Putin brings his 'Flying Kremlin' to India for Brics: What makes 'Doomsday Plane' different?

Russian President Vladimir Putin touched down in New Delhi on Friday to begin a three-day visit for the BRICS Summit, during which he has held a bilateral meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss expanding bilateral trade, investment and energy cooperation. As one of the world's most heavily protected leaders, Putin arrived with a high-level delegation and under characteristically tight security, flying in one of two identical Ilyushin IL-96-300PU aircraft, with both jets airborne simultaneously so no one, barring his closest security detail, knows which one he's actually on. This double-decoy tactic isn't new for Moscow, and Putin has used it on previous foreign visits as well.'Aurus' of the skiesThe aircraft itself, often nicknamed the "Flying Kremlin" or the "Doomsday Plane," is a highly customised, specially modified version of the Ilyushin IL-96-300PU, developed by the Ilyushin Design Bureau back in the 1980s.