Kirill Naumenko / Wikimedia
Ilyushin IL-20M spy plane from the Russian Air Force
A raid of this aircraft without a fly plan registered forced NATO to launch two Eurofighter fighters. It is a Soviet model with 1968 technology.
NATO sent two Eurofighter fighters from the German Air Force last Sunday after detecting a Russian plane on the Baltic Sea.
The military aircraft, identified as a Ilyushin Il-20Mit fly without a registered flight plan or radio contact, which forced the Atlantic alliance to activate its defense systems.
IL-20M, known in military media such as “Ear of Russia”It is a plane designed for Recognition and Surveillance Electronic.
It is a derived version of the Ilyushin IL-18 civil transport aircraft, which was adapted with military technology In the time of the Soviet Union, in 1968. He entered the service in 1969, and has since become a fundamental asset in Moscow’s strategy.
In 1978 it went into operation IL-20M Modernized Versionequipped with advanced interception and signal analysis systems. It is currently estimated that only six units remain operational, all subject to periodic modernizations to extend their useful life and reinforce data collection capacity.
An arsenal of sensors and electronic systems
The IL-20M fuselage houses high equipment strategic value. Stands out Radar Igla-1 SLARconceived to generate cartographic images, as well as the Panoramic Chamber A-87P high resolution and infrared sensors.
In addition, it integrates systems COMINT and ELINT, among which Vischnnia, SRS-4 Romb and Kvadrat-2, which allow detect, decode and analyze emissions radar and communications.
Thanks to Antennas assembled in the upper fuselagethe plane maintains satellite connections that allow us to transmit information to the command centers practically in real time. This factor gives it an essential role in the Russian strategy of electronic war.
Or il-20m the 36 meters long and 37.5 meters of wingspan. It is propelled by Four turbo-propeller engines Ivchenko AI-20mwhich allow you to reach a top speed of 685 km/he to maintain a stable cruise around 650 km/h. It has an autonomy of 4,300 kilometers and a crew consisting of five flight elements and eight intelligence experts.
This plane No offensive weaponrygiven that its main function is to obtain sensitive information from the opponent. Its value lies in the ability to track emissions, locate positions and transmit data in real time, consolidating itself as a tactical and strategic intelligence tool.
The intercepted flight this Sunday on the Baltic It is not an isolated episoderemember the. This year, aircraft of the same type have already been identified near Kaliningrad and Alaska Air Defense Zone, where Norad command has detected four raids in less than a week.
These incidents, added to the joint military exercises with Belarus, increase the Tension in the Eastern Flank from the Atlantic Alliance.
