Ilyushin Il-54

The Ilyushin Il‑54 was a Soviet experimental bomber project developed by the Ilyushin design bureau in the late 1940s as a direct response to the emerging need for a high‑speed, jet‑propelled tactical aircraft capable of delivering nuclear payloads. Initiated in 1948, the Il‑54 was intended to replace the piston‑engine Il‑28 and to compete with contemporary designs such as the Tupolev Tu‑16. The aircraft was to be powered by two Klimov VK‑1 turbo‑jets, granting a planned maximum speed of around 950 km/h and a service ceiling above 12,000 meters. Its airframe featured a swept‑back wing, retractable tricycle landing gear, and an internally housed bomb bay designed for up to 2,500 kg of ordnance. While wind‑tunnel testing and preliminary drawings proved promising, the program was cancelled in 1950 due to shifting Soviet priorities toward larger strategic bombers and the rapid advancement of alternative jet fighters. Although the Il‑54 never entered production, the project's aerodynamic research and engine integration experiments contributed valuable data that informed later Ilyushin models, notably the Il‑28 and the early variants of the Il‑76 transport, cementing its place as a stepping stone in the evolution of Soviet jet aviation.

Ilyushin

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