Ilyushin Il-38
The Ilyushin Il-38 is a maritime-patrol and anti-submarine aircraft derived from the Il-18 turboprop airliner. Its long endurance, magnetic-anomaly detector, sonar buoys, and internal weapons bay allow it to search large ocean areas for submarines. The conversion retained the Il-18’s four-engine low-wing layout but replaced passenger accommodation with mission systems. Upgraded Il-38N aircraft continue to serve, making this Cold War airliner derivative an enduring part of Russian naval aviation.
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Did you know?
Look for the underslung radome and MAD boom on the tail, added when this Il-18 airliner was converted to submarine hunting.
Specifications
| Length | 39.6 m (130 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 37.4 m (123 ft) |
| Height | 10.2 m (33 ft) |
| Persons on board | 11 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 63.5 t |
| Range | 3,500 NM (6,482 km) |
| Maximum speed | 360 kt (667 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 33,000 ft (10,058 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 31,000 ft (9,449 m) |
| Rate of climb | 1,050 ft/min (5.3 m/s) |
| Take-off distance | 1,300 m (4,265 ft) |
| Landing distance | 850 m (2,789 ft) |
| Fuel capacity | 30,000 l |
| Engines | 4x Ivchenko AI-20M |
| Units built | 58 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Ilyushin Il-38 starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Ilyushin, the Il-38 family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
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