Me and My Ilyusha: The Il-2 and Il-10 Shturmovik
by Jason Long
"Sergei Ilyushin began design of the Il-2 in January 1938 to fill a need for an armored ground-attack aircraft to replace the license-built Vultee V-11GB and various obsolete biplanes. The only real innovation, and the saving grace, in its design was an armored shell that enclosed both crewmembers, the engine and its cooling systems and the fuel tanks from below and the sides. Unlike most attempts in armoring aircraft the armor was an integral part of the aircraft as all other components of aircraft were fastened to it. It was a direct inspiration for the titanium 'bathtub' cockpit armor in the modern American A-10. The first two prototypes had a pilot and a gunner, and an AM-35 engine optimized for medium altitudes. Evaluation by the VVS (Soviet Air Force) resulted in a second pair of prototypes in an attempt to correct all the perceived problems.
A more powerful AM-38 engine which was optimized for low altitudes powered the second pair. The gunner was replaced by additional fuel in an attempt to extend the range, but this was mostly negated by the new engine's higher fuel consumption.
The rear fuselage and vertical tail were made of wood while the rest of the aircraft was made of duralumin, although the outer wing panels were later made of wood to conserve scarce aluminium. The landing gear was placed in bulky wing fairings with the wheels exposed. This had the not unanticipated benefit of easing the effect of gear-up landings on both aircraft and aircrew.
The Il-2 was well armed with 2x 20mm ShVAK cannon and 2x 7.62mm ShKAS machine-guns in the wings. The wings also housed 4 small cells for 220 lb (100 kg) bombs. An additional pair could be carried under the wings. A pair of 550 lb (250 kg) bombs could also be carried externally if the bomb cells were empty. Eight 82mm RS-82 or 132mm RS-132 rockets could also be carried though the launcher rails reduced the maximum speed by 7 mph (11 kph).
The international situation was such that three factories in Moscow and Voronezh began preparations for manufacture of the Il-2 even before the second pair of prototypes first flew in Oct 1940. The first production aircraft was accepted before completion of the State Acceptance Trials on 18 March 1941, the 4th Shturmoviki Aviapolk (Ground-Attack Aviation Regiment) being the first to receive the Il-2 in May 1941.
Some 249 had been completed when the Germans invaded, but only 70 had been accepted by the VVS and they were barely operational. It received its baptism of fire on 1 July near Bobruisk with some effect although losses were high. "
link
paints up some WWII Soviet aircraft.
