IL-28

This page is about the Soviet jet bomber IL-28. For other versions, see IL-28 (Family).

IL-28

IL-10 (1946)

IL-28Sh

IL-28

IL-10 (1946)

IL-28Sh

USSR

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
8.0	8.0	8.0

Class:

Bomber

Jet bomber

Research:105 000

Purchase:300 000

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

RB10 690 → 14 666

SB16 188 → 22 209

Total cost of modifications91 100

146 400

Talisman cost2 100

Crew training86 000

Experts300 000

Aces1 700

Research Aces720 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

100 / 300 / 600 %

196 / 196 / 196 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 6 100 Cost: 9 800 290 Compressor Research: 6 100 Cost: 9 800 290 Airframe Research: 6 800 Cost: 11 000 320 Wings repair Research: 7 600 Cost: 12 000 360 Engine Research: 7 600 Cost: 12 000 360 Cover Research: 7 400 Cost: 12 000 350	EFS Research: 7 400 Cost: 12 000 350	ns23_belt_pack Research: 6 100 Cost: 9 800 290 ns23_new_gun Research: 6 800 Cost: 11 000 320 KD-3 Research: 6 800 Cost: 11 000 320 nr23_turret_belt_pack Research: 7 600 Cost: 12 000 360 nr23_turret_new_gun Research: 7 400 Cost: 12 000 350 BD-4 Research: 7 400 Cost: 12 000 350

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

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

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

• Skins and camouflages for the IL-28 from live.warthunder.com.

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

• [Vehicle Profile] Ilyushin IL-28
• Official data sheet - more details about the performance

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.