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Ilyushin IL-102

1982 COLD WAR X-PLANE

History

In 1967 the demands of the Soviet Air Force gave rise to the Sukhoi Su-25 "Frogfoot" attack platform and the competing Ilyushin Il-102 prototype. Both are designed for ground attack to support advancing ground forces and are capable of deploying a large number of weapons against unsuspecting foes.

The Il-102 program brought in only two prototypes to contribute to the program, while the Su-25 enjoyed a healthy, long and successful career that continues to this day.

One of the most important ground attack aircraft of World War II (1939-1945) was supplied by the Ilyushin - the two-seat, single-engine Il-2 "Sturmovik" - so this concern was platform. The jet age changed roles significantly, as higher combat forces were involved, making pilot training and weapons delivery more complex.

For Soviet requirements, the aircraft would have excellent cruise capability, strong cockpit and system protection, and an above-average ammunition load capacity. That means a more traditional approach to design, rather than the sleek, fast-flying planes that have been stockpiled on both sides of the Cold War conflict across decades.

The Il-102 is essentially an evolution of the "Il-40" the company developed in the early 1950s - only seven were built. This provided a suitable framework for incorporating the new requirements of the Il-42, which included an internal twin-engine configuration, two crew members and a "Stinger" tail turret to protect the aircraft's vulnerable "Six".

The Il-42 was not supported by the Air Force authorities, which forced Ilyushin (privately) to continue working on a different development path, which gave birth to the two-seat twin-engine "Il-102".

The Il-102 is by no means a good-looking aircraft - but then again, most ground attack aircraft aren't: the classic WWII-era Il-2, Su-25 and the American Fairchild A-10" Thunderbolt II "All follow a similar line of practical design. In the Il-102, the pilot sat in an armored cockpit, in front of a raised fuselage spine and under a canopy with a heavy frame.

The cockpit is located behind the nose assembly, which is tilted to allow viewing of the nose. The wing main aircraft is swept back (30 degrees) and mounted amidships and is attached to the plate side fuselage by side mounted engine nacelles. The engines are spaced for built-in survivability and take in air through circular ports forward of the cockpit wall and behind the trailing edge of the wing. The rear wing uses a vertical plane and two low-mounted horizontal planes that have a pronounced dihedron (upward angle).

The landing gear is fully retractable and consists of a single-wheel front leg and a pair of two-wheel main legs. The main legs are retracted in assemblies fixed along the main plane of the wing outside each engine unit. Unlike the competing Su-25, which relies on a single pilot, the Il-102 has a crew of two, sitting back-to-back. Like the classic Il-2, the tail gun was remotely controlled by a second crew member.

In addition to the crew compartment, which is armored against ground fire, so is the critical fuel depot and vital engine compartment.

The aircraft is powered by 2 Klimov RD-33I turbofan engines, each producing 11,465 pounds of thrust. These also propelled another key player in the Soviet Cold War, the Mikoyan MiG-29 "Fulcrum" light fighter.

The proposed weapon became a 1 x 30mm GSh-30-2 gun mounted in a fixed forward firing unit outside the hull. The rear emplacement houses 2 x 23mm GSh-23L cannons, mounted on trainable mounts that allow the gunner to traverse and lift.

In addition to these conventional weapons, there are internal magazines in the wing elements, which can hold a total of six bombs (three per wing compartment). In addition, ordnance will be mounted via eight external hardpoints, six of which will be mounted under each wing and two under the fuselage centerline.

On paper, this makes the Il-102 a well-armed attack platform anyway.

Final specifications of the aircraft include a length of 17.5 meters, a wingspan of 16.9 meters and a height of 5 meters. The empty eight is 28,000 pounds and has a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 48,500 pounds.

Ilyushin flew her Il-102 for the first time on September 25, 1982, but the attack contract was submitted to Sukhoi for the Su-25 (she entered service in July 1981). A second fuselage followed, but this was for static testing only and never took off. In flight tests, the Il-102 had a top speed of 590 mph and a ferry range of up to 1,865 miles.

The combat range is up to 435 miles.

The initial airworthy prototype took about 250 flights until the company finally completed development in 1984. The Il-102 was revived in 1992 when it was exhibited at the Mosaeroshow International Air Show for possible export sales - no takers.

The specimen has found a permanent home as an exhibit at the Gromov Institute of Flight, officially ending the story of the Il-102 attacker - destined to never be as famous as its ancestor achieved decades ago.