IL-28

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Rank VI Israel | Premium | Golden Eagles
Merkava Mk.2D Pack
This page is about the Soviet jet bomber IL-28. For other versions, see IL-28 (Family).
il_28.png
GarageImage IL-28.jpg
IL-28
AB RB SB
8.0 8.0 8.0
Research:105 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:300 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

Towards the end of WWII, multiple captured German prototype jet bombers found their way into Soviet hands, and were quickly analysed and reverse-engineered. One of the first successful production jet bombers to incorporate the technologies learned from these planes was the new IL-28 bomber, which during testing not only fulfilled the requirements set out in 1948 for a new jet-powered frontline bomber, but went beyond when entering production with the upgraded VK-1 engines which were not available during testing (where it used RD-45 engines instead). The IL-28 would go on to become one of the staples of air forces of the Eastern Bloc during the '50s and '60s, seeing service in not only the allied Warsaw Pact nations, but also the Middle East, Africa, South America, Central Asia, and further expanded when China began licensed production of the aircraft as the Harbin H-5, exporting it to the neighbouring countries as well. The aircraft would serve a long and eventful life with the many countries it flew with, and remains in service even today with North Korea operating 80 of the airframe type as of 2023.

The IL-28, introduced in Update 1.43, is a Soviet post-war jet bomber that occupies the traditional role of the "fast bomber" previously endowed to aircraft like the Pe-2-359 Peshka. Thus, the aircraft was designed for speed and flight performance in mind. In-game, this translates into above average flight performance for its class, allowing the IL-28 to disengage and manoeuvre easily against threats. Another shining feature of the IL-28 is its powerful anti-aircraft armament. In addition to the deadly twin NR-23 cannons in the turret covering the rear hemisphere, the IL-28 has access to two more NR-23s mounted frontally in the nose, controlled by the pilot. This allows the IL-28 to opportunistically prey on lighter ground targets or distracted enemy aircraft when the chance arises.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed
at 4 500 m905 km/h
Turn time48 s
Max altitude11 500 m
Engine2 х Klimov VK-1
TypeJet
Cooling systemAir
Take-off weight23 t
Characteristics Max speed
(km/h at 4,500 m)
Max altitude
(metres)
Turn time
(seconds)
Rate of climb
(metres/second)
Take-off run
(metres)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
Stock 866 842 11500 49.3 50.1 16.3 15.4 1,480
Upgraded 945 905 46.9 48.0 24.1 20.0

Details

Features
Combat flaps Take-off flaps Landing flaps Air brakes Arrestor gear Drogue chute
X X X
Limits
Wings (km/h) Gear (km/h) Flaps (km/h) Max Static G
Combat Take-off Landing + -
810 400 577 548 400 ~7 ~4
Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons Rudder Elevators Radiator
< 500 < 600 < 600 N/A

Engine performance

Engine Aircraft mass
Engine name Number Empty mass Wing loading (full fuel, no boosters)
Klimov VK-1 2 13,170 kg 326 kg/m2
Engine characteristics Mass with fuel (no weapons load, no boosters) Max Takeoff
Weight
Weight (each) Type 23m fuel 30m fuel 45m fuel 60m fuel 77m fuel
892 kg Centrifugal-flow turbojet 15,172 kg 15,772 kg 17,058 kg 18,344 kg 19,801 kg 23,200 kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB) Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%, no boosters)
Condition 100% WEP 23m fuel 30m fuel 45m fuel 60m fuel 77m fuel MTOW
Stationary 2,678 kgf N/A 0.35 0.34 0.31 0.29 0.27 0.23
Optimal 2,678 kgf
(0 km/h)
N/A 0.35 0.34 0.31 0.29 0.27 0.23
Booster (Solid fuel rocket) Aircraft mass
Number Booster
weight (each)
Fuel
weight (each)
Burn
Time
Can be
shutdown
Jettisoned
after use
Mass with full booster fuel (no weapons load)
23m fuel 30m fuel 45m fuel 60m fuel 77m fuel
2 50 kg 190 kg 13s No Yes 15,652 kg 16,202 kg 17,538 kg 18,824 kg 20,281 kg
Condition Maximum booster
thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)
Combined engine
& booster thrust @ 0 m
Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100% with booster)
23m fuel 30m fuel 45m fuel 60m fuel 77m fuel
Stationary 1,682 kgf 8,720 kgf 0.56 0.54 0.50 0.46 0.43
Optimal 1,682 kgf
(any speed)
8,720 kgf
(0kph)
0.56 0.54 0.50 0.46 0.43

Survivability and armour

Crew3 people
Speed of destruction
Structural0 km/h
Gear400 km/h
Armour plates

Front gunner

  • 6 mm steel plate for the front gunner's seat.
  • 10 mm (bottom) and 32 mm (top) steel plates behind the front gunner.
  • 10 mm steel plate under the nose.

Pilot

  • 6 mm steel plate for the pilot's seat.
  • 10 mm steel plate behind the pilot.
  • 32 mm (top) steel plate in front of the pilot (part of the steel plate behind the front gunner).

Tail gunner

  • 10 mm steel plate under the tail gunner.
  • 8 mm steel plates in front of tail gunner.
  • 102 mm (rear) and 68 mm (sides) bulletproof glass panes in front of tail gunner.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB3 092 → 4 242 Sl icon.png
RB10 690 → 14 666 Sl icon.png
SB16 188 → 22 209 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications91 100 Rp icon.png
146 400 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost2 100 Ge icon.png
Crew training86 000 Sl icon.png
Experts300 000 Sl icon.png
Aces1 700 Ge icon.png
Research Aces720 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
100 / 300 / 600 % Sl icon.png
196 / 196 / 196 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Flight performance Survivability Weaponry
Mods aerodinamic fuse.png
Fuselage repair
Research:
6 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
9 800 Sl icon.png
290 Ge icon.png
Mods jet compressor.png
Compressor
Research:
6 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
9 800 Sl icon.png
290 Ge icon.png
Mods armor frame.png
Airframe
Research:
6 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
11 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mods aerodinamic wing.png
Wings repair
Research:
7 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
12 000 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png
Mods jet engine.png
Engine
Research:
7 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
12 000 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png
Mods armor cover.png
Cover
Research:
7 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
12 000 Sl icon.png
350 Ge icon.png
Mods jet engine extinguisher.png
EFS
Research:
7 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
12 000 Sl icon.png
350 Ge icon.png
Mods ammo.png
ns23_belt_pack
Research:
6 100 Rp icon.png
Cost:
9 800 Sl icon.png
290 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods weapon.png
ns23_new_gun
Research:
6 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
11 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
KD-3
Research:
6 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
11 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 1.png
Mods ammo.png
nr23_turret_belt_pack
Research:
7 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
12 000 Sl icon.png
360 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods weapon.png
nr23_turret_new_gun
Research:
7 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
12 000 Sl icon.png
350 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
BD-4
Research:
7 400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
12 000 Sl icon.png
350 Ge icon.png

The most valuable modules of this aircraft are among the most difficult to attain; the KD-3 bomb upgrade is fairly mandatory for destroying any type of heavy ground target successfully, and having the Turret 23 mm and New 23 mm cannons (turret) upgrades increase the effectiveness of the aircraft's tail guns. However, being able to outrun an enemy before even engaging is often extremely useful as well.

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 12 x 23 mm NR-23 cannon
Ammunition200 rounds
Fire rate900 shots/min
Main article: NR-23 (23 mm)

The IL-28 is armed with:

  • 2 x 23 mm NR-23 cannons, nose-mounted (100 rpg = 200 total)

Suspended armament

List of setups (5)
Setup 112 x 100 kg FAB-100M-43 bomb
Setup 28 x 250 kg FAB-250M-46 bomb
Setup 34 x 500 kg FAB-500M-46 bomb
Setup 41 x 1500 kg FAB-1500M-46 bomb
Setup 51 x 3000 kg FAB-3000M-46 bomb

The IL-28 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

  • 12 x 100 kg FAB-100M-43 bombs (1,200 kg total)
  • 8 x 250 kg FAB-250M-46 bombs (2,000 kg total)
  • 4 x 500 kg FAB-500M-46 bombs (2,000 kg total)
  • 1 x 1,500 kg FAB-1500M-46 bomb (1,500 kg total)
  • 1 x 3,000 kg FAB-3000M-46 bomb (3,000 kg total)

Defensive armament

Turret2 x 23 mm NR-23 cannon
Ammunition450 rounds
Fire rate900 shots/min
Main article: NR-23 (23 mm)

The IL-28 is defended by:

  • 2 x 23 mm NR-23 cannons, tail turret (225 rpg = 450 total)

Usage in battles

Due to its impressive low-altitude manoeuvring capabilities (for a medium bomber), the IL-28 can be utilized in a variety of roles. In all game modes, if a teammate is struggling to evade an assailant, the IL-28 may be able to provide the supporting fire with its dual 23 mm cannons. The aircraft is hampered in this role partly because of its mediocre roll rate and low ammunition count for its forward-firing cannons. If its bomb load is expended, the IL-28 is also a very capable "gunship", or a bomber aircraft whose role is to attract, distract, and destroy enemy aircraft. Other aircraft that can perform this role include the G8N1 Renzan, IL-10 (1946), B-29 Superfortress, and B-24D Liberator, among others.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Powerful rear 23 mm cannon turret
  • Very fast - many early jet fighters cannot catch it at top speed
  • Powerful and flexible ordnance capacity
  • Highly armoured tail gunner position
  • Gunner can cover a large area of the rear and the sides because of the turret design
  • Good acceleration

Cons:

  • Fuel tanks are not protected by any armour
  • Fairly small payload compared to its counterparts
  • Able to be intercepted by Korean War-era jet aircraft
  • Poor roll rate; any wing damage will often result in a roll that is impossible to pull out of
  • Cockpit features no rear visibility
  • Fast acceleration means that you might break the wings if you don't pay attention
  • Forward guns are primarily for self-defence head-ons, as they're hard to aim with poor flight manoeuvrability

History

The IL-28 was created to meet a requirement for a bomber to carry a 3,000-kilogram payload at 800 km/h (500 mph). Although there were several previous attempts to create such an aircraft the IL-28 was the first successful design. It incorporated the new Rolls-Royce Nene engines, produced as the unlicensed "RD-45". After the completion of testing in 1949, the aircraft was ordered into production on 14 May 1949, with the new Klimov VK-1, an improved version of the previous RD-45. The IL-28 was widely exported and was utilized by almost all of the Warsaw Pact nations along with various Middle Eastern and African nations. It was license-built in China as the Harbin H-5 and in Czechoslovakia as the Avia B-228. It is known to still be in service today in the Korean People's Air Force (KPAF). Although few in number, they provide North Korea with a means of strategically bombing targets.


Archive of the in-game description

An all-metal cantilever monoplane with a crew of three. Created at OKB S.V. Ilyushina.

S.V. Ilyushin put forward his preliminary design for the Il-28 on 12 January 1948. By 8 July 1948, the test pilot V.K. Kokkinaki took the Il-28 out for its maiden flight. It was equipped with two turbojet Rolls-Royce Nene engines. On 30 December 1948, the Il-28 underwent in-plant tests with the Russian series-produced RD-45F engine – a licensed version of the English engine.

But the decision on the aircraft's fate was delayed until 14 May 1949, when the Council of Ministers decided to increase the Il-28's speed to 900 km/h by installing more powerful VK-1 engines with a maximum thrust of 2,700 kgf. In only three months, on 8 August 1949, the Il-28 took its maiden flight with the VK-1 engines.

The turbojet VK-1 engines were located under the wing in streamlined engine nacelles.

The Il-28's armament included two turrets – one to the fore and one to the rear. Two frontal 23 mm Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 cannons with 100 shells each were mounted in a fixed position in side compartments in the front fuselage. The pilot acted as gunner for the frontal cannons.

The movable Il-K6 tail turret also contained two 23 mm Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 cannons, these with 225 shells each.

The aircraft could carry bombs of various calibers internally, up to and including the FAB-3000. Its bomb compartment could contain 12 FAB-100 bombs or eight FAB-250s, or between two and four FAB-500s, or a single FAB-1500 or FAB-3000.

The Il-28 became the most mass-produced jet-powered bomber. The aircraft was easy to manufacture and reliable in use. It was in series production between the years of 1950 and 1956. The Il-28 reached peak production during the Korean War: in 1953, six plants were building them at once. In total, 4,405 Il-28 bombers were produced. In the 50s, the Il-28 was the main front-line bomber in the Soviet Air Forces.

The Il-28 was widely distributed beyond the borders of the USSR. It served in the air forces or air-defense forces of: Algeria, Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Vietnam, East Germany, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Yemen, China, North Korea, Morocco, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Syria, Somalia, Finland and Czechoslovakia. The People's Republic of China and Czechoslovakia produced them under license (with the designation B-228).


Media

Skins

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the aircraft;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links


Ilyushin Design Bureau (Илью́шинa Опытное конструкторское бюро)
Bombers  DB-3B · IL-4
Jet Bombers  IL-28* · IL-28Sh
Strike Aircraft  IL-8 (1944)
Il-2  IL-2 (1941) · IL-2 (1942) · IL-2M type 3 · IL-2M "Avenger" · IL-2M (1943) · IL-2-37 · IL-2 M-82
Il-10  IL-10 · IL-10 (1946)
Export/Captured 
Bombers  ␗DB-3A · ◊IL-28 · ◔IL-28
Strike Aircraft  ▀IL-2 (1942) · ␗IL-10 (1946) · ◔IL-10
  * The Chinese Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation built unlicensed copies of the Il-28 known as the H-5.

USSR jet aircraft
Bereznyak-Isayev  BI
Yakovlev  Yak-15 · Yak-15P · Yak-17 · Yak-23 · Yak-28B · Yak-30D · Yak-38 · Yak-38M · Yak-141
Mikoyan-Gurevich  MiG-9 · MiG-9 (l) · MiG-15 · MiG-15bis · MiG-15bis ISH · MiG-17 · MiG-17AS · MiG-19PT
  MiG-21F-13 · MiG-21PFM · MiG-21S (R-13-300) · MiG-21SMT · MiG-21bis
  MiG-23M · MiG-23ML · MiG-23MLD · MiG-27M · MiG-27K
  MiG-29 · MiG-29SMT
Lavochkin  La-174 · La-15 · La-200
Sukhoi  Su-9 · Su-11
  Su-7B · Su-7BKL · Su-7BMK · Su-17M2 · Su-17M4 · Su-22M3
  Su-25 · Su-25BM · Su-25K · Su-25T · Su-25SM3 · Su-39
  Su-27
Ilyushin  IL-28 · IL-28Sh
Tupolev  Tu-14T