Ilyushin Il-4

The Ilyushin Il-4, originally designated DB-3F, was a Soviet twin-engined long-range bomber and torpedo bomber that served with the Soviet Air Force and Soviet Naval Aviation throughout the Second World War. It grew out of a 1938 redesign of the earlier DB-3, with a lighter and easier to build structure, a longer nose for the navigator and a reworked fuel system. The prototype flew in May 1939 with Vladimir Kokkinaki at the controls, series production began in January 1940 and the type took the Il-4 name in March 1942. Heavier defensive guns and armour for the gunners cost speed, and a diesel-engined development, the Il-6, never entered production. Although classed as a medium bomber, it had the range to raid Berlin in 1941. Just over 5,200 were built before production ended in 1945, and Finland and China also flew a few.