The Ilyushin Il-4 (DB-3F) (russian: Ильюшин Ил-4 (ДБ-3Ф)) was a
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
twin-engined
long-range bomber and
torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight ...
, widely used by the
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...
and
Soviet Naval Aviation during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
Design and development
In 1938, the Ilyushin design bureau redesigned the
Ilyushin DB-3 to ease production and improve its performance, the revised version receiving the designation DB-3F (''Forsirovanniye'' or "boosted"). The aircraft's internal structure, particularly the wings, was extensively changed, eliminating the need for hand finishing of the structure, and with
duralumin
Duralumin (also called duraluminum, duraluminium, duralum, dural(l)ium, or dural) is a trade name for one of the earliest types of age-hardenable aluminium alloys. The term is a combination of ''Dürener'' and ''aluminium''.
Its use as a tra ...
replacing the large scale use of steel in the earlier version.
[''Air International'' May 1986, p. 133.][Gunston 1995, pp. 100–101.] The aircraft's fuel system was redesigned, increasing its internal capacity while reducing the number of fuel tanks.
The fuselage nose was lengthened to give more room for the navigator/bombardier while reducing drag. The prototype DB-3F, powered by the same
Tumansky M-87B engines of the DB-3M, was piloted on its maiden flight by
Vladimir Kokkinaki on 21 May 1939.
[Gordon, Komissarov and Komissarov 2004, pp. 91–92.] It successfully passed through state acceptance tests and entered production in January 1940, with the
Tumansky M-88 quickly replacing the M-87.
[Gordon, Komissarov and Komissarov 2004, p. 92.][Gunston 1995, p. 102.] The DB-3F was redesignated Il-4 in March 1942.
Some series had wooden outer wings and front fuselages to conserve
metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typi ...
s, and throughout the production,
engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...
s and fuel tanks were upgraded for improved performance while retaining the same range. However the most notable change was the addition of larger defensive guns in the
turret, using the 12.7 mm (0.5 in)
UBT machine gun
The Berezin UB (russian: УБ - Универсальный Березина) (''Berezin's Universal'') was a 12.7 mm caliber Soviet aircraft machine gun widely used during World War II.
Development
In 1937, Mikhail Yevgenyevich Berezin bega ...
in place of the earlier 7.62 mm (0.3 in) weapons. In addition, it was found that the gunners were attacked first, so blocks of
armor
Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or ...
were placed around the gunner positions.
This extra weight was not offset by the newer engines however, and the Il-4 proved to be slower than the earlier versions at only 404 km/h (251 mph). An attempt to improve performance was made as the
Il-6, adding large
diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...
s and heavier armament. The engines proved unreliable and production was never started. The Il-4 remained in production until 1945, when just over 5,200 had been built.
Operational history
Soviet Union
Although the Il-4 was only a medium bomber, it had the range to be used on strategic missions. The use of the bombers in this role was not a priority for the
VVS, but nevertheless the Il-4 was used on several long-range bombing raids against
Berlin
Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...
in 1941. Most would be used on much shorter range missions, often adding another 1,000 kg (2,204 lb) of
bomb
A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...
s under the wings, in addition to the internal 2,500 kg (5,512 lb).
Finland
Finland bought four captured DB-3Fs from German stocks. These were given the Finnish Air Force serials DF-22 to DF-25 and flown from
Bryansk
Bryansk ( rus, Брянск, p=brʲansk) is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the River Desna, southwest of Moscow. Population:
Geography Urban layout
The location of the settlement was originally ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
to Finland (one aircraft, DF-22, was destroyed en route and crashed near Syeschtschinskaya airfield). The aircraft were later flown by
No. 48 Sqn during 1943 (DF-23, DF-24 and DF-25),
No. 46 Sqn during 1944 (DF-23 and DF-24) and
No. 45 Sqn for a short time in 1945 (DF-23), until the last remaining serviceable aircraft went into depot on February 23, 1945. After the war, DF-25 was lost in a snowstorm, landed on the ice and crashed into the woods in Öja near the city of
Kokkola
Kokkola (; sv, Karleby, ) is a town and municipality of Finland.
The town is located in the Central Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbour municipal ...
. Most parts of the plane were rescued and taken to a depot.
Operators
;:
*
Chinese Nationalist Air Force
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
24 aircraft
;
*
Finnish Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, equipment = 159
, equipment_label ...
11 aircraft of the type DB-3M and four aircraft of the type DB-3F (Il-4)
;
* ''
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...
'' (tests only)
;
*
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...
:Regiments as at 1945-46:
:10th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment
:290th Bomber Aviation Regiment
:303rd Bomber Aviation Regiment (Zavitinsk, Amur Oblast)
:442nd Bomber Aviation Regiment (Belogorsk, Amur Oblast) with Il-4
:other regiments
*
Soviet Naval Aviation
Specifications (Il-4)
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
* "From DB-3 To Il-4...The Soviet Long-Range Bomber: Part Two". ''
Air International
''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd.
History and profile
The magazine was f ...
'', Vol. 30, No. 3, March 1986. Bromley, UK: Fine Scroll. ISSN 0306-5634. pp. 133–138, 154–155.
* Gordon, Yefim and Khazanov, Dmitri. ''Soviet Combat Aircraft of the Second World War, Volume 2: Twin-Engined Fighters, Attack Aircraft and Bombers''. Earl Shilton, UK: Midland Publishing Ltd., 2006.
* Gordon, Yefim, Dmitriy Komissarov and Sergey Komissarov. ''OKB Ilyushin: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft''. London: Ian Allan, 2004. .
*
Gunston, Bill. ''The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995''. London: Osprey, 1995. .
* Keskinen, Kalevi; Stenman, Kari and Niska, Klaus. ''Suomen Ilmavoimien Historia 9, Venäläiset Pommittajat (Soviet Bombers)''. Espoo, Finland: Tietoteos, 1982. .
* Nowarra, Heinz J. and Duval, G.R. ''Russian Civil and Military Aircraft, 1884-1969''. London: Fountain Press Ltd., 1971. .
* Stapfer, Hans-Heiri. ''Ilyushin Il-4 in Action (aircraft number 192)''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 2004. .
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Il-004
1930s Soviet bomber aircraft
World War II Soviet medium bombers
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Aircraft first flown in 1936
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