It was designed to deliver heavy machinery to remote, poorly served areas. It was first planned as a commercial freighter in 1967, as a replacement for the Antonov An-12. The Ilyushin Il-76 ( Russian: Илью́шин Ил-76 NATO reporting name: Candid) is a multi-purpose four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau.
