One of the lesser-known aircraft in the inventory of the Soviet Air Forces, the Il-53V Vikingski bears an uncanny resemblance to the American Lockheed S-3B Viking. While there might be an argument for the similar roles leads to similar designs philosophy, the truth is much simpler than that, and it begins in Iran.
     The Imperial Iranian Air Force had a long history of buying American aircraft to fill it's inventory, and by the mid-1970's, the growing threat of Soviet expansion into the Middle East  and Indian sub-continent led the American government to allow many of it's top aircraft designs to be marketed to the Iranians. Foremost was the F-14 Tomcat, but there were other contenders for other jobs. One of these was the Lockheed S-3 Viking, a superb anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. A showing of a Lockheed-owned
 S-3 was underway at Tehran International Airport in 1979 when the Iranian revolution broke out. With a swift collapse of the government, and the fleeing of the Shah, many Americans left Iran in a hurry, and as a result, the privately-owned Lockheed S-3 was left behind in a hangar. In later years, the blame shifted back and forth between Lockheed employees, the CIA, and the USN test pilots as to who neglected to retrieve or destroy the plane, but by then, it was too late.
     With the loss of many pilots who had fled the country, the new government of Iran realised that a single S-3 was not too useful, and since holding American diplomats hostage likely precluded any chance of selling the S-3 back to the Americans, the Iranians did the next best thing: They sold it to the Soviets! Happy to get an advanced American jet to examine, the Soviets paid hard cash, and during a dark night in 1980, an AN-22 in Aeroflot markings took off from Iran, carrying the S-3 on board. 

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   Only upon arrival in the Soviet Union did the Soviets realize they had been had. While the plane itself was complete, there were no advanced avionics on board! Apparently, the US government had allowed the plane to be test-flown for the Iranians only if the sensitive equipment was not on board, and in it's place was ballast. While being a serious disappointment (to say the least, 15 officials wound up imprisoned over the error), the Soviets were determined to make the most of the design itself. Since a series of Soviet supercarriers were due to be completed in the mid to late 1980s, an ASW platform made perfect sense. The Ilyushin bureau was given the  job of reverse-engineering the S-3 to fit Soviet engines, avionics, and other sub-systems.
     Within 16 months, the first of 5 basic prototypes rolled out of the  Ilyushin factory. Showcased for Politburo members, the green light was given to produce the plane for Soviet Naval Aviation. Changing the engines from GE TF-34s to Tumanski R-195(b) turbofans and the on-board EW and ASW stations  to use Soviet electronics turned out to far simpler than keeping the project alive. Political forces were moving against the supercarrier project, and the fate of the Vikingski hung in the balance.     

An attempt to keep the design alive, Ilyushin hastily converted the 5 prototypes into executive transport aircraft. Capable of seating 6 in splendiferous comfort, the planes quickly became coveted personal aircraft for several high ranking party officials, and Ilyushin never stopped reminding them as to who made the plane, and how essential it was to the survival of Mother Russia. However, with the passing of Chairman Breznhev, the fate of the carriers appeared sealed. The fleet admirals, who had set their sights upon a superior submarine force, were heavily opposed to any further work on the "Breznhev" class carriers, and only by renaming the lead ship "Kuznetzov" (after a famous Soviet admiral) was the carrier program  allowed to continue.
     On the annual MayDay flypast in Moscow, startled observers were shocked to see what appeared to be S-3 Vikings flying past in formation. Over 50 flew past that day, announcing to the world that the Ilyushin IL-53V was ready for service. Code named "Braider" by NATO, it was promptly nicknamed "Vikingski" by the western media, and the name stuck. Since the Soviet navy was still not able to wield a functional carrier, the IL-53Vs were assigned to the Black Sea Fleet as shore-based ASW-anti-shipping aircraft. Mounting the AT-6 Spiral anti-shipping missiles, and carrying the E-45-7A torpedoes and standard depth charges, the Vikingski appeared a formidable opponent.
     The first voyage of the "Kuznetzov" in the early 1990s was to be it's final deployment as well. The ship carried aboard 10 IL-53Vs, but none were apparently flown off the deck, despite showing great promise in workups prior to the deployment. Only in later years was it discovered that the arrestor gear on board was unable to properly stop the Vikingskis without damaging the undercarriage, and the Soviet navy, not wanting any PR disasters on the maiden voyage of the "Kuznetzov", kept the Braiders on deck.
     With the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the Vikingskis went ashore permanently. Unable to support a carrier battle fleet, the Soviet navy berthed the "Kuznetzov" and looked for buyers for it and the "Admiral Gorshin", it's sister ship. By this time, Ilyushin had produced 105 IL-53Vs, 26 IL-53V bis, and 6 IL-53V II aircraft, as well as the 5 prototypes, now flying in Aeroflot markings. When the Ukraine declared independence, 86 IL-53Vs were at 2 airbases inside the Ukraine, and were placed in storage pending repurchase by the Russians. Several years of legal wrangling ended with the Ukraine returning 40, and keeping the rest as "payment". The returned planes were eventually upgraded to IL-53V II standards, and many saw action over Chechniya in 2002. This was the first operational use of the Vikingski, and from all accounts, they performed  adequately.
     The Ukraine sold off 29 of their Vikingskis, with 16 going to India, 6 to Indonesia, 3 to Vietnam, and 4 to private collectors in the US.  Ironically, one of these collectors was on the original S-3 design team, and has had his IL-53V painted in the original 1975 USN scheme. Prohibited from flying it in the US by Homeland Security, the Vikingski is the hit of the European airshow circuit.

 Any content in this article that resembles the truth is merely coincidental. The facts have been changed to protect the sources.

Brady and Alvis 3.1