In the silent expanse thousands of feet above the earth, two aircraft cut through the skies, each more than a mode of transport, a flying fortress, a command centre, and a declaration of power. On one side is the aircraft that ferries a long-serving leader whose security doctrine is as enigmatic as his politics. On the other stands the airborne headquarters of a president whose office commands the world’s most far-reaching defence systems. Both jets are engineered to survive the unimaginable. Both are designed to lead nations even in the face of war. But which one is truly stronger, safer, or more technologically formidable?

What unfolds is a rare comparison between the twin icons of aerial statecraft, Russian president Vladimir Putin ‘s IL-96-300PU , informally dubbed the “ flying K

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