Ajay Kumar at 13:12, 19 September 2023

2023-09-19T13:12:03Z

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{{Short description|Soviet-Russian Maritime patrol & ASW aircraft}}
{{redirect|Il-38|the protein|IL1F10|the road|Illinois Route 38}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}

{|{{Infobox aircraft begin
|name = Il-38
|image = Ilyushin Il-38SD Krivchikov 2007.jpg
|caption = Ilyushin Il-38SD of the [[Indian Navy]] in 2007.
}}
{{Infobox aircraft type
|type = [[Anti-submarine warfare]] and [[maritime patrol aircraft]]
|manufacturer =
|design group = [[Ilyushin]]
|builder =
|first flight = 28 September 1961
|introduction = 1967
|retired =
|status = In service
|primary user = [[Soviet Naval Aviation]] (historical)
|more users = [[Russian Naval Aviation]] <br/>[[Indian Naval Air Arm]]
|produced = 1967–1972
|number built = 58
|unit cost =
|developed from = [[Ilyushin Il-18]]
|variants with their own articles =
}}
|}

The '''Ilyushin Il-38''' "Dolphin"<ref name=Borst /> ([[NATO reporting name]]: '''May''') is a [[maritime patrol aircraft]] and [[anti-submarine warfare]] aircraft designed in the [[Soviet Union]]. It was a development of the [[Ilyushin Il-18]] turboprop transport.

==Design and development==
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,<ref name="Lake May p31">Lake 2005, p.31.</ref> 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.<ref name="Lake May p32">Lake 2005, p.32.</ref>

The airframe is based on the Il-18, with the wings moved forward 3 m (9.84 ft).<ref name="Gordon May p92">Gordon 2004, p.92.</ref> Unlike the Il-18, only the forward fuselage of the Il-38 is pressurised. The tail contains a [[Magnetic anomaly detector|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 [[sonobuoy]]s and one behind the wing housing weapons.<ref name="Lake May p31"/>

Some Western sources state that 58 were produced;<ref name="Lake May p32" /> the commander of the ASW squadron at [[Ostrov (air base)|Ostrov]] has stated that [[Soviet Naval Aviation]] received 35,<ref name=Borst>{{cite journal | url=://www.p3orion.nl/il-38%20may.pdf | title=Ilyushin IL-38 May- the Russian Orion | journal=Airborne Log | publisher=Lockheed | date=Summer 1996 | first=Marco P.J. | last=Borst | pages=8–9 | access-date=2 September 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910130518/http://www.p3orion.nl/il-38%20may.pdf | archive-date=10 September 2016 | url-status=dead }}</ref> of which about thirty remain in service with [[Russian Naval Aviation]].<ref name="Lake May p36">Lake 2005, p.36.</ref> Five were passed to [[India]] in 1977/8.<ref name=Borst /> 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,<ref name=Borst /> 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 missile|Sea Eagle]] [[anti-ship missile]].<ref name="Lake May p32-3">Lake 2005, pp.32–33.</ref> 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 [[Signals intelligence|electronic intelligence]] system housed in a box-like structure mounted on struts above the forward fuselage.<ref name="Lake May p36"/> Three upgraded aircraft, designated Il-38 SD, have been delivered to the [[Indian Navy]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lenta.ru/news/2010/02/19/il38sd/|title=Индийские противолодочные самолеты получили "Морского змея"|website=lenta.ru}}</ref> Indian Il-38 can also fire [[Kh-35E]] missiles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2017/02/indian-navy-practices-sinking-chinese-subs-in-largest-ever-military-exercise/|title=Indian Navy Practices Sinking Chinese Subs in Largest-Ever Military Exercise }}</ref>

==Operational history==
[[File:Soviet Il-38 May passing low over USS Midway (CV-41).jpg|thumb|An IL-38 May passing low over [[USS Midway (CV-41)|USS Midway]] on 18 May 1979]]

One prototype was lost in the early 1970s when it was forced to ditch at sea.<ref name=Borst />

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 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]].<ref name="Lake May p32"/> After the Cold War and the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|breakup of the Soviet Union]], Il-38s continue in service with the Russian Navy's Arctic and Pacific Fleets.<ref name="Lake May p36"/>

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

A midair collision occurred on 1 October 2002, during the Indian squadron's silver jubilee celebrations. IN302 and IN304, which were flying parallel to each other, collided above the [[Dabolim Airport|Dabolim airport]] in [[Goa]]. All twelve aircrew (six aboard each aircraft) were killed and both aircraft were destroyed.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2289429.stm|title=India navy planes collide in mid-air|date=1 October 2002|via=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>

==Variants==
[[File:Ilyushin IL-38SD 'May' IN305.jpg|thumb|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.]]
[[File:День ВМФ 2020 СПб. Самолёт Ил-38н.jpg|thumb|Ilyushin Il-38N in 2020]]
;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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lenta.ru/news/2012/03/05/il38n/|title=Северный флот получил модернизированный противолодочный самолет|website=lenta.ru}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2016/november-2016-navy-naval-forces-defense-industry-technology-maritime-security-global-news/4614-russia-s-upgraded-il-38n-maritime-patrol-aircraft-receives-lightweight-electrical-power-supply-units.html|title=Russia's upgraded Il-38N Maritime Patrol Aircraft receives lightweight electrical power supply units|website=www.navyrecognition.com}}</ref> 8 aircraft have been delivered to the Russian Navy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bmpd.livejournal.com/2341327.html|title=Восьмой модернизированный Ил-38Н|date=23 December 2016}}</ref>{{vs|date=December 2016}} Modernised anti-submarine planes have entered into service with Russia’s Pacific and Northern Fleets.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://airrecognition.com/index.php/archive-world-worldwide-news-air-force-aviation-aerospace-air-military-defence-industry/global-defense-security-news/2019-news-aerospace-industry-air-force/may/5078-il-38n-antisubmarine-aircraft-go-on-arctic-duty.html|title=Il-38N antisubmarine aircraft go on Arctic duty|website=airrecognition.com}}</ref>

==Operators==
[[File:IAF Tu-142 and Il-38.jpg|thumb|Il-38 of the Indian Navy at [[INS Hansa]] in Goa, with a [[Tupolev Tu-142]] in the foreground]]

;{{IND}}
* [[Indian Naval Air Arm]]
;{{RUS}}
* [[Russian Naval Aviation]]
===Former operators===
;{{USSR}}
* [[Soviet Naval Aviation]]

==Specifications (Il-38)==
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Russian Navy at [[RIAT]] 1996<ref name=Borst />
|prime units?=met

|crew=seven-eight<ref name=Borst />
|length m=40.185<ref name=Borst />
|span m=37.4<ref name=Borst />
|height m=10.17<ref name=Borst />
|wing area sqm=140<ref name=Borst />
|empty weight kg=35,500<ref name=Borst />
|max takeoff weight kg=66,000<ref name=Borst />

|eng1 number=4
|eng1 name=Ivchencko/[[Progress AI-20M]]<ref name=Borst />
|eng1 type=turboprop engines
|eng1 hp=4,225<ref name=Borst />

|max speed kmh=645<ref name=Borst />
|ferry range km=7,500<ref name=Borst />
|ceiling m=11,000<ref name=Borst />
|climb rate ms=5.33
|endurance=13 hours<ref name=Borst />

|armament=
* 20,000 lb (9,000 kg) of disposable stores, including depth charges, mines, torpedoes and bombs.{{cn|date=May 2023}}
**[[Kh-35E]] anti-ship missile{{cn|date=May 2023}}
**
}}

==See also==
{{aircontent
|related=
* [[Ilyushin Il-18]]
|similar aircraft=
* [[Bréguet 1150 Atlantic]]
* [[Canadair CP-107 Argus]]
* [[Lockheed P-3 Orion]]
* [[Hawker Siddeley Nimrod]]
* [[Shaanxi KQ-200]]
}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

*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.

{{Ilyushin aircraft}}

[[Category:Ilyushin aircraft|Il-038]]
[[Category:1960s Soviet patrol aircraft]]
[[Category:Four-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:Low-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Four-engined turboprop aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1961]]

Ilyushin Il-38 - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 13:12, 19 September 2023