This appears to be a RC-135 spyplane, on the tarmac at a russian airfield. It has the length and wingspan of the RC-135. I can't quite make out the markings on the wings, but they may be national insignia.

That's either an Il-86 or Il-96 airliner.

It looks to be an IL-96-300. Someone might eventually find an OC-135 on a Russian airfield, however. They are the USAF aircraft that carry observations under the "Open Skies" treaty. See
http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=120

I don't know what the designated Russian airport/airfields are for Open Skies. One of the 4 airports in the U.S. is the Lincoln, Nebraska municipal airport, where you can sometimes see the Russian AN-30 parked. Hmmm, might be something to google-earth.....

The Il-86 is the closest match to the placemarked plane. It's a bit too small for Il-96T, Il-96M or Il-96-300 in both wing span and fuselage length. According to my measuring, that is.

No question about it. It's not an Il-96-300 or anything else but a plain old garden variety Il-86 Camber.

As far as I'm aware all of the USAF's RC-135s are accounted for

JH

Look at the wing-tips and the TWO forward Left Doors, thats not a RC-135, no way. RC-135's have only the one forward left door

Don't be so quick to assume that this is a spyplane just because it is at a Russian airfield. This airport, UUS, serves the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, which has become an important destination for those in the oil and gas business. I think it is much more likely that this is a commercial passenger aircraft. There are at least four airlines, Asiana, TransAero, Aeroflot and one other whose name escapes me at the moment that fly into UUS. Two of them, Asiana and Transaero, fly western-made aircraft (Airbus and Boeing) into UUS. I know, because I have flown here several times. Visit this airport and you are quite likely to see large numbers of American and British citizens going to work for Shell, Exxon, etc.

Look for a spyplane and soon you will find it!

I live in the place.

Of course not, this is for sure IL-96, which has in comparison to IL-86 lift-up wing tips (clearly seen on the right wing's shadow).

This parking bay is used for Moscow flights. The airline company which one of you forgot is Domodedovo (like the airport in Moscow). This company uses IL-96's for flights to UUS.

[image]http://www.ivask.ru/podarki/oboi_rabochego_stola/sovremennyie_samoletyi/il_96/224.html[/image]

Look at our schedule:
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport Schedule
Your line 28.