By Bjorn Fehrm

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Introduction

September 08, 2016, ©. Leeham Co: Having covered the possibilities of reusing parts of the Il-96 fuselage for a new Russian-Chinese wide-body, it's now time to look at the existing IL-96 wing and how far this is from a modern design.

Figure 1. Concept for new wide-body airliner. Source: United Aircraft.

The intent is not to propose that the existing wing is reused but rather to check the technology level against western designs and how big a leap it will be for the partners to make a modern high performance wing for the aircraft.

Summary:

• The IL-96 wing is roughly on the technological level of the Airbus A340-300 wing with a bit lower aspect ratio.
• The dimensions are close to what is needed for the new wide-body but sweep and aspect ratio needs to be changed for a new wing.
• A wing for a 2025 long range wide-body also need a more modern construction technology than classical aluminum alloys.