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
| range | 2,400 km |
|---|---|
| engine | 2x Klimov VK-1 turbojet |
| length | 17.65 m |
| armament | 2x 23mm NR-23 cannons, up to 3,000 kg bomb load |
| wingspan | 21.45 m |
| max_speed | 900 km/h |
| service_ceiling | 12,300 m |
Operators
- North Korea
Related air Weapon Systems
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- EF-18M Hornet - Multirole Fighter (Spain)
- KUH-1 Surion - Medium Utility Helicopter (South Korea)
- CH-47F Chinook - helicopter (Germany)
- AH-64 Apache - Attack Helicopter (United States)
- AMX A-1M - strike (Brazil)
- APKWS - Air Defense Missile (United States)
- Kh-31P - Air-Launched Cruise Missile (Russia)
- A400M Atlas - Strategic/Tactical Transport Aircraft (Germany / France / Spain)