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The Pilots Desk
Attack aircraft1953 attack aircraft prototype by Ilyushin

Ilyushin Il-40

The Ilyushin Il-40 (NATO reporting name: Brawny) was a two-seat Soviet jet-engined armored ground-attack aircraft. The first prototype flew in 1953 and was very successful except when it fired its guns, as their combustion gasses disturbed the airflow into the engines and caused them to flameout or hiccup. Remedying this problem took over a year and involved the radical change of moving the engine air intakes all the way to the very front of the aircraft and repositioning the guns from the tip of the nose to the bottom of the fuselage, just behind the nosewheel. The aircraft, now resembling a double-barreled shotgun from the front, was ordered into production in 1955. Only five production aircraft had been completed before the entire program was canceled in early 1956 when the VVS discarded its close air-support doctrine in favor of tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield.

Summary from Wikipedia licensed under CC BY-SA.

Manufacturer
Ilyushin
Category
Attack aircraft
Country of origin
Soviet Union
First flight
1953-03-07

Specifications

Max speed
536 kt
Range
710 nm
Service ceiling
38,100 ft
Max takeoff weight
38,801 lb
Empty weight
18,739 lb
Fuel capacity
290 US gal
Powerplant
2 × Tumansky RD-9V
Engines
2
Seats
2
Length
56.5 ft
Wingspan
55.8 ft
Height
5.7 ft
Number built
7

Specifications are approximate and may vary by variant. Compiled from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Reference and training only. Specifications vary by variant — consult the manufacturer and the official documents.