In 1949, he graduated, was commissioned an officer and assigned to serve on the submarine M113 of the Black Sea Fleet. In 1951, Zhiltsov attended Advanced Naval Submarine Navigation courses in Leningrad, which he completed with distinction in 1952.
Zhiltsov entered the Naval preparatory school in Leningrad in 1942 and the Caspian Higher Naval School in 1945, the date from which his naval service officially began. In 1954, he was assigned as second in command to the first Soviet nuclear submarine. In 1966, he graduated from the Naval Academy in Leningrad after which he became commander of the Baltic Fleet submarine division and held various other command positions in the Baltic and Northern Fleets.
He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1975 and retired from active duty in 1977.
In retirement he served on the Navy Acceptance Commission for new ships. Zhiltsov retired in 1977 and died in 1996.
In June 1959, he was awarded the Order of Lenin for his active participation in the construction of the lead Soviet nuclear-powered submarine and given command of that submarine, the submarine Leninsky Communist Youth League in the rank of Captain 2nd Rank.
