Russia receives first serially upgraded Il-38N MPA

[Saifullah Sani]

The first serially produced Il-38N 'May' maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft has been handed over to the Russian Navy by the Ilyushin Aviation Complex.

The Il-38N is an upgrade to the original Il-38 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), a derivative of the Il-18 'Coot' transport aircraft, designed for independent (or joint) long-range anti-submarine activities, naval reconnaissance, search and rescue operations, ecological monitoring, and mine laying roles.

Ilyushin has been upgrading five Russian Naval Aviation Il-38 aircraft to the new Il-38N standard under a RUB3.45 billion (USD150 million) contract awarded by the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 25 May 2012. This serial upgrade contract was signed following the successful entry to service of a prototype Il-38N with the Northern Fleet in March 2012. Ilyushin officials have previously stated that 28 Il-38 anti-submarine aircraft are planned to be upgraded to the Il-38N standard by 2020.

The Il-38N upgrade involves the installation of a new flight navigation suite and the Novella search and track system (STS), which includes radar, hydroacoustic, magnetometric, electronic reconnaissance, thermal imaging reconnaissance, computing, and navigation subsystems.

On detecting a submarine, the Il-38N, fitted with the Novella STS, starts to localise a contact with subsequent tracking and destruction of the target in a highly automated mode. The functions left to the crew are supervision and decision-taking. Search efficiency in the near and distant zones is said to have been improved by a factor of four - allowing a single Il-38N aircraft to cover an area four times larger than that assigned to the original Il-38. In doing so, Novella can simultaneously keep track of 32 targets both over and underwater.

The radar subsystem has a slot array receiver/transmitter antenna with mechanical azimuth scanning and adjustable transmitter frequency. The radar is understood to be able to detect aerial targets at 90 km, waterborne ones at 320 km, and a submarine periscope (with a 1 m² echoing area) at 30-35 km.

The dual module radio hydroacoustic subsystem can operate with buoys via 96 channels, and is run by a single operator. Each module provides a complete cycle of information reception and processing from eight buoys. Three types of sonar buoys are used: RGB-41 passive, non-directional sonar; RGB-48 passive, directional sonar; and the GB-58 active emitter sonar buoy. For hydrologic reconnaissance RTB-93 buoys are used, and the new RMB-81 buoy is used for detecting a submarine based on its magnetic signature. Also installed on the aircraft is a quantum magnetometer with a submarine detection range of up to 900 m.

Meanwhile, a gyro-stabilised electro-optic infrared (EOIR) system provides detection, tracking, and categorisation of surface targets.

The computing subsystem is used to process the output from all the other subsystems and to control the entire complex. Two operators work with information systems and co-ordinate the performance of tactical tasks, whereas a third runs the radar and radio reconnaissance subsystem. In designing the new STS, special attention was given to minimising the amount of controls.

Companies involved in the Il-38N modernisation programme include Ilyushin, Myasishchev Machine Building Plant, and Leninets Central Research and Production Association.

Russia receives first serially upgraded Il-38N MPA - IHS Jane's 360