Ilyushin Il-10 «Штурмовик» — Founding Document Set

Two primary-source documents. Two nations. One legendary ground-attack aircraft.

This founding set brings together the original Soviet factory technical description and the declassified USAF operational manual for the Ilyushin Il-10 Sturmovik — the definitive Soviet armored ground-attack aircraft of the late Second World War and early Cold War era. Together they offer a uniquely complete picture of the Il-10: how the Soviets built and described it, and how American intelligence evaluated and flew it.

This is the opening entry of the Il-10 Sturmovik Collection, which will grow as additional primary-source documents are located and processed.

Document 1 — Soviet Original

Title: Самолет Ил-10 — Техническое Описание, Книга 3 (Aircraft Il-10 — Technical Description, Book 3)
Publisher: Oborongiz (Оборонгиз), Moscow
Date: 1946
Language: Russian
Engine covered: Mikulin AM-42
Original classification: Для служебного пользования (For Official Use Only)

Issued for use in frontline units, academies, aviation schools, and training establishments of the Soviet Air Forces (VVS). The approval page confirms adoption as the official instructional reference for the study of the aircraft's material components. A direct, unmediated Soviet factory voice on the Il-10's systems and construction.

Document 2 — USAF / Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory

Title: IL-10 Soviet Ground-Attack-Bomber Airplane — Pilot's Operational Manual
Compiled by: Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory, Inc., Buffalo, New York
Prepared for: Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC), Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio
Report No.: BA-738-D-6  |  ATIC Technical Report No. TR-AC-10
Date: June 30, 1952
Language: English
Original classification: Confidential — Group 4 (declassified after 12 years — now fully declassified)

Compiled from direct USAF and Cornell personnel experience flying and maintaining a captured Il-10 airframe. Prepared specifically to enable USAF pilots to operate the aircraft — originally conceived as a means of escape from hostile territory. Contains only what a pilot must know to make a single safe flight, validated through hands-on operation.

Contents

• Four-View Drawing & General Arrangement Sketch
• General Description & Component/System Description (pp. 5–23)
• Cockpit Layout — Photographs (pp. 24–28)
• Pre-Flight Check, Engine Starting Procedure, Taxi-through-Landing Checklist
• Aircraft Characteristics — Taxi through Landing
• Emergency Conditions & Aircraft Service Notes
• Pneumatic System Sketch

Technical Data — Mikulin AM-42 Powerplant

• Type: Liquid-cooled V-12
• Takeoff power: 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) at 2,500 RPM
• Nominal continuous power: 1,770 hp (1,320 kW)
• Propeller: AV-5L-24, three-blade constant-speed, 3.6 m diameter
• Engine crankcase shielded within 4–8 mm armored shell

Performance Data

Aerodynamic & Structural Highlights

• All-metal stressed-skin fuselage with refined low-drag profile
• Radiators fully integrated within the armored fuselage shell
• Wing-root leading-edge air intakes eliminating external drag bulges
• Main gear struts rotating 90° to retract fully flush into the wings
• Push-rod controls replacing cable systems — fighter-like responsiveness
• Self-sealing fuel tanks: upper 440 L + lower 290 L with inert gas pressurization
• Rear gunner in back-to-back 8 mm armored capsule shared with pilot

⚠️ Regulatory Notice: Under FAA 14 CFR § 43.13 and EASA Part-M, any mechanic performing maintenance on an active aircraft must use current, manufacturer-approved revision-controlled data. This archival document does not satisfy that requirement.

This is an archival, static-copy edition fixed at its original publication date. Intended for historical reference, flight simulation, museum restoration, and educational use only. Not approved for active airworthiness maintenance under FAA 14 CFR § 43.13, EASA Part-M, or equivalent international regulations. Operators of active aircraft must use current, revision-controlled publications from the Type Certificate holder or an authorized distributor.
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