Ilyushin Il-40

Ilyushin · Soviet Union · first flew 1953 · fighter

The Ilyushin Il-40 was a Soviet twin-jet armoured ground-attack aircraft designed as a jet successor to the famous Il-2 Shturmovik, capable of close air support at near-sonic speed.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, swept
E — Engines	2 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	17.22 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Twin-jet armoured ground-attack aircraft with cheek intakes flanking the nose
Bubble canopy over a heavily armoured cockpit
Swept mid-wing with blunt leading edge root fairings

Distinguished by its large cheek air intakes flanking the nose, swept mid-wings, and the heavily armoured appearance recalling its Shturmovik heritage — unlike any contemporary Soviet jet design.

Specifications

The Ilyushin Il-40 has a length of 17.22 m (56 ft).
It has a wingspan of 17 m (56 ft).
Its maximum speed is 993 km/h (617 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flying in 1953, the Il-40 demonstrated impressive performance but suffered severe gun-gas ingestion problems when its cannon were fired at altitude. Despite being ordered into production, the entire programme was cancelled in 1956 following Khrushchev's re-evaluation of attack aviation in the missile age.

Variants

Two prototypes were completed along with a small pre-production batch before cancellation.

Where you'll see it

Never entered operational service; cancelled before deliveries to Soviet Air Force units.

Related aircraft

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