Ilyushin Il-28
Encyclopedia : I : IL : ILY : Ilyushin Il-28
| Ilyushin Il-28 | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Description | ||
| Role | Bomber | |
| Crew | Three - pilot, bombardier, gunner | |
| First Flight | July 8 1948 | |
| Entered Service | 1950 | |
| Manufacturers | Ilyushin, Hong | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | 17.60 m | 57 ft 9 in |
| Wingspan | 21.50 m | 70 ft 6 in |
| Height | 6.70 m | 22 ft 0 in |
| Wing area | 60.8 m² | 654 ft² |
| Weights | ||
| Empty | 11,890 kg | 26,210 lb |
| Loaded | 17,700 kg | 39,000 lb |
| Maximum takeoff | 21,200 kg | 46,700 lb |
| Powerplant | ||
| Engines | 2x Klimov VK-1 | |
| Thrust | 53.8 kN | 12,090 lbf |
| Performance | ||
| Maximum speed | 900 km/h | 560 mph |
| Combat Radius | ||
| Ferry Range | 2,180 km | 1,350 miles |
| Service ceiling | 12,300 m | 40,400 ft |
| Rate of climb | 900 m/min | 2,950 ft/min |
| Wing loading | 291 kg/m² | 59.6 lb/ft² |
| Thrust/Weight | 1:3.2 | 3.1 N/kg |
| Avionics | ||
| Avionics | ||
| Armament | ||
| Guns | 2x Nudelman NR-23 cannons in nose 2x NR-23 cannon in tail barbette | |
| Bombs | 3,000 kg (6,600 lb) of bombs in internal bay | |
The aircraft is conventional in layout, with high, unswept wings carrying large engine nacelles beneath them. The bombardier is accommodated in the glazed nose, and the other end of the fuselage carries a turret for two machine guns. These features make it resemble the World War II medium bombers that preceded it, but the swept tail surfaces and the pilot's bubble canopy and ejector seat were more similar to other aircraft of its own era, making it a blend of old and new features.
The Il-28 was widely exported, serving in the air arms of some 20 nations ranging from the Warsaw Pact to various Middle-Eastern and African air forces. Egypt was an early customer, and targeting Egyptian Il-28s on the ground was a priority for the Israeli Air Force during the Suez Crisis, Six Day War, and Yom Kippur War. The Soviet Union was in the process of providing the type for local assembly in Cuba when this was halted by the Cuban Missile Crisis, after which Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove them. The type also saw limited use in Vietnam and with the Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Four ex-Egyptian and two ex-Soviet Il-28s (all with Egyptian crews) were operated by the Nigerian Air Force in the Biafra Wars. Yemeni Il-28s took part in the civil war in that country. Finland also had four examples of this type delivered between 1961 and 1966. They remained in service until 1980s.
The Soviet Union withdrew the type in the 1980s, while the last Soviet-built examples were still flying in Egypt into the 1990s. Chinese-built Il-28s designated H-5 and built by HAMC were also flying in the 1990s, with several hundred in China itself, and a smaller number in North Korea and Romania. The three main Chinese versions are the H-5 bomber, followed by the HJ-5 trainer, and the H-5R (HZ-5) reconnaissance aircraft.
Variants
- Il-28 Beagle - Bomber version.
- Il-28R - Reconnaissance version.
- Il-28T - Torpedo bomber version.
- Il-28P - Civil conversion for Aeroflot mail service.
- Il-28U Mascot - Training version.
- H-5 - Chinese bomber version.
- HJ-5 - Chinese training version.
- H-5R or (HZ-5): Chinese reconnaissance version.
- B-5 - Export designation of the H-5.
- B-228 - Czechoslovakian Air Force designation.
Civil Operators
- Aeroflot.
Operators
- Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Bulgaria, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Egypt, Finland, Hungary, Indonesia, Iraq, Morocco, North Korea, North Yeman, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Somalia, South Yeman, Soviet Union, Syria, Vietnam
External links
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