 "Navy's IL 38 in R-Day flypast for first and last time: All about Soviet-made aircraft")
The end is nigh for the Indian Navy’s Ilyushin 38 aircraft. The IL 38, a maritime reconnaissance aircraft that has served the Indian Navy for the past four decades, will be showcased during the Republic Day celebrations for the first and last time, senior officials have said. Fifty aircraft will take part in the 74th Republic Day celebrations at the Kartavya Path that will include aerial display by nine Rafale and the navy’s IL 38, a senior IAF official told PTI. But what do we know about the IL 38 craft? Let’s take a closer look: The IL 38 is all-weather aircraft with long endurance and a substantial operating range made by the Soviet Union. The plane, developed by the Soviets from 1960 to 1967, first entered service in 1969, as per Weaponssystems.net. Operated from shore, it was originally developed for anti-submarine warfare and can also be used for maritime surveillance, search and rescue and laying minefields. A turboprop-powered craft, the IL 38 has four engines – each of which provides up to 4.250 hp.
The aircraft’s maximum speed is 650 kilometres per hour.
While its combat range with a full payload is 2.2 kilometres, its ferry range is 9.5 kilometres, as per the website. Nicknamed ‘May’ by NATO, it is considered a counterpart to the US’ P-3 Orion. The Indian Navy got its first IL 38 aircraft, known as IN 301, in 1977, as per ANI. The IN 38 was inducted with two other craft, and another two were added later. Their addition is credited with moving the navy into the arena of airborne long-range maritime reconnaissance (LRMR) combined with long-range anti-submarine search and strike, anti-shipping strike, electronic signal intelligence, and distant search and rescue. The IN 301 was commissioned by Rear Admiral MK Roy, and commanded by Commander BK Malik, according to The Print. The IN 301 was part of Indian Naval Air Squadron 315 known as the ‘Winged Stallions’ at Goa. It remained a formidable air asset throughout its service life, as per ANI. “We trained in the Soviet Union at Riga. All the training was in Russian, for which we had to learn the language in order to be able to fly the aircraft,” Commodore (retd) R Seshadri Vasan told The Times of India about the IL 38s. “I happened to be the first commanding officer who was younger than the aircraft itself,” added Cdr (Retd) Jacob Sebastian. “The airframe and the wire looming is as old as the ’70s. You may change the accessories and the instruments, but the metal and the wire looms, which run into kilometres inside the aircraft, are from the 1970s.” As per The Times of India, the IL 38s had a search-and-attack radar, a Magnetic Anomaly Detector System (MADS) and electronic support systems.
The IL 38s also had torpedoes, depth charges, and anti-ship missiles.
According to The Print, these craft in January 1978 used the MADS to find the wreckage of the Air India Jumbo which crashed after lift-off. By 1996, the Winged Stallions had finished 25,000 hours of accident-free flying. In 2002, a mid-air collision of two IL 38s – at the squadron’s silver jubilee – left 17 dead. According to the Indian Navy, the IN 301 was decommissioned on 17 January 2022. Having clocked nearly 10,000 hours of operational flying, IN 301 established its high credentials in a multitude of air operations. It remained fully serviceable to the last day of its operational life, and flew a seven-hour mission sortie before bidding adieu, the navy said. A 50-year-old airframe with 44 years of active military flying, IN 301 had the distinction of being the oldest combat platform of the Indian Navy. Extremely potent all throughout, it successfully fired two combat air-to-surface missiles last year. Keeping the vintage aircraft fully operational till its last day in service is testimony to the remarkable dedication of the gallant men behind the Navy’s mighty fighting machines, the navy said, It was greeted with water cannons after its last sortie in recognition of its extraordinary service to the nation. As per The Times of India, the IL 38s have in recent years seen their duties taken over by the Boeing P8Is. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .