The Ilyushin Il-18 enjoyed one of the longest production runs of any turboprop airliner in the world and played a significant role in developing air services in Russia's remote regions in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Il-18 was developed in response to a mid 1950s Aeroflot requirement for an economical 75 to 100 seat medium range airliner. The prototype Il-18 (named Moskva) was powered by four 2985kW (4000shp) Kuznetsov SN4 turboprops and flew for the first time on July 4 1957. The first Il-18 entered Aeroflot service on April 20 1959.
Initial production Il-18s could seat 75 passengers and were powered by the Kuznetsov engines, but only the first 20 aircraft built were so powered before the 2985kW (4000shp) Ivchenko AI20 became the standard powerplant. From there on only minor changes characterised the Il-18's development life.
The first new production model was the Il-18B which had a reconfigured interior to seat 84 passengers. The Il-18V entered service in 1961. It became the standard Aeroflot version and could seat 90 to 100 passengers, depending on configuration. The Il-18I introduced more powerful 3170kW (4250ehp) AI20Ms, while seating could be increased to 122 in summer with the deletion of the rear coat closet (essential in Russian winters) and fitting extra seats. The Il-18D is similar to the I but has extra fuel capacity with an additional centre section tank. On the Il-18D and Il-18I the APU is in the belly of the fuselage, rather than in the tail.
The Il-18 has the NATO reporting name of `Coot'. Like the Lockheed Electra, the Il-18 also formed the basis of a maritime patrol and anti submarine warfare aircraft, the Il38 `May'.
Most Il-18s are now flown by secondary operators on regional routes and on charters as they have been replaced by more modern and efficient jet equipment on primary routes.
Estimated production of over 600 aircraft for civilian operators, all initially delivered to airlines in the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, China, Cuba and various client states in Africa and Asia. Approximately 50 remain in service.
