April 18, 1944 V. K. Kokkinaki performed from the Central Aerodrome. M. V. Frunze on the Khodynskoye field in Moscow, the first flight on the Il-10 attack aircraft.
The aircraft was built at Aviation Plant No. 18 in Kuibyshev, and its final assembly was carried out at Plant No. 240 in Moscow, the attack aircraft was equipped with an AM-42 engine, had powerful artillery weapons - four NS-23 wing cannons with a total ammunition of 600 rounds and a UB turret gun -twenty. The maximum speed of the IL-10 was 551 km / h - almost 150 km / h more than the maximum speed of the IL-2.
Of all the variety of tasks that the Il-2 aircraft solved during the Great Patriotic War, their use as fighters was especially unusual. Of course, the Il-2 could not fight on equal terms with the more high-speed and maneuverable front-line fighters of the enemy, but when meeting with some of the enemy bombers and transport aircraft widely used in hostilities, the Il-2 planes, as a rule, shot them down.
On the basis of the combat experience of using the Il-2, the State Defense Committee on May 17, 1943, decided to create a single-seat armored Il-1 fighter. Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin did not share the concept of an armored fighter, and the design of the Il-1 was carried out from the position of the possibility of further use of the aircraft as a high-speed and maneuverable two-seat armored attack aircraft. The new aircraft was designated Il-10.
Military pilots highly appreciated the Il-10 as simple in piloting technique and does not require special retraining from the Il-2. According to military testers: "… The Il-10 aircraft is a classic example of an attack aircraft."
After testing, the Il-10 attack aircraft was put into production and from April 15, 1945, began to take part in hostilities.
Shortly before that, on March 28, 1945, as part of the aircraft tests, a demonstration air battle of the Il-10 attack aircraft was organized over the Sprottau airfield in Selesia, piloted by Captain A. Sirotkin from the 108th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment, with the La-5FN fighter, which piloted by Hero of the Soviet Union Captain V. Popkov from the 5th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. By that time V. Popkov was a recognized ace, who had about 100 battles and 39 enemy aircraft shot down.
The battle ended in a draw, but the camera gun film impartially showed that both the pilot and the Il-10 air gunner more than once caught the fighter in the crosshairs of the sights.
This made it possible to draw the main conclusion that if there is an experienced, enterprising pilot and well-aimed air gunner in the cockpit of an attack aircraft, they have a good chance of winning a duel with a fighter. In addition, at altitudes up to 2,000 meters, the Il-10 was not inferior in speed to the German Me-109G2 and FW-190A-4 fighters.
By the end of the Great Patriotic War, the high combat qualities of the Il-10 aircraft had already been successfully used by several assault aviation regiments. In large numbers, Il-10 attack aircraft were used in the war with Japan.
After the end of the Great Patriotic War, the Il-10 was re-equipped with all the Red Army Air Force assault aviation units that remained after the disbandment. In addition to the USSR Air Force, they were in service with the assault regiments of the Air Forces of Poland, Czechoslovakia, China, and North Korea.
IL-1 armored fighter
The first experienced Il-10 attack aircraft at the aircraft plant number 18 in Kuibyshev. February 1944
An experienced Il-10 attack aircraft with a 20 mm Sh-20 cannon in the VU-7 defensive installation. State tests. May 1944
Experienced modernized attack aircraft Il-10M
Serial upgraded Il-10M attack aircraft
Il-10M attack aircraft - target towing vehicle
Il-10 attack aircraft of the North Korean Air Force.
In the Korean War, the Il-10 attack aircraft was a fairly effective aircraft for close support of ground forces. At the same time, it began to become obsolete and was an easy prey for enemy jet fighters. These vehicles supported the North Korean armies' offensive from the air in the first weeks of the war and attacked the Kimpo airfield when the US evacuated its citizens. Active at the start of the war, the North Korean Air Force was then rarely involved in hostilities.
During the Korean War, several Il-10 attack aircraft fell into the hands of the Americans and were comprehensively studied. Two Il-10s were sent to the United States for research at the Cornell Aerodynamic Laboratory in Ithaca, New York. The aircraft were refurbished and tested at Wright Airfield in Ohio.
