IL-2M "Avenger"

This page is about the premium gift Soviet strike aircraft IL-2M "Avenger". For other versions, see IL-2 (Family).

IL-2M "Avenger"

IL-2M "Avenger"

USSR

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.3	3.3	3.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Strike aircraft

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

Description

The IL-2M "Avenger" is a premium gift rank III Soviet strike aircraft with a battle rating of 3.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced as a premium pack in Update 1.41.27. It was removed from the store after the 2016 clearance sale. It was again available briefly in the store during the 2018 Winter Sale and has since been made available in-game for Golden Eagles () for a limited time during the 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 "Defender of the Fatherland", and the 2023 "Defender Special" mini-events.

The IL-2M "Avenger" is a premium variant of the IL-2M type 3 strike aircraft. It is an excellent variant of the IL-2 series, a very well armoured aircraft, though somewhat little manoeuvrable and lacking in energy retention and as such it should avoid confronting fighter aircraft. However the offensive armament is nothing to be trifled with, the hitting power of the 23 mm cannons is more than enough to obliterate any enemy aircraft, but dogfighting should be left to purpose-designed fighters. It also has a rear gunner equipped with a 12.7 mm Berezin UB machine gun, capable of dealing with any enemies attacking from the rear.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 1 400 m405 km/h

Turn time48 s

Max altitude6 000 m

EngineMikulin AM-38F

TypeInline

Cooling systemWater

Take-off weight6 t

Though the IL-2M models are improved with the better AM-38F engine, the IL-2M "Avenger" is still sluggish due to the overall plane weight. Speed, maxed out around the 400 km/h range, mean many fighters are able to catch up and outpace the IL-2M and take it down on their terms. Acceleration is decent up until a speed of around 330 km/h before slowing down. Though WEP is available on the plane, it doesn't seem to help assist in acceleration very well.

The roll rate of the aircraft is particularly slow, which is exacerbated with wing-mounted weapons like rockets. Elevator and rudder response are up to par however and can be relied on for more responsive manoeuvres.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 1,400 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	387	371	6000	49.2	50.3	6.1	6.0	800
Upgraded	430	409		46.9	47.9	11.4	8.6

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
620	320	447	418	270	~13	~13

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 320	< 320	< 320	> 330

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
750 m	1,500 hp	1,620 hp

Survivability and armour

Crew2 people

Speed of destruction

Structural620 km/h

Gear320 km/h

IL-2M armour scheme

• 6 mm Steel - Propeller ring
• 4 mm Steel - Armour plates surrounding engine compartment
• 6 mm Steel - Encasing oil cooler
• 5 mm Steel - Cockpit floor
• 6 mm Steel - Cockpit wall/canopy lining
• 12 mm Steel - Pilot/Gunner separating partition
• 4 mm Steel - Upper canopy behind pilot
• 6 mm Steel - Armour plate protecting rear gunner
• 64 mm Bulletproof Glass - Forward canopy

As can be seen by the list of armour types on the IL-2M "Avenger", the plane, like the other IL-series of attacker aircraft, has a capsule of armour surrounding the pilot and most of the plane's modules. While the thickness is not substantial, ranging between 4-5 mm of steel armour, they provide the engine, fuel tanks, and radiators a level of protection not typically enjoyed by other aircraft. The armour collectively also provides substantial protection to the pilot from the front, especially with a 64 mm thick bulletproof glass on the top and the collection of steel armour and modules below.

The pilot's rear armour is also quite substantial with more 6 mm armour platings. However, the crew partition armour of 12 mm combined with the gunner's rear 6 mm of armour means that while the gunner may be knocked out more easily by an enemy at a six o' clock, the pilot can enjoy some more levels of protection for sustained flying.

With the belly of the plane also considerably armoured, the only way to be able to attack the IL-2M "Avenger"'s crew unimpeded is by attacking from above, where there are gaps in the armour for a direct hit onto the pilot.

Though the modules and crew are considerably protected, the control surfaces on the plane are not. As such, the most likely way the IL-2M "Avenger" can be downed is by a shot-off/busted wing, tail, or their respective control systems.

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB552

RB788

SB1 684

Crew training10 000

Experts67 000

Aces400

Research Aces570 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 60 / 110 / 220 %

2 × 136 / 136 / 136 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Radiator Airframe Compressor Wings repair Engine Cover Engine injection 95 octane fuel usage		ub_turret_belt_pack shkas_belt_pack ub_turret_new_gun shkas_new_gun Der-19 vya_belt_pack RO-82 vya_new_gun RO-132

Armaments

Offensive armament

The IL-2M "Avenger" is armed with:

• 2 x 23 mm VYa-23 cannons, wing-mounted (150 rpg = 300 total)
• 2 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns, wing-mounted (750 rpg = 1,500 total)

Suspended armament

The IL-2M "Avenger" can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

	1	2	3	4	5	6
25 kg AO-25M-1 bombs			6*	6*
50 kg FAB-50sv bombs		1*	2*	2*	1*
100 kg FAB-100M-43 bombs		1*	2*	2*	1*
250 kg FAB-250M-43 bombs		1*			1*
ROS-82 rockets	2					2
RBS-82 rockets	2					2
ROS-132 rockets	2					2
ROFS-132 rockets	2					2
RBS-132 rockets	2					2
Maximum permissible loadout weight: 625 kg
* Bombs on hardpoints 2/5 cannot be equipped in conjunction with bombs on hardpoints 3/4 respectively

Default weapon presets
Without load 4 x ROS-82 rockets 4 x RBS-82 rockets 4 x ROFS-132 rockets 4 x RBS-132 rockets 12 x 25 kg AO-25M-1 bombs (300 kg total) 4 x 50 kg FAB-50sv bombs (200 kg total) 4 x 100 kg FAB-100M-43 bombs (400 kg total) 2 x 250 kg FAB-250M-43 bombs (500 kg total)

Defensive armament

The IL-2M "Avenger" is defended by:

• 1 x 12.7 mm Berezin UB machine gun, dorsal turret (150 rpg)

Operated by a single gunner, the Berezin UB can provide decent coverage of the IL-2M "Avenger"'s rear. If an enemy loiters around the IL-2's upper six o' clock, the gunner can have a decent chance of reaching out and hitting, or even downing the enemy plane.

Usage in battles

Tactically, as with all IL aircraft, the Avenger is best suited to ground-pounding at low altitude. Avoiding conflict with aircraft is a priority, as, though tanky, the plane will not withstand much-concentrated fire, especially to its wings. When engaging ground targets, approach at a slight climb before nosing down to begin a shallow dive towards them. Bombing in this way will nearly always allow you to get away from the blast wave, and the 1.5-second delay is more than enough for you to gain enough distance, even from the 250 kg bombs. If using both bombs and rockets, lightening the aircraft from the bombs will allow you to more effectively manoeuvre to use rockets before returning to base. Use bombs against tanks and pillboxes, rockets against groups of light armoured vehicles (and occasionally enemy aircraft), and use your machine guns and cannons for AAA, artillery, armoured cars, and enemy aircraft.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Auto control available	Separate	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Extraordinarily long WEP time at low altitudes
• Extremely durable
• Rear Gunner
• Stable platform for rocket and strafing runs
• Faster than the regular IL-2M and IL-37
• Wide variety of payloads
• Decent ammo count, even for the cannons
• Can fly without wingtips

Cons:

• Slower than the early IL-2s
• Rear gunner cannot engage targets beneath the plane
• Unmanoeuvrable with bombs

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the IL-2M "Avenger" from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• Official data sheet - more details about the performance

Ilyushin Design Bureau (Илью́шинa Опытное конструкторское бюро)
Bombers	DB-3B · IL-4
Jet Bombers	IL-28* · IL-28Sh
Strike Aircraft	IL-8 (1944)
Il-2	IL-2 (1941) · IL-2 (1942) · IL-2M type 3 · IL-2M "Avenger" · IL-2M (1943) · IL-2-37 · IL-2 M-82
Il-10	IL-10 · IL-10 (1946)
Export/Captured
Bombers	␗DB-3A · ◊IL-28 · ◔IL-28
Strike Aircraft	▀IL-2 (1942) · ␗IL-10 (1946) · ◔IL-10
	* The Chinese Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation built unlicensed copies of the Il-28 known as the H-5.