| Il-40 | |
|---|---|
 Ilyushin Il-40P, the second prototype | |
| General information | |
| Type | Ground-attack aircraft |
| National origin | Soviet Union |
| Manufacturer | Ilyushin |
| Status | Prototype |
| Number built | 7 |
| History | |
| First flight | 7 March 1953 |
The Ilyushin Il-40 (NATO reporting name: Brawny[1]) was a two-seat Soviet jet-engined armored ground-attack aircraft. The first prototype flew in 1953 and was very successful except when it fired its guns, as their combustion gasses disturbed the airflow into the engines and caused them to flameout or hiccup. Remedying this problem took over a year and involved the radical change of moving the engine air intakes all the way to the very front of the aircraft and repositioning the guns from the tip of the nose to the bottom of the fuselage, just behind the nosewheel. The aircraft, now resembling a double-barreled shotgun from the front, was ordered into production in 1955. Only five production aircraft had been completed before the entire program was canceled in early 1956 when the VVS discarded its close air-support doctrine in favor of tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield.