Ilyushin Il-28

{{Infobox aircraft |name = Ilyushin Il-28 |image = Ił_28_(2).jpg |caption = Il-28 in Polish Air Force colours, with a man for scale |type = Medium bomber |national_origin = Soviet Union |manufacturer = Ilyushin<br/>Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (H-5) |designer = |first_flight = 8 July 1948 |introduction = 1950 |retired = 1980s (Soviet Union) |status = In service with the Korean People's Air Force |primary_user = Soviet Air Force |more_users = People's Liberation Army Air Force<br/>Czechoslovak Air Force<br/>Polish Air Force |produced = |number_built = over 6,635 |unit cost = |developed_from = |variants = |developed_into = Ilyushin Il-30 }}

The '''Ilyushin Il-28''' ({{langx|ru|Илью́шин Ил-28}}; NATO reporting name: '''Beagle''') is a medium-range jet bomber, originally manufactured for the Soviet Air Forces, in service since 1950. It was the Soviet Union's first such aircraft to enter large-scale production. Total production in the USSR was 6,316 aircraft.

The '''Harbin H-5''' was a variant built in the People's Republic of China (without license). Over 319 were built, as well as 187 '''HJ-5''' training variants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Derailing a Nuclear Program by Force |url=https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/derailing-nuclear-program-force |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170423215623/https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/derailing-nuclear-program-force |archive-date=2017-04-23 |access-date=2017-01-02 |website=Stratfor}}</ref> The Korean People's Army Air Force is the only remaining operator, with approximately 80 aircraft, believed to be a mix of Soviet and Chinese models.

The bomber remained in frontline nuclear and conventional roles for the USSR until the late 1950s, carrying the RDS-4, and for China until the 1990s.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Norris |first=Robert. S |last2=Arkin |first2=William. M |date=2000-11-01 |title=Chinese Nuclear Forces, 2000 |url=http://thebulletin.metapress.com/openurl.asp?genre=article&id=doi:10.2968/056006020 |journal=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |volume=56 |issue=6 |pages=78–79 |doi=10.2968/056006020 |issn=0096-3402|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Norris |first=Robert S. |last2=Arkin |first2=William M. |date=1999-05-01 |title=Chinese Nuclear Forces, 1999 |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/action/showAbstract |journal=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |language=EN |volume=55 |issue=3 |pages=79–80 |doi=10.2968/055003023 |issn=0096-3402|doi-access=free }}</ref> Il-28s triggered worldwide attention during the Cuban Missile Crisis, where they were deployed with tactical nuclear bombs. They were also supplied to the Warsaw Pact; both the USSR and Hungarian rebels flew them during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. China's H-5s saw combat in the First Taiwan Strait Crisis and the 1959 Tibetan uprising. Egypt used Il-28s in the War of Attrition and North Yemen civil war, including to drop chemical weapons. They also saw extensive combat use by the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Ba'athist Iraq, Nigeria, and brief use by North Vietnam.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-12-01 |title=FlyPast Classics: Ilyushin IL-28 |url=https://www.key.aero/article/flypast-classics-ilyushin-il-28 |access-date=2025-10-18 |website=www.key.aero |language=en}}</ref>

The Il-28 has the USAF/DoD reporting name "Type 27"<ref name="designation-systems.net">Parsch, Andreas and Aleksey V. Martynov. [http://www.designation-systems.net/non-us/soviet.html#_DOD_Type "Designations of Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft and Missiles."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011201653/http://www.designation-systems.net/non-us/soviet.html#_DOD_Type |date=2017-10-11 }} ''designation-systems.net,'' 2008. Retrieved: 22 August 2011.</ref> and NATO reporting name "Beagle",<ref>Parsch, Andreas and Aleksey V. Martynov. [http://www.designation-systems.net/non-us/soviet.html#_Listings_Bomber "Bomber designations."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011201653/http://www.designation-systems.net/non-us/soviet.html#_Listings_Bomber |date=2017-10-11 }} ''designation-systems.net,'' 2008. Retrieved: 22 August 2011.</ref> while the '''Il-28U''' trainer variant has the USAF/DoD reporting name "Type 30"<ref name="designation-systems.net" /> and NATO reporting name '''Mascot'''.<ref>Parsch, Andreas and Aleksey V. Martynov. [http://www.designation-systems.net/non-us/soviet.html#_Listings_Misc "Listings: Miscellaneous."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011201653/http://www.designation-systems.net/non-us/soviet.html#_Listings_Misc |date=2017-10-11 }} ''designation-systems.net,'' 2008. Retrieved: 22 August 2011.</ref><ref name="Gunston Russ pXXX-XXXI">{{harvnb|Gunston|1995|pp=XXX–XXXI}}</ref>

==Design and development== After several attempts at a four-engined bomber (the Lyulka TR-1 powered Ilyushin Il-22 and the unbuilt Rolls-Royce Derwent powered Ilyushin Il-24), the Ilyushin Design Bureau began development of a new jet-powered tactical bomber in late 1947.{{sfn|Sweetman|Gunston|1978|p=113}} Western intelligence focused on the four-engine developments while the twin-engine Ilyushin Il-28 was created to meet a requirement for a bomber to carry a {{convert |3000|kg|lb}} bombload at {{convert |800|km/h|mph}}.<ref name = "AE36 p44">{{harvnb|Green|Swanborough|1988|p=44}}</ref><ref name = "Gunston Russ p417">{{harvnb|Gunston|1995|p=417}}</ref> The new design took advantage of the sale of several Rolls-Royce Nene jet engines by Great Britain to the Soviet Union, which allowed Soviet engineers to quickly produce an unlicensed copy of the Nene, the RD-45, with Ilyushin designing the new bomber around two RD-45s.<ref name ="AE36 p44" />

The Il-28 was smaller than the previous designs and carried a crew of only three (pilot, navigator and gunner). It was also smaller than the competing design from the Tupolev design bureau, the three-engined (i.e. two Nenes and a Rolls-Royce Derwent) Tupolev Tu-73, which had been started long before the Ilyushin project, and flew before the design of the Il-28 was approved.<ref name="AE36 p44" />

[[File:C01 152 Il 28, Heckschützenstand.jpg|thumb|An Il-28 in Finnish colors, showing the tail mounted gun turret with a window for the rear gunner. This aircraft was configured as a target tug; the device containing the orange target is the target-deploy mechanism]]

The Il-28 design was conventional in layout, with high, unswept wings and a swept horizontal tail and fin. The engines were carried in bulky nacelles slung directly under the wings. The nosewheel retracted rearwards, while the mainwheels retracted forwards into the engine nacelles. The crew of three were accommodated in separate, pressurised compartments. The navigator, who also acted as bombardier, was accommodated in the glazed nose compartment and was provided with an OPB-5 bombsight based on the American Norden bombsight of the Second World War, while the pilot sat under a sideways opening bubble canopy with an armoured windscreen. The gunner sat in a separate compartment at the rear of the fuselage, operating a power-driven turret armed with two Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 23 mm cannons with 250 rounds each. In service, the turret was sometimes removed as a weight-saving measure.<ref name= "Winchester p. 112">{{harvnb|Winchester|2006|p=112}}</ref> While the pilot and navigator sat on ejector seats, the gunner had to parachute out of a hatch in the floor in the event of an emergency. Two more fixed, forward-firing 23 mm cannon with 100 rounds each were mounted under the nose and fired by the pilot, while a bomb bay was located in the fuselage, capable of holding four 100 kg (220 lb) bombs in individual containers, or single large bombs of up to 3,000 kg (6,600 lb) slung from a beam in the bomb bay.<ref name="AE36 p45-6">{{harvnb|Green|Swanborough|1988|pp=45–46}}</ref><ref name="Gordon Il p140-4">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov |Komissarov|2004|pp=140–144}}</ref>

thumb|left|Il-28 bomb bay One unusual design feature of the Il-28 was that the wings and tail were split horizontally through the centre of the wing, while the fuselage was split vertically at the centreline, allowing the separate parts to be built individually and fitted out with systems before being bolted together to complete assembly of the aircraft.<ref name="Winchester p. 113">{{harvnb|Winchester|2006|p=113}}</ref> This slightly increased the weight of the aircraft structure, but eased manufacture and proved to be more economical.<ref name="AE36 p45">{{harvnb|Green|Swanborough|1988|p=45}}</ref><ref name="Gunston Russ p114">{{harvnb|Gunston|1995|p=114}}</ref>

The first prototype, powered by two imported Nenes, made its maiden flight on 8 July 1948, with Vladimir Kokkinaki at the controls. Testing was successful, with the Il-28 demonstrating good handling and reaching a speed of 833 km/h (518 mph). It was followed on 30 December 1948 by the second prototype, with Soviet built RD-45 engines replacing the Nenes.<ref name="AE p46">{{harvnb|Green|Swanborough|1988|p=46}}</ref> After the completion of state tests in early 1949 the aircraft was ordered into large scale production on 14 May 1949, with the Klimov VK-1, an improved version of the RD-45 to be used in order to improve the aircraft's performance.<ref name="Nemecek">{{harvnb|Nemecek|1986|p=173}}</ref><ref name="Gordon Il p117">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|Komissarov|2004|p=117}}</ref> The first pre-production aircraft with VK-1 engines flew on 8 August 1949, and featured reshaped engine nacelles to reduce drag, while the radome for the navigation radar was moved from the rear fuselage to just aft of the nosewheel.

Full production in three factories started in September 1949, with service deliveries starting in early 1950, allowing 25 Il-28s to be displayed at the Moscow May Day parade of 1950 (as ordered by Joseph Stalin when it was ordered into production in 1949).<ref name="AE36 p47-9">{{harvnb|Green|Swanborough|1988|pp=47–49}}</ref><ref name="Gordon Il p118">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|Komissarov|2004|p=118}}</ref> The Il-28 soon became the standard tactical bomber in the Soviet forces and was widely exported.<ref name="Nemecek" />

==Operational history== thumb|Polish Il-28 landing, 1959 [[File:EAF IL-28 Attrition.jpg|thumb|Egyptian Il-28 strikes IDF positions in Sinai during the War of Attrition (1967).]] thumb|A formation of five brand-new EAF Il-28 bombers, seen at low level over Cairo during a parade in September 1956. [[File:Ilyushin_Il-28_bombers_at_Uiju_airfield,_North_Korea,_2013.jpeg|right|thumb|Il-28/H-5s at Uiju Airfield, North Korea, 2013. The Korean People's Army Air Force is the only remaining operator of the aircraft {{As of|2025|lc=y}}.]] The Il-28 was widely exported, serving in the air arms of some 20 nations ranging from the Warsaw Pact to various Middle-Eastern and African air forces. Egypt was an early customer, and targeting Egyptian Il-28s on the ground was a priority for the Royal Air Force during the Suez Crisis and later by the Israeli Air Force during the Six-Day War, and Yom Kippur War.

In 1958, following the 14 July Revolution, large orders were placed with the Soviet Union for the Iraqi Air Force, including for Il-28s.{{sfn|Gordon|Komissarov|2015|p=307}} They were delivered from January 1959, equipping 8 Squadron, Iraqi Air Force.{{sfn|Gordon|Komissarov|2015|p=307}}{{sfn|Sipos|Cooper|2020|p=48}} Iraq's Il-28s were heavily deployed during the First Iraqi–Kurdish War from 1961, bombing Kurdish insurgents and Kurdish-held villages.{{sfn|Sipos|Cooper|2020|p=51}} On 9 August 1962, two Iraqi Il-28s accidently bombed a Turkish border post, killing a Turkish border guard, but when two more Il-28s crossed the Turkish border on 16 August 1962, they were intercepted by four Turkish Air Force F-84F Thunderstreak sighters, which shot down one Iraqi Il-28.{{sfn|Sipos|Cooper|2020|p=52}}

Egyptian Il-28s also took part in the North Yemen Civil War, starting in 1963. In addition to attacks on the royalist forces, they also bombed the Saudi cities of Jizan, Najran, and Khamis Mushait.<ref>{{harvnb|Cooper|2017|pp=17–18}}</ref> Two Egyptian Il-28s may have been shot down near Sanaa by Royal Saudi Air Force Hawker Hunters flown by British pilots, in 1966.<ref>{{harvnb|Cooper|2017|p=23}}</ref>

The Soviet Union was in the process of providing the type for local assembly in Cuba when this was halted by the Cuban Missile Crisis, after which Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove them. The type also saw limited use in Vietnam and with the Afghan forces in Afghanistan. Four ex-Egyptian and two ex-Soviet Il-28s (all with Egyptian crews) were operated by the Nigerian Air Force in the Biafra Wars. Finland also had four examples of this type delivered between 1961 and 1966 for target-towing duties. They remained in service until the 1980s.

The Soviet Union had relegated the Il-28 to second-line duties by the late-1950s. The supersonic Yak-28 was introduced in the early 1960s to take over the Beagle's low-level attack role; some Il-28 variants lingered in Soviet service into the 1980s.<ref>[http://www.airvectors.net/avil28.html#m5 The Ilyushin Il-28 "Beagle"]. ''Air Vectors.net''.</ref><ref>[http://www.airvectors.net/avyak25.html#m7 The Yakovlev Yak-25 & Yak-28]. ''Air Vectors.net''.</ref> The last Soviet-built examples were still flying in Egypt into the 1990s.

The People's Republic of China received over 250 Soviet-built Il-28s from 1952,<ref name="AE71 p20">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|1997|p=20}}</ref> and when the Sino-Soviet split occurred in the late 1950s, it decided to place the Il-28 into production, despite no manufacturing license being obtained.<ref name="Gordon China p113">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|2008|p=113}}</ref> Chinese-built aircraft differed from the original Soviet aircraft in that they have a redesigned wing structure, abandoning the horizontal manufacturing break, saving {{convert|110|kg|lb}} at the cost of a more difficult construction. Chinese aircraft also used a different tail turret based on that of the Tupolev Tu-16, and fitted with faster-firing AM-23 cannons.<ref name="Gordon China p113-4">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|2008|pp=113–114}}</ref> On 11 November 1965, a H-5 pilot defected to Taiwan with two crewmates, one committing suicide before landing. All were declared anti-communist heroes by Taiwan, and the two survivors served in the Republic of China Air Force, but were not allowed to fly.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-11-08 |title=‘Defection to freedom’ - Taipei Times |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2015/11/08/2003631950 |access-date=2025-10-18 |website=www.taipeitimes.com}}</ref> On 25 August 1985, a H-5 pilot defected, crash- landing in a rice field in South Korea, running out of fuel while being directed towards Gunsan airfield, killing its navigator and a farmer. The pilot was granted asylum in Taiwan while a radio operator and the aircraft were returned to China.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chinese pilot defects to South Korea - UPI Archives |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/10/24/Chinese-pilot-defects-to-South-Korea/5746530510400/ |access-date=2025-10-18 |website=UPI |language=en}}</ref>

Chinese-built Il-28s designated H-5 and built by HAMC were still flying in the 1990s with several hundreds in China itself, and a smaller number in North Korea and Romania. The three main Chinese versions are the '''H-5''' bomber, followed by the '''HJ-5''' trainer, and the '''H-5R (HZ-5)''' long range (in comparison to the reconnaissance version of the Shenyang J-6) reconnaissance aircraft, and later, the '''HD-5''' ECM/ESM version. The latter two types have been phased out.

The type is known to still be in active service with the Korean People's Army Air Force, although little is known as to whether they are a mix of survivors from the batch of 24 Soviet-manufactured aircraft delivered in the 1960s and some of the newer Chinese-built H-5 variant, or are solely H-5s. Some of these are probably used for spares to maintain a small group of around a dozen serviceable aircraft.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} They give North Korea a means of bombing targets in South Korea and Western Japan, although they would be vulnerable to modern anti air missiles and interceptors.

Several Ilyushin Il-28s are preserved in museums and as monuments in Russia, Germany, Hungary and in other countries.

==Variants==

===Soviet Union variants=== Note: Order of variants determined chronologically by production/development dates. ;Il-28 :Basic three-seat bomber version, powered by two VK-1 engines.<ref name="Gordon Il p118-9">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|Komissarov|2004|pp=118–119}}</ref> [[File:Egyptian Il-28 Beagle.JPEG|thumb|An Il-28U trainer of the Egyptian Air Force in 1981.]] ;Il-28U :Unarmed training version fitted with new nose housing cockpit for instructor, while the trainee sat in the normal cockpit. First flown 18 March 1950.<ref name="AE71 p11">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|1997|p=11}}</ref> ;Il-28R :Three-seat tactical photo reconnaissance version, with extra fuel in bomb bay and tip-tanks, and with one forward firing cannon removed. Fitted with revised undercarriage to deal with heavier weights. First flew 19 April 1950.<ref name="AI36 p49">{{harvnb|Green|Swanborough|1988|p=49}}</ref><ref name="AE71 p14">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|1997|p=14}}</ref> ;Il-28RTR :ELINT version of Il-28R.<ref name="Gordon Il p122">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|Komissarov|2004|p=122}}</ref> ;Il-28REB :Electronic warfare, electronic jamming version, fitted with wingtip electronic pods housed in the former wing tanks.<ref name="Winchester p. 112"/><ref name="Gordon Il p122"/> ;Il-28T :Torpedo bomber version for the Soviet Naval Aviation able to accommodate two small or one large torpedo (including RAT-52 rocket propelled torpedoes) in a lengthened weapons bay.<ref name="AE71 p14-6">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov| 1997|pp=14–16}}</ref> ;Il-28N :Nuclear bomber for the Soviet Air Force with modified bomb-bay and revised avionics. (N - ''Nositel'' - carrier, also known as Il-28A - ''Atomnyy'' - atomic).<ref name="AE71 p17">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|1997|p=17}}</ref> ;Il-28P :Unarmed civil conversion for Aeroflot, used as jet conversion trainer and to carry high priority cargo (i.e. newspaper matrices to allow simultaneous printing of ''Pravda'' and ''Izvestia'' in Moscow, Sverdlovsk and Novosibirsk). Also designated Ilyushin Il-20.<ref name="Gunston Russ p115">{{harvnb|Gunston|1995|p=115}}</ref><ref name="Stroud p126-7">{{harvnb|Stroud|1968|pp=126–127}}</ref> ;Il-28S :Proposed swept-wing version with more powerful Klimov VK-5 engines. Unbuilt.<ref name="AE71 p17"/> ;Il-28RM : Modified Il-28R with VK-5 engine. One prototype built plus two similarly converted bombers (which carried no special designation) but no production.<ref name="AE71 p17"/> ;Il-28TM :Il-28T with VK-5. One converted, no production.<ref name="AE71 p17"/> ;Il-28PL :High-speed anti-submarine conversion of Il-28 bomber or Il-28T torpedo bomber. Capable of carrying dropping sonobuoys or acoustic homing torpedoes on direction of other anti-submarine assets.<ref name="AE71 p18">{{harvnb|Gordon| Komissarov|1997|p=18}}</ref> ;Il-28Sh :Ground attack (''Shturmovik'') conversion of Il-28 with 12 underwing pylons for rocket pods. Small number converted which saw limited service.<ref name="AE71 p18"/><ref name="Gordon Il p128">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|Komissarov|2004| p=128}}</ref> ;Il-28ZA :Atmospheric sampling version.<ref name="Gordon Il p128"/> ;Il-28M :Target drone conversion of Il-28. Also known as '''M-28'''.<ref name="AE71 p18"/>

===Czechoslovak variants=== ;B-228 :Czechoslovak designation of Soviet built Il-28s.<ref name="Gordon Il p136">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|Komissarov|2004|p=136}}</ref> ;CB-228 :Czechoslovak designation of Soviet built Il-28Us.<ref name="Gordon Il p136"/>

===Chinese variants=== ;H-5 :(''Hongzhaji'' - bomber) - Standard three-seat tactical bomber.<ref Name="JAWA82 p36-7"/> The structure of the two halves of the Soviet Union's Il-28 aircraft was changed to a common structure. The engine uses WP-5. The tail turret using H-6s caused some changes in the tail structure. ;H-5A :Speculative designation of for nuclear capable H-5 variant (Il-28N).<ref name="Gordon China p115">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|2008|p=115}}</ref> ;HD-5: :(''Hongzhaji Dian'' - bomber/electronic reconnaissance) Chinese ECM jammer version.<ref name="Gordon China p117">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|2008|p=117}}</ref> ;HJ-5 :(''Hongzhaji Jiaolianji'' - bomber trainer) Chinese trainer version with similar layout to Il-28U.<ref Name="JAWA82 p36-7"/><ref name="Gordon China p115-6">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|2008|pp=115–116}}</ref> ;HZ-5 :(''Hongzhaji Zhenchaji'' - bomber/reconnaissance) Tactical reconnaissance aircraft. Fitted with underwing drop tanks instead of tip tanks of Il-28R.<ref Name="JAWA82 p36-7"/><ref name="Gordon China p117"/> ;B-5 :Export designation of the H-5.<ref name="Gordon China p115"/> :'''B-56''' :Export designation of the 16 H-5 of the Pakistan Airforce which were used from 1966 to 1969. ;B-5R :Export version of HZ-5.<ref name="Gordon China p117"/> ;BT-5 :Export version of the HJ-5.<ref name="Gordon China p117"/> ;H-5 Ying :(''Ying'' - eagle) Avionics testbed for Xian JH-7 programme.<ref name="Gordon China p118">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|2008|p=118}}</ref> ;H-5B :Speculative designation for unflown H-5 testbed for WS-5 turbofan engines.<ref name="Gordon China p118"/>

==Operators== thumb|Il-28 operators

===Current=== ;{{PRK}} *North Korean Air Force - 80 Il-28 and H-5 as of 2023.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Studies (IISS) |first1=The International Institute for Strategic |title=The Military Balance 2023 |date=15 February 2023 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-000-91070-4 |pages=262−265 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cyquEAAAQBAJ |access-date=2 August 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

===Former=== ;{{Flag|Afghanistan|1980}} *Afghan Air Force :54 aircraft acquired (including four Il-28U examples) from 1957. Only trainers were retained beyond 1994.<ref name="vector">Goebel, Greg. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060221135857/http://www.vectorsite.net/avil28.html "Ilyushin Il-28 'Beagle'."]}} ''Air Vectors''. Retrieved: 22 August 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.worldairforces.com/Countries/afghanistan/afg.html "Afghanistan (AFG), World Air Forces - Historical Listings."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070115115045/http://worldairforces.com/Countries/afghanistan/afg.html |date=2007-01-15 }} ''worldairforces.com.'' Retrieved: 22 August 2011.</ref> All grounded during the civil war in the 1990s. Some were displayed during military parades such as the one in 1984.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Afghan Military Show in 1980s Babrak Karmal era - YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mtDv5HHoAY|access-date=2020-12-27|website=www.youtube.com}}</ref> ;{{Flag|Albania|1946}} *Albanian Air Force :Aviation Regiment 4020 operated one Il-28 acquired in 1957 attached to ''2 Skuadrilja'' (2nd Squadron). This aircraft was traded for an Harbin H-5, the Chinese version of the Soviet Il-28, in 1971 and retired from service in 1992.<ref>[http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/albania/af/units/4020.htm " Albania Air Force: AviatioSkuadronnt 4020 (7594 Regiment)."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611145921/http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/albania/af/units/4020.htm |date=2011-06-11 }} ''aeroflight.co.'' Retrieved: 22 August 2011.</ref> ;{{DZA}} *Algerian Air Force :Fourteen Il-28s were ordered from the USSR in 1965-1966. At least twelve of them were donated to Egypt following the Six-Day War.{{sfn|Cooper|Grandolini|2018|pp=48–49}} ;{{flag|Bulgaria|1971}} *Bulgarian Air Force :14 Il-28Rs and one Il-28U received in 1955 and retired in 1974. ;{{CHN}} thumb|This is a Russian Ilyushin Il-28 'Beagle' bomber licence built in China as the Harbin (where the factory is) H-5. * Hundreds of these aircraft were operated by the People's Liberation Army Air Force and People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force. Originally equipped with Soviet-built aircraft, the Chinese began full production of the H-5 by 1965. All Il-28s are retired as of 2000.<ref name=":0" /> * Second Aviation School<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1991/plaaf-appe.htm |title=People's Republic of China People's Liberation Army Air Force |access-date=2019-05-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090218190914/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1991/plaaf-appe.htm |archive-date=2009-02-18 |url-status=live }}</ref> ;{{CUB}} *Cuban Air Force :A total of 42 were received in 1962, but soon returned to the Soviet Union as a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis.<ref name="AE71 p21">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|1997|p=21}}</ref> ;{{CZS}} thumb|This is a recce variant, with tip tanks for extra fuel. msn 52404. Vyskov Museum, Czech Republic. 06-10-2012 thumb|Ilyushin Il-28R, LZ-32, of the 47th Reconnaissance Air Regiment of the Czechoslovak Air Force, spring 1957 *Czechoslovak Air Force :Il-28 and Il-28Us locally designated B-228 and CB-228 which operated from 1954 until 1973. 90 Il-28s, 30 Il-28RTs and an unknown number of Il-28Us were delivered. ;{{DDR}} *East German Air Force :Operated 12 Il-28s and one Il-28U aircraft, primarily on target tug and engine testing duties between 1954 and 1982. ;{{EGY}} *Egyptian Air Force :Received 70 Czechoslovak-built Il-28s in 1956, shortly before the Suez Crisis. The IDF rated the Il-28 as a high priority target during the Six-Day War.<ref>Gordan, Yefim, and Dmitry Komissarov. "Egypt Pg.8-68." Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft in the Middle East. N.p.: Hikoki, 2013. 164-65. Print.</ref> ;{{FIN}} *Finnish Air Force :Received four aircraft (one IL-28 and three Il-28Rs), coded NH-1..4, in the 1960s. The aircraft were used as target tugs and for maritime reconnaissance and patrolling as well as aerial mapping until 1981. The code letters of the type (NH) originated from Neuvostoliittolainen Hinauskone (Soviet towplane) but since they also matched initials of the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev (spelled Hruštšov in Finnish), their usual nickname was ''Nikita''.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Iljushin IL-28 in Finnish Air Force|last=Laukkanen|first=Jyrki|publisher=Apali|year=2008|isbn=978-952-5026-79-5|pages=85, 99}}</ref> ;{{flag|Hungarian People's Republic|1949}} *Hungarian People's Army Air Force ;{{IDN}} *Indonesian Air Force :21st Air Squadron based at Kemayoran Air Force Base, Jakarta received fourteen Il-28, two Il-28T, two Il-28R, and four Il-28U in 1959–1961. During Operation Trikora in 1962 (the conquest of Western New Guinea), two Il-28 were written off. Retired by Indonesian Air Force in 1964 and later transferred to the Indonesian Navy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://aviahistoria.com/2017/12/12/beagle-pembom-jet-pertama-milik-auri/ |title=“Beagle”, Pembom Jet Pertama Milik AURI |website=aviahistoria.com |date=12 December 2017 |access-date=12 August 2025 |language=ID}}</ref> *Indonesian Navy :500th Squadron based at Juanda Naval Air Station, Surabaya received eleven Il-28T torpedo-bombers and two Il-28U trainers in 1965. Later also received ex-Air Force Il-28s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://aviahistoria.com/2021/05/15/perjalanan-singkat-beagle-milik-alri/ |title=Perjalanan Singkat “Beagle” Milik ALRI |website=aviahistoria.com |date=15 May 2021 |access-date=12 August 2025 |language=ID}}</ref> The last one was retired in 1972.<ref name="AE71 p23">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|1997|p=23}}</ref> [[File:II-28 Beagle Iraq 2.jpeg|thumb|An Iraqi Il-28 bomber abandoned at Al Taqaddum, Iraq.]] ;{{flag|Iraq|1963}} *Iraqi Air Force :Received twelve Il-28s, two Il-28Us and two Il-28BM target tugs starting in January 1959. Some additional aircraft may have been acquired from Egypt in the 1960s.<ref>{{harvnb|Sipos|Cooper|2020|loc=plate V, p. 48}}</ref> All destroyed or grounded after Desert Storm. ;{{MAR}} *Royal Moroccan Air Force :Morocco operated two Il-28s.<ref name="AE71 p23"/> ;{{NGA}} *Nigerian Air Force<ref>{{harvnb|Cooper|Weinert|Hinz|Lepko|2011|p=87}}</ref> ;{{flag|North Yemen}} *Yemen Arab Republic Air Force :Four Il-28s donated by Libya in October 1972.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Tom |title=Hot Skies Over Yemen, Volume 1 |page=34}}</ref> ;{{PAK}} *Pakistani Air Force :Operated 16 Harbin H-5 between 1966 to 1969 under the designation B-56. These aircraft served alongside American-built Martin B-57B Canberra. The H-5s were not popular with Pakistani pilots, and they were eventually traded back to China in exchange for more Shenyang F-6C. ;{{POL}} thumb|Ilyushin Il-28R *Polish Air Force: Received 72 Il-28s, 15 Il-28Rs and 16 Il-28Us. The first aircraft arrived in 1952, last was retired in 1977. **7 ''Pułk Lotnictwa Bombowo-Rozpoznawczego'' was based in Powidz. **21 ''Pułk Rozpoznania Taktycznego'' operated Il-28R variant and was based in Sochaczew. **33 ''Pułk Lotnictwa Bombowego'' was based in Modlin. *Polish Navy ;{{ROM}} *Romanian Air Force :About 22 Il-28s, three Il-28Rs and eight Il-28Us, both Soviet- and Chinese-built, operated from 1955. All remaining Il-28s were retired from service by June 2001. ;{{SOM}} *Somali Air Force,<ref>{{harvnb|Cooper|Weinert|Hinz|Lepko|2011|p=96}}</ref> 4 units prior to 1977. ;{{flag|South Yemen}} *People's Democratic Republic of Yemen Air Force :Received a single Il-28, one Il-28R and two Il-28Us from the USSR around 1972.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Tom |title=Hot Skies Over Yemen, Volume 1 |page=35}}</ref> [[File:Airplane monument.jpg|thumb|Soviet Il-28 bomber monument in Tokmok (Chüy Region, Kyrgyzstan)]] ;{{USSR}} :About 1,500 served with the Soviet Air Forces and the Soviet Navy (Soviet Naval Aviation), with operations beginning in 1950. Front line operations continued through the 1950s, with a few examples remaining into the 1980s. A small number of demilitarized aircraft were provided to Aeroflot.<ref name="vector"/> ;{{Flag|Syria|1980}} *Syrian Air Force :Syria operated six Il-28s. Two were destroyed during the Six-Day War. The other four were dumped<ref>Gordan, Yefim, and Dmitry Komissarov. "Syria Pg.164." Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft in the Middle East. N.p.: Hikoki, 2013. 164-65. Print.</ref> in airbases around Syria.<ref name="AE71 p24">{{harvnb|Gordon|Komissarov|1997|p=24}}</ref> Replaced in 1980s by Su-24. ;{{VIE}} *Vietnam Air Force Retired.

==Specifications (Il-28)== thumb|Ilyushin Il-28 3-view drawing {{Aircraft specs |ref=''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982–83''<ref name="JAWA82 p36-7">{{harvnb|Taylor|1982|pp=36–37}}</ref> |prime units?=met  |crew=3 |length m=17.65 |length note= |span m=21.45 |span note= |height m=6.7 |height note= |wing area sqm=60 |wing area note= |aspect ratio= |airfoil=TsAGI SR-5S (12%)<ref name="Selig">{{cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu |access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref> |empty weight kg=12890 |empty weight note= |gross weight kg=18400 |gross weight note= |max takeoff weight kg=21200 |max takeoff weight note= |fuel capacity= |more general=  |eng1 number=2 |eng1 name=Klimov VK-1A |eng1 type=centrifugal-flow turbojet engines |eng1 kn=26.5 |eng1 note=  |max speed kmh=902 |max speed note=at {{cvt|4500|m}} |max speed mach= |cruise speed kmh=770 |cruise speed note=at {{cvt|10000|m}} |stall speed kmh= |stall speed note= |never exceed speed kmh= |never exceed speed note= |minimum control speed kmh= |minimum control speed note= |range km=2180 |range note= |combat range km= |combat range note= |ferry range km= |ferry range note= |endurance= |ceiling m=12300 |ceiling note= |g limits= |roll rate= |climb rate ms=15 |climb rate note= |time to altitude= |wing loading kg/m2= |wing loading note= |fuel consumption kg/km= |thrust/weight=

|more performance=  |guns= 4 × Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 cannons (2 in nose and 2 in tail barbette) |bombs= 3,000 kg (6,600 lb) of bombs in internal bay (1,000 kg (2,200 lb) normal)

|avionics= }}

==See also== {{Portal|Aviation}} {{aircontent |related= * Ilyushin Il-30 * Ilyushin Il-46 |similar aircraft= * English Electric Canberra/Martin B-57 Canberra * North American B-45 Tornado * Sud Aviation Vautour 2B * Tupolev Tu-14 |lists= * List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS * List of bomber aircraft |see also= }}

==References==

===Notes=== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

===Bibliography=== * Bernád, Dénes. "Rumanian 'Beagles': The Ilyushin Il-28 in Rumanian Service". ''Air Enthusiast'', No. 78, November/December 1998, pp. 68–72. ISSN 0143-5450. * {{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Tom |title=Hot Skies Over Yemen, Volume 1: Aerial Warfare Over the South Arabian Peninsula, 1962-1994 |date=2017 |publisher=Helion & Company Publishing |location=Solihull, UK |isbn=978-1-912174-23-2}} * {{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Tom |last2=Grandolini |first2=Albert |title=Showdown in Western Sahara, Volume 1: Air Warfare over the Last African Colony, 1945-1975 |date=2018 |publisher=Helion & Company Publishing |location=Warwick, UK |isbn=978-1-912390-35-9 }} * {{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Tom |last2=Weinert |first2=Peter |last3=Hinz |first3=Fabian |last4=Lepko |first4=Mark |title=African MiGs, Volume 2: Madagascar to Zimbabwe |date=2011 |publisher=Harpia Publishing |location=Houston |isbn=978-0-9825539-8-5}} * {{cite book |last1=Gordon |first1=Yefim |first2=Dmitry |last2=Komissarov |title=Chinese Aircraft: China's Aviation Industry since 1951 |year=2008 |location=Manchester, UK |publisher=Hikoki Publications |isbn=978-1-902109-04-6}} * {{cite magazine |last1=Gordon |first1=Yefim |first2=Dmitry |last2=Komissarov |title=Soviet Canberra: Ilyushin's incredible Il-28 |magazine=Air Enthusiast |issue=71 |date=September–October 1997 |pages=8–24 |issn=0143-5450}} * {{cite book |last1=Gordon |first1=Yefim |last2=Komissarov |first2=Dmitriy |title=Famous Russian Aircraft: Ilyushin Il-28 |year=2015 |location=Manchester |publisher=Crecy Publishing |isbn=9-781857-803716}} * {{cite book |last1=Gordon |first1=Yefim |first2=Dmitry |last2=Komissarov |first3=Sergei |last3=Komissarov |title=OKB Ilyushin: A History of the Design Bureau and Its Aircraft |year=2004 |location=Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK |publisher= Midland Publishing |isbn=1-85780-187-3}} * {{cite magazine |last1=Green |first1=William |first2=Gordon |last2=Swanborough |title=Il-28 ... A Quadragenarian Ilyushin |magazine=Air Enthusiast |issue=Thirty-six |date=May–August 1988 |pages=39–51 |issn=0143-5450}} * {{cite book |last=Gunston |first=Bill |author-link=Bill Gunston |title=The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1975–1995 |year=1995 |location=London |publisher=Osprey |isbn=1-85532-405-9}} * "Methodical Manual for Piloting and Combat Use of the Il-28 Aircraft". Part 1. Military Publishing House of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR. Moscow, 1954. * "Instruction to the pilot on the operation and piloting of the IL-28 aircraft with two VK-1 engines". Military Publishing House of the Military Ministry of the USSR. Moscow — 1951. * {{cite book |last=Nemecek |first=Vaclav |title=The History of Soviet Aircraft from 1918 |year=1986 |location=London |publisher=Willow Books |isbn=978-0-00218-033-7}} *{{cite journal|title=Pentagon Over the Islands: The Thirty-Year History of Indonesian Military Aviation|journal=Air Enthusiast Quarterly |date=n.d. |issue=2 |pages=154–162 |issn=0143-5450}} *{{cite book |last1=Sipos |first1=Milos |last2=Cooper |first2=Tom |title=Wings of Iraq, Volume 1: The Iraqi Air Force, 1931-1970 |date=2020 |publisher=Helion & Company Publishing |location=Warwick, UK |isbn=978-1-913118-74-7}} * {{cite book |last=Stroud |first=John |title=Soviet Transport Aircraft since 1945 |year=1968 |location= London |publisher=Putnam |isbn=0-370-00126-5}} * {{cite book |last1=Sweetman |first1=Bill |author1-link=Bill Sweetman |first2=Bill |last2=Gunston |title=Soviet Air Power: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Warsaw Pact Air Forces Today |year=1978 |location=London |publisher= Salamander Books |isbn=0-517-24948-0}}. * {{cite book |editor-last=Taylor |editor-first=John W. R. |editor-link=John W. R. Taylor |title=Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982–83 |year=1982 |location=London |publisher=Jane's Yearbooks |isbn=0-7106-0748-2}} * {{cite book |editor-last=Winchester |editor-first=Jim |chapter=Ilyushin Il-28 'Beagle |title=Military Aircraft of the Cold War (The Aviation Factfile) |year=2006 |location=London |publisher=Grange Books plc. |isbn=1-84013-929-3}}

==External links== {{Commons}} * [http://scalemodels.ru/modules/photo/viewcat_cid_258.html Walkaround Il-28 Beagle for Hodynskoye pole, Moscow, Russia] * [https://books.google.com/books?id=lyEDAAAAMBAJ&dq=popular+science+1951+2-Jet+Bomber&pg=RA1-PA10-IA2 ''Russia's New 2-Jet Bomber'' by Chamlers Goodlin, one of the earliest articles printed in the US on the Il-28 with cutaway drawing, published 1951]

{{Ilyushin aircraft}} {{AircraftDesignationNavboxShell |1={{PRC bombers}} |2={{PRC trainers}} |3={{Chinese Military Aircraft}} |4={{Czech bombers}} |5={{NATO bomber reporting names}} |6={{NATO miscellaneous reporting names}} |7={{USAF/DoD reporting names}} }} {{Authority control}}

Il-028 Category:1940s Soviet bomber aircraft Category:Aircraft first flown in 1948 Category:High-wing aircraft Category:Twinjets Category:Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear