Il-102
Ilyushin Il-102 on display
Role	Ground-attack aircraft Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Ilyushin
First flight	25 September 1982
Status	Prototype
Number built	2
Developed from	Ilyushin Il-40

The Ilyushin Il-102 was a Soviet experimental jet-powered ground-attack aircraft designed by Ilyushin. Once described as the "most gorgeously ugly combat jet ever,"^[1] this aircraft was never chosen for production, being surpassed by the Su-25. Only a few development prototypes were built.

Design and development

In 1967, the Soviet Air Forces drew up a specification for a jet-powered shturmovik or armoured ground attack aircraft. While Sukhoi designed an all-new single seat aircraft, the Su-25, Ilyushin proposed a modified version of their Il-40 of 1953 under the designation Il-42, which, unlike the Sukhoi, was a two-seat aircraft with a remotely-controlled rear gun turret. The design was rejected by the Soviet Air Forces, but Ilyushin decided to continue in-house development regardless, renaming the programme Il-102.^[2]

The Il-102 first prototype flew on 25 September 1982, with a second airframe built for static tests, and carried out 250 test flights until it was grounded in 1984 when the engine life expired.^[3]

The Il-102 was a low-winged monoplane with moderately swept (30 degrees) wings, powered by two Klimov RD-33I turbofans (non-afterburning versions of the engines that power the Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter). It was highly unusual for its time in having a rear gun turret, something not seen in ground-attack aircraft since the World War II Il-2 Shturmovik and Il-10, the Il-102's spiritual ancestors, controlled remotely by a gunner sitting in a cockpit above the trailing edge of the wing. The crew cockpits, engines and fuel tanks were armoured to protect against ground fire.^{[citation needed]}

Although development was abandoned in 1984, the prototype Il-102 was publicly unveiled at the 1992 Mosaeroshow air show at Zhukovsky, being claimed to be available for export.^[4]

As of 2005, the prototype No. 10201 was placed on display at the Gromov Flight Research Institute.^{[citation needed]}

Specifications

Data from The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995^[5]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 17.5 m (57 ft 5 in)
• Wingspan: 16.9 m (55 ft 5 in)
• Height: 5.08 m (16 ft 8 in)
• Wing area: 63.5 m² (684 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 13,000 kg (28,660 lb)
• Gross weight: 18,000 kg (39,683 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 22,000 kg (48,502 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × Klimov RD-33I turbofan engines, 51 kN (11,000 lbf) thrust each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 950 km/h (590 mph, 510 kn)
• Combat range: 400–500 km (250–310 mi, 220–270 nmi)
• Ferry range: 3,000 km (1,900 mi, 1,600 nmi)
• Wing loading: 283 kg/m² (58 lb/sq ft)
• Thrust/weight: 0.58

Armament

• Guns:
  

  

• 1 × 30mm GSh-30-2 cannon externally mounted under fuselage
• 1 × 23 mm GSh-23L cannon in remotely controlled tail turret
• Bombs: 7,200 kg (15,873 lb) external stores in six wing bomb bays and eight external pylons (six under wing and two under fuselage)