Ilyushin Il-2

The Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik ({{lang-ru|??-2 ?????????}}) was a ground attack aircraft of World War II, and was produced by the Soviet Union in huge numbers; in combination with its successor, the Il-10, a total of 36,163 were built. It is one of the most produced aircraft in all of aviation history.

Related Topics:
Ilyushin - Ground attack aircraft - World War II - Soviet Union - Il-10

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It was originally designed by Sergey Ilyushin and his team at the Central Design Bureau in 1938, as a two-seat aircraft with an armoured shell weighing 700 kg (1,540 lb), protecting crew, engine, radiators, and the fuel tank. Standing empty, the Ilyushin weighed more than 4,500 kg (almost 10,000 lb), making the armoured shell about 15% of the aircraft's gross weight. The prototype, named the BSh-2, first flew on December 30, 1939. However, this was rejected in favor of a lighter single-seat design, the TsKB-57, which first flew October 12, 1940.

Related Topics:
Sergey Ilyushin - Central Design Bureau - 1938 - Crew - Engine - Radiator - Fuel tank - December 30 - 1939 - October 12 - 1940

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This version was officially designated Il-2, and started large-scale production in early 1941, with the first deliveries coming in May, just in time for the German invasion. The Il-2 proved itself to be a deadly weapon against German transport and armor, but was itself vulnerable to fighter attack, and so in February 1942 the two-seat design was revived.

Related Topics:
1941 - German - Armor - 1942

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The two-seat version was called IL-2M, and differed by having a rear gunner's position under a lengthened canopy. These modified versions started appearing in September 1942, and eventually existing single-seaters were modified also. Later changes included an upgrade from 20-mm to 23-mm cannons, aerodynamic improvements, use of wooden outer wing panels instead of metal, and increased fuel capacity.

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In 1943 the IL-2 Type 3 or Il-2m3 came out with redesigned wings that were swept back 15 degrees on the outer ends. Performance and handling were much improved, and this became the most common version of the Il-2.

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A radial-engine-powered major variant of the Il-2 was developed in 1942 to remedy projected shortages in Mikulin inline engines, but newer series produced after the La-5 fighter aircraft proved invaluable in air combat, securing all available radial engines to the Lavochkin bureau. The Sukhoi Su-2, the competing ground attack plane design equipped with a radial engine, was produced in small quantities, but had to be removed from service after Soviet Anti-Aircraft Artillery consistently mistook it for a German aircraft, with often lethal consequences.

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The Il-2 aircraft played an important role on the Eastern Front (WWII), and in the opinion of the Soviet Union was the most decisive aircraft in the history of modern land warfare. Flying day and night, they could defeat the thick armour of the Panther and Tiger I tanks, and often shot down Bf 109s.

Related Topics:
Eastern Front (WWII) - Panther - Tiger I - Bf 109

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The main weaknesses of Il-2 were the rear cabin and the oil cooler located under its belly. The tail gunner's seat was a later addition to the series-produced Il-2 design and adequate rear canopy armour could not be not provided, as the mobile 12.7 millimeter heavy machine gun fired through a large open orifice. The Il-2's fuselage armor was strong enough to repel .50 hits from almost any angle, but enemy fighter planes attacking from behind often killed the tail gunner. The Soviet Air Force lost an average of four gunner/radio operators for every downed Il-2 pilot and airframe.

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To shoot down an Il-2 required precise hits. The most common tactic was to attack while climbing from the behind and aim for the Il-2's large, non-retractable oil cooler. Due its low operating height the Il-2 could not glide far and usually crashed on loss of engine power. These vulnerabilities were corrected in an improved version, the Il-10, which was used during the closing months of WWII and the Korean War.

Related Topics:
Il-10 - Korean War

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The only threat ground attack airplanes, especially the Il-2 could not evade was the firepower of German AA artillery. The 88 mm Flak crews were equipped with a specialized ballistic data table, that almost guaranteed a hit, if the Il-2 formation turned back for a second strafing pass. However, satisfactory hits against ground targets often couldn't be made during a single Il-2 attack pass. The Soviet leadership insisted that all weapons must be released in anger, forcing crews to turn around and strafe again, resulting in recurring, unnecessary losses among exposed Il-2 attack formations.

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After the war the Il-2 could be found in service with several Eastern European countries for some years, but most of the Il-2/10 planes were soon chopped up on central order after the advent of military jet era. Only a handful of Il-2 survive to this day, including museum rebuilds of crashed airframes. In recent years several Il-2 wrecks have been located and recovered from Lake Balaton, a large, shallow lake in Hungary, which is located near the historic site of a large WWII tank battle.

Related Topics:
Lake Balaton - Hungary

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