Ilyushin Il-28 Beagle

Ilyushin Il-28 Beagle

Type: Tactical Bomber

Domain: air

Country of Origin: Ukraine

Manufacturer: Antonov

First Deployed: 1960

Overview

North Korea retains a small number of Ilyushin Il-28 tactical jet bombers — a 1950s Soviet design retained primarily as a nuclear/chemical weapons delivery platform for deterrence. These aircraft are virtually obsolete and could not survive any modern air defense environment. Their retention is driven by potential WMD delivery role rather than conventional military utility. Some were license-copied by China (H-5) and North Korea may operate Chinese-supplied variants.

Technical Specifications

range2,400 km
engine2x Klimov VK-1 turbojet
length17.65 m
armament2x 23mm NR-23 cannons, up to 3,000 kg bomb load
wingspan21.45 m
max_speed900 km/h
service_ceiling12,300 m

Operators

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