IL-2 (1941)

This page is about the Soviet strike aircraft IL-2 (1941). For other versions, see IL-2 (Family).

IL-2 (1941)

IL-2 (1942)

IL-2 (1941)

IL-2 (1942)

USSR

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.7	2.3	2.3

Class:

Strike aircraft

Research:7 900

Purchase:10 000

Show in game

Description

The IL-2 (1941) is a rank II Soviet strike aircraft with a battle rating of 2.7 (AB) and 2.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.47 "Big Guns".

The IL-2 1941 is the first IL-type strike aircraft a pilot will get in the Soviet aircraft tree. Players will quickly find out that this plane is very durable, but somewhat slow and unwieldy... although with some skill this plane can surprise attacking enemies. Players should research bombs and rockets as soon as they can, followed by ammo belts to augment your ground-attack role. This plane, as well as the following IL-type aircraft, have roughly the same base attributes you will find in the Pros and Cons below, with a few minor differences between models.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 2 500 m423 km/h

Turn time25 s

Max altitude9 500 m

EngineMikulin AM-38

TypeInline

Cooling systemWater

Take-off weight6 t

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 2,500 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	405	390	9500	25.9	26.7	6.1	6.1	450
Upgraded	447	425		24.1	24.9	11.3	8.6

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
X	X	✓	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
620	320	N/A	N/A	270	~15	~15

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 320	< 320	< 370	> 360

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural620 km/h

Gear320 km/h

• Various 4 mm steel plates surrounding engine
• 4 mm steel surrounding the cooling systems
• 5 mm steel below central fuel tank and pilot
• 6 mm steel behind propeller spinner
• 6 mm steel below oil cooling system
• Various 6 mm steel plates beside pilot and pilot's head
• 12 mm steel headrest
• 12 mm steel in front of rear fuel tank
• 64 mm bulletproof glass in front of pilot
• 3 fuel tanks (1 in front of pilot's legs, 1 below pilot, 1 behind pilot)

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB355 → 540

RB444 → 675

SB910 → 1 385

Total cost of modifications6 910

6 750

Talisman cost530

Crew training3 000

Experts10 000

Aces125

Research Aces160 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

30 / 60 / 120 %

112 / 112 / 112 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 460 Cost: 450 100 Radiator Research: 460 Cost: 450 100 Airframe Research: 390 Cost: 380 85 Compressor Research: 390 Cost: 380 85 Wings repair Research: 430 Cost: 420 90 Engine Research: 430 Cost: 420 90 Cover Research: 450 Cost: 440 95 Engine injection Research: 450 Cost: 440 95 95 octane fuel usage Research: 450 Cost: 440 95		shkas_belt_pack Research: 460 Cost: 450 100 shkas_new_gun Research: 390 Cost: 380 85 RO-82 Research: 390 Cost: 380 85 shvak_belt_pack Research: 430 Cost: 420 90 Der-21 Research: 430 Cost: 420 90 shvak_new_gun Research: 450 Cost: 440 95 RO-132 Research: 450 Cost: 440 95

Armaments

Offensive armament

The IL-2 (1941) is armed with:

• 2 x 20 mm ShVAK cannons, wing-mounted (210 rpg = 420 total)
• 2 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns, wing-mounted (750 rpg = 1,500 total)

Suspended armament

The IL-2 (1941) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

	1	2	3	4	5	6
25 kg AO-25M-1 bombs			6*	6*
50 kg FAB-50sv bombs		1*	2*	2*	1*
100 kg FAB-100sv bombs		1*	2*	2*	1*
250 kg FAB-250sv bombs		1*			1*
ROS-82 rockets	4					4
RBS-82 rockets	4					4
ROS-132 rockets	4					4
ROFS-132 rockets	4					4
RBS-132 rockets	4					4
Maximum permissible loadout weight: 625 kg
* Bombs on hardpoints 2/5 cannot be equipped in conjunction with bombs on hardpoints 3/4 respectively

Default weapon presets
Without load 8 x ROS-82 rockets 8 x RBS-82 rockets 8 x ROS-132 rockets 8 x ROFS-132 rockets 8 x RBS-132 rockets 12 x 25 kg AO-25M-1 bombs (300 kg total) 4 x 50 kg FAB-50sv bombs (200 kg total) 4 x 100 kg FAB-100sv bombs (400 kg total) 2 x 250 kg FAB-250sv bombs (500 kg total) 8 x RBS-132 rockets + 4 x 100 kg FAB-100sv bombs (400 kg total)

Usage in battles

For tactics, IL-2s are built to be close to the ground. Fly very low for IL-2 pilots in reality were known to skim treetops. Further try to stay out of sight of enemy planes. As tough as you are, you cannot take concentrated fire from enemy fighters, especially heavy fighters. As you near your target (about 3 km away) go into a slight climb, then nose down into a moderate dive toward your target. Imagine yourself gliding in, not diving. It is generally recommended that you use bombs first, as this will immediately lighten the plane and make you more manoeuvrable. Because the IL-2 flies so close to the ground, some pilots have destroyed themselves by bombing targets right under them. To avoid this, set the bomb fuses to around 2 seconds.

Use bombs against tanks and pillboxes, rockets against groups of light armoured vehicles (and occasionally enemy aircraft), and use your MGs/Cannons for AAA, Artillery, Armoured cars, and enemy aircraft. If you equip certain ammo belts, you may also be able to destroy pillboxes and light tanks with your primary guns alone! Experience gained with this aircraft will be invaluable for later models, who get larger cannons, rear gunners, and other handy upgrades.

Lastly, due to the extraordinary low-altitude style of the IL-2 line of planes, equipping a camouflage that matches the map actually helps in the Realistic/Simulator modes, as you need to get close to enemy planes before they become "spotted". Equipping a white camo on a winter map, then flying very low as the IL-2 is made to do, can help keep players from spotting you.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Auto control available	Separate	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Heavy armament with large ammo capacity
• Well-armoured & durable
• Surprisingly manoeuvrable in turns with flaps and WEP, can outturn certain heavy fighters at its BR
• Diverse payload options allow for varied playstyles

Cons:

• Priority target for the enemy fighters as it is slow, big and has no rear gunner
• ShVAK cannons can not harm medium tanks as they lack penetration
• Limited view from cockpit due to armour plates (in Simulator)
• Large drop in flight performance compared to Yak-2

History

The famous IL-2 Shturmovik was a Soviet WWII-era attack aircraft created by the Ilyushin Design Bureau and nicknamed Hunchback by Red Army troops due to the distinct fuselage shape. While the designers nicknamed their aircraft the Flying Tank, Luftwaffe pilots, due to the IL-2's incredible ability to withstand battle damage, instead called it the Betonflugzeug (concrete plane). German ground troops, conversely, despised and feared the IL-2, giving it a slew of unpleasant nicknames, such as Schlachter (butcher); Fleischwulf (meatgrinder); eiserner Gustav (Iron Gustav) and schwarzer Tod (the black death). Some historians believe that the Black Death was actually a successful invention of the Soviet propaganda machine that caught on with the Germans.

The IL-2 was the most mass-produced military aircraft in history. However, early in the war German air superiority coupled with the absence of rear gunners on early variants and poorly organized Soviet fighter escorts led to high rates of losses for the type. A favourite attack tactic for IL-2 pilots was a low-level attack run, first letting loose with rockets at 600-700 m, then firing on-board armament from a distance of 400 to 600 m. Bombs would be dropped in subsequent passes from an altitude of 100-200 m, using an impact fuse. The recommended tactic for attacking concentrations of soft targets was a strafing run in a shallow dive from 100-200 m and a subsequent dropping of bombs at a low level when exiting the dive.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the IL-2 (1941) from live.warthunder.com.

See also

• IL-2 (1942) succeeding model
• Ju 87 D-5
• Hs 129B-2

External links

• [Devblog] IL-2 AM-38 1941 and Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. E Tiger
• 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.