Il-42 / IL-102 / OES-1 - Program
The development of the "Ilyushin" two-seat attack aircraft was continued under the leadership of G. Novozhilov on an initiative basis. Compared to the IL-42, the new aircraft, designated IL-102, had a modified shape of the nose of the fuselage with improved forward-down visibility, new, more powerful engines, and significantly stronger weapons.
The idea of creating an armored attack aircraft in the Ilyushin Design Bureau, which, as they say, "ate a dog" during the creation of attack aircraft, was returned in the late 1960s. At this time, in the Soviet Air Force, based on the experience of military operations in Vietnam and conflicts in the Middle East, they again became interested in attack aircraft. It was then that Ilyushin Design Bureau proposed a model of its Il-42 attack aircraft, which was a profound modernization of the Il-40 developed in the 1950s.
In June 1969, a competition of stormtrooper projects was held in the Soviet Union. In addition to the Ilyushin Design Bureau, the Yakovlev Design Bureau and the attack aircraft Yak-25LSh, Sukhoi - T8 and Mikoyan - MiG-21LSH participated in the competition. At the same time, during the competition it was decided to stop work on the IL-42 and Yak-25LSh. But the development of the Ilyushin heavy two-seat attack aircraft did not end there. Under the leadership of G.V. Novozhilov, work was continued, but on an initiative basis. The name IL-42 was transformed into IL-102. Compared with its initial prototype, the new attack aircraft received a modified shape of the nose of the fuselage with improved forward-down visibility, significantly stronger weapons and new more powerful engines.
The construction of the prototype attack aircraft was very slow. At this time, the design bureau was loaded with work on other projects that were considered more priority. In addition, without proper support from above, materials and components had to be extracted with particular difficulty. Sometimes it was not without funny situations.
For example, ejection seats for the crew had to be borrowed at one aviation research institute. The construction of the attack aircraft was completed only by the beginning of 1982. On January 20, he was examined by the USSR Air Force Commander-in-Chief, Chief Air Marshal P. S. Kutakhov, who praised the aircraft and promised that it would facilitate the adoption of the aircraft into service. IS Sila, who held the post of Minister of Aviation Industry, was also a supporter, but then the USSR Minister of Defense was the last word.
The plane was waiting for its fate for several months, as a result, the denouement occurred in May 1982. Defense Minister Dmitry Ustinov ordered the aircraft not to be tested, and Novozhilov was forbidden to engage in "amateur" [ie, unofficial] activities. Where it came from and what was the basis for such a resolution is quite difficult to understand. Although at that time the Su-25 attack aircraft had already been adopted, the country managed to deploy its mass production. However, this was not a reason to complete all alternative developments.
But the design bureau of Ilyushin decided not to drop the plane. The general designer of the aircraft Novozhilov turned to Kutakhov personally for support. He twice raised the issue of resuming work on the IL-102 project, but Ustinov never changed his mind. Kutakhov could not get the permission of the marshal to test the aircraft.
As a result, the developers of the heavy attack aircraft stopped trying to beat their heads against the wall and went on a trick. They changed the name of the IL-102 to the neutral abbreviations OES-1 (experimental pilot aircraft - the first). After that, the Minister of Aviation Industry, Silaev, on his own responsibility, authorized the full cycle of aircraft tests. The attack aircraft was sent to one of the Belarusian airfields, away from the all-seeing eyes of the authorities. The first updated "flying tank" took to the skies on September 25, 1982, it was piloted by chief pilot Ilyushin Design Bureau, honored test pilot S. G. Bliznyuk.
Tests of the aircraft were surprisingly wonderful. In total for 1982-1984, the attack aircraft completed more than 250 flights. And by the date of the last flight on December 29, 1987, their total number reached 367. During the flight there was not a single failure of the on-board systems and not a single breakdown, and there were no emergencies. The attack aircraft demonstrated quite high flight characteristics, surpassing the commercially available Su-25.
It was noted that the aircraft had good stability on the combat course and maneuverability unique to its class. The minimum turn radius of this aircraft did not exceed 400 meters. The flights of the attack aircraft continued until the engine resource was fully exhausted. In 1984, the aircraft was handed over for conservation, and in 1986 they tried to revive this topic again, but these plans were not destined to come true. Most likely, the aircraft was ruined by considerations of economy in the presence of Su-25 in combat units. The proverb “Bolivar cannot stand two” was put into practice.
The plane was shown to the general public only once. This happened at the Mosaeroshow 92 air show, where it became one of the sensations. Later, the aircraft entered an eternal parking lot at the Gromov LII, where the attack aircraft was in storage until 2005. After that, he was painted and placed on a pedestal in the alley of the heroes of the museum of the Gromov LII, where it is adjacent to the monuments to the Yak-38U, MiG-23UB and Su-17UM3 aircraft.
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