WarSimBox
Ilyushin Il-2M3 (two-seat), the in-game model
1943Soviet UnionGround attack

Ilyushin Il-2M3 (two-seat)

When single-seat Il-2s suffered heavy losses to German fighters, a gunner’s position with a 12.7 mm machine gun was added behind the cockpit. Because the centre of gravity moved back, the outer wings were given sweep; with the more powerful AM-38F engine and 23 mm cannon, this became the two-seat Il-2 known in the West as the Il-2M3. Most Il-2s were built in this form.

The price of a gunner

The rear gunner made the Il-2 a much harder target for German fighters, which could no longer close in from behind at leisure. The gunner’s position, however, was not as well armoured as the pilot’s, and gunners were lost at a much higher rate than pilots.

Ilyushin Il-2M3 (two-seat), side view
Ilyushin Il-2M3 (two-seat): the in-game model from the side.

Kursk and after

At the Battle of Kursk in July 1943, Il-2s for the first time dropped hundreds of small anti-tank bomblets (PTAB) at once, inflicting heavy losses on German armoured units. The two-seat Il-2 remained the Red Army’s main attack aircraft until the end of the war and was gradually replaced by the Il-10.

In WarSimBox

In the game it is a ground-attack aircraft. It keeps the heavy armour, and its 12.7 mm rear gunner protects it against fighters coming from behind. Its 23 mm cannon are more effective against armoured targets. Rockets come with research.

Unlocked in the aircraft tree after researching Ilyushin Il-2 (single-seat). Leads on to: Hawker Typhoon Mk Ib, Ilyushin Il-10, de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk VI.

Top speed
410 km/h · 500 m
Climb
7.9 m/s
Sustained turn
26.7 s
Stall speed
151 km/h

These figures come from the game’s flight model (climb, turn and stall at sea level).

Fly it in WarSimBox