Iran’s Air Force Overhauls Ilyushin Aircraft

It took experts at Shahid Doran Air Base in Iran’s southern city of Shiraz more than 48,000 man-hour to overhaul the aircraft.

The military airplane made successful test flights after the overhaul and returned to service.

The Ilyushin is a multi-purpose four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau. It was designed to deliver heavy machinery to remote, poorly served areas. Military versions of the Il-76 have been widely used in Europe, Asia and Africa, including use as an aerial refueling tanker or command center.

Before the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the overhaul of military planes in Iran was carried out by foreign military attaché. But today the Islamic Republic is able to overhaul military aircraft thanks to reliance on the capabilities of the country’s committed engineers and technicians.

Iran has become one of only a handful of countries capable of performing the servicing and overhaul of its fleet of airplanes, both military and civilian.

This is while the country has been under sanctions since 1979 and the sanctions have become more intense after the country started its peaceful nuclear program.