Meet The Ilyushin IL-102, The Most Gorgeously Ugly Combat Jet Ever

Foxtrot Alpha ^ | 07/11/2014 | Tyler Rogoway

[razorbak]

Italian Fiat G-50 -- WW2

[razorbak]

Those P47s don't look too bad in the air: On the ground vs... ...in the air:

[tophat9000]

Its a jet IL 2.. the il2 was the most produced combat plane ever..a ground attack aircraft..for Russian it is their iconic aircraft of World War 2..

[PieterCasparzen]

Nice jugs.

[PastorBooks]

“He gets to shoot the harpoon and tow cable.”

Cable detached!

Loved the ‘Empire’ reference.

[ByteMercenary]

It looks a bit like an updated version of Germany’s ME-262 ...

[Western Phil]

http://www.nebraskaaircrash.com/crashsites/daykin1.html

Seventy years ago today. Had occasion to use a prototype mapping metal detector to inspect the site where the P-47 went in to determine if the plane had been recovered, but was unsuccessful. Did find a piece of thick plexiglass among other parts.

[Chainmail]

You slick devil...

[MasterGunner01]

There are some aircraft that don't fly because of Bernoulli's Principle. Some aircraft are actually so ugly that the ground repels them — such as the Ilyushin Il-102.

[PieterCasparzen]

Looks like a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polikarpov_I-16

modelled like various others after the Gee Bee racer...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gee_Bee_R-1

The I-16 came to have a Wright powerplant.

[Stosh]

I’m html-retarded, so I’m not posting a picture, but that sucker looks almost as goofy as a GeeBee, which has to be right up there in competition for ugliest plane going (jet or prop category): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gee_Bee_Model_R

[Stosh]

Argghhh - you’re posting while I’m chasing down the reference!!

[DFG]

BOOKMARK

[Kenny Bunk]

OMG, I want one to go with my Enfield Motorcycle and Bren Gun Carrier!

If the USAF hot jocks hated the A-10, imagine the paroxysms of disgust they would feel about this useful beast! Is there a belly gunner ball turret option?

Imagine low-cost, highly effective, easy-to-maintain combat aircraft for close support. These Iluyshin people must be crushed before they upset the entire international arms market. What next, Kamev Helicopters?

[Tijeras_Slim]

That was my first thought too. That was a beast.

[thesearethetimes...]

Thank you for the cool article FRiend, and for the neat site with so many other good links. Will def send it on to aviation loving son ;)

Tatt

[Sirius Lee]

I never thought Jugs were ugly either. All curves, but a bit beefy - like an Amish farm girl. Built to last.

[PLMerite]

That is a 2/3 or 3/4 scale flying replica of a Stuka. Real ones are a tad bigger.

Here is my favorite Stuka, the Ju-87G-2. Under each wing is a 37mm anti-tank gun. It was the functional predecessor of the A-10.

[Mycroft Holmes]

Happy to post aero porn...

Use:
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Gee_Bee_R-1.jpg/1024px-Gee_Bee_R-1.jpg" width="100%">

To get:

	Freedom ≠ Free Stuff☭
	I, for one, welcome our new Cybernetic Overlords /.
Mash Dobbshead® for HTML, bop Hello_Cthlhu for XAMPP

[PLMerite]

Here is what the Il-102 was derived from, the Il-40 (NATO name 'Brawny'):

The ugly nut doesn't fall far from the ugly tree.