Il-2 Fighter Aircraft: Tank Killer in World War II At the beginning of World War II, German tanks swept across the European continent, and France and other countries fell under the iron heel of the Nazis. However, in the Soviet Union, the German tanks were met with desperate resistance from the Soviet Red Army and gradually lost their momentum.
There were many Soviet anti-tank "killers", including an air mass killer - the Il-2 strike aircraft. The Il-2 fighter aircraft proposed the concept of an "anti-armor attack aircraft" in the department headed by Ilyushin in the design bureau of the USSR.
The concept consists mainly of a two-seater, large-caliber cannon, and the ability to fight in the air when flying at low altitudes. And the performance of the Il-2 really impressed the generals of the Soviet army.
At the Congress of the CPSU, held in the first half of 1941, the Soviet authorities decided to increase the military budget, and the production program of the Il-2 was continued. However, the development of the Il-2 was also carried out on the premise of overcoming various technical difficulties.
As the armor increased, so did the weight of the aircraft, and the original engine could not move the aircraft. Through the continuous improvement of the Ilyushin team, the development of the Il-2 has continued to advance in difficulties.
The Il-2 fighter aircraft performed well in actual combat and became the backbone of the Soviet army's anti-tank operations. In the Battle of Kursk, the Il-2 blew up a large number of German tanks and became a threat to the German tank forces. However,
The air combat performance of the Il-2 was not very good, and it could only be put into real combat under the cover of Soviet fighters. Compared to the German fighters of that time, the Il-2 had less survivability in the air. However,
The appearance of Il-2 had a profound impact on the course of World War II. Its sturdy armor and powerful firepower made it an important anti-tank**, posing a great threat to the German tank forces. After that,
The improved Il-10 of the Il-2 also performed well in China. To sum up, the emergence of the Il-2 fighter filled the gap in the air-ground integrated battle of the Soviet army, and became the representative of the tank killer in World War II, and its performance also had a far-reaching impact.