The IL-2 excelled as an army direct-support aircraft attacking tanks, artillery, convoys, bridges et al.
BHPian V.Narayan recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
IL-2 Shturmovik :: USSR, Eastern Front WW-II :: Tamiya, 1:72
Length is ~6.5 inches; Wingspan is 8 inches
No reader of this thread would not have heard of the legendary IL-2 Shturmovik ground attack aircraft which along with the T-34 tank and Yak series fighters helped win the war on the Eastern Front in WW2. The sheer scale of fighting on the Eastern Front combined with the vastness of the geography over which it was fought dwarfed every other land battle not only of WW2 but all history.
The IL-2 excelled as an army direct support aircraft attacking tanks, artillery, convoys, bridges et al. Its bath tub of armour is 5mm to 13mm thick. This housed the engine and pilot but unfortunately not the rear gunner {in most variants}. While the armour ate into the Shturmovik’s weapon payload the 23mm cannons and the 100kg bombs and WW2 era rockets proved adequate for the tasks and tribulations of the Russian Front. Like Russian aircraft, it was rugged, designed for the Russian winter, operated from muddy airfields and just kept going.
42,330 IL-2s and its Mark II successor the IL-10 were built making this the most produced military aircraft in history. The next closest military machine is the Messerschmitt Bf-109 at 35,090. The last major Air Force to retire the IL-10 was the Chinese PLA Air Force in 1972.
Today’s modern attack helicopters are the successors of the IL-2.
Basu Roy is the maker and painter of this excellent scale model.
I’m posting on this thread with my own photos after 2 years. Hope to show off many more over the coming months.
Data Box
- Crew: 2
- Length: 38 ft 3 in
- Wingspan: 47 ft 11 in
- Wing area: 414.4 sq ft
- Empty weight: 4,425 kg
- Max take-off weight: 6,360 kg
- Fuel capacity: 730 L
- Powerplant: 1 × Mikulin AM-38F liquid-cooled V12 engine, 1,280 kW (1,720 hp) (take-off power)
- Maximum speed: 220 knots (410 km/h) at low altitudes
- Radius: 206 nm (380 km) ; Endurance: 2.75 hr
Armament
- 2 × fixed forward-firing 23×152mm VYa-23 cannons, 150 rounds per gun
- 2 × fixed forward-firing 7.62×54mmR ShKAS machine guns, 750 rounds per gun
- 1 × manually aimed 12.7×108mm Berezin UBT machine gun in rear cockpit, 300 rounds
- 4 to 8 ground attack rockets
- 6× 100 kg (220 lb) bombs in wing bomb-bays and underwing or
- 4× dispensers for 48 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) PTAB anti-armour bombs (192 total) in wing bays
Here’s what BHPian FlankerFury replied:
The level of detail is incredible!
The importance of this aircraft was emphasized in a telegram from Joseph Stalin to an Ilyushin plant, which stated, “Our Red Army now needs the Il-2 as much as the air it breathes and the bread it eats…”
For context, the production of this type was delayed due to relocation of facilities caused by Nazi Germany’s invasion of Soviet Union, as part of Operation Barbarossa.
It must’ve been thoroughly outdated by then but still, it’s quite remarkable for a plane that was designed in the 1940s.
Another similar propeller driven, ground attack plane that comes to mind is the Douglas A-1 Skyraider.
It too was developed in the 1940s (unlike the Shturmovik, the Skyraider entered service after WWII was over.) and served upto the 70s.
The name Shturmovik has become a generic Russian name for attack aircraft, so the Su-25 would qualify as a successor too.
Here’s what BHPian skanchan95 replied:
Beautiful model of a great aircraft! Congratulations and thank you for the informative post.
Basu Roy is a genius!
Can’t wait to see what you share next (which I assume is a Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar)
Years later and in the early 2000s, as a tribute to the IL-2, there was PC flight simulator released named after the IL-2 titled “IL-2 Sturmovik” based on the IL-2’s role in WW2, and later many sequels were released under the same title. It used to be one of the most popular flight sim titles in those days.
The “spiritual” successor of the Il-2 would have been a lesser known aircraft called the IL-102. Like the IL-2, it even had a tail gunner station (remotely operated). It did not move beyond the prototype stage though.
Like the Northrop A-9, glad the IL-102 did not move beyond the prototype stage. The Americans chose the Fairchild Republic A-10 over the Northrop A-9, while the Russians chose the Su-25 over the IL-102.
*Prototypes of the A-10 (above) and A-9 (below)
Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
