Thieves Broke Into Russia’s Il-80 Doomsday Plane.
By Thomas Newdick December 7, 2020
In what seems like a remarkable breach of security, unknown thieves have helped themselves to equipment from inside one of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ rare Il-80 Maxdome “doomsday aircraft.” The converted airliner, which plays a role analogous to the U.S. Air Force’s E-4B, as a strategic airborne command post in time of nuclear conflict, was at an airfield in southwest Russia when the caper took place.
While it is not clear exactly when the raid was carried out, the incident was reported today by Russia’s state-run media outlet RIA Novosti. According to their story, the Il-80 was undergoing maintenance when “unknown persons opened the cargo hatch” and stole what is described as “radio equipment.”
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Not surprisingly, the type of “radio equipment” stolen from the Il-80 at Taganrog has not been disclosed. There has been some speculation that the equipment may simply have been taken for its scrap value. However, even if the theft concerns less-sensitive items, the fact that intruders entered this aircraft — a strategic asset that is key to the nation’s nuclear deterrent — in the first place, is a cause for alarm. It also raises more questions about the security standards at Russian air bases, especially those that are dual-use, with military and civilian applications.
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https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38010/thieves-broke-into-russias-il-80-doomsday-plane