A Sample Feature From Aviation News

Il-18 – Russia’s Fading Star

The Ilyushin Il-18 has given sterling service over more than 40 years and many examples are still flying today. Dino Carrara charts the development of this durable aircraft and its many derivatives.

Above: A colourful Ilyushin Il-18D of Kyrgyzstan airline Phoenix Aviation. The operator has its main base at Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and currently is the largest civilian user of the type with a fleet of ten. (Photos, Av News Files except where stated).

The Ilyushin Il-18 Moskva (Moscow) first flew on July 4, 1957, and was designed for medium-range routes and secondary airfields that were unsuitable for the Tupolev Tu-104 jet. In this role it was the workhorse of Aeroflot domestic operations for 30 years and was also exported to numerous countries. However, this design was not the first to carry the designation as its predecessor first flew as far back as August 17, 1946. The original Il-18 was also a four-engined propeller aircraft (Nato ASCC reporting name Clam), also called SPD, was 97ft 11in (29.855m) long with a wing span of 134ft 10in (41.1m). However, it was effectively cancelled at a stroke by Stalin when he saw it and asked the designer, Sergei Ilyushin, how many passengers it could carry? He replied, ‘66 Comrade Stalin, and a planned assault version will carry 90 troops’. Stalin retorted, ‘Think what would happen if it crashed. You had better forget about this aircraft’.

Above: Pictured is the prototype Il-18 wearing the name the type was given, Mockba (Moscow), along the fuselage.

The name was able to be resurrected after the death of Stalin for a new pressurised passenger aircraft which could accommodate 75 passengers in standard configuration or 111 in a high density layout. The type (ASCC name Coot) entered service on April 20, 1959, on a domestic Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Adler. All the aircraft were constructed at the GAZ-30 Znamya Truda (Banner of Labour) plant at Khodinka in Moscow with production of the civilian Il-18 ending in 1969.

As well as Aeroflot operating the type in large numbers, 121 examples were exported fresh from the production line to 16 countries around the world with ties to the Soviet Union. The heaviest concentration outside the USSR was in Eastern Europe where national carriers like Balkan Bulgarian, CSA, Malev, Interflug and LOT flew the type for decades. Today, Il-18s are still used by a number of airlines in the CIS and others around the world with many having been converted into freighters. Some aircraft were actually built as cargo aircraft and these were given the designation Il-18Gr.

Above: A photo of the original Il-18 design which Stalin cancelled. Ilyushin re-used the designation for the aircraft we associate today with the name.

Il-18 evolution

The first variant, simply known as Il-18, was only built in small numbers and had seating for 75 passengers. The Il-18A was produced from 1957-59 powered by four Kuznetsov NK-4 engines and later Ivch-enko AE-20s. It solved vibration and aerodynamic buffeting problems, seating for this variant having increased to 89 people. Next to emerge was the B version in 1958-59 which still used the AE-20 but had the wing and main undercarriage strengthened to accept a greater maximum take-off weight (MTOW) from the 58t of the A to 61.2t. Next was the Il-18V in 1960, powered by either AI-20K or AI-20M turboprop engines with seating for 89 to 100 depending on the layout selected. It also had a fuel capacity of 5,213gal (23,700lit), and featured repositioned doors and props aligned with a vestibule instead of seats. Next to be produced was the Il-18E during 1965-66 using the AI-20M engine and was mostly fitted out for 100 passengers. However, it was able to carry more as wardrobes, used for hanging coats in winter, could be removed thus allowing 110 people to be accommodated in a two-class configuration or 122 in a summer tourist layout. The MTOW of this variant was 61.4t.

The last production version was the D from 1965-69 and this utilised the 4,250shp AE-20K engine. Range was increased by the addition of a centre-section fuel tank which raised total capacity to 6,599gal (30,000lit). The MTOW had now risen to 64t.

Military career

The commercial use of this robust aircraft is only half the story as from the outset it was used by the Soviet military, mostly as a VIP transport for the Air Force and Naval Aviation. It also undertook general transport duties and was also given the task of communications relay, initially three Il-18Vs were used and replaced by a similar number of Il-18Ds. However, in later years the modifications became more extensive to the point where new designations were assigned, though interestingly many of these highly modified aircraft were still inscribed on the fuselage with the more innocent designation of Il-18.

The Il-20M (ASCC name Coot A) was designed for intelligence gathering with its distinguishing features being the Igla- 1 phased-array SLAR (Side-Looking Airborne Radar) pod under the forward fuselage, housings for A-87P LOROP cameras and the Romb 4 sigint system. Two antennas also protrude from the top of the fuselage for the Vishnaya communications intelligence gathering system. The type is flown by a crew of five accompanied by eight mission specialists. The prototype, a converted Il-18D, first flew on March 25, 1968, and was followed by 20 new-build aircraft. Most of these have been seen wearing an overall grey scheme, though some sport Aeroflot livery and a civilian registration.

A further modification was the Il-20DSR though little is known of the nature of its upgrades. In 1973, four additional aircraft were built as Il-20RTs to act as communications and radio-relay aircraft, these however were later superseded by an Ilyushin Il-76 variant.

Above: An illustration from an Ilyushin Il-18 promotional brochure from the early 1960s. This configuration is for 111 people and the interior took account of Russia’s harsh winters with ample space set aside, in line with the props, to store passengers winter coats. In later versions these fittings could be removed and extra seats added. (Illus, Ilyushin).

For the rest of this article please see the October 2003 issue.