During operations, the Russian Il-20M reconnaissance aircraft «sees everything» well on the ground and easily scans targets in the air thanks to special side radars. The advantages of the highly specialized aircraft were recognized in a video on his YouTube channel by Ryan Bodenheimer, a former pilot of the US Air Force Thunderbirds aerobatic team.
He drew attention to the fact that there is a massive radar in the lower part of the Il-20M fuselage, and compared it with similar ground-based surveillance equipment, but in the air.
It observes in a «cone», allows you to detect everything on the ground, and probably in the air. There are side radars in the form of «leaves». But in my opinion, it is more focused on ground signals and mapping the area.
As a reminder, the Il-20 (NATO codification Coot, «Coot») is a radio-electronic reconnaissance and electronic warfare aircraft developed by the Ilyushin Design Bureau based on the Il-18D passenger aircraft.
As Bodenheimer rightly noted, the «Coot» is equipped with a side-looking station and photographic equipment. The aircraft was produced from 1968 to 1976; the exact number of units in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces is unknown.
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