Ilyushin Il-38

The Il-38 is an adaptation of the four-engined turboprop Ilyushin Il-18 for use as a maritime patrol aircraft for the Soviet Navy. It met a requirement to counter American ballistic missile submarines. The Communist Party Central Committee and the Council of Ministers issued a joint directive on 18 June 1960, calling for a prototype to be ready for trials by the second quarter of 1962. The fuselage, wing, tail unit and engine nacelles were the same as the Il-18 and it had the same powerplant and flight deck. An aerodynamic prototype of the Il-38 first flew on 28 September 1961,[2] with the first production aircraft following in September 1967. Production continued until 1972, when the longer-range and more versatile Tupolev Tu-142 derivative of the Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bomber had entered service.[3]

The airframe is based on the Il-18, with the wings moved forward 3 m (9.84 ft).[4] Unlike the Il-18, only the forward fuselage of the Il-38 is pressurised. The tail contains a MAD, while under the forward fuselage a Berkut ("Golden Eagle") search radar (named "Wet Eye" by NATO) is housed in a bulged radome. There are two internal weapons bays, one forward of the wing, housing sonobuoys and one behind the wing housing weapons.[2]

Some Western sources state that 58 were produced;[3] the commander of the ASW squadron at Ostrov has stated that Soviet Naval Aviation received 35,[1] of which about thirty remain in service with Russian Naval Aviation.[5] Five were passed to India in 1977/8.[1] In the mid-1990s it seems the Tu-204/Tu-214 airliner won a competition against the Beriev A-40/Be-42 amphibious plane to replace the Il-38 in Russian service,[1] but a lack of funds crippled the project. More recently an A-40 variant seems to be under development to replace the Il-38.

India received three ex-Soviet Naval Aviation Il-38s in 1977, with two more arriving in 1983. Indian modifications included fitting pylons to the fuselage side to carry the Sea Eagle anti-ship missile.[6] The Il-38s of the Indian Navy have been sent back to Russia for upgrades. They will incorporate the new Sea Dragon avionic suite, incorporating a new radar, a Forward looking infrared turret under the nose and an electronic intelligence system housed in a box-like structure mounted on struts above the forward fuselage.[5] Three upgraded aircraft, designated Il-38 SD, have been delivered to the Indian Navy.[7]

An IL-38 May passing low over USS Midway on 18 May 1979

One prototype was lost in the early 1970s when it was forced to ditch in the sea.[1]

The Il-38 was operated by units in the Soviet Northern, Pacific and Baltic fleets. In March 1968 a squadron of Il-38s deployed to Cairo in Egypt, flown by Soviet crews but in Egyptian markings, until being withdrawn in 1972. Il-38s continued to deploy overseas through the Cold War, flying from Aden in South Yemen, Asmara in what was then Ethiopia, Libya and Syria. Two Il-38s were attacked on the ground in a commando raid and at least one was destroyed by Eritrean People's Liberation Front fighters in 1984 at Asmara.[3] Following the end of the Cold War and the breakup of the Soviet Union, Il-38s continue in service with the Russian Navy's Arctic and Pacific Fleets.[5]

The type made its first visit to a NATO base in 1995, at NAS Jacksonville in United States.[1] Its first appearance at an airshow in the West was at the 1996 Royal International Air Tattoo in United Kingdom.[1]

A tragic midair crash occurred on 1 October 2002, during the Indian squadron's silver jubilee celebrations. IN302 and IN304, which were flying parallel to each other, had a midair collision above the Dabolim airport in Goa. All twelve aircrew (six aboard each aircraft) were killed and both aircraft were also destroyed.[8]

An unmarked Ilyushin IL-38, which was later delivered to the Indian Navy in 1983 and was the navy's first Il-38 to be modernised to SD standard.

Il-38

Production aircraft

Il-38M

Modified with a receiver probe as part of a probe and drogue air refueling system. System not adopted.

Il-38MZ

Tanker variant of the Il-38. Prototype only

Il-38N

Improved variant sometimes referred to as Il-38SD for Sea Dragon, which is a new search and tracking system. The Russian Navy version is equipped with the Novella P-38 system.[9] Novella P-38 is able to find air targets at ranges of up to 90 kilometres and follow surface objects within a radius of 320 kilometres, can track 32 above- and underwater targets simultaneously.[10] 8 aircraft have been delivered to the Russian Navy.[11] Modernised anti-submarine planes have entered into service with Russia’s Pacific and Northern Fleets.[12]

Il-38 of the Indian Navy at INS Hansa in Goa, with a Tupolev Tu-142 in the foreground

 India

• Indian Naval Air Arm

 Russia

• Russian Naval Aviation

Data from Russian Navy at RIAT 1996[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: seven-eight[1]
• Length: 40.185[1] m (131 ft 10 in)
• Wingspan: 37.4[1] m (122 ft 8 in)
• Height: 10.17[1] m (33 ft 4 in)
• Wing area: 140[1] m² (1,500 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 35,500[1] kg (78,264 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 66,000[1] kg (145,505 lb)
• Powerplant: 4 × Ivchencko/Progress AI-20M[1] turboprop engines, 3,151 kW (4,225[1] hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 645 km/h (401 mph, 348 kn)
• Ferry range: 7,500 km (4,700 mi, 4,000 nmi)
• Endurance: 13 hours[1]
• Service ceiling: 11,000[1] m (36,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 5.33 m/s (1,049 ft/min)

Armament

• 20,000 lb (9,000 kg) of disposable stores, including depth charges, mines, torpedoes and bombs.

Related development

• Ilyushin Il-18

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Bréguet 1150 Atlantic
• Canadair CP-107 Argus
• Lockheed P-3 Orion
• Hawker Siddeley Nimrod

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ilyushin Il-38.

• Lake, Jon. "Russia's Submarine Killer: Ilyushin IL-38 May". Air International, February 2005, Vol 68 No.2. Stamford, UK:Key Publishing. pp. 30–36.
• Gordon, Yefim and Dmitriy Komissarov, Ilyushin Il-18/-20/-22; A Versatile Turboprop Transport, Midland Publishing:Hinckley England. 2004.