The Ilyushin Il-76, which is owned and operated by Russian cargo specialist Volga-Dnepr Airlines, landed at Auckland International Airport on Jan. 27 just before 8 pm.
Auckland Airport said in a social media post that it was excited to welcome the “unusual visitor".
The four-engine aircraft was designed in the late 1960s. It has a wingspan of 50 meters, can carry up to 50 tonnes of cargo, and has a maximum volume of 230 cubic meters.
It is still used by several operators mostly in ex-Soviet states for civilian cargo operations.
A Rocket Lab spokesperson said the aircraft was carrying a “synthetic aperture radar satellite” for Japanese Earth observation company Synspective, for one of Rocket Lab’s upcoming missions.
