After operating for 46 years, on October 31 2023, the Indian Navy officially retired the Ilyushin Il-38 Sea Dragon (SD) long-range reconnaissance aircraft, whose role has now been replaced by the Boeing P-8I Poseidon fleet. The decommissioning ceremony was held at the Air Base at INS Hansa, Dabolim.
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The first Il-38 SD unit to be retired was aircraft number INAS 315, which entered service on October 1 1977. For the Indian Naval Aviation Corps, the arrival of the Il-38 SD marked the modern era of Long-Range Maritime Reconnaissance and Anti-Submarine Warfare missions. The Il-38 SD is known for its unique capabilities and wide range covering the Indian Ocean region.
The IL-38 SD has over the years proven its capabilities as a powerful force multiplier. From the press release of the Indian Ministry of Defense – pib.gov.in, called the Il-38 SD as the mighty 'Winged Horse' that adorns the squadron's insignia and has lived up to the squadron's motto “Victory is my Profession,” maintaining vigilance above and below the sea, in relentless efforts to secure the country's maritime boundaries.
At first glance, the Il-38 SD looks similar to the legendary P-3C Orion maritime reconnaissance aircraft, but if you look closely, this turboprop aircraft has a longer fuselage and a larger engine appearance than the Orion.
The Ilyushin Il-38 (NATO code – May) is said to be a copy of the Lockheed P-3C Orion, because the Orion first flew in 1959, while the Il-38 first flew in 1961.
From its history, the Ilyushin Il-38 first flew on September 28, 1961, and was officially used by the Soviet Union in 1967. Even though in terms of its age it is already 'twilight,' but like the P-3 Orion which still regularly patrols the seas, the Il-38 38 are currently still in active use. Even the Russian Navy still uses the Il-38 as a striking force for reconnaissance and anti-submarine missions.
In its heyday, the Soviet Union targeted the Il-38 to destroy US submarines which had the capability to launch ballistic missiles. As a destructive force, the Il-38 is equipped with two bomb bays which can be loaded with various munitions, ranging from torpedoes, sea bombs and mines, up to a total payload of 9 tons.
This aircraft, which was built from the Il-18 base, has a distinctive feature in the radar figure in the radome under the cockpit area, this is what is called the Berkut (Golden Eagle) search radar (NATO code – Wet Eye).
Similar to the P-3C Orion, on the tail you can see a magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) device. To accurately detect the presence of enemy submarines, one of the bomb bays was prepared as a launch site for sonobuoys.
The Il-38 variant used by India is considered sophisticated, India asked Russia to make its Il-38 appear capable with the addition of the Sea Dragon avionic suite, a new type of radar, Forward looking infrared (FLIR) and Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) devices.
Even more amazing, India is developing a variant called the Il-38SD to be able to launch the Brambos ALCM (Air Launched Cruise Missile) cruise missile with a special pylon construction. To date, 58 Il-38 units have been produced, with around 30 units still actively operated by the Russian Navy.
On December 7, 2010, two Russian Il-38 units appeared over the Sea of Japan near the Noto Peninsula, both aircraft were found to be causing 'disruption' in joint US-Japanese naval exercises. The Russian Navy now operates the latest variant of the Il-38, called the Ilyushin Il-38N Novella.