My entry for the 1945-1950 Naval Aviation Challenge.

This was one of the designs for a carrier-based strike aircraft competition in the Soviet Union in 1950. Competitors of this design where the Tupolev Tu-91 “Boot”, Tupolev “Project 509”, and Yakovlev Yak-26PK. I tested putting a catapult connector on this aircraft, but it was unsuccessful with the rear landing gear always ripping itself off upon launch. Takeoff from USS Beast from the rear and you will be fine.

Features

• Seven 23mm NR-23 cannon
• Realistic flight performance
• Folding wings!
• Two 450mm 45-36MAN torpedoes
• Eight 132mm TRS-132 spin-stabilized rockets
• Flaps
  

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Controls

• AG-1 - Landing gear door
• AG-2 - Arresting hook
• AG-3 - Fold wings
• AG-6 - Dorsal NR-23 cannon
• AG-7 - Navigation lights
• VTOL - Flaps
• Brake - Custom airbrakes
  

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History

Information on this design is incredibly scarce, because Ilyushin worked on this project “half-heartedly” and was busy with other projects. When the competition requirements were changed in 1952, Ilyushin decided to pull out from the competition because he thought it was a waste of time and labor. I did manage to find a little bit of information from countless weeks of research.

“Ilyushin worked on the naval attack version of his IL-40 attack aircraft (which, incidentally, was only in sketches by the end of 1950), which received the designation IL-58. In addition to the ability to launch from aircraft carriers, the aircraft had a glazed cockpit of the navigator and bomb aimer and a reduced armor structure.” [1]

Part of the last sentence of the description above is incorrect, as a nose with windows in it does not show in any blueprints. Such a decision for the project would also have bad consequences on the design. To make room for the third person in the nose, the four 23mm cannon in the lower part would have to be removed and/or reduced to two guns. The added bomb-aiming equipment plus the extra person would also have an effect on flight performance and payload capacity.

“IL-58 carrier-based attack aircraft project proposed in the initiative order Ilyushin Design Bureau in 1952. As for IL-58, after Stalin's death and the subsequent revision of military doctrine, the interest of the customer to the construction of aircraft carriers, and with them, and planes for their weapons, long disappeared in the Soviet Union.” [2]

Since the IL-58 was loosely based off of the IL-40 “Brawny”, it incorporated some of its features. The overall layout of the aircraft stayed the same, but the nose was shorted to allow the pilot a great view downward from the cockpit. Armament was slightly modified with two of the NR-23 cannons relocated to the wing centre section outboard of the intakes, and the 37mm N-37 cannon in the tail was replaced with an NR-23 and relocated to the dorsal position behind the gunner/navigator’s cockpit. Because it was a little smaller than the IL-40, and to also save space, two Klimov VK-1F turbojet engines were selected as the power plant with each providing around 6,000 lbs (26.5 kN) of thrust, and 7,600 lbs (33.8 kN) with afterburner on. [3]

• Sources: 1. Alternathistory.com 2. Secret Projects Forum 3. Personal collection
  

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Gallery

Three-view drawing

Detailed three-view by Anatoly P. Borovik

TRS-132 rocket pods on IL-40 prototype

Merry Christmas!