On this day in aviation history, 44 years ago (September 25, 1982), the prototype Ilyushin Il-102 took flight for the first time. Developed in the Soviet Union as an armored ground-attack aircraft, the twin-engine jet represented Ilyushin’s attempt to revive concepts used successfully in its famous Il-2 and Il-10 Shturmovik attack aircraft of WWII. The Il-102 traced its origins to a 1967 Soviet Air Force requirement for a new jet-powered ground-attack aircraft. Ilyushin responded with the Il-42, a development of its earlier Il-40, while Sukhoi proposed the aircraft that eventually became the Su-25. After the Il-42 was rejected, Ilyushin continued developing the concept privately and redesignated it Il-102.
Unlike the single-seat Su-25, the Il-102 carried a crew of two and featured a remotely controlled rear gun turret operated by a gunner seated behind the pilot. The cockpits, engines, and fuel tanks were armored against ground fire, while numerous internal and external stations provided a heavy weapons load. The prototype completed approximately 250 test flights before being grounded in 1984 when its engines reached the end of their service lives. Development was abandoned, although the aircraft was publicly displayed at the 1992 Mosaeroshow. The Il-102 measured 57 feet 5 inches in length with a wingspan of 55 feet 5 inches and was powered by two Klimov RD-33I turbofans producing 11,000 pounds of thrust each. It could reach approximately 590 mph, had a combat radius of 250 to 310 miles, and a ferry range of 1,900 miles. Armament included a 30 mm GSh-30-2 cannon beneath the fuselage, a 23 mm GSh-23L cannon in the remote tail turret, and up to 15,873 pounds of external stores.
