Free Republic

Ilyushin has delivered the first upgraded Il-38N anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft to the Russian navy following a modernisation effort that began in 2012. Handed over on 15 July, the turboprop-powered type is the first of five examples to receive the enhancements under a Rb3.5 billion ($100 million) contract. Ilyushin The upgrades focus on the addition of a new Novella P-38 target track and search system developed by St Petersburg-based Leninets, giving the 1960s-era aircraft what the manufacturer calls “a second life”. The P-38 broadens the area a single Il-38N can cover, while allowing it to track 32 targets simultaneously. Ilyushin...

Northern Fleet Gets Modernized Anti-Submarine Plane The Russian Navy's Northern Fleet has accepted into service a modernized Ilyushin Il-38N anti-submarine warfare aircraft, which will also carry out electronic intelligence (ELINT) duties, the Northern Fleet's press spokesman Captain Vadim Serga said on Monday. "A modernized Il-38N was accepted into service at a Northern Fleet air base" he said. "It has a wider range of combat capabilities. These aircraft can be used for mapping the magnetic and gravitational fields of the Northern Ice sea, and also for conducting scientific oceanographic research and underwater and air reconnaissance," he added. He did not specify...