The Ilyushin Il-26 was a late 1940s project for a strategic heavy bomber by the
Ilyushin Design Bureau.
Clandestine use in the Soviet Afghan war
During the Soviet–Afghan War
The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Soviet ...
, Soviet & Afghan warplanes
A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat:
* Combat aircraft are designed to destroy enemy equipm ...
would occasionally cross into Pakistani territory while pursuing Afghan Mujahideen forces. Though in early March 1980, PAF Shenyang F-6
The Shenyang J-6 ( Chinese: 歼-6; designated F-6 for export versions; NATO reporting name: Farmer) is the Chinese-built version of the Soviet MiG-19 'Farmer' fighter aircraft, the world's first mass-produced supersonic aircraft.
Design and ...
s of the No. 15 Squadron on Air Defence Alert reported to have intercepted an Il-26 bomber that had intruded into Pakistani airspace however they weren't given clearance to shoot it down and instead escorted it across the Durand Line
The Durand Line ( ps, د ډیورنډ کرښه; ur, ), forms the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, a international land border between Pakistan and Afghanistan in South Asia. The western end runs to the border with Iran and the eastern end to th ...
back into Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
.
Specifications (Il-26 estimated)
References
Further reading
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{{Ilyushin aircraft
Il-0026
1940s Soviet bomber aircraft
Abandoned military aircraft projects of the Soviet Union
Six-engined tractor aircraft
Mid-wing aircraft