ILYUSHIN IL-18

Two Soviet aircraft have shared the designation 'Ilyushin Il-18'. The first Il-18 was a propeller-driven airliner of 1946. After a years of test flights, the programme was abandoned.
The second 'Il-18' (NATO reporting name: ''Coot'') is a large turboprop airliner resembling the Lockheed L-188 Electra. As one of the best known Soviet aircraft, it is also one of the most popular and long lasting, first flying in 1957.

Contents

Design and development

Operational history

Price

Service life

Variants

Civil

Military

Operators

Civil operators

Military operators

Specifications (Il-18D)

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Design and development

The Il-18 is a passenger aircraft equipped with four turboprop engines. The aircraft was mass manufactured for twelve years. The popularity of the aircraft was ensured, not just because of its reliability and operational economy, but because of the possibility to increase the number of passenger seats and its flight range for every modification (A, B, V, D and E) as well. The Il-18 was also produced in VIP version («Salon»).

Operational history

The first Il-18, equipped with NK-4 turboprop engines, flew on 4 July, 1957. On 17 September, 1958 the aircraft first flew with the new AI-20 engines. V. K. Kokkinaki was the test pilot. Between 1958 and 1960 twenty-five world records were set by this aircraft, among them flight range and altitude records with various payloads. In 1958 the aircraft was awarded the Brussels World Fair Grand Prix. In April 1979 a monument was unveiled at Sheremetevo airport to commemorate this remarkable aircraft.
Seventeen foreign air carriers acquired 125 Il-18 aircraft. Seating 100 to 120 passengers, its operating economics are such that many are still in service in Cuba, Siberia and by some operators in the Middle East.

Price

According to Country Studies, Ghana purchased eight Il-18's on credit in 1961, at a price of more than US$1,500,000 each. However, since the operating costs were rather high, four were later returned to the USSR, and were others were used by Ghana Airways.

Service life

★ 'Calendar:' 42 years

★ 'Flight cycles:' 18,000

★ 'Flight hours:' 40,000

Variants

Civil

;Il-18A:
;Il-18B: First production model, which could seat 84 passengers.
;Il-18V: Standard Aeroflot version, which entered service in 1961. Seating 90-100 passengers.
;Il-18I: Equipped with more powerful Ivchenko AI20M engines, producing 3,170 kW (4,250 shp). Seating increased to 122.
;Il-18D: Silmilar to Il-18I, but equipped with an extra centre section fuel tank for increased range.
;Il-18E:

Military

★ 'Il-20 Coot-A': ELINT, radar reconnaissance version.

★ 'Il-22 Coot-B': airborne command post version.

★ Il-24: ELINT version.

★ Il-38: maritime reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare version.

Operators

Civil operators

;

★ Royal Afghan Airlines
;

★ Balkan Bulgarian Airlines

★ Tabso
;

★ CAAC
;

★ Aerocaribbean

★ Cubana
;

★ CSA
;

★ Daallo Airlines
;

★ Interflug
;

★ Egyptair

★ United Arab Airlines
;

★ Ghana Airways
;

★ Air Guinee
;

★ Malev
;

★ Irbis Aero
;

★ Anikay Air
;

★ Air Mali
;

★ Air Koryo
;

★ LOT (Nine from 1961)
;Romania

★ Tarom
;

★ Aeroflot

★ ASTAir

★ GVG Airline

★ NPP-MIR

★ Tretyakovo Airlines
;

★ Expo Aviation
;

★ Lviv Airlines

★ Sevastopol Avia
;

★ Phoenix Aviation
;

★ Vietnam Airlines
;

★ Yemen Airways

Military operators

;

★ Afghan Air Force (Five were delivered in 1968, and have since been retired.)
;
;
;
;

★ Soviet Air Forces

Specifications (Il-18D)

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