Owing to the shortage of resources, countries are heading towards crises of multiple sorts. There are food shortages, energy crises, water crises, environmental issues, and so much more that are showing the future being wrapped in gloom and anxiety. When there are issues like this in the world, power dynamics come into play. Countries fight for resources and the ones with advanced military and modern weaponry with commendable foresight win and claim rights over the already disputed resources. In this regard, Russia is getting prepared for any of these probable situations.
The country is calling one of its main weapons, the ‘doomsday plane’. The progress is in line with the weapon advancement occurring in other superpowers with nuclear energy. The country has four airborne command posts where the officials can be kept safe when there is no safe space on the ground, just like Washington has.
The new plane being designed is a better version of Ilyushin-96-400M and will be built in Voronezh. Two more airplanes will be joining the fleet soon as well. These doomsday planes will have reinforced fuselage, smart communication systems, and will be radiation-proof with more range than the planes already in use.
It is expected that the plane will experience its first flight this year. Even the doomsday plane is not immune to the security threats from Russia itself. Last time, in December 2020, a significant number of parts were stolen from the plane, including 39 communication units and five radio boards. This loss amounted to around one million roubles.
