July 8, 2013 marked the 65th anniversary of the first flight of the Il-28 jet bomber.
The creation of an aircraft of this class became possible due to the fact that in 1947 in the USSR they launched into licensed serial production a reliable, with a large resource, English turbojet engine with a centrifugal compressor "Nin", developing a take-off thrust of 2270 kgf. The possibility of using only one mobile defensive installation to protect the bomber determined the main layout features of the Il-28. Thus, its design "started from the tail".
The Il-28 was created for a crew of three people: a pilot, a navigator and a stern radio operator gunner. When deciding to abandon the co-pilot in the design, the relatively short flight duration of the front-line bomber was taken into account, which was on average 2, 0-2, 5 hours and did not exceed 4 hours. The pilot's work in cruising flight was supposed to be facilitated by the installation of an autopilot. The IL-28 crew was housed in the front and rear pressurized cabins. The high flight speed of the Il-28 required special measures to be taken to ensure emergency escape. The pilot's and navigator's workplaces were equipped with ejection seats. The radio operator in an emergency could use the lower entrance hatch, the folded back cover of which protected him from the action of the air flow at the time of separation from the aircraft. The navigator was in an ejection seat during takeoff, landing and air combat. When working with a bomber sight, he took a seat in another seat, located on the starboard side of the aircraft. For the convenience of firing and tracking the target, the shooter's seat moved vertically along with the movement of the weapon.
The adopted scheme of defensive weapons and the composition of the crew made it possible to drastically reduce the geometric dimensions of the Il-28 in comparison with the previously developed Il-22.
The large midsection of the "Nin" turbojet engine (called the RD-45F turbojet engine in the series) and the desire to prevent foreign objects from being sucked from unpaved runways led to the abandonment of the pylon placement of engines and to their installation in nacelles tightly pressed against the lower surface of the wing.
The Il-28 had a straight wing, composed of new SR-5s high-speed airfoils developed at TsAGI. Equipped with a simple single-slotted flap, this wing provided good takeoff and landing characteristics required for deployment on poorly prepared unpaved airfields with limited runway lengths. The wing of the Il-28 had a technological split along the chord plane along its entire span. In this case, each half was divided into a number of panels, which included all the elements of the longitudinal and transverse set. This made it possible to significantly expand the scope of work, improve the working conditions of workers and replace manual riveting with a machine press in serial production.
To ensure the required characteristics of stability and controllability in the entire range of flight speeds on the Il-28, it was decided to install a swept tail unit with symmetrical profiles.
The first serial Il-28
In order to simplify maintenance and reduce the cost of production, a longitudinal technological connector was made on the fuselage. This solution made it possible to mechanize riveting and assembly work and, for the first time in the practice of domestic aircraft construction, provided open approaches to all elements of the fuselage structure, allowing quick installation of equipment and systems in it. All hydro and air pipelines, as well as electrical wiring were located in channels located on both sides of the fuselage, which were closed from the outside by easily removable panels. This simplified the laying and installation of the wiring, and in operation made it possible to quickly and efficiently control its condition, easily replace the failed individual elements, which reduced the time for preparing the aircraft for flight and, ultimately, increased its combat effectiveness.
The aircraft was equipped with an effective anti-icing system (POS). The use of turbojet engines on the Il-28 greatly simplified the production of a large amount of hot air and made it possible to quickly design the most efficient air-thermal POS at that time, which did not have parts protruding into the flow, which was distinguished by high reliability in operation, low weight and ease of operation. The system used hot air taken from the engine compressors, which was directed into the air channels along the entire span of the leading edges of the wing, the horizontal tail and the keel. Their end fairings had outlet openings through which the exhaust air was discharged into the atmosphere. The operation of the system was automated and did not require crew intervention in the process of regulating the air supply. The system also provided protection against icing in the event of a flight with one engine inoperative. The Il-28 turned out to be the only aircraft in the Soviet Air Force that, on a chilly day on March 9, 1953, in conditions of low clouds with snow and rain hanging over the capital, were able to fly at low altitude over Red Square, giving the last military honors to I. V. Stalin.
The main armament of the Il-28 was bombs with a total mass of up to 3000 kg. They were housed in a bomb bay located under the center section and equipped with four cassette and one beam holders. Bombs of caliber from 50 to 500 kg could be suspended on cassette holders, and bombs weighing from 1000 to 3000 kg could be suspended on beam holders. The range of the bomb load included high-explosive, incendiary, fragmentation, concrete-piercing and other ammunition, and later also nuclear "special items".
The bombing was carried out by the navigator using the OPB-5 optical sight, which made it possible to automatically aim when bombing from horizontal flight at moving and stationary targets. The sight calculated and counted the angles of aiming, the inclination of the plane of sight, and at the right time automatically turned on the bomb release circuit. In order to exclude the influence of aircraft vibrations on the accuracy of bombing, the optical system of the sight was stabilized using a gyroscope. The sight had a connection with the autopilot and allowed the navigator, when aiming, to control the maneuver of the aircraft along the course without the participation of the pilot. In difficult meteorological conditions, out of sight of the earth, orientation, search, identification and destruction of ground targets were carried out using the PSBN radar sight ("blind" and night bombing device).
The cannon armament of the Il-28 consisted of four 23 mm HP-23 cannons. Two of them with a total ammunition of 200 rounds were installed on the sides at the bottom of the nose of the fuselage on quick-release mounts. The aircraft commander was firing from the front cannons. Protection of the rear hemisphere was provided by the Il-K6 stern installation with two NR-23 cannons with an ammunition capacity of 225 rounds per barrel. Il-K6 became the first in the USSR a coupled electro-hydraulic remote control unit.
The Il-K6 installation had firing angles of 70 left and right, 40 down and 60 up. In the normal operating mode of the drive, the weapon moved at a speed of 15-17 degrees. per second, and in forced mode - at a speed of up to 36 degrees. per second. The Il-K6 drive power ensured its effective use at a flight speed of over 1000 km / h. The Il-K6, distinguished by its high combat effectiveness, had a relatively small mass (340 kg) and a maximum external moment of 170 kgm. Subsequently, the Il-K6 tower was installed on other domestic aircraft.
Looking ahead, it should be said that the Il-28 turned out to be a very difficult target for fighters. Training air battles with the MiG-15 and MiG-17 showed that it is very difficult to cope with the "twenty-eighth" fighter equipped only with cannons. When attacking from the front hemisphere, the high speed of convergence, combined with a relatively small sighting range and the need to take into account the possibility of two stationary NR-23 being hit by fire, left the MiG pilots no chance of success. The high speed and maneuverability of the Il-28, the presence of an effective stern defensive installation allowed their crews to successfully repel attacks from the rear hemisphere. With the advent of the supersonic MiG-19, the situation has not changed. The increased speed of the fighter further reduced the aiming time, besides, the pilots of the Ilov used braking very effectively, which further reduced the attack time on the catch-up. And only the arrival of the MiG-19PM, equipped with a radar sight and RS-2US missiles, increased the likelihood of a "victory" when intercepting the Il-28. In the NATO countries, the development of fighters followed a very similar path, and even in the late 50s, when a sufficient number of F-100, F-104 and Drakens appeared in Western Europe, the crews of the twenty-eighth had many opportunities to get away from them, especially at extremely low altitudes.
The design of the IL-28 was carried out by S. V. Ilyushin on an initiative basis, the official task for the construction of a front-line bomber was issued by the A. N. Tupolev Design Bureau.
Tu-14
Tupolev Tu-14, with comparable characteristics, turned out to be much more expensive and complex, was produced in a small series and entered service with naval aviation.
The issue of adopting a front-line bomber was considered at the highest level. As Ilyushin recalled, Stalin examined the submitted data in detail, listened to the opinions of the military and decided to adopt the Il-28. At the same time, a decision was made by the Council of Ministers on May 14, 1949, to increase the flight speed of the Il-28 to 900 km / h by installing more powerful VK-1 engines with a take-off thrust of 2700 kgf each. Three months after the decision of the Council of Ministers, on August 8, 1949, the Il-28 with VK-1 engines took off for the first time. Taking into account the comments of the testers, small changes were made to the control system in order to reduce the loads on the pedals, in the hydraulic system, and in the chassis retraction and release mechanism. The combat survivability of the aircraft was increased by installing a system for filling the fuselage fuel tanks with neutral gas.
Tests have shown that the IL-28 with new engines with a normal flight weight of 18400 kg has a maximum speed of 906 km / h at an altitude of 4000 m. The pilots noted that the increase in speed did not bring anything new to the piloting technique.
In August-September 1949, the Il-28 with VK-1 engines passed control tests with a recommendation to start production. Aircraft production was rapidly gaining momentum. Due to the simplicity and high manufacturability of the design, release in 1949-55. in some periods it reached more than one hundred Il-28 per month. In total, from 1949 to 1955. 6,316 aircraft were built in the USSR.
For the creation of the IL-28, S. V. Ilyushin and a group of designers from the OKB were awarded the Stalin Prize.
The fast pace of serial production made it possible by the mid-50s. re-equip front-line aviation with aircraft of a new generation. Particular attention was paid to the western districts. Il-28s replaced Tu-2 and A-20 Boston piston bombers in combat units. In combat regiments, the Il-28 quickly won the sympathy of ground and flight crews. Perhaps for the first time in the Soviet Union, the creators of a combat vehicle paid so much attention to the working conditions of aviators. People accustomed to the Spartan cold and noisy cockpits of piston bombers were amazed at the comfortable conditions on board the new aircraft, the convenient layout and the wealth of equipment. The pilots especially noted the significantly simpler piloting technique of the Il-28 than the Tu-2, especially during takeoff and landing, the disproportionately increased speed and climb rate, and good maneuverability. For navigators, the "twenty-eighth" discovered previously inaccessible techniques of air navigation and bombing, especially in difficult weather conditions. The technical staff received a car, which was easy and convenient to maintain: the engines were easily uncapped, the units were interchangeable, and convenient access was provided to places requiring constant monitoring.
Engines deserve special fame. Since flights at extremely low altitudes were carried out often, the ingress of birds, branches from the tops of trees into the air intakes was a very common phenomenon. But, with rare exceptions, VK-1 continued to work.
When designing the Il-28, it was not assumed that there would be an atomic bomb in its arsenal. However, the growing confrontation between the two socio-political systems demanded that the machine be given such an opportunity. The problem was solved by the rapid improvement of Soviet nuclear weapons, as a result of which ammunition with a relatively small mass appeared. The revision of the Il-28 consisted in equipping the bomb bay with a heating system, installing the necessary special equipment on board and light-shielding curtains in the cockpits. The rest of the aircraft design remained unchanged.
The divisions of bombers carrying nuclear weapons deployed along the western borders of the socialist camp looked to the "free world" as one of the incarnations of the Soviet threat. It should be admitted that there was something to be afraid of. IL-28 had a high chance of delivering their cargo to its destination. The crews of the carrier aircraft were selected and prepared especially carefully. Each was assigned "personal": the main and several backup targets, which were nuclear weapons depots, airbases, etc. objects. Basing the IL-28 in Poland and the German Democratic Republic made it possible to reach the shores of the English Channel.
At the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, bombers were deployed in Cuba, at airfields in the western and eastern ends of the island. In total, 42 Ilyushin bombers were delivered to these bases, located 90 miles off the coast of Florida. In the operation "Mongoose", carried out on the idea of NS Khrushchev, they were assigned a secondary role, and missiles were considered the main trump card. Nevertheless, the Il-28 remained on the list of offensive weapons capable of delivering nuclear strikes on US territory.
Fortunately, the nuclear confrontation between the superpowers did not turn into a "hot" war. But real atomic bombs were dropped from the Il-28. This was done by the crews of an air unit based on Novaya Zemlya and taking part in the tests of nuclear weapons carried out there.
In the early 60s, on the initiative of N. S. Khrushchev began the massive decommissioning of the Il-28. Aircraft with only 60-100 flight hours were savagely destroyed, and air units were reduced. At this time, under the influence of the domination of the nuclear missile doctrine, the opinion was established that manned aviation had lost its significance. The fates of thousands of aviators who were fired from the Armed Forces were also ruthlessly crushed. Few were fortunate enough to stay in the Air Force. The veterans who went through this, and now with pain remember how they buried their dream, how with tears in their eyes they parted with their beloved plane, saying goodbye to it, as if with a reliable and loyal comrade.
Unloading mail from the "demobilized" IL-28
At this time, part of the Il-28 being removed from service was prepared for the needs of the Civil Air Fleet. Weapons and sighting equipment were dismantled on them. The aircraft were designated Il-20 or Il-28P. They trained flight, technical personnel and service personnel of various ground services for the operation of jet aircraft. The aircraft handed over to Aeroflot were used for regular transportation of mail and cargo on these machines.
Destroying thousands of all-metal bombers proved to be more difficult than distorting human destinies. In addition, the Air Force command was not enthusiastic about this vandalism. Many Il-28s were converted into flying targets, and even more were mothballed in open parking lots. Quite a lot of combat vehicles ended up in flight schools, where they, together with the Il-28U, served until the mid-80s. Until that time, the Il-28 target towing vehicles continued to be actively exploited. Separate links and squadrons, numbering 4-10, and sometimes more machines of this modification, were available in almost all districts and groups of forces. A lot of Il-28s survived in combat regiments, including carriers of nuclear weapons. In some units, they were operated up to retraining on the Su-24.
IL-28 are widely used outside the USSR. They were in service with the Air Force or Navy of Algeria, Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Vietnam, East Germany, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Yemen, China, North Korea, Morocco, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Syria, Somalia, Finland, Czechoslovakia. The aircraft were serially built in the People's Republic of China and Czechoslovakia. In the 50s. a significant number of Il-28s were delivered to China.
After the deterioration of relations between the USSR and the PRC, the repair of the Il-28 was organized at the aircraft plant in Harbin, as well as the manufacture of spare parts for them. Since 1964, there began the development of serial production of the bomber, which received the designation N-5 (Harbin-5) in the Chinese Air Force. The first production vehicle took off in April 1967. In September of the same year, a variant of the H-5-carrier of nuclear weapons was created.
Soon after the adoption of the Il-28, they were deployed at the Chinese airfields bordering the DPRK. There is no official information on the use of aircraft of this type in battles. Recently there was information that a special reconnaissance aviation group, commanded by the Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant Colonel N. L. Arseniev, participated in the conflict.
The pilots made almost half of the sorties at night, participating in hostilities until the end of the war. It is worth noting that in 1953 (possibly even earlier), the pilots carried out not only reconnaissance missions, but also bombed them. According to unconfirmed information so far, two Il-28s were lost during the raids.
The next conflict, where the Il-28 was noted, was the "Suez Crisis" of 1956. A year before these events, Egypt bought about 50 Ilov from Czechoslovakia.
Egyptian Il-28
With the onset of the crisis, Egyptian bombers made several raids on enemy targets. Il-28 Egyptian Air Force also performed several night reconnaissance flights.
In 1962, Ilyushin's bombers appeared in the skies of Yemen, where the monarchy was overthrown and a civil war began, which lasted until 1970. An Il-28 squadron was included in the Egyptian military contingent sent to help the Republicans. At the same time, the Yemeni Air Force received a batch of Ilovs directly from the USSR, which, as noted in the Western press, carried out combat missions and Soviet crews. The work of the Il-28 consisted of bombing strong points, communications and locations of monarchist detachments, as well as conducting tactical reconnaissance. There were cases of bombing of the Saudi cities of Zahran and Najran bordering with Yemen. In June 1966, a single Il-28 raid, accompanied by several MiG-17s of the UAR Air Force, took place on the Saudi airbase Khamis-Mushait and reconnaissance flights in the area of the port of Jizan. After the start of another Arab-Israeli war in June 1967, all Egyptian units were forced to leave Yemen.
On the eve of the six-day war (06/05 - 1967-10-06), the Arab countries that took part in the battles had the following Il-28 fleet: Egyptian Air Force - 35-40 aircraft, which were equipped with four bomber and one reconnaissance squadron, Syria - 4-6 aircraft, Iraq - 10 cars. The Israelis, who considered the Egyptian Il-28 and Tu-16 as the main threat to their country, identified their airfields as the primary targets in the planned series of air strikes. On June 5, Israeli aviation at the Ras Banas and Luxor airfields burned 28 Egyptian Il-28s. Another bomber of this type and an escort fighter were shot down by Mirages on June 7 while trying to strike at the settlement of El Arish. The Syrian Air Force lost two silts on the ground.
During the "trench warfare" (1967-70), the crews of the Egyptian "twenty-eighth" raided the Israeli strongholds in the Sinai. They also conducted reconnaissance from medium altitudes, which made the aircraft highly vulnerable.
Another Arab user of the Il-28 was Iraq. The air force of this country used its bombers in the late 60s. and in the first half of 1974 during the fighting in Iraqi Kurdistan. According to the Kurdish rebels, they managed to shoot down one Il in April 1974.
Chinese N-5s were used in suppressing the uprising in Tibet in 1959 and during numerous armed incidents with Chiang Kai-shek (mainly in the Taiwan Strait). There is evidence that the HZ-5 crews were conducting reconnaissance directly over Taiwan, and several vehicles were shot down by the Nike-Ajax air defense system. On November 11, 1965, a PLA Air Force pilot deserted from the PRC to Taiwan on the N-5. Later, this machine was used by the Kuomintang to conduct reconnaissance over mainland China. Another flight took place on August 24, 1985, when the Chinese crew reached South Korea and made an emergency landing on the ground. As a result, the plane was completely destroyed, killing a radio operator and a South Korean farmer.
At the end of the 60s, Il-28s were recorded by the Americans in northern Vietnam. But they were not used in battles. Later, in the early 70s, North Vietnamese Il-28s flew a number of sorties over Laos. They took part in air support for armed detachments of the Pathet Lao movement, leftist neutralists and North Vietnamese troops during the battles in the Kuvshin Valley. It is interesting that a number of sorties were made by Soviet military specialists. So, in these operations, the crew of pilot Berkutov and navigator Khachemizov distinguished themselves, for which they were awarded the title of Hero of the VNA.
Several Il-28 (probably N-5) received the Air Force of Pol Pot Kampuchea. They were apparently flown by Chinese or North Korean crews. These bombers were used against the rebels led by the future leader of the country, Heng Samrin. The press reported that the opposition managed to shoot down "one jet bomber." When the Pochentong airbase was seized on January 7, 1979, two Il-28s became trophies of the Vietnamese troops that were helping the rebels.
Ilyushin's bombers also visited Africa, taking part since 1969 in the civil war in Nigeria (1967-70). The federal government of this country acquired six such aircraft, and, according to official data, all in the USSR, and according to the British - four in Egypt, and two in the USSR. The Ils operated mainly from the Enugu and Calabar airfields. Due to the lack of trained crews, at first the Egyptians carried out combat missions, later they were replaced by aviators from the GDR.
IL-28 Nigerian Air Force
Il-28s were used to attack the troops and military targets of the Biafran separatists. In particular, the Uli airfield, the only one at the disposal of the opposition, on which heavy transport aircraft could land, was bombed.
The Il-28 was used very effectively in Afghanistan. There he became almost the most "unbreakable" aircraft. These bombers, despite their venerable age, showed themselves at their best, demonstrating high reliability, survivability and accuracy of bomb strikes. Due to the presence of a stern rifle installation, the radio operator, when the aircraft exited the attack, did not allow the MANPADS operators to take positions convenient for launching missiles and did not allow the calculations of the barreled anti-aircraft installations to aim. How effective this was can be judged at least by the fact that not a single Afghan Il-28 was lost in the battles. Most of the "silts" were destroyed on the ground in January 1985, when bribed guards let the dushmans into the territory of the Shindand airbase.
In most countries, the Il-28 has long been removed from service. Until recently, despite the "retirement age", the Il-28 (N-5) were operated in the naval aviation of the PRC, as patrol and training vehicles.
Satellite image of Google earth: Il-28 (N-5) at Iiju airfield, DPRK
The DPRK is the only country whose Air Force continues to use this aircraft, created 65 years ago.
