RuAviation

Experimental development work has begun on a basic anti-submarine, reconnaissance and patrol aircraft, which should replace the Ilyushin IL-38. The new machine will expand the range of weapons, the range of ammunition will be larger. This is reported by RIA Novosti agency with reference to an informed source.

“The new machine will retain the standard four-engine scheme for aircraft of this class, it is planned to be equipped with TV7-117 turboprop engines,” he said.

The source did not disclose the parameters of the future plane but noted that its flight performances “would be typical of turboprop anti-submarine planes. The new plane will get modern onboard equipment including a data-processing center and a multi-function search and target acquisition system as well as hydro-acoustic buoys, the source added.

The vehicle is planned to be built almost entirely on the basis of Russian electronic elements and components, the interlocutor of the agency explained.

IL-38 – anti-submarine and medium-range maritime patrol aircraft, created on the basis of passenger liner IL-18 and produced in 1967-1972 years. Totally 60 IL-38 were built in the Soviet Union, the latest modification – IL-38H. In its basic version the aircraft is equipped with radio hydroacoustic buoys to search for submarines and a variety of anti-submarine weapons – depth bombs, torpedoes and mines. The upgraded IL-38N is equipped with a multifunctional search and targeting system Novella with the detection range of surface ships over 320 kilometers. The system is capable of simultaneously tracking several dozens of submarine, surface and radio emitting targets.

The combat radius of IL-38/IL-38N reaches 2,500 kilometers, top speed – 650 kilometers per hour, the maximum flight altitude – 10 thousand meters.

There are currently about 25 IL-38 and IL-38N in the Russian Air Force, but there is no real information on how many of them are in service. According to the World air forces for 2022, the Russian naval aviation indicates 21 IL-38s in service. The Military Balance (p. 198) lists one regiment and two squadrons of IL-38s/IL-38Ns, which is equivalent to 24 aircraft of that class.

Although the source of RIA Novosti agency did not say on what basis the new patrol and anti-submarine aircraft is being developed, it was earlier reported that the IL-114-300 could become the basis for such a development. This is indirectly confirmed by the words of the interlocutor of the agency about the engines of the TV7-117 family. The IL-114-300 is equipped with the TV7-117ST-01 version.

In December 2018, Igor Kozhin, head of naval aviation of the Russian Navy, talked about plans to start serial production of a promising aviation patrol complex in the period from 2021 to 2030.

Earlier, he said that the new development will replace all the patrol aircraft available in the fleet of naval aviation. “We are talking about creating and putting into service a new unified platform,” Kozhin said.

The Russian Defense Ministry has high hopes for the IL-114-300 passenger turboprop aircraft. At the end of 2017, our website reported that the military department plans to replace the IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft with a new vehicle that will be based on the IL-114-300. Then it was reported that the formation of tactical and technical requirements for the new reconnaissance aircraft based on the IL-114-300 was underway. The work on the new machine was to begin immediately after the updated passenger aircraft would take to the air.