Ilyushin Il-18 Il-22 (Coot-B)

The Il-22 «Coot-B» is the conversion of the four-engined airliner into an airborne command post, a role it still fills in the Russian Air Force alongside the Il-18 and Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft. The designation was reused: the original Il-22 was a 1947 prototype jet bomber, a completely different aircraft.

From it derive the Il-22M, with new mission equipment, and the Il-22PP electronic warfare and reconnaissance aircraft. The variant has featured twice in recent events: on 24 June 2023 an Il-22 was shot down during the Wagner Group rebellion, killing all ten crew, and on 14 January 2024 Ukrainian media reported another shot down over the Sea of Azov, which crash-landed at Anapa airport and was claimed damaged beyond repair.