I saw that. It rolled around in my head for a while, varying from, "chilling," to, "I wonder if the planes are that well made," to, "Jets? Don't they go a little fast for that job?"
Dunno. It's noteworthy.
Hi Carrie, Re the speed of the Ilyushin IL-76, they have a specially- designed thrust reducers to reduce the speed. This as well as other interesting technical aspects of the planes are discussed here:
link In case I've made another mistake in posting the link, you can see the page by clicking on the "Other Uses" link once you're within the Global Emergency Response site. Here is the paragraph that specifically discusses the speed issue: "Leading edge wing designs and special flaps together with high-lift devices and thrust reversers on each of the four very powerful engines allow for low, slow flight, and safe landings on remote, rough and generally shorter runways. These are ideal features for remote drop missions of any kind including, for example, dropping relief supplies bundles, pre-fab hospitals, oil spill containment equipment, and the like."