Russia is courting India to participate in the Il-100 “Slon” heavy transport program under the PAK VTA initiative, framing a pathway to replace aging strategic airlifters with a platform envisaged for up to 180-ton payloads, roughly surpassing the An-124’s 120-ton rating and targeting long-range lift with four PD-35-class turbofans. Concept materials and comparative studies outline maximum takeoff weights near 490–500 tons, runway needs around 3,000 meters, and range figures of about 4,900 km with 180 tons or 7,000 km with 150 tons, aligning Slon in the super-heavy category alongside An-225-era benchmarks. Open-source profiles of the Il-106/Slon lineage cite a five-person crew, span near 75 m, length about 70 m, and an empty mass near 180 tons, consistent with PAK VTA goals though still notional pending prototypes and trials. For India, collaboration could bolster industrial participation and strategic mobility amid recapitalization plans and sanctions-era supply constraints.