mi)
- Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,360 ft)
- Thrust/weight: 0.23
Early versions of the Il-78 have the fuselage pod mounted on a short horizontal pylon, but the Il-78M has the fuselage pod suspended from an identical pylon to the wing pods, attached to a short stub wing, this modification was carried out to isolate the pod from turbulence generated by the fuselage, with the added benefit of commonality with the wing pod/pylon combination. Il-78s were produced with Aeroflot colours and civilian registrations, but production Il-78Ms received military markings, registration and colour scheme. The majority of the twenty Il-78 aircraft on the strength of the Ukrainian Air Force have been permanently converted to pure transports by removal of freight hold tanks and refuelling equipment.
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