December 22, 2020

An Apocalyptic Aircraft Heist


An Apocalyptic Aircraft Heist
Cue Ocean's Eleven montage...
Kirill Naumenko, Wikimedia Commons

A Russian military "doomsday" plane has been looted while undergoing repairs in the southern city of Taganrog.

Since early 2019, the Ilyushin Il-80, a flying command-and-control center designed to keep military operations up and running in the case of nuclear war, has been berthed and in the process of being upgraded, one assumes under heavy guard.

That didn't stop robbers last week from getting on board and stealing 39 pieces of radio equipment, reportedly through an open cargo door. A criminal investigation is being considered.

This aircraft is one of four such craft in the Russian military, all of which are shrouded in secrecy.

Perhaps the plane's security system could use an upgrade, a la Home Alone?

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