"The
contract is in the discussion phase. It is impossible to name any specific
figures at this point (number of planes and dates), but the entire fleet
is to undergo upgrade," he said.
The Il-38 MPA and anti-submarine warfare aircraft is to be upgraded
to Ilyushin-38N with a new generation search and target track system
Novella-P-38.
Kozhin said all upgraded planes will be painted dark grey in line with
the Defence Ministry’s standards. A unified platform for Russia’s
naval aviation to replace the current Ilyushin-20 and Ilhyushin-38 will
be selected in 2015-2016, Kozhin said. The universal platform that will
replace all of anti-submarine planes will boast far better parameters
surpassing foreign counterparts. "The platform will perform its
maiden flight by 2020," Kozhin said. |