Ilyushin Il-20 (1948)
| Il-20 | |
|---|---|
| Il-20 schematic | |
| General information | |
| Type | Ground-attack aircraft prototype |
| Manufacturer | Ilyushin |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 5 December 1948 |
The Ilyushin Il-20 was a Soviet prototype for a heavily armored ground-attack aircraft to replace the Ilyushin Il-10. It featured a number of innovative concepts including a cockpit mounted on top of the engine, directly behind the propeller, and wing-mounted autocannon that could be adjusted on the ground to fire level or depressed 23° to allow the aircraft to strafe ground targets while remaining in level flight. However it was slower than the Il-10, and its M-47 engine was problematic in flight tests in 1948–49. It was not placed into production. The test pilots called the aircraft the Gorbach (Hunchback).