Ilyushin Il-28

Overview

The Ilyushin Il-28 (Russian: 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. 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 in frontline nuclear and conventional roles for the USSR until the late 1950s, carrying the RDS-4, and for China until 2000. 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 both 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. The Il-28 has the USAF/DoD reporting name "Type 27" and NATO reporting name "Beagle", while the Il-28U trainer variant has the USAF/DoD reporting name "Type 30" and NATO reporting name Mascot.