A Soviet Naval Aviation Il-38 maritime patrol aircraft in flight on April 16th, 2009.
The Ilyushin Il-38 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.
Variants[]
- 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 Soviet Navy version is equipped with the Novella P-38 system. Novella P-38 is able to find air targets at ranges of up to 90 kilometers and follow surface objects within a radius of 320 kilometers, can track 32 above- and underwater targets simultaneously. Eight aircraft have been delivered to the Russian Navy. Modernized anti-submarine planes have entered into service with Russia’s Pacific and Northern Fleets.
