Two Soviet aircraft have shared the designation Ilyushin Il-18. The first Il-18 was a propeller-driven airliner of 1946. After a year of test flights, however, the programme was abandoned.

The second Il-18 (NATO reporting name: Coot) is a large turboprop airliner somewhat resembling the Lockheed L-188 Electra that became one of the best known of Soviet aircraft (over 850 built), and one of the most popular and long lasting, having first flown in 1957. The IL-18 was one of the world’s principal airliners for several decades, and was widely exported. Because of the plane’s durability, many achieved over 45,000 flight hours.