Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force Il-76 Destroyed

A Russian-made Il-76MD Candid heavy transport aircraft was destroyed by USAF airstrikes at Kerman's Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani Airport in southeastern Iran. The heavy airlifter was parked on the apron when it was struck by precision-guided munitions, as shown in CENTCOM footage released on March 11. With Western sanctions preventing acquisition of modern transport aircraft, each Il-76 loss significantly degrades Iran's ability to move heavy military equipment, missile components, and materiel across its territory. This is the second Il-76 from the IRIAF fleet destroyed in the conflict, following the loss at Shiraz on February 28.