Ilyushin DB-4

Ilyushin DB-4 (ZKB-56)
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Type:	Bomb plane
Design country:	Soviet Union
Manufacturer:	OKB Ilyushin
First flight:	October 15, 1940
Number of pieces:	2

The Ilyushin DB-4 ( Russian Ильюшин ДБ-4 ) was a Soviet bomber aircraft that was developed in the early 1940s. It was supposed to be the successor of the DB-3 , but did not go into series production in favor of the parallel construction Il-4 of OKB Ilyushin . The project designation ZKB-56 (ЦКБ-56) stands for Central Design Office , the abbreviation DB for Dalni Bombardirowschtschik (Дальний бомбардировщик), long-range bomber.

development

Project planning began in the late 1930s. Sergei Ilyushin took over the wings and the vertical stabilizer from the previous model DB-3 , but completely redesigned the fuselage and the horizontal stabilizer. The ZKB-56 was designed as a full- metal shoulder wing wing with a retractable rear wheel landing gear. Wladimir Kokkinaki began testing on October 15, 1940 with two AM-37 engines, as the newly developed M-120 engines were not yet ready for use. A second prototype followed with a double vertical tail unit and reinforced armament in the back of the fuselage. It was supposed to be tested with two M-71 radial engines, but one also had to switch to the AM-37. Constant difficulties with the failure-prone drives delayed the test program. After the beginning of the attack by the German Reich on the Soviet Union, the tests were finally canceled, especially since series production of the Il-4 had already started.

Technical specifications

Parameter	Data
span	21.44 m
length	14.88 m
Wing area	66.70 m²
Empty mass	5,782 kg
Takeoff mass	normal 9,000 kg maximum 11,325 kg
Engine	two water-cooled 12-cylinder V-engines AM-37 with 995 kW (1,353 hp) each starting power
Top speed	415 km / h near the ground 560 km / h at an altitude of 6,000 m
Range	2,500 km
Summit height	11,500 m
Take- off / landing runway	350 m / 360 m
Armament	one movable 7.62 mm MG SchKAS in the fuselage bow two movable 7.62 mm MG SchKAS in the back of the torso (in the 2nd prototype two 20 mm MK SchWAK  ?)
Bomb load	maximum 2,000 kg in the bomb bay or at under wing stations
crew	4 (commander / pilot, navigator / copilot, radio operator, gunner)

literature

• Rudolf Höfling: Ilyushin since 1933 . 1st edition. Motorbuch, Stuttgart 2013, ISBN 978-3-613-03604-8 , p. 26/27 .
• Manfred Jurleit: Ilyushin DB-4 (ZKB-56) . In: Fliegerrevue . No. 9/331 , 1980, pp. 408 ("Aircraft types" section).

Web links

• Ильюшин ДБ-4. Retrieved October 28, 2016 (Russian, history and dates).