Ilyushin Il-2

Single Piston

The Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik was the most-produced military aircraft in history, with over 36,000 built between 1941 and 1945 for the Soviet Air Force. Designed as a heavily armored ground-attack aircraft, the Il-2 featured an innovative monocoque armored shell that protected the engine, cockpit, and fuel tanks—making it exceptionally survivable against ground fire during low-altitude strikes against German armor and infantry on the Eastern Front. Stalin himself called it as essential to the Red Army as air and bread, and the type earned the nickname "flying tank" from Soviet crews and "Black Death" from German ground forces. The single-seat early variants gave way to the more common two-seat Il-2m3 configuration with a rear gunner, powered by a 1,770-horsepower Mikulin AM-38F liquid-cooled V-12 engine. With a maximum speed around 250 knots and operational ceiling near 20,000 feet, the Shturmovik was not fast by fighter standards but excelled at its intended role: delivering rockets, bombs, and 23mm cannon fire against tactical targets while absorbing punishment that would down most other aircraft. Today, a handful of airworthy Il-2s and replica reconstructions fly at airshows and with warbird operators, primarily in Russia and the United States, where they serve as flying monuments to the largest air war in history. SkyMeter has tracked 11 flights across 3 airframes and 2 operators, with BLUE AIR TRAINING CORP the largest observed operator.