During the early 1920s Sergei Vladimirovich llyushin (died
1977) was a student at the Zhukovskii Military Air Academy,
and began glider design. From 1935 one of the most
successful Soviet aircraft designers, beginning with
IL-2
IL-4
(DB-3) bomber developed from TsKB-26 design, of which
nearly 7,000 built. Founded own OKB just before Second
World War, though 1933 generally attributed as starting
point for llyushin designs. Most famous wartime aircraft
was IL-2 Shturmovik armoured ground-attack aircraft, a vital weapon in the defeat of the German invasion of Russia,
and of which more
IL-4
than 36,000 were built.
Post-Second World War developed IL-12 and IL-14 transports
which established Aeroflot's civil airline network. IL-
28 bomber of 1948 (in class of British Canberra) was first
Soviet jet bomber, remaining in large-scale use for many
years. IL-18 civil transport, which entered service with
Aeroflot in 1959, was nation's first turboprop airliner. IL-
38
IL-28
anti-submarine/maritime patrol aircraft developed from
IL-18 and first flown 1961. IL-20 reconnaissance, electronic
intelligence, and communications relay aircraft also developed from IL-18, with IL-24 civil variant. IL-62, 114/186-
seat turbofan-powered transport, which inaugurated
Aeroflot's Moscow-New York service in July 1968, was
Soviet Union's first long-range jet airliner.
IL-76T four-turbofan medium/long-range freight transport
first flew 1971 and over
IL-76
900 built, with in-flight refueling
tanker derivative first flown 1983 as IL-78, and
communications relay variant as IL-82. IL-86 wide-body
transport first flew December 22,1976; 103 built before
production ended. Strategic-command-post version
became IL-80 Maxdome. Follow-on IL-96 wide-body airliner
first flew December 1988 and remains in production. II-
98 proposed as twin-engined derivative of IL-96. IL-106
heavy military
IL-86
transport and IL-112 shorthaul regional airliner
projected. IL-114 twin-turboprop transport first flew
March 1990 and ordered with production and marketing
by Uzbekistan-Russian consortium. Special electronic versions
of IL-114 developed for "Open Skies" missions and
Russian Federal Border Guard patrol. IL-103 4/5-seat lightplane
first flown May 1994 and manufactured by MAPO
"MiG". Current name llyushin Aviation Complex, or Aviatsionnyi
Kompleks imeni S.V. llyushina.
