‘Doomsday plane’: What is the ‘Flying Kremlin’? Putin’s jet was the most

The aircraft carrying Vladimir Putin became the most tracked flight in the world on Wednesday, according to Flight Radar 24, as the Russian President travelled to Delhi for his two-day state visit. The aircraft, often referred to as the “Flying Kremlin” or “Doomsday plane,” is a specially modified Russian-made Ilyushin Il-80, adapted from the Il-86 passenger and cargo jet. Designed to safeguard Russia’s top leadership during the worst-case scenarios, it serves as a secure airborne command centre for Putin. Designed at the peak of Soviet aerospace ambition, the wide-bodied, four-engined Ilyushin Il-96, successor to the Il-86, became the foundation for Russia’s presidential aircraft. Initially developed in the 1980s as a commercial airliner meant to rival Boeing and Airb