Zvezda #Z4826 1/48 IL-2 Stormovik (Mod.1943)

Zvezda #Z4826 1/48 IL-2 Stormovik (Mod.1943)

The famous Soviet attack aircraft Il-2 was nicknamed the "flying tank" due to its reliable armor, strong armament and direct support of ground troops in combat. Its large-scale production began in February 1941, and at the beginning of World War II, in various modifications, it flew into combat on all war fronts. The very first variant of the Il-2, which crushed German troops since the first days of the war, was a single-seat version. The armored capsule protected the engine and cockpit well, the wings were again protected by duralumin plates, while the tail of the fuselage was glued from plywood. As an attack aircraft, the Il-2 had a very strong armament in the form of a pair of 20 mm ShVAK cannons installed in the wings and a pair of 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns. In addition, he carried eight more rocket launchers with 132 mm or 82 mm missiles and up to 600 kg of bombs that could be hung in bomb bays.

In the years 1941-1942, he faced heavy losses of Il-2 from attacks by fighters from the rear hemisphere. Ilys did not have defensive weapons. The Air Force ordered the Ilyushin Design Office to introduce into the aircraft structure the seat of the shooter with a defensive machine gun. To maintain the pace of production of the aircraft were made minimal changes in the design of the fuselage - in the cutout behind the fuel tank in the fuselage was mounted air gun station with a defensive installation VUB-3 with a 12.7 mm machine gun UBT. The shooter was placed outside the armored hull and the rear was only partially covered with 6 mm armor. To preserve the flight data of the aircraft with increased take-off weight, a more powerful AM-38F engine with a larger propeller diameter was installed. By a decree of the State Defense Committee of 5 October 1942, the NKAP undertook to put into production in factories No. 1, 18 and No. 30 Il-2 in a two-seater design. In addition, by the end of October, factories No. 1 and 18 had to produce 70 double Il-2 and factory No. 30 - 60 of these machines. From November to December 1942, three aircraft factories were to produce 1,500 two-seater Il-2s. By the end of 1942, the Il-2 attack aircraft were produced in parallel in single and double versions.