Ilyushin Il-20

This article describes a version of the Il-18, for the attack aircraft see Ilyushin Il-20 (1948)

Ilyushin Il-20
Type:	Reconnaissance plane
Design country:	Soviet Union
Manufacturer:	Ilyushin
First flight:	March 21, 1968
Commissioning:	1969
Production time:	1968-1976

The Ilyushin Il-20 ( Russian Ильюшин Ил-20 , NATO code name : "Coot-A" ) is a COMINT / ELINT variant of the Ilyushin Il-18 . It was first observed by NATO in 1978.

history

The Soviet Union had gone to great lengths to gather intelligence , both overtly and covertly. Initially moderately successful, the Ilyushin Il-20 represented a breakthrough. Little is known about the operation and performance of the flight electronics , but it is said to correspond roughly to that of the Boeing RC-135 . Il-20 aircraft were frequently seen over European waters during the Cold War, particularly around the UK .

technology

The aircraft is equipped with special equipment for electronic reconnaissance (ELINT) and telecommunications reconnaissance (COMINT). The cigar-shaped housing under the fuselage contains the Igla-1 - Side-Looking-Airborne-Radar (SLAR). This is used for radar imaging and mapping purposes . A large A-87P camera is located in another housing on the side of the fuselage . The ELINT systems Vischnia , SRS-4 Romb and Kwadrat-2 are housed in the aircraft . Various antennas are attached to the fuselage to collect the electronic data . The two large antennas on the top of the fuselage are used for satellite communication . The IL-20 can transmit information to the ground command in almost real time.

Calls

In October 2013 Russia used the Il-20M over the Black Sea to fly reconnaissance missions along the Turkish coast. When the machine was discovered, two F-16 fighters took off on the Turkish side to intercept the scout. The machine ultimately headed for Bulgarian airspace and the pursuit was broken off.

This was repeated on April 13, 2014. Here the Il-20M , coming from Romania and flying east , flew 15 to 20 nautical miles along the Turkish Black Sea coast before it was intercepted by four Turkish F-16s.

On October 22, 2014, according to the Estonian military, an Il-20M penetrated Estonian airspace and stayed there for a short period of time. The plane was intercepted. Machines from the Portuguese, Belgian and Swedish air forces took part in the interception mission. The Russian Defense Ministry denied a violation of the Estonian airspace .

According to the Estonian military, an Il-20M also flew to the Estonian border on August 18, 2015.

The Il-20M was also involved in the deployment of the Russian Air Force in Syria . It was later supplemented by Tu-214R .

Further development

The Ilyushin Il-20PP is a current further development of the Ilyushin Il-20, which, according to Russian information , can interfere with modern hostile AWACS aircraft and MIM-104 Patriot and at the same time block analogous enemy interference measures. As of November 2016 there are three Il-20PP.

Technical specifications

The Il-20M RF-93610 was shot down by S-200 on September 17, 2018

Il-20M with many sensors

Parameter	Data
Conception	COMINT / ELINT - reconnaissance aircraft
crew	4th
length	35.9 m
span	37.42 m
height	10.17 m
Wing area	140.0 m²
payload	13,500 kg
Empty mass	k. A.
Max. Takeoff mass	64,000 kg
drive	four PTL Ivchenko AI-20M , each with 3,169 kW (4,309 PS)
Top speed	675 km / h at an altitude of 8,000 m
Service ceiling	10,000 m
Range	6,500 km
Sensors	SLAR , optical, infrared and electronic sensors

The other Il-20

Il-20RT

Also known as the Il-20 is a civil version of the tactical bomber Ilyushin Il-28 , which was used by Aeroflot as a cargo aircraft around the mid-1960s .

In 1967 four Ilyushin Il-18s were converted to Il-20RT (SIP) . They were used to track ICBMs and spacecraft and could be recognized by their "hump", which was used to accommodate sensors and antennas . The name stands for Radiotelemetritscheski Radar ( Radiotelemetric Radar ) and Samolotny Ismeritelni Punkt (flying measuring point). They were stationed in Leninsk (Baikonur) .

Incidents

On September 17, 2018 at around 11 p.m. local time, the command of the Russian armed forces in Syria lost contact with an Il-20M that was located over the eastern Mediterranean. The machine was accidentally shot down by Syrian air defenses while Israeli F-16s were operating over Syria, attacking ground targets. There were 15 people on board at the time of shooting, none of whom survived. Russia initially accused Israel that their F-16s had used the Il-20M as cover. According to Israeli information, the Israeli planes had already returned to Israeli airspace at the time of the shooting down. Russian President Vladimir Putin defused the allegations against the Israeli Air Force and spoke of a chain of unfortunate circumstances.

See also

• List of aircraft types

Web links

Commons : Ilyushin Il-20  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ^ Ria Novosti: Turkish Military Claims Interception of Russian Spy Plane * of October 24, 2013, viewed October 24, 2013
2. ↑ [1]
3. ↑ http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/nato-russland-101.html ( Memento from October 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
4. ↑ Moscow denies Tallinn's report on violation of Estonian airspace. In: RIA Novosti . October 22, 2014, accessed October 22, 2014 . 
5. ↑ [2]
6. ↑ [3]
7. ↑ United Press International : Russia receives first Il-22PP Porubschik electronic countermeasures planes (English), accessed on November 17, 2016
8. ↑ Russia about to receive three Il-22PP electronic warfare aircraft (English), accessed on November 17, 2016
9. ↑ https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20180917-0&lang=de
10. ↑ Syrian air defense shoots down Russian jet. In: t-online.de. September 18, 2018, accessed September 18, 2018 . 
11. ↑ ^{a b} Ministry of Defense: The Syrian Air Defense shot down Russian Il-20s because of “irresponsible actions” by Israel , Novaya Gazeta, September 18, 2018
12. ↑ Putin considers shooting down as a tragic oversight , Berner Zeitung, September 18, 2018