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PAK-MPS - Prospective Aviation Complex Naval Patrol Aircraft

The Russian Ministry of Defense turned to the developers for proposals on creating a new anti-submarine aircraft to replace the Tu-142 and IL-38, Denis Manturov, the head of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, told Interfax 26 August 2019. "The Ministry of Defense recently set the task for developers to prepare proposals for the creation of a new patrol aircraft based on existing models. This year, I believe, a fundamental choice will be made," Manturov said.He noted that the issue of deep modernization of long-range Tu-142 anti-submarine aircraft is also being studied.

Earlier, he stated that the new development will replace all patrol aircraft available in the marine aviation park (Tu-142 and Il-38 - IF). “It is about creating and putting into operation a new unified platform. This is a modern machine that will surpass foreign analogues in many issues,” said Kozhin.

Ilyushin previously informed Interfax of ongoing work on projects for a new anti-submarine aircraft, which in the future could replace the IL-38. "Currently, the possibility of creating an anti-submarine aircraft on the platform of existing IL-type aircraft is being investigated on an initiative basis. The topic of developing a completely new type of aircraft is also being worked out," the company said.It was also reported that the twin-engine turboprop IL-114-300, which can be equipped with the Novella complex like the IL-38N, is considered as a platform for a new generation of anti-submarine aircraft.

Whether such work is being carried out at Tupolev was currently unknown.

Tu-142 is a long-range anti-submarine aircraft / marine patrol aircraft developed by Tupolev Design Bureau. According to codification, NATO was called Bear-F. The practical range of the Tu-142 is 12550 km, combat radius of action is 6400 km. The aircraft can monitor the enemy’s submarine or destroy it with aircraft torpedoes or anti-submarine missiles on board.

IL-38 - anti-submarine aircraft, created on the basis of IL-18. It is intended for independent or joint search and destruction of submarines, marine reconnaissance and search and rescue operations with anti-submarine ships. Flight range - 6500 km, combat radius - 2200 km, combat load - up to 8400 kg of anti-submarine bombs, torpedoes, sea mines.

The experience of the two past world wars and the attention paid to the improvement of submarines (submarines) in the post-war period show that they were and remain a formidable weapon that can significantly influence the outcome of the struggle, and not only in sea and ocean theaters of military operations. Of all the forces of the fleet, the submarines are the most secretive, and they have not lost this tactical characteristic to date. In 1955-1956 The first samples of aviation radio hydroacoustic and magnetometric means designed to search for submarines were developed and put into service in the Soviet Union.

The desire to get an airplane with a long range and duration of flight ultimately turned into a loss of quality — the onboard search tools were already outdated, and the operation was much more expensive than the IL-38. For this reason, the Tu-142 series of aircraft turned out to be small, and moreover, with the advent of the new generation of Tu-142M aircraft with more modern means of searching, the command of the naval aviation clearly did not know what to do with the Tu-142, and in 1978 they were handed over to the Pacific Fleet aviation where there was absolutely no need for them.

The Tu-142M aircraft began to enter the naval aviation in 1979. The first operating experience showed the extremely low reliability of the search and aiming system, flight-navigation system and search tools. That is, the main weapon for which it was created was unreliable. The complex’s weaknesses and ideological failures were revealed: considerable processing time of information received from buoys, contact classification by visual comparison of spectrograms (they were not automatically compared), directional buoys had very strong side lobes, etc.

According to the classification of the NATO Alliance, the Tu-142 is determined as Bear-F. Initially, this technique worked on the detection and elimination of nuclear submarines equipped with ballistic missiles. After the end of the Cold War, the aircraft began to be assigned exclusively for duty and rescue work. The Tu-142 has a lot in common with the design of the Tu-95RTS. Machines were produced at the same factory at number 18 in the city of Kuybyshev. In 1972, the Navy received 12 such aircraft. A total of 18 such devices were manufactured at this plant.

The naval aviation of the Russian Navy will receive 75 aircraft before the end of this decade, Admiral Viktor Chirkov, commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, said during a visit to the Kuznetsova Naval Academy in October 2018. “Marine aviation will receive 21 new aircraft and 54 helicopters by 2020,” he said. According to Chirkov, aircraft that have a modernization reserve, primarily anti-submarine aircraft, will be modernized. In addition, in the interests of the Navy, it is planned to build and purchase promising basic patrol aircraft complexes, a whole series of unmanned aerial vehicles of various range and purpose.

Chirkov earlier reported that a project of a prospective aircraft was being developed in Russia, which would replace the anti-submarine Tu-142M3 in service with the Navy. "Work has begun on the conceptual design of a prospective aviation patrol complex, which should come to replace this anti-submarine aircraft," the admiral noted. In his opinion, in addition to anti-submarine aircraft, Russia needs multi-role fighters, such as the Su-30SM. In the coming years, the Russian Navy will receive several dozen such vehicles.

Naval aviation of the Russian Navy  will receive a new naval patrol aircraft [ PAK Patrulnogo / Morskoy Patrulianii Samolet]; its development should be completed in the 2020s. This was announced on 10 December 2018 in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper by the Chief of the Naval Aviation of the Russian Navy, Major General Igor Kozhin. "At the second stage (2021-2030), the modernization of the entire fleet of aircraft and helicopters of the Maritime Aviation and the re-equipment of coastal fighter-assault aircraft will be continued, serial production of the promising aviation patrol complex will begin," Kozhin said.

Kozhin previously reported that the development of new patrol aircraft in the interests of the Navy is nearing completion. “The main command of the Navy and the command of naval aviation are working on the creation of promising multi-purpose ship and ground-based helicopters, and the development of new patrol aircraft, which will replace the existing anti-submarine aircraft, is nearing completion,” said the chief of naval aviation in 2017.

The ex-commander of the Navy Viktor Chirkov, while still the commander of the fleet, said that "the project of a promising aircraft will replace the anti-submarine Tu-142M3 in service with the Navy." Tu-142 - Soviet and Russian long-range anti-submarine aircraft.

The fleet has remained virtually without reconnaissance aircraft; in most cases, its functions are performed by extremely expensive anti-submarine aircraft, which are few. And the problem here is not only the cost of such reconnaissance, but also its frequency: the rare spans of reconnaissance aircraft, which, as a rule, are known to “partners” [aka Western intelligence] in advance, are hardly an effective means of reconnaissance.

To replace the IL-38, a twin-engine turboprop IL-114-300 was considered as a platform for the development of a new generation of anti-submarine aircraft. According to reports at Aero India 2017, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) announced its intention to release both civilian and military versions of the IL-114 as part of the Make in India program. The parties discussed how HAL and other Indian companies can supply components and parts to complete the construction of the new IL-114 in Russia.

For a long time after the easing of international tension and bloc confrontation, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the creation of new complexes of basic patrol aviation was not a priority. Slight market growth was provided only by modernization programs, extension of service life and resources of the fleet of aircraft in service.

At the same time, a study conducted by Frost & Sullivan's Global Airborne Maritime Surveillance Aircraft Market, Forecast to 2026, predicts from 2017 to 2026 a steady growth of the market for patrol aircraft and marine surveillance annually by 7.4%. The driver of growth in the base patrol aviation market was not only the achievement of maximum service life and the need to replace the fleet of P-3C aircraft, but also new geopolitical factors associated with the aggravation of territorial disputes between China and the countries of Southeast Asia (Southeast Asia) (Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei) on the ownership of the water area and islands in the South China Sea.

The countries of Southeast Asia have a different financial and economic situation, and not everyone can purchase modern complexes like P - 8A Poseidon. Therefore, global manufacturers offer various options on less expensive platforms for regional passenger aircraft and business jets with both turboprop and turbojet engines. They also use open architecture, offering integration of a wide range of real-time on-board intelligence and surveillance equipment to meet customer requirements.

Many countries have pre-worked out specific requirements for BPS complexes, but the lack of finances puts off the opportunity to purchase them in the required quantity. Alternative business models, such as leasing and phased payment mechanisms, can be offered and demanded in such markets.

The tasks of maritime surveillance - monitoring marine corridors, protecting fisheries, preventing and combating piracy, smuggling, drug trafficking and illegal immigration, patrolling exclusive economic zones, search and rescue - have become a necessary addition to the list of classic BPS tasks. These aircraft are also used as flying command posts in emergency situations, managing complex operations involving military and civilian departments. Growing political tensions and conflicting territorial claims in coastal regions have stimulated interest in naval patrol aircraft. To solve a significantly expanded list of tasks, leading aircraft manufacturers are actively developing and offering a number of new systems on the world market.

The PLO aircraft project based on the Tu-204 was buried somewhere in 2008. In 2018 it was reported that to replace the Il-38, the twin-engine turboprop Il-114-300 is being considered as a platform for the development of new generation anti-submarine aircraft. According to reports at Aero India 2017, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) announced its intention to produce both civilian and military versions of the Il-114 under the “Make in India” program.The parties discussed how HAL and other Indian companies can supply components and parts to complete the construction of new Il-114 in Russia.

Russia has started developing a new anti-submarine aircraft with a greater range of weapons, to replace the Soviet Il-38, an informed source told Sputnik. "Development work has begun on the creation of a basic anti-submarine, reconnaissance and patrol aircraft to replace the Soviet Il-38," the source said 04 March 2023.

"The new machine will retain the four-engine layout standard for aircraft of this class; it is planned to be equipped with TV7-117 turboprop engines." The source added that the new aircraft will receive the latest on-board equipment, including new sonar buoys, and its range of weapons will be expanded compared to the Il-38. The new Russian anti-submarine aircraft will be built almost entirely using domestic electronic components.

The Ilyushin Il-38 anti-submarine and maritime patrol aircraft was produced in 1967-1972. In total, over 60 warfare aircraft were built. The aircraft in its basic version is equipped with radio sonar buoys to search for enemy submarines, as well as various anti-submarine weapons, including torpedoes and mines. There were currently about 25 Il-38s, including the modernized Il-38Ns, in operation in the Russian military.

Back in 2018, the twin-engine IL-114MP project based on the IL-114-300 was proposed. It was proposed to equip the aircraft with a Kasatka radar with AFAR, Kh-35E anti-ship missiles, a 23 mm cannon, anti-submarine missiles and radio buoys. when creating an anti-submarine aircraft based on the Il-114, the volume of the passenger compartment will be used both for installing special equipment and additional fuel tanks.

The Russian Federation began work around 2010 on the creation of a basic anti-submarine, reconnaissance and patrol aircraft. The new air vehicle should replace the Il-38 aircraft of the Soviet design. Judging by the fact that the four-engine scheme will be preserved and TV7-117 engines will be used, it can be expected that the Il-38 project will simply be re-engineered in order to move away from the Ukrainian AI-20M to engines of Russian design and production. The IL38 has not been produced for 50 years. Of course, a lot of topical changes will be made to the airframe. But in general, they can even leave the name of the aircraft Il-38xxxx in order to save on some testing procedures and type certification.

The most reasonable thing is to rework the Il-38 project and re-launch it into a series, as they did with the Tu-95MS at one time. Since the existing aircraft as a platform is ideal. But everything rests on the engines that were made in Zaporozhye. Or rather, in the absence of engines gtom Ukraine.

The concept of a new anti-submarine aircraft was developed in Russia, its scheme has already been approved by the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Nikolai Evmenov. This was announced 23 July 3034 by the head of the naval aviation of the fleet Andrei Pakhomov. "The concept has been developed, the scheme has been fully developed, approved by the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. There are all goals and tasks for these aircraft," Pakhomov said on the air of the Military Acceptance program on the Zvezda TV channel. As the head of naval aviation specified, the aircraft is not supersonic, it will fly both at low and high speeds. "It will be used in the near sea zone, it will also be able to work in the far sea zone," he added.

The new vehicle will expand the range of weapons, the range of ammunition will be larger. The new machine will retain the standard four-engine layout for aircraft of this class, it is planned to be equipped with TV7-117 turboprop engines. The Il-114-300 could become the basis for such a development . This is indirectly confirmed by the engines of the TV7-117 family. IL-114-300 is equipped with the TV7-117ST-01 version.