A-Model 72010 Soviet Ilyushin Il-38 Anti-Submarine Aircraft

Ilyushin Il-38 (NATO code: May) was and still is a four-engine maritime long-distance reconnaissance and anti-submarine patrol aircraft (ZOP).

The drive is provided by four Ivchenko AI-20M turboprop engines with a capacity of 4,250 KM each. The flight of the prototype took place in 1961, and serial production lasted in the USSR from 1968 to 1972, ending with the production of about 60 examples of this aircraft. Ilyushin Il-38 was created as a very far-reaching development of the Il-18D aircraft. Compared to its predecessor, the fuselage was changed, shortening its front part and significantly lengthening the rear part. Some changes were also made to the wings, which inevitably moved to the front of the plane. The capacity of the fuel tanks was also changed, which extended the flight duration to 12 hours and the range to 7,200 km. In the fuselage (in its middle and rear part) there are specialized equipment, including an extensive radar system and a magnetometer. The aircraft's armament is also there - mainly depth charges and torpedoes. Only three development versions were produced during the series production. One of them was the Il-38N, which also has the ability to control the airspace. Machines of this version entered the equipment primarily of the Russian Pacific Fleet. At present (2017), the Il-38 machines are used by the armed forces of the Russian Federation and India.