Ilyushin Sergey Vladimirovich – General Designer of the Experimental Design Bureau of the Moscow Machine-Building Plant “Strela” of the Ministry of Aviation Industry of the USSR, Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Colonel General of the Engineering and Technical Service.

Born on March 18 (30), 1894 in the village of Dilyalevo, Vologda province (now part of the Vologda district of the Vologda region) in a peasant family. Russian. I worked since childhood. In 1905 he graduated from the zemstvo primary school in the village of Berezniki. In 1909-1913 he worked as a laborer at a factory in the Kostroma province, then at the Gorelin factory in Ivanovo-Voznesensk, at the Osipovo estate in Vologda, at the Nevsky, Tentelevsky factories and the Komendantsky airfield in St. Petersburg, a milk driver at a butter factory. in the Vologda province, laborer and timekeeper, greaser at the Bureya station of the Amur Railway. In 1913–1914 – a laborer, a lubricator, and an assistant to an excavator driver at the Baltic Shipyard in Reval (now Tallinn).

In 1915 he was drafted into the Russian army, lower rank and clerk of the administration of the Vologda military commander, since 1916 - assistant aircraft engine operator of the Commandant's airfield in Petrograd. Passed the exam to become an aviator pilot at the school of the All-Russian Aero Club in 1917.

After the Great October Socialist Revolution he returned to his homeland, and from August 1918 he became the head of the structures department of the Vologda Council of Public Utilities. Member of the RCP(b)/VKP(b)/CPSU since 1918.

In May 1919, he was drafted into the Red Army, mechanic, senior aircraft mechanic, military commissar of the 6th aviation train-workshop of the 6th Army, head of the Caucasian aviation train-workshop as part of the 9th and Separate Caucasian armies.

In 1921, he was sent to study at the Institute of Red Air Fleet Engineers named after N.E. Zhukovsky, which in 1922 was reorganized into the Air Force Academy of the Red Army. He graduated from the academy in 1926. During his studies, he designed gliders of his own design “Mastyazhart” (1923), “Rabfakovets” (1924), “Moscow” (1925), the last of which won the first prize for flight duration at competitions in Germany.

In 1926 S.V. Ilyushin was appointed head of the section of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Air Force. He was involved in determining the type of aircraft and developing requirements for them for military aviation, and also participated in the work of various types of commissions that, during the construction and testing of aircraft, monitor the compliance of the specified and implemented data. He actively collaborated in the magazine “Airplane”. Since 1930 - engineer at the Air Force scientific testing airfield. Since 1931 - engineer of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Laboratory.

In 1933 - head of the design team at the Central Design Bureau (TsKB). There, by 1936, Ilyushin's brigade created the TsKB-26 aircraft, and then an improved modification of this machine - the DB-3 bomber. The DB-3 was adopted by the Air Force and put into mass production. In 1937, it set several flight altitude records with various loads, and in 1938 and 1939 record flights were made, including 8,000 kilometers from Moscow to North America (). A further development of this promising aircraft was the Il-4 bomber (flight range 3800 kilometers, ceiling 9700 meters and maximum flight speed 430 km/h). The aircraft could lift up to 2,500 kilograms of bombs and during the Great Patriotic War was used to strike operational-strategic targets behind enemy lines, was used as a front-line bomber to destroy enemy personnel and military equipment, and was also produced in a torpedo-carrying version for military aviation. Marine Fleet. Over 5,000 units of IL-4 were produced.

Since August 1936 - chief designer of the Design Bureau at the Menzhinsky Aviation Plant. At the same time, from 1936 to 1938, he was the head of the Main Directorate of Experimental Aircraft Manufacturing at the People's Commissariat of the Defense Industry of the USSR. In 1939, the Ilyushin Design Bureau developed the Il-2 attack aircraft, which had an excellent combination of aerodynamic layout, stability and controllability with a sufficient reserve of engine power and a rational armoring scheme for all vital parts of the aircraft. This was the first aircraft of this type in the USSR. It was put into production in 1940, but before the start of World War II it was produced in small batches. In addition, at the request of some short-sighted leaders, they began to produce a single-seat version instead of a two-seat version, which led to large losses from enemy fighter fire. The war showed the need for such an aircraft, already in the fall of 1941. Production of the Il-2 became a priority, and from 1942 it was produced only in a two-seat version. During the Great Patriotic War, more than 41,000 Il-2 aircraft and its modifications were built. The legendary IL-2 has rightfully become one of the symbols of Victory over fascism.

By Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of November 25, 1941, for outstanding services in the creation of aviation equipment and the development of its production in difficult wartime conditions Ilyushin Sergei Vladimirovich awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor with the Order of Lenin and the Hammer and Sickle gold medal.

During the Great Patriotic War, the design bureau of S.V. Ilyushin developed and built the Il-6 heavy bomber, with powerful twelve-cylinder ACh-3OB diesel engines and five cannons. The flight range reached 4000 kilometers at a speed of 465 km/h. The aircraft was not put into mass production due to the complexity of the design, but the further course of the war and the almost complete absence of strategic aviation in the Red Army raise doubts about the validity of such a decision. Also, taking into account combat experience, the IL-2 was modernized, receiving a more powerful AA engine. Mikulin (1760 hp), the mass of ammunition has increased, the weapons have been strengthened, and the armor protection has been improved.

The Ilyushin Design Bureau was continuously working to create a new generation of attack aircraft by installing more powerful engines and better weapons on them, changing the layout of the aircraft and obtaining higher speeds and flight ranges. Modifications of the Il-2 were the Il-8 and Il-10 aircraft.

After the war, the Il-16 and Il-20 attack aircraft were developed. To increase the accuracy of aimed fire at ground targets, the visibility of the Il-20 aircraft was improved and, in connection with this, the layout of the attack aircraft’s cockpit was changed. The projected speed was 515 km/h, but it was very difficult to achieve with piston engines. Therefore, on the instructions of the Air Force command of Design Bureau S.V. Ilyushin developed a battlefield aircraft with Il-40 turbojet engines.

At the end of the war, the design bureau began work on the experimental Il-22 aircraft (built in 1946) with four TR-1 turbojet engines designed by A.M. Cradles. In July 1947, a test pilot took this aircraft into the air.

Then the Ilyushin Design Bureau was transferred to the creation of a front-line bomber. The first main domestic front-line bomber was the Il-28 (1949). The plane had a speed of 900 km/h, a bomb load of 3000 kilograms and a flight range of 2400 kilometers. It won comparative tests with a similar Tu-14 built at the A.N. Design Bureau. Tupolev. In 1950, the Il-28 was put into production and was in service for almost two decades. In terms of its reliability, the Il-28 became one of the best Soviet aircraft.

To achieve an even greater flight range, the Ilyushin Design Bureau produced the Il-46 jet bomber with a non-swept wing. It had two AL-5 engines with a thrust of 5000 kgf each, a flight range of 5000 kilometers and a ceiling of 12300 meters. Its armament consisted of a twin 23-mm cannon in the tail and two 20-mm cannons in the bow. However, this time the Tu-16 swept-wing aircraft took over, which had an advantage over the Il-46 in speed, and as a result, the Il-46 was not accepted for service.

In 1956, another heavy aircraft from the Ilyushin Design Bureau, the three-seat Il-54 bomber, was lifted into the sky. It was a high-wing aircraft with a large (55°) swept wing, which had not previously been used in aircraft of this type. Fundamentally new in it were the aerodynamic layout and the design of the chassis based on a “bicycle” design with main legs far apart from one another (the side auxiliary struts with small wheels were retracted into the wing fairings). The engine nacelles were suspended on pylons under the wing. Thanks to good aerodynamic data and powerful engines (two AD-7s), the aircraft managed to reach a maximum speed of 1150 km/h (M = 0.93), which at that time seemed quite significant; the Il-54 would be the prototype of a supersonic bomber.

For outstanding achievements in the creation of new aviation equipment and the labor heroism shown, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of July 12, 1957, he was awarded the second gold medal “Hammer and Sickle”.

Another direction in the activities of Design Bureau S.V. Ilyushin was the creation of passenger aircraft, which began immediately after the Victory and over time became a priority. Back in 1946, the Il-12 aircraft was produced in passenger and cargo versions; it had two piston engines with a power of 1850 hp each. s., transported up to 3500 kilograms of various cargoes. For medium and short-haul civil aviation lines, the Il-14 aircraft was built (1951), with more powerful air-cooled engines. Until the mid-fifties, the Il-14 was the main aircraft in passenger, airborne transport and service versions. The cruising speed of the Il-14 aircraft was only 350 km/h with a range of 2150-2550 kilometers.

In the early 1950s, the Il-18 aircraft was created with four ASh-73 piston engines. The plane had a long flight range - up to 6000 kilometers, a cruising speed of 500 km/h and a passenger cabin capacity of up to 60 people. However, a machine with such a power plant and such a flight speed was no longer suitable for Aeroflot, since by that time more advanced engines had appeared - turboprops. Then the Ilyushin Design Bureau created a modification of the Il-18 aircraft with four A.G. turboprop engines. Ivchenko. The IL-18 had a pressurized cabin, since the flight took place at altitudes of up to 8-9 thousand meters with a cruising speed of up to 650 km/h. Its flight weight, which was initially about 60 tons, then reached 64 tons, and the number of passenger seats was increased from 75 to 120. It became one of the most popular aircraft in our civil aviation. Each machine of this type could be used for at least twenty years.

Since 1956 S.V. Ilyushin – General Designer. He created a new generation of modern civil aviation - airplanes with turbofan engines. In 1965, the new airliner S.V. Ilyushin Il-62 was demonstrated at the Paris Aviation Exhibition, and a little later at the exhibition in Turin. The plane flew at the edge of the stratosphere at a speed of about 900 km/h and had a take-off weight of more than 160 tons; it was the first to use a fundamentally new landing gear device, which was subsequently widely used throughout the world. IL-62 opened direct air service Moscow - New York. In subsequent years, the design bureau of S.V. Ilyushin worked to increase the range and flight speed of the Il-62 for use on long-distance lines. The most rational thing was to use a new power plant with better characteristics and increase the fuel supply on board. The aircraft was equipped with a more advanced dual-circuit engine designed by P.A. Solovyov with a take-off thrust of 11,000 kgf and lower fuel consumption than on the base aircraft. As a result of improving the power plant, increasing the fuel supply by 5000 liters, improving the shape of the stabilizer fairing and fin, as well as partially replacing instrument and navigation equipment, a new modification of the aircraft appeared - the Il-62M. When flying with a maximum load (23 tons), the range increased from 6950 to 7900 kilometers, and when there were one hundred passengers (10 tons) - from 8800 to 10,000 kilometers. Cruising speed increased from 830 to 870 km/h.

The last works of the legendary aircraft designer were the Il-76 airliner and the Il-76T jet cargo aircraft created on its basis, which took to the skies in 1971. In total, about 60,000 combat and passenger aircraft of the Il type were built in the USSR. Aircraft of this brand were one of the main ones during the war, and today they are the most common civil aviation aircraft in Russia and a number of foreign countries, and are in service with the Air Force.

In 1968, S.V. Ilyushin was elected a full member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Doctor of Technical Sciences (1940). Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR 1-7 convocations (1937-1971).

For outstanding achievements in the creation of new aviation equipment and the labor heroism shown, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated March 29, 1974, he was awarded the third gold medal “Hammer and Sickle” with the Order of Lenin.

Due to a serious illness, S.V. Ilyushin was relieved from the post of General Designer in 1970 at his own request. Lived in the hero city of Moscow. Died on February 9, 1977. He was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy cemetery (section 7).

Military ranks:
brig engineer (07/27/1937),
Major General of the Aviation Engineering Service (11/10/1942),
Lieutenant General of Engineering and Technical Service (07/1/1944),
Colonel General of the Engineering and Technical Service (10/25/1967),
Colonel General-Engineer (11/18/1971).

Awarded eight Orders of Lenin (12/30/1936, 11/25/1941, 02/21/1945, 07/2/1945, 03/30/1954, 03/30/1964, 04/26/1971, 03/29/1974), the Order of the October Revolution (10/2/196 9), two Orders of the Red Banner (10/3/1944, 11/15/1950), Order of Suvorov 1st (09/16/1945) and 2nd (08/19/1944) degrees, Order of the Red Banner of Labor (03/5/1939), two Orders of the Red Star (08/17/1933 , 10/28/1967), medals “For the Defense of Moscow”, “For Victory over Germany”, “For Victory over Japan”, “For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”, “Veteran of the Armed Forces”, anniversary medals , foreign award - Order of Poland (1969).

Winner of the Lenin Prize (1960, for the creation of the Il-18). Winner of seven Stalin Prizes (1941, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1950, 1952). USSR State Prize (1971).

The Moscow Machine-Building Plant and the Design Bureau created by him bear the name of S.V. Ilyushin. A bust of three times Hero of Socialist Labor S.V. Ilyushin was installed in Vologda. Streets in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh, Vologda, Tyumen are named after Ilyushin.

The Hero's son is known - Lieutenant General of Aviation

Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin - general designer of aircraft, member of the CPSU since 1918, academician, colonel general of the engineering and technical service, three times Hero of Socialist Labor (1941, 1957, 1974), seven-time winner of the Stalin Prize (1941, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947 , 1950, 1952).

S.V. Ilyushin was born on March 30, 1894 in the village of Dilyalevo, Vologda province, into a peasant family. He studied at the zemstvo school. As a fifteen-year-old teenager, he began working as an auxiliary worker.

In 1914 he was drafted into the army and was soon sent to the airfield command. From that time on, his life was inextricably linked with aviation. In the summer of 1917 he became a pilot.

Since 1918, Ilyushin has been in the ranks of the Red Army, on an aircraft repair train of one of the armies of the Northern Fleet. Together with other mechanics, from a dozen out of order machines, he assembled one or two machines that were more or less suitable for flight. One day the news came that a shot down White Guard plane of a new design had landed at the location of the Red regiments. Sergei Ilyushin with five Red Guards made his way into the forest, to the landing site, dismantled the plane, dragged it piece by piece to the railway station and delivered it to Moscow.

In 1921, he was sent to the Institute of the Red Air Fleet, now the Air Force Engineering Academy named after N. E. Zhukovsky. As a student at the academy, he built several gliders of his own design.

After graduating from the Academy S.V. Ilyushin received the title of military mechanical engineer of the air fleet and was appointed chairman of one of the sections of the scientific and technical committee of the Air Force, which determined the requirements for combat aircraft.

In 1931 S.V. Ilyushin was transferred to work in the aircraft industry, where he supervised the work of the Central Design Bureau. From that moment on, his creative activity in the field of creating domestic aircraft began.

Since 1933, he was the general designer of the aircraft design bureau, which later became one of the leading ones in our country. The team led by S.V. Ilyushin created bomber, attack and passenger aircraft with high performance qualities. The first combat aircraft TsKB-26 and TsKB-30 set world altitude records with various loads, and in 1938-1939 non-stop flights were made from Moscow to the Vladivostok region (7600 km in 22 hours 36 minutes) and Moscow to Miskow Island, North America (8 thousand km in 22 hours 56 minutes).

The international situation became increasingly tense, and Sergei Vladimirovich increasingly turned to the idea of ​​​​creating an attack aircraft - a combat vehicle directly for the battlefield. “The task... is extremely difficult... but I take on this task with enthusiasm and full confidence in success,” he wrote. In 1939, the armored attack aircraft Il-2, which laid the foundation for a new type of combat aviation and gave birth to new tactics for its use, was ready. For the first time in the practice of world aircraft construction, the new attack aircraft managed to implement the optimal combination of speed, maneuverability, firepower and armor protection for that time.

The Great Patriotic War began. IL-2 became the “black death” for the Nazis. And the designer and his team did everything to make the plane more perfect. The design bureau was evacuated and housed in a two-story bookstore building. The designers worked like mad, sleeping and eating right in the design bureau. Production unfolded in the most difficult conditions, the buildings of the plant for the production of aircraft had no roof, but, despite the frosts and snowstorms, the workshops began work on schedule. Two months later, the IL-2s went to the front again.

Then the Il-10, Il-16 attack aircraft and the first jet attack aircraft in the history of aviation, the Il-40, were created. For the production of Il-2, three of the most powerful factories were allocated, which produced more than 40 aircraft per day. A telegram to plant directors, which gave instructions to urgently increase the program, said that the Red Army now needs Il-2 aircraft, like air, like bread. A record number of Il-2 and Il-10 attack aircraft were built in the history of aviation - more than 41 thousand vehicles! The attack aircraft essentially became a flying tank, which was not afraid of fire either from the ground or from the air.

In 1942, Il-2 aircraft with two powerful 37 mm cannons were already produced. So the appearance on the fronts of new German heavy tanks “Tigers” and “Panthers” with three-inch armor did not take our army by surprise.

Air Marshal, twice Hero of the Soviet Union A.N. Efimov, who flew 222 combat missions on the Il-2, wrote: “From the Moscow region to the Elbe, the Il-2 never let me down... While at the front, when meeting with pilots in his design bureau, Sergei Vladimirovich gave useful advice on using aircraft in battle. I had to listen to them more than once during the battles near Moscow, and then at the end of the war. We were always amazed at how well the designer knew the tactics of attack aircraft, as if he fought with us “wing to wing” in the same battle formation...”

The Il-4 multipurpose aircraft was the main long-range bomber and torpedo bomber during the Great Patriotic War. Soon after the start of the war, on the night of August 8, 1941, a group of Il-4 long-range bombers raided military installations in Berlin. This was a complete surprise for the fascist invaders. The city was brightly lit that night. From then on, light camouflage in Berlin was not abolished until the end of the war. Our IL-4s also carried out concentrated attacks on other military targets behind enemy lines and took part in battles on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War.

After the Il-4, the first Soviet jet bomber, the Il-28, was built and mass-produced.

In the post-war years, the team headed by S.V. Ilyushin achieved great success in the creation of Soviet civil aviation. The Il-12, Il-14, Il-18, Il-62 aircraft became the main means of air transport in the USSR and are widely known outside our country, and the transcontinental Il-62 airliner is the flagship of the civil air fleet.

S.V. Ilyushin actively participated in the public life of the country, was a delegate to a number of congresses of the CPSU, and a deputy of the Supreme Council of seven convocations. For outstanding services to the Motherland in the development of Soviet aviation, he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor three times, the title of Lenin laureate and seven State Prizes (three of them during the Great Patriotic War), awarded eight Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, two Orders of the Red Banner , Orders of Suvorov I and II degrees, the Red Banner of Labor, two Orders of the Red Star and medals.

In Vologda, the designer’s homeland, his bust is installed on one of the central squares. In the city of Istra, Moscow region, the famous Il-2 aircraft stands on a pedestal. In the name of S.V. Ilyushin is a street in the Frunzensky district of Moscow.

Aircraft manufacturing is an extremely complex and knowledge-intensive industry. Only very powerful states can afford to have and develop it. The domestic aircraft industry in the 20th century deservedly became one of the leading in the world.

This glory was forged by great aircraft designers, of whom there was a whole galaxy in our country. But even among these geniuses the name Sergei Ilyushin stands apart.

One can safely say about people like him: “the revolution brought them into the people.”

Sergei Ilyushin was born on March 30, 1894 in the village of Dilyaevo, Vologda province, into a poor peasant family. Sergei was the youngest, 11th child.

The boy grew up very smart - he learned to read at the age of six, using the “New Testament” and the magazine “Bulletin of Europe” instead of a primer. At the age of eight he went to the zemstvo school, where he mastered literacy, writing, and counting. After three years of school, he began to work, because there was no other way for a large family to survive.

At the age of 15, Sergei followed in the footsteps of his older brothers, leaving his native village to earn money. He was a laborer in a factory, a digger, a ditch cleaner - in short, he took on any job.

In 1910, fellow countrymen advised Sergei to hire a navvy at the Kolomyazhsky Hippodrome in St. Petersburg, where they paid well. The hippodrome was adapted to host the country's first international aviation week. There, a navvy from the village of Rozhdenie in the Vologda region fell in love with aviation.

The path to aviation lay through two bottles of vodka

Fell in love and... went to further earnings. Dreams are dreams, but you always want to eat. He changed many more jobs until he was drafted into the army in 1914.

Sergei was serving in an infantry training team near Vologda when a request was received to transfer seven soldiers to aviation. Of course, it was not about flying, but about maintaining the airfield, but Ilyushin wanted to be closer to his dream. For two bottles of vodka, Private Ilyushin persuaded the sergeant major to add him to the list of those who were transferred to St. Petersburg.

At the Komendantsky airfield in St. Petersburg, he started as a hangar worker, then became an assistant aircraft mechanic, then became a motor mechanic. I studied technology experimentally, while simultaneously reading everything I could get my hands on about aviation, not excluding women’s romance novels about pilots.

Until 1916, pilots in the Russian army were trained exclusively from nobles, but the war made adjustments to this rule. Among the lower ranks who were accepted for training was Sergei Ilyushin.

After graduating from the soldier's pilot school of the All-Russian Imperial Aero Club, Sergei Ilyushin received a pilot's license in the summer of 1917.

When the October Revolution broke out, Ilyushin did not think long about which side to take. In 1918 he joined the Bolshevik Party, and in 1919 he became a fighter in the Red Army. Having learned about Ilyushin’s aircraft repair and flight experience, he was seconded to the Red Air Fleet. As an aircraft specialist, Ilyushin went through the entire civil war.

Sergey Ilyushin. Photo courtesy of the press service of OJSC Il

In 1921, Ilyushin appealed to the command with a request to allow him to enter the Institute of Engineers of the Red Air Fleet. Chief of Aviation of the Caucasian Front Vasily Khripin, who would die in the millstones of the “Great Terror” in 1938, did not suspect that with this decision he was predetermining the fate of not only domestic, but also world aviation.

But there were reasons to doubt - Ilyushin was already 27 years old by that time, and had only three years of school behind him. What kind of higher education is there?

You can't do it without a sledgehammer

But Ilyushin was distinguished by incredible tenacity and efficiency. Where knowledge was lacking, the mechanic's experience helped. At the institute, he participates in the work of a glider circle, building his first own aircraft.

His first glider greatly amused his colleagues. Due to the imbalance, he could only fly if... a sledgehammer was tied to a long pole in front.

The first setbacks might have broken someone else, but not Ilyushin. He learned from his own mistakes, corrected them and continued to work.

In 1926, when Ilyushin graduated from the institute, he was eager to get into design work, but he was appointed chairman of the aircraft section of the Air Force Scientific and Technical Committee. In this position, Ilyushin studied the best practices of the world aircraft industry, assessed the developments of leading Soviet specialists, but did not build anything himself. The designer himself later said that this experience benefited him - during this time he understood the designs of almost all the best aircraft of our time.

In 1931, Ilyushin achieved his goal - he headed the TsAGI design bureau. However, his position at that time was far from practical activities. And the bureau itself, due to constant mergers and organizations, has turned into an extremely clumsy structure.

In 1933, the design bureau was divided into two. The design department of TsAGI, which is engaged in the development of heavy aircraft, was headed by Andrey Tupolev; Central Design Bureau of the Aircraft Plant named after. V. R. Menzhinsky, who was entrusted with the creation of light aircraft, - Sergei Ilyushin. Thus began the rivalry between the two great designers, which would take Soviet aviation to new frontiers.

War and Peace

At the Central Design Bureau, Ilyushin was assigned administrative functions of general management, but he achieved the right to create his own design team of seven people. It is this magnificent seven that will become the beginning of the legendary Ilyushin Design Bureau.

In 1935, the Central Design Bureau was transformed into the Experimental Design Bureau (OKB) of the aircraft plant named after. V. R. Menzhinsky, and Sergei Ilyushin became his chief designer.

He had incredible efficiency and at the same time high demands. He boldly expanded his team with the help of very young graduates of the aviation institute and immediately set them serious tasks.

The first aircraft of designer Ilyushin, the experimental bomber TsKB-26, took to the skies when its creator turned 42 years old. But on this plane pilot Vladimir Kokkinaki set the first Soviet aviation record, officially registered by the International Aeronautical Federation.

Ilyushin and Kokkinaki at the airfield of serial plant No. 18 in Kuibyshev. Photo courtesy of the press service of OJSC Il

Ilyushin's cars went down in the history of the Great Patriotic War. Already in the summer of 1941, DB-3 (Il-4) bombers bombed Berlin.

The Il-2 attack aircraft, which terrified the Nazis, became a real legend. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, pilot-cosmonaut Georgy Beregovoi called the IL-2 a “peasant” car. According to the pilot, it literally radiated reliability, ensuring pilots’ survival even in very difficult situations.

At the height of the war, in 1943, the Soviet government began to think about the post-war future and set the designers the task of developing a Soviet passenger aircraft.

Sturmovik IL-2. Photo: Public Domain

Some began to copy American vehicles, others adapted military bombers for new tasks. Ilyushin reasoned differently - the passenger plane needed to be built from scratch.

The designer himself admitted that the construction of passenger aircraft is perhaps the most difficult task in the aircraft industry. The first-born of Ilyushin’s “civilian” line, the Il-12, was not the most advanced machine in the world. But Ilyushin persistently developed a new direction for himself and achieved success: the Il-18 aircraft became the first passenger airliner that other countries began to purchase from the USSR.

Employees of the Il design bureau against the background of the Il-18 aircraft. Photo courtesy of the press service of OJSC Il

Master

Sergei Ilyushin was demanding of himself and others. He did not overly encourage his subordinates' desire to obtain advanced degrees. The designer believed that if you are completely occupied with your main activity at your workplace, then there is simply no time left for anything else. And if you want an academic degree, then it’s better not to work at Ilyushin Design Bureau.

Three times Hero of Socialist Labor and winner of seven Stalin Prizes (which is an absolute record), Ilyushin, unlike Tupolev, did not very often present his subordinates for state awards. But the designer tried to help with solving social and everyday issues, with their sanatorium and resort services.

The demanding Ilyushin believed that employees should work with dedication, but not overwork, because, in his opinion, those who worked “extremely” the day before are only able to work half-heartedly the next day.

The Ilyushin Design Bureau had a strict rule - all employees go on vacation in the summer, together, and then return together and continue working together. Ilyushin knew how to assemble and unite a team, and really valued true professionals.

Employees of KB Ilyushin. Photo courtesy of the press service of OJSC Il

And Sergei Ilyushin also possessed a rare quality, especially among people of such a high rank - even though he was wrong, he was able to openly admit it, which only added to his respect.

He returned to his native village, which he had once left as a teenager, only three decades later. But after that I visited there every year, hunting, communicating with local residents. He sang Russian songs with pleasure, as if returning to his childhood, to his peasant roots.

In those days there were no “corporate parties” as such, but there was a tradition at the Ilyushin Design Bureau - once a year the chief designer ordered a ship, and all the employees went on it along the Volga - Moscow canal. The ship stopped in a picturesque place, went ashore, played football, volleyball, swam, wrestled, and set a large communal table. This holiday was then remembered for a whole year, looking forward to a new one.

Ilyushin was a difficult person. Many could not stand his demanding nature, some considered him tight-fisted with awards, others believed that he kept specialists with him for too long, not giving room for their independent growth.

But everyone admits one thing: the talented nugget Sergei Ilyushin created a unique design bureau, in which he was a real Owner. His planes won worldwide fame and recognition.

Son for father

The last aircraft, the creation of which Ilyushin led, was the Il-62 - the first Soviet jet intercontinental passenger aircraft. Health problems began to interfere with further work.

Presidential Il-62 against the background of the new terminal of Vnukovo airport. Photo: www.russianlook.com

Ilyushin did not act like others here either - he did not remain chief designer for life, but in 1970 he transferred the post to Genrikh Novozhilov. He was not mistaken in his choice - Genrikh Vasilyevich Novozhilov preserved and increased the glory of the legendary design bureau.

In the last years of his life, Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin continued to work in his native design bureau as a consultant.

One of the “sins” in the biography of Sergei Ilyushin is that he unwittingly deprived Soviet designers of the right to fly at the controls themselves. On April 21, 1938, Ilyushin, a pilot with 20 years of experience, had an accident during a business flight from Moscow to Voronezh on a UT-2 plane. Ilyushin and his passenger escaped with relatively minor injuries, but immediately after this an order was issued prohibiting the chief designers from acting as pilots.

But if Sergei Ilyushin did not become an ace, then his eldest son, Vladimir Ilyushin, turned out to be a real “king of the sky.” Test pilot Vladimir Ilyushin set several world records, including being the first to reach an altitude of 28 kilometers on a combat aircraft. For this flight he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Russian aircraft designer, founder of a school in aircraft construction.

In 1910 in St. Petersburg, working as a laborer, Sergey Ilyushin I saw airplanes flying for the first time.

“At the height of the war, in 1916, representatives of the lower class were officially allowed to enroll in flight schools. For this purpose, a school for pilots of the All-Russian Imperial Aero Club was organized at the Komendantsky airfield. However, not many soldiers were accepted into this school - only two were taken from the airfield team: a motor mechanic Ilyushina and rejector Klimova. It seems that the management selected the most capable for the sky and, as they say, hit the mark: one will become the general designer of aircraft, the other, Vladimir Yakovlevich Klimov, general designer of engines."

Chuev F.I., Ilyushin, M., “Young Guard”, 2010, p. 19.

In 1926 S.V. Ilyushin Graduated from the Air Force Engineering Academy. NOT. Zhukovsky. During his time at the academy, he built three gliders.

“In 1923, Ilyushin, together with members of the circle, built his first glider. […] flights showed that the alignment was insufficient. “His first glider made us laugh a lot,” recalled K. K. Artseulov. “Due to incorrect alignment, we had to attach a sledgehammer to the front of the pole, and in this form it flew.” No matter where you go, it’s hard to do without a sledgehammer in Rus'. The first damn thing is lumpy. How many losers ended their careers here. Who would have dared in 1923, looking at the ugly design, to say that its author was a future genius and the aircraft he created, among other things, would be distinguished by the elegance of their form!

Chuev F.I., Ilyushin, M., “Young Guard”, 2010, p. 32-33.

In 1931 S.V. Ilyushin organized and headed the TsAGI Design Bureau.

S.V. Ilyushin did not accept the doctrine of General Douhet on the decisive role of aviation in the coming war. He believed that only infantry could win the war, and aviation should help it and proposed the concept of a flying tank - an attack aircraft, in which all vital parts were armored. And in 1939, the aircraft designer created the Il-2 attack aircraft, which marked the beginning of a new class of aviation.

In the USSR, since 1940, new aircraft began to be named after their designers.

“During the war years they released 41129 Ilyushin attack aircraft. This is the highest figure not only in the Soviet Air Force, but also a record in the history of world aviation. Both IL-2 and IL-10 were very technologically advanced in production. Labor costs for one aircraft are 4200 hours, which is significantly less than for other aircraft. This made it possible to produce several thousand attack aircraft per year.”

Chuev F.I., Ilyushin, M., “Young Guard”, 2010, p. 142.

Since 1943 Design Bureau S.V. Ilyushina begins to develop passenger aircraft.

“The style of the Ilyushin company is manufacturability. Everything that is invented must be convenient to manufacture and install. You can make something exotic, but you need a simple and reliable plane. Simple, but high quality, cheap, but reliable! - the motto of the Ilyushin company. […]

He compiled "Memo to the designer" and constantly supplemented it, setting out the basic principles of work that would make the design completely thoughtful. In the “Memo” there were, for example, the following points:

“- Let the force go along the shortest path and receive it with as few details as possible.

The number of bolts securing the structure to the frame must be at least four.

Check if the structure can be assembled incorrectly. Take measures so that the parts can be mounted only in their places and only in the specified (if this is not indifferent) position. Make sure they can’t be confused.” […]

“I will cite one of his statements regarding the creation of an aircraft,” continues G.V. Novozhilov. “He said that we need to make airplanes in such a way as not to ruin the Soviet people.”

Chuev F.I., Ilyushin, M., “Young Guard”, 2010, p. 183-184.

Ilyushin Sergey Vladimirovich

Aircraft designed by S.V. During the war years, Ilyushin produced more than those developed by any of our other design bureaus.

Statistics

In 1941 - 1945 more than 36,000 Il-2 attack aircraft and 2,500 of its development Il-10, over 6,000 Il-4 were built; aircraft designed by S.V. Ilyushin produced more than those developed by any other design bureau. An aviation center was created after the evacuation at the end of 1941 in Kuibyshev from factories No. 1 and 18 monthly in 1943 - 1944. supplied 700 - 750 formidable attack aircraft to the front.

Biography

Born on March 18, 1894 in the village of Dilyalevo, Vologda province, into a poor peasant family, and was the last, 11th child. At the age of 15 he left home to work. In the fall of 1910, at the Commandant's airfield in St. Petersburg, at the first All-Russian Aeronautics Festival, I saw the flights of famous aviators, which had a decisive influence on my whole life. After graduating from the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy, Ilyushin in 1926 - 1931. worked as chairman of the aircraft section of the Air Force Scientific and Technical Committee, then for more than a year as assistant to the head of the Air Force Scientific Testing Institute for scientific and technical matters, after which he organized his own Experimental Design Bureau.

What is he famous for?

The firstborn of the Ilyushin Design Bureau was the experimental bomber TsKB-26, on which on July 17, 1936 pilot V.K. Kokkinaki set the first Soviet world aviation record (load lifting height), officially registered by the International Aviation Federation (FAI), then a number of other records. Later, the Ilyushin Design Bureau created the DB-3 (IL-4) long-range bombers, as well as the “flying tank” - the Il-2 armored attack aircraft, the most popular Soviet aircraft. It is difficult to overestimate the role of both machines in the Great Patriotic War, and the experience of using the Il-2 had a decisive influence on the subsequent development of attack aircraft. Since 1943, Ilyushin focused on building passenger aircraft, of which the most popular were the Il-14, Il-18 and Il-62, and created not only a number of excellent machines, but also his own school in aircraft construction.

Battle sites

The crews of Il-4 aircraft formed the basis of long-range aviation - Long-Range Aviation throughout the war; They bombed both the enemy's long-range strategic targets and his front rear. The appearance of the Il-2 armored attack aircraft in 1941 came as a complete surprise to the enemy. Despite tactical shortcomings and large losses of their own, they inflicted serious damage on him, had a demoralizing effect on the enemies, and with great success destroyed tank and motorized columns of the Germans. Il-2s were constantly improved and took part in all the battles of the Great Patriotic War, amounting to from 30 to 35% of our Air Force fleet.

Cases of manifestation of the highest degree of heroism

Operating on the battlefield, under anti-aircraft fire and attacks from enemy fighters, our attack aircraft demonstrated courage and high skill, while hundreds and thousands of aviators especially distinguished themselves: attack aircraft were awarded, and rightly so, more often than any other aviators. 26 pilots were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet twice, and V.A. Alekseenko from 15th and T.Ya. Begeldinov from the 141st Guards Shaps probably completed more successful combat missions on the Il-2 - 292 and 305, respectively!

Circumstances of death

State awards and regalia

Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Colonel General of the Engineering and Technical Service, three times Hero of Socialist Labor, awarded seven Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, and other orders and medals. He is the absolute record holder for the number of Stalin Prizes received, having been awarded seven times. In addition, he was a laureate of the Lenin and State Prizes. Streets in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh, Vologda, Tyumen, Kubensky are named after Ilyushin.