A forty-passenger commercial airliner of 1937, powered by four 1600 hp / 618kW BMW 801MA engines.
The wing design of the first four Ju-90 aircraft, which were all seriously underpowered, was changed on Ju-90V5 to Ju-90V7, with straight wings similar to the Ju-290, but less span.
Four prototypes and ten pre-production aircraft were built, designated Ju 90B-1.
Ju-90V6 and Ju-90V9 were converted to become Ju-390 prototypes.
Ju.90
Eleven were delivered to Luft-Hansa during 1938, most of which later passed to the Luftwaffe as troop transports.
Ju.90
Ju 90 V2 seconded to Sonderkommando Junck, Iraq, with Iraqi markings
W/no 0008 D-ATDC ‘Hessen’ First flew 4 February 1940 Was to have been delivered to Lufthansa, but went to Luftwaffe as BG+GZ Destroyed January 1943.
W/no 0009 D-AJHB ‘Thuringen’ First flew 6 March 1940 Delivered to Luft-Hansa on 20 March 1940 Served with Liftwaffe from November 1942 as BJ+OV Destroyed as a modified weapons test aircraft J4-KH August 1944.
W/no 0010 D-AVMF ‘Brandenburg’ First flew 25 April 1940 Delivered to Lufthansa later Crashed 8 November 1940
90 B Military types fitted with porthole fuselage windows and oval tail fins.
90 S W/no 0011 Modified during 1942, W/no 4918, with a new wing and fitted with a vertical loading ramp. Engines: BMW 801 The partially built aircraft was later redesignated Ju 290 V-1
Ju 90 Engines: 4 x BMW 801MA, 1600 hp Propellers: metal three-bladed variable pitch Wingspan: 42 m Length: 28,64 m Height: 6,83 m Wing area: 205,30 sq.m.
Ju 90 Wingspan: 114 ft 10 in Length: 86 ft 3 in Height: 24 ft 7 in Wing area: 1980.55 sq.ft Empty weight: 35,250-42,390 lb Loaded weight normal: 50,706 lb MAUW: 74,264 lb Max speed: 218 mph Cruise speed: 200 mph Landing speed: 68 mph Service ceiling: 18,500 ft Ceiling 3 engine: 9840 ft Range max: 1300 mi Range normal: 775 mi
Ju 90S Engines: 4 x BMW 801MA, 1600 hp Propellers: metal three-bladed variable pitch Wingspan: 42 m Length: 28,64 m Height: 6,83 m Wing area: 205,30 sq.m. Armament: 3 x MG 151/20, 20 mm / 2 or 3 x MT MG 131, 13 mm
Four-engined heavy bomber, a competitor of the Do 19. It was cancelled, but Junkers re-used elements for the Ju 90 airliner, which was later developed into the Ju 290.
As early as 1909 Junkers had been projecting aircraft capable of carrying as many as 1000 people. Recognizing, that his flying wings were over-ambitious, he started work in 1928 on a machine which incorporated much of his flying wing technology, but had a conventional fuselage and empennage.
Ju G38 powered by two L55 engines inboard and two L8a engines outboard
The Junkers G 38’s 44 m (144 ft) wing was 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) thick at the root, enabling four passengers to be housed there, looking out through glazed leading edges, while the other 30 travellers sat in the fuselage. The thick wing also gave inflight access to the four engines, initially two each of 400 hp and 800 hp, but later changed to 800 hp Junkers L.88s, and finally to Jumo 204 diesel engines which left characteristic black trails. The first flew on November 6, 1929. Production models carried 34 passengers (plus seven crew).
Two G 38s, named Deutschland and Generalfeldmarschall von Hindenburg, went into service with Deutsche Lufthansa in 1930 and 1931 on the important routes from Berlin to Copenhagen, Venice and Rome, bringing with them new standards of passenger comfort with two deck accommodation, smoking rooms and washrooms. One crashed in 1936; the second example was destroyed in a bombing raid.
From the G 38, Junkers developed the K 51 military variant. It was this that the Mitsubishi works built under licence, and in conditions of strict secrecy, with the collaboration of Junkers engineers. Six Ki 20s were produced as the Army Type 92 Super Heavy Bomber between 1931 35, and the first one flew in 1931. The first two were assembled from materials imported from Germany, the third included only a proportion of imported components, but the remaining aircraft were of all Japanese manufacture. As a measure of its size, the Ki 20 had a wing area double that of the Boeing B 29 Superfortress first flown a decade later.
The Ki 20 was festooned with defensive armament and bombs. In the nose was an open bow gunner’s cockpit. There were two underwing gun turrets, with other guns located in the rear of the inboard engine nacelles, and two dorsal gun positions. The total armament, formidable for the period, consisted of eight 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine-guns and one 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon. Bombs were carried under the fuselage on external racks. The standard bombload was 2000 kg (4400 lb) with a claimed maximum of 5000 kg (11020 lb). The bombardier, one of the crew of ten, sat in a glassed in nose position. The first four Ki 20s were powered by four Junkers 800 hp L88 gasoline engines, and the last two by 720 hp Junkers Jumo 4 diesels. The aircraft was also used as a testbed for the Kawasaki Ha 9 engine. The performance of the ungainly Ki 20 fell far short of the expectations that the army had for a long range strategic bomber capable of attacking targets as far away as the Philippines. In squadron service great difficulty was found in maintaining the engines. Although the aircraft were flown in both Japan and Manchuria, they never saw action. The Ki 20’s main use, it would seem, was for domestic propaganda. To this end, three joined the formation fly past during the January 1940 military review in Tokyo, while another was the subject of a public exhibition.
Junkers G 38 Engines: 4 x Jumo 204 diesel, 550kW Max take-off weight: 24000 kg / 52911 lb Empty weight: 14900 kg / 32849 lb Wingspan: 44.0 m / 144 ft 4 in Length: 23.2 m / 76 ft 1 in Height: 7.2 m / 23 ft 7 in Wing area: 305.0 sq.m / 3282.99 sq ft Max. speed: 225 km/h / 140 mph Cruise speed: 210 km/h / 130 mph Ceiling: 6400 m / 21000 ft Range w/max.fuel: 3500 km / 2175 miles Range w/max.payload: 1000 km / 621 miles Crew: 3-7 Passengers: 34
Ki 20 Engines: 4 x Jun¬kers 800 hp L88 gasoline Wing span: 44m (144ft 4in) Length: 23.2m(76ft 2in) Gross weight: 25,448 kg (56 103 lb) Speed: 200 km/h (124 mph). Armament: eight 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine¬guns and one 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon Standard bombload: 2000 kg (4400 lb) Claimed maximum: 5000 kg (11020 lb) Crew: ten
Ki 20 Engines: 720 hp Junkers Jumo 4 diesels. Wing span: 44m (144ft 4in) Length: 23.2m(76ft 2in) Gross weight: 25,448 kg (56 103 lb) Speed: 200 km/h (124 mph). Armament: eight 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine¬guns and one 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon Standard bombload: 2000 kg (4400 lb) Claimed maximum: 5000 kg (11020 lb) Crew: ten
The Ilyushin IL-96 features supercritical wings fitted with winglets, a glass cockpit, and a fly-by-wire control system. It was first flown in December 1988 and certificated in 1992. The IL-96-300 aircraft equipped with modern Russian made avionics which includes six multifunctional color-LCD displays, electro remote management system, inertial navigation system, collision air avoidance system (including mode “S”) and satellite navigation equipment, VHF communication with grid of 8,33/25 kHz frequencies, and equipment permitting executes flights in RVSM conditions. It allows operating the airplane with two crew members. The avionics correspond to modern requirements on international routes in Europe and North America (RNP-1) and allows to navigate and land under ICAO CAT IIIA conditions. The Il-96 came in three main variants: the IL-96-300, IL-96M/T and IL-96-400. The IL-96M is basically an IL96-300 with a 30 ft fuselage plug and PW engines.
The first PW2337-powered Il-96T RA-96101 was rolled out on 26 April 1997 and first flew on 16 May 1997. Airborne for 21 minutes before returning to Voronezh and on the following dat was flown to Zhukovsky to continue flight testing.
Prototype Il-96T RA-96101 on first flight, 16 May 1997 at Voronezh
The Il-96T freighter first flew in mid-1993 and the initial production unit rolled out in May 1997, fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines and Rockwell-Collins avionics. This aircraft was used for FAA certification, granted on 2 June 1999. The –96T is a freight version, with a similar –96M passenger version.
The IL-96-400M project was launched in 2017. One of the differences between the deeply modernised version and its predecessor is the longer fuselage, which is increased by 9.35 meters.
IL-96-400M
In the final assembly workshop of the Voronezh aircraft plant VASO, which is part of the Rostec aviation complex, the assembly of the wide-body, long-range airliner Il-96-400M continued. This wide-body aircraft was a new modification of the IL-96-300.
The IL-96-400M will be equipped with a modern flight-navigation complex and domestic radio communications that meet the requirements of the international aviation authorities for navigation, surveillance and communication systems. Modular integrated avionics for the new airliner is produced by the Rostec Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies.
The aircraft can be presented to the customer in various configurations. In one-class performance, it will accommodate 402 passengers, two-class – 350, and three-class – 305.
IL-96-400M
Another important difference between the IL-96-400M will be a more powerful PS-90A1 power-plant compared to the base PS-90A installed on the IL-96-300. This engine has increased maximum thrust, it is equipped with a low-emission combustion chamber and new 2nd generation sound-absorbing structures. The engine is produced at the ODK-Perm Motors plant.
The completion of the assembly of the first prototype IL-96-400M and the transfer of the aircraft for testing were planned at the end of 2021. The plane is completely assembled from Russian components.
IL-96M Engines: 4 x Pratt & Whitney PW2337 turbofan. Max take-off weight: 270000 kg / 595251 lb Wingspan: 64.7 m / 212 ft 3 in Length: 60.11 m / 197 ft 3 in Height: 17.5 m Max range: 11480 km / 7134 miles Range: (30t load) 6200nm.
Il-96T Engines: 4 x Pratt & Whitney PW2337 turbofan.
The llyushin Il-86, which has the NATO reporting name ‘Camber’, was the Soviet Union’s first wide-body civil transport. Of low/mid-wing monoplane configuration, it has a circular-section pressurised fuselage with a maximum internal width of 5.70m, and is powered by four Kuznetsov NK-86 turbofan engines pylon-mounted beneath the wings. Accommodation is provided for a crew of three or four on the flight deck, and there is seating for a maximum of 350 passengers, distributed between three cabins which are separated by wardrobes. Access is via three lower-deck airstair-type doors which allow the aircraft to be operated without conventional airport loading/unloading bridges. The airstairs reach down to ground level and, after boarding, passengers can deposit their baggage in lower-deck stowage positions before climbing an internal fixed staircase to the passenger cabin.
Construction of two prototypes began in 1974 and the first (SSSR 86000) flew on 22 December 1976 piloted by a crew under the command of A. Kuziietsov. The maiden flight took it from the old Moscow Central Airport of Khodinka to the official flight test centre. The flight lasted 40 minutes.
The four NK-86 turbofans fitted to the Il-86 are rated at 28,660 lbs static thrust, and all possess combined thrust reversers/ noise attenuators.
The Il-86 first production aircraft flew in October 1977 and deliveries to Aeroflot began in September 1979.
The Il-86 entered regular service with Aeroflot at the end of 1980, after production examples had made proving flights on typical routes from Moscow. The 350-seat Il-86 made return flights three times a week between Moscow and Tashkent.
Since then between 80 and 85 have entered service out of an order for 100. Although most former Eastern Bloc airlines, and particularly CSA and LOT, were mentioned as potential export customers, no orders have materialised and the type remains peculiar to Aeroflot.
Designed to carry 350 passengers on routes of up to 3600 kilometres, the Il-86 has suffered in service due to Aeroflot’s shortage of long range equipment. To solve this predicament, 20 of the 100 ordered by the airline have had oceanic navigation equipment installed for flights to Central and South America with two or more en route stops.
Domestic operations began on 26 December 1980 followed by international services in July 1981.
103 built before production ended.
A strategic-command-post version of the IL-86 became the IL-80 Maxdome.
Four Illyushin Il-80 airborne command post flew with the 1338 Test Centr at Chkalovsky. They wore civil registration and pseudo Aeroflot colour schemes.
Engine: 4 x Kusnezow NK 86, 127.5kN / 28,660 lbs Length: 195.341 ft / 59.54 m Width of hull: 19.948 ft / 6.08 m Height: 51.87 ft / 15.81 m Wingspan: 48.3 m / 158 ft 6 in Wing area: 3552.12 sqft / 330.0 sqm Height: 15.7 m / 51 ft 6 in Max take off weight: 454230.0 lb / 206000.0 kg Max. payload weight: 92610.0 lb / 42000.0 kg Landing speed: 130 kts / 240 km/h Cruising speed: 513 kts / 950 km/h Max. speed: 950 km/h / 590 mph Service ceiling: 10000 m / 32800 ft Take off distance: 7546 ft / 2300 m Landing distance: 8530 ft / 2600 m Cruising altitude: 36089 ft / 11000 m Wing loading: 127.92 lb/sq.ft / 624.00 kg/sq.m Range w/max.fuel: 5250 km / 3262 miles Range w/max.payload: 3300 km / 2051 miles Crew: 3 Payload: 350 pax
The llyushin Il‑76 was designed as a heavy transport for operations onto short unprepared strips in the Russian “outback” and entered Aeroflot service as the production IL‑76T in 1978.
Originally designed to carry 40 tonnes of freight in excess of 3500 nm using relatively short, unprepared runways, the Il-76 first flew on 25 March 1971, NATO code name ‘Candid’. Test flying continued until 1975 when the type was put into production at the Tashkent factory. During the same year the II-76 established 25 international records for speed and altitude with payload.
The design was prepared to meet a basic need in the Soviet Union for a really capable freighter which, while carrying large indivisible loads, with a high cruising speed and intercontinental range, could operate from relatively poor airstrips. The result is a very useful aircraft which, though initially being used by Aeroflot in 1975 and 1976-80 plans for opening up Siberia the far north and far east of the Soviet Union is a strategic and tactical transport for military use.
The production II-76T ‘Candid A’, with greater cargo capacity and higher gross weights, went into service with Aeroflot on domestic routes early in 1978, and the Moscow-Japan international route in April the same year. It has fitted reversers, a high lift wing for good STOL performance and a high-flotation landing gear with 20 wheels. The big fuselage is fully pressurised and incorporates a powerful auxiliary power unit and freight handling systems.
The four-turbofan Il-76M/MD Candid long-range transport continues to replace Soviet Military Transport Aviation (VTA) An-12 Cubs at a rate of about 30 a year, and now accounts for around half the VTA fleet, with some 310 in service according to US estimates. Deliveries to India, which has ordered 20 to replace An-12s, began in February 1985. In Indian service the Il-76 is named Gajaraj. About 100 have been exported to civil users including Libyan Arab Airlines, Syrianair and, more recently, Cubana, while military customers include the Czech, Polish, Algerian, and Iraqi. The Il-76TD Candid A entered service in late 1982.
The exact time of the start of work on the Il-76PP is not known, but general information points to the mid-1980s. The Il-76PP was only produced in a single example in Russia and remained in the experimental development phase without moving to serial production.
Il-76PP jamming aircraft.
It is known that the Il-76PP was converted from a serial Il-76MD transport aircraft, with work carried out at the Beriev Design Bureau in Taganrog. This factory specializes in radar surveillance aircraft, such as the A-50. The Il-76PP was reportedly intended primarily to jam Western air defense systems, including Patriot systems.
The most notable feature of the Il-76PP was the Landysh electronic warfare (EW) system, also used on Su-24MP aircraft. Defence Express suggests that the Landysh could have been the reason why this project was not realized.
To solve this problem, the aircraft designers installed two additional generators based on the AI-24VT aircraft engine. Each of them was to power four alternators on board the IL-76PP. However, this was not enough to reliably power the electronic warfare equipment.
Another problem was that during the work and tests, the designers of the IL-76PP failed to achieve electromagnetic compatibility between the aircraft’s onboard equipment and the Landysh complex, whose containers were installed on the wingtips.
In other words, the IL-76PP turned out to be a monstrous and non-functional development that was unable to fulfill its main task. Because of this, in 1993 the aircraft was put into storage at the aforementioned training airfield in Irkutsk and remained there until 2024, when space was needed for new construction.
The military transport version, intended for the deployment of paratroops and troops, together with strategic heavy freighting, differs primarily by having military, rather than civil, avionics and equipment. The Soviet air force, with about 450 ‘Candids’ in service, also use the aircraft for firefighting (the II-76DMP), able to carry over 40 tons of water or retardant; as an engine testbed (the II-76LL); airborne early warning (as the A-50 ‘Mainstay’ in the USSR, and the ‘Adnan’ in Iraq) and for Antarctic support flights and cosmonaut training providing simulated weightlessness. Il-76TD (the civil variant is designated ‘T’, whilst the extended range model is assigned the suffix ‘M was one of two aircraft transferred to Aeroflot’s CUMVS, or International Air Services, after serving in Polar regions.
By early 1991 total production had reached about 680 aircraft. Over 700 had been built by early 1992 at the Chakalov Aircraft Production Plant near Tashkent. Over 100 have been exported and about 150 were in Aeroflot service by 1992.
From the moment it was put into service Il-76 has been the main heavy military and transport aircraft of the Russian air forces. More than 950 civilian, military and special modifications variants have been built. In a single-deck modification (with central seats) it can transport 145 military men and 126 paratroopers. In a double-deck version – up to 225 men.
According to the terms of the State contract 39 military and transport aircrafts Il-76MD-90A were to be built for the needs of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Maximum load has been increased to 52 tons (compared to 48 tons of Il-76MD). Maximum takeoff weight has risen to 210 tons (190).
Il-78 Midas
A three-point hose-and-drogue tanker variant of the Il-76, the Il-78 Nato code name Midas, has been under development for some years, and is thought to have been deployed operationally early in 1987. The first Mainstay airborne early warning and control system (Awacs) derivative of the Candid is now operational, according to US claims. Four Mainstays were built for test and evaluation, and production is expected to reach five a year to replace the Tu-126 Moss.
A-50
Succeeding the Tu-126 Moss with Voska PVO, Mainstay, derived from Il-76 Candid and referred to as A-50 ‘Mainstay’, is an AWAC aircraft possessing true overland lookdown capability. Powered by four 26,455 1 (12 000 kgp) Soloviev D¬3OKPs, it features a new IFF system and, apparently, a comprehensive ECM complement. About a half-dozen have attained Voyska PVO service mid-1987. A triple vertical tail arrangement of the prototype was not standardised for series production versions. In 1978 the first flight took place of the Beriev A-50 Mainstay airborne early warning and control aircraft, in Russian operational service since 1984. The A-50 is the ‘Adnan’ in Iraqi service.
A laser-gun test-bed aircraft based on the llyushin II-76 was produced by Beriev and has been flown since 1980s as the A-60.
Il-76 Engines: 4 x 26,455 lb (12,000 kg / 117.7kN) thrust Soloviev D-30KP two-shaft turbofans. Wingspan 165 ft 8 in (50.5 m) Length 152 ft 10½ in (46.59 m) Height 48 ft 5 in (14.76 m). Empty weight, about 159,000 lb (72.000 kg) Maximum loaded weight 346,125 lb (157,000 kg). Maximum speed, about 560 mph (900 kph) Maximum cruising speed 528 mph (850 km/h) Normal long-range cruising height 42,650 ft (13,000 m) Range with maximum payload: 88,185 lb (40.000 kg) 3,100 miles (5000 km). Range w/max.fuel: 5000 km / 3107 miles Armament: normally none / 2 x 23mm machine-guns Crew: 4
Il-76M Candid B Engine: 4 x Soloviev D-30KP turbofan. Installed thrust: 470.8 kN. Span: 50.5 m. Length: 46.6 m. Wing area: 300 sq.m. Empty wt: 61,000 kg. MTOW: 170,000 kg. Payload: 40,000 kg. Cruise speed: 100 kph. Ceiling: 15,500 m. T/O run: 850 m. Ldg run: 460 m. Fuel internal: 82,000 lt. Range: 5000 km. Capacity: 90 pax. Air refuel: No.
Il-76MD Maximum takeoff weight: 190 ton Maximum load: 48 ton
Il-76MD-90A Maximum takeoff weight: 210 ton Fuel capacity: 109500 litres The total of tanks of the aircraft is. Service life: 30 years / 10000 landings / 30 000 Flight hours
Il-76TD Engines: 4 x 26,455 lb (12,000 kg) thrust Soloviev D-30KP two-shaft turbofans. MTOW: 190,000 kg. Wing area: 300 sq.m. Sweepback: 25 deg Max payload: 50,000 kg (110,230 lb). Range: (50t payload) 4500 km Range: (20t payload), 8000 km. Cruise alt: 9000-12000m. Cruise speed: 750-800 kph. Hold cap: 3.4×3.4×24.5m.
First flown in January 1963, the Il-62 was officially announced by the Soviet Prime Minister, Nikita Kruschev, in September 1962. The basic IL-62 was announced to carry up to 186 passengers, but other seating arrangements provide more leg room with 114 or 168 passengers.
A cantilever low-wing monoplane with swept wings, a T-tail with all swept surfaces, retractable tricycle landing gear and four engines mounted in pairs on each side of the rear fuselage. The II-62 has the NATO reporting name ‘Classic’. The crew has five members, named Ship’s Commander, Second Pilot, On-Board Mechanic, Navigator, and Radio Operator in Soviet parlance.
Ilyushin was aware that TsAGI’s aft-engined T-tailed layout imposed penalties on the Il-62. In particular, he knew that the tail moment arm was shorter, calling for a larger and heavier tailplane. So he decided to cheat a little. He moved the wing slightly ahead of its ‘classical’ position at the aircraft centre of gravity, correspondingly lengthening the tail moment arm. However, this left the landing gear in front of the aeroplane’s centre of gravity. The tail prop fixes this. It has a pair of castoring wheels, enabling it to be used while taxiing. In practice, when the Il-62 is loaded for a flight, the weight of passengers and luggage counterbalances that of the fuel in its swept wing, and the tail prop is retracted.
Initial flight trials proceeded rapidly, and the third prototype attended the 1965 Paris Air Salon. The flight-rated Kuznetsov NK-8 turbofans designed for the aircraft were not ready in time, and the prototype Il-62 originally flew with Lyulka turbojets. Production aircraft, however, were fitted with turbofans.
The Il-62’s layout was fixed at the prototype stage. Ilyushin froze the Il-62’s wing in 1967 and it remained unchanged ever since. A route-proving flight to Siberia was made in February 1966, and crew training began in August later in the year. Aeroflot took delivery of its first aircraft at the end of 1966, and regular services to Khabarovsk began in March. Initial operations had been on cargo services, but on 10 March passenger/mail services were inaugurated on the Moscow-Khabarovsk and Moscow-Novosibirsk routes. Services to Tashkent followed and finally, on 11 July 1967, an Il-62 made a route-proving flight from Moscow to Montreal. The new jet took over this ‘flagship’ weekly route from the Tu-114 a few months later, on 1 November 1967. Other international routes taken over by the Il-62 in 1967 included services to Delhi, Rome and Paris.
Most importantly, in November, Aeroflot Il-62s flew to Washington and other East Coast US airports in preparation for the opening of a Moscow-New York service. This, the first between the USA and the USSR, opened in July 1968. The airliner is capable of carrying more than 150 passengers and reserve fuel on a flight of more than 4,800 miles.
By the early 70s, the Il-62 was fitted with the promising new Solovyov D-30 turbofans, which had greater rated thrust and a more than doubled bypass ratio compared with the original NK-8s. They were also much quieter. A problem associated with the new engines was their larger frontal area which negated much of the benefits. Accordingly, Ilyushin put the Il-62 through a subtle aerodynamic slimming programme. This addressed the tailplane/fin bullet in particular. The resulting Il-62M was the last development of the Il-62. The M-model Il-62 was basically a re-engined Classic with an increased fuel capacity and a revised flight deck layout. The basic Il-62 was originally powered by four extremely thirsty Kuznetsov NK-8-4 turbofans, these engines being replaced by the more economical (and powerful) Solviev D-30KUs on the new production II-62M in 1971
Shown first at the Paris Air Show in 1971, the IL-62M200 is a high-density version of the IL-62 that seats a maximum 198 economy-class passengers or 161 in a mixed-class configuration. The newer deluxe model has the same outer dimensions as those found on the basic model, but an additional fuel tank in the tail of the plane plus improved turbofan engines give the airplane greater range and payload. The Russian airliner has two airflow guide vanes on the forward section of the fuselage, while the VC-10 builders placed air guide vanes on the top wing surface. Its flight controls are entirely human muscle-powered.
Apart from Aeroflot, the Il-62 saw service with a large number of Soviet client state airlines. Its exports began with CSA in 1969 and continued with Interflug, Zhongguo minhang zongju (“CAAC”), Lot, Tarom, Cubana, Chosonminhang, and Hang khong Viet Nam. Aircraft have been wet-leased to Air-India, Aeronica, MALÉV and others. The Il-62 base model stayed in production until 1979. One Il-62 has been photographed in Russian VVS markings, but no other military operators are known, and the VVS uses it as a staff transport. The Russian Ministry of Natural Emergencies also used a single Il-62 which it lost in a crash at Lisbon.
It is believed that more than 210 Il-62 have been built.
Il-62 Engines: 4 x 23,150 lb (10,500 kg) Kuznetsov NK8-4 turbofan. Length 174.25 ft (53.12m) Wing span 142 ft (43.30m) Height: 12.4 m / 40 ft 8 in Wing area: 279.6 sq.m / 3009.59 sq ft Max take-off weight: 157500 kg / 347230 lb Empty weight: 67800 kg / 149474 lb Fuel capacity 26,420. Max capacity: 186 passengers Max cruise 560 mph (900 kph). Cruise speed 510 mph. Landing speed 137 mph. Ceiling: 39,400 ft. Range 5,715 miles (9,200 km) with 22,050 lb (10,000 kg) payload. Range w/max.payload: 6700 km / 4163 miles Takeoff run 10,660 ft. Landing roll 9,185 ft Crew: 5
First disclosured in 1974, the Soviet Naval Air Arm (AV-MF) used the Il-18 trans¬port as the basis for the considerably changed Il-38, known to NATO by the code-name of “May’. Com¬pared with the transport it has a wing moved forward and a considerably longer rear fuselage, showing the gross shift in centre of gravity resulting from the changed role. The rear fuselage of the Il-38 contains only sensors, sonobuoy launchers of several kinds and a galley, with the main tactical compartment just behind and above the wing, with a probable tactical crew of eight. Most of the heavy stores and consoles are ahead of the wing, together with the search radar stinger, not a heavy it in the tail.
Il-38
Il-38 has been a standard SovNavAir open-ocean maritime surveillance aircraft since entering service in 1970, with some 60 in inventory mid-1987. NATO code name ‘May’. One of two current service military derivatives of commercial Il-18 (other being Il-20 Coot-A ELINT aircraft ), Il-38 has bays fore and aft of wing for sonobuoys and various attack weapons. Power is provided by four 4,250 ehp AI-20M turboprops. About 60 were believed to be in use by the Soviet naval air force. Three ex-SovNavAir operated by Indian Navy.
Some external modifications included an additional radome under the fuselage were reported by NATO as the May-B.
II-38 Type: maritime patrol and anti-submarine. Engines: 4 x Ivchenko Al-20 single-shaft turbo-props, 5,000 shp approx. Wing span 122 ft 8½ in (37.4 m) Length 129 ft 10 in (39.6 m) Height about 35 ft (10.7 m) Empty weight approx 90,000 lb (40,820 kg) Maximum loaded weight, approx 180,000 lb (81.650 kg) Maximum speed, about 450 mph (724 km/h) Maximum cruising speed, about 400 mph (644 km/h) Range with typical mission load, about 4,500 miles (7240 km) Endurance, about 15 hr. Armament: internal weapon bay.
Ilyushins first jet bomber, the Il-22, had closely resembled an enlarged Ar 234C, and several features of the German aircraft (the slim fuselage, shoulder-mounted unswept wing with underslung engines, and the large slotted flaps) were carried over into the Il-28.
The llyushin Il-18 was developed in the mid-1950s to meet an Aeroflot requirement for a medium-range 75/100-seat transport, and the first prototype flew on 4 July 1957.
Flown for the first time on 4 July 1957, the Il-18 Moskva (Moscow) was originally powered by Kuznetsov NK-4 turboprops, but the Ivchenko AI-20 was adopted as standard at an early production stage.
Production 75-seat models, NATO reporting name ‘Coot’, entered service with Aeroflot in April 1959, and was the nation’s first turboprop airliner.
Aeroflot inaugurated use of the type on its Moscow-Adler and Moscow-Alma-Ata routes on 20 April 1959.
In 1963 Ghana returned four Il-18’s bought in a 1960 order for eight. Ghana decided it needed only four.
Further developments of the model resulted in a number of improvements and growing capacity. The last civil production version, the Il-18D long range variant built from 1965-69, utilised the 4,250 shp AE-20K engine, and could carry 110 or max 122 passengers.
The Il-18 served as s medium haul airliner until the mid to late 1970s. Some remain in Aeroflot service in 1992. Most of the survivors served as aerial laboratories or as transports for industry.
When production ended in 1969, a total of 564 Il-18 airliners of all versions were built in the GAZ-30 Znamya Truda (Banner of Labour) plant at Khodinka in Moscow in the former USSR, and about 120 were exported. Of the total built only small numbers entered military service, primarily for VIP transport.
As Il-18s have been retired from civil use some have been converted into the ECM or electronic intelligence (Elint) ll-20s, and these have the NATO reporting name ‘Coot-A’. It seems likely that the numbers of these aircraft will increase as the turboprop-powered ll-18s are retired from Aeroflot use.
Il-20 Coot-A
ELINT variants of the Il-18 transport have been operated by SovAir since 1978, and are distinct from the armed Il-38 May derivative. Coot-A has the same airframe as the basic Il-18, and carries SLAR in a large ventral fairing, plus other electronic equipment, camers and sensors for its specialised role. The Il-20 Coot A is a peacetime reconnaissance aircraft fitted with the side looking Igla (Needle) radar in a large underfuselage pad, plus cameras and signal intelligence units. Some twenty aircraft were built between 1969 and 1976. Some were later converted back to the passenger version.
Il-20 Coot-A with SLAR pod under the fuselage
IL- 38 anti-submarine/maritime patrol aircraft also developed from IL-18 and first flew 1961.
IL-20 reconnaissance, electronic intelligence, and communications relay aircraft also developed from IL-18, with the IL-24 civil variant.
Il-18 Engines: 4 x turbo-prop Ivchenko AI-20, 2940kW / 4,250 hp Props: ABI 4 blade 14 ft 9 in dia Max take-off weight: 61200 kg / 134924 lb Empty weight: 34500 kg / 76060 lb Wingspan: 37.4 m / 122 ft 8 in Length: 35.9 m / 117 ft 9 in Height: 10.2 m / 33 ft 6 in Wing area: 140.0 sq.m / 1506.95 sq ft Max. speed: 685 km/h / 426 mph Cruise speed: 650 km/h / 404 mph at 29,500 ft Landing speed: 118 mph Range: 5000 km / 3107 miles Range w/max.fuel: 6500 km / 4039 miles Range w/max.payload: 3700 km / 2299 miles Range at 135,584lb gross: 1550 mi Crew: 5 Passengers: 89-110
Coot-A Engines: 4 x AI-20M turboprop, 4250 shp (3169 kW).
All Aero 