The Ilyushin Il-76 is a 4-engined strategic airlifter designed in the Soviet Union and in widespread use in Europe, Asia and Africa , the plane has subsequently seen extensive service as a commercial freighter, especially for the delivery of outsized or very heavy cargo. The Il-76 has reportedly carried some 90% of the world's ramp-delivered airfreight and about 90% of Europe's disaster relief supplies while a water-carrying version of the plane has proven effective in fire-fighting operations in many countries.

The aircraft was first conceived by Ilyushin in 1967 to meet a requirement for a freighter able to carry a payload of 40 tons (88,000 lb) over a range of 5,000 km (2,700 nautical miles; 3,100 statute miles) in less than six hours, able to operate from short and unprepared airstrips, and capable of coping with the worst weather conditions likely to be experienced in Siberia and the Soviet Union's Arctic regions.  It first flew on March 25, 1971, and is still in production in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.