Sergey Ilyushin

Sergey Vladimirovich Ilyushin
Sergey Vladimirovich Ilyushin
Born	1894; Dilyalevo, Russian Empire
Died	1977-02-09; Moscow, Soviet Union
Occupation	Aircraft engineer
Years active	1921–1970
Known for	Founder of the Ilyushin design bureau; designer of the Il-2 Shturmovik

Sergey Vladimirovich Ilyushin (Russian: Сергей Владимирович Ильюшин; Template:OldStyleDate – 9 February 1977) was a prominent Soviet aircraft engineer and the founder of the Ilyushin design bureau. Among his notable achievements was the creation of the Il-2 Shturmovik, which first flew in 1939. This aircraft holds the distinction of being the most extensively produced combat plane and ranks as the second highest in total production globally, with over 36,000 units manufactured, surpassed only by the American Cessna 172.

Early life

Sergey Ilyushin was born on Template:OldStyleDate in Dilyalevo, as the youngest among eleven siblings in a Russian peasant household. Largely self-educated, he left home early and took on various jobs, including factory laborer, ditch digger on construction sites, and gutter cleaner at a dye factory in Saint Petersburg. In 1910, he found employment as a groundskeeper at Kolomyazhsky Racetrack, which hosted the inaugural All-Russia Ballooning Festival that fall. His role involved assisting with unpacking and setting up equipment, providing him with opportunities to meet some of Russia’s early aviators—a pivotal experience that sparked his passion for aviation.

In 1911, Ilyushin returned to his native village to work as a carter for a dairy facility. The following year, he was employed as a construction laborer on the Amur Railway, and by 1913 he had moved to Tallinn where he worked at a shipyard.

With the onset of World War I in 1914, Ilyushin was drafted into the Imperial Russian Army, initially serving in the infantry. Due to his literacy skills, he later served as a clerk within the military administration in Vologda. When volunteers were sought for the nascent Aviation Section, he promptly stepped forward. Initially assigned as a mechanic and ground crew member, by summer 1917 he had qualified as a pilot.

Following the Bolshevik government’s withdrawal from the war in March 1918, Ilyushin was demobilized and returned to his home village. There, he contributed to overseeing the expanding nationalization of local factories and joined the Bolshevik Party in October of that year. During the Russian Civil War, he was conscripted into the Red Army in May 1919 and served as an aviation technician for VVS RKKA (the Red Army Air Force). That autumn, when a White movement Avro 504 biplane made an emergency landing near Petrozavodsk, Ilyushin led the team responsible for dismantling it. The aircraft was sent to Moscow where it was reverse-engineered into the U-1 trainer model, with 737 units produced thereafter.

Work in aviation

In the fall of 1921, Ilyushin concluded his military duties and enrolled at the Institute of Engineers of the Red Air Fleet (which was renamed the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy on 9 September 1922) on 21 September 1921. Throughout his studies, he focused primarily on designing gliders and actively participated in various contests. In 1925, one of his glider models was entered into a competition held in Germany, where it earned first place for flight duration. Ilyushin completed his engineering degree in 1926 and subsequently worked until November 1931 as the head of the aeroplanes section within the Soviet Air Force Scientific-Technical Committee [ru]. During this period, he contributed to defining design specifications for new aircraft developed by Nikolai Polikarpov and Andrei Tupolev. Additionally, he held the position of Assistant Chief at the Air Force Research and Test Institute. In November 1931, at his own request, he transferred to the TsAGI Design Bureau, where he remained until 1933. That same year, Ilyushin was appointed chief of the TsKB at the V.R. Menzhinski Moscow plant [ru], which evolved into the Ilyushin OKB by 1935—an organization that became synonymous with Soviet aviation through its line of IL-# aircraft, serving both military and civil aviation sectors and establishing a significant international reputation.

Among his most notable designs was the single-engine Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack plane, recognized as the most produced combat aircraft ever, with a total of 36,183 units manufactured. He also designed the twin-engine Ilyushin Il-4 bomber, with over 5,200 units built. Both models played critical roles across all fronts during World War II where Soviet forces were engaged.

Following the war, Ilyushin shifted his focus predominantly to passenger aircraft development, creating models such as the Ilyushin Il-18 and Ilyushin Il-62. These airliners were widely operated by Aeroflot and various Soviet-aligned nations. In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the honorary title of General-Colonel of Engineering/Technical Service in 1967 and was inducted as an Academician into the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union in 1968. He continued to lead the Ilyushin OKB until health issues prompted his retirement in 1970.

File:Sergey Ilyushin's grave at Novodevichy cemetery, Moscow.jpg

Sergey Ilyushin's grave at Novodevichy cemetery, Moscow

Between 1937 and 1970, Ilyushin also represented as a deputy in the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. He passed away in Moscow in 1977 and was laid to rest at the Novodevichy Cemetery.

Awards and distinctions

File:Sergey Ilyushin 2019 stamp of Russia.jpg

Ilyushin featured on a 2019 Russian postage stamp

Hero of Socialist Labour (awarded in 1941, 1957, and 1974)
Stalin Prize second class (received in 1941 and 1952)
Stalin Prize first class (awarded in 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947, and 1950)
USSR State Prize (1971)
Lenin Prize (1960)
Order of Lenin (conferred in 1937, 1941, 1945, twice in 1954, as well as in 1964, 1971, and 1974)
Order of Suvorov first and second classes (1945 and 1944 respectively)
Order of the October Revolution (1969)
Order of the Red Banner (received in 1944 and 1950)
Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1939)
Order of the Red Star (awarded in 1933 and again in 1967)
Inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame (2006)

Family

His first spouse was Raisa Mikhailovna Zhalkovskaya (1897–1972), with whom he married in Vologda on June 4, 1919.
From Raisa’s previous marriage came a daughter, Irina Sergeevna Ilyushina (1920–2007), who was wed to AMN Vice-President Orekhovich.
Vladimir Sergeevich Ilyushin (1927–2010), his son from the first marriage, served as a test pilot and was honored as a Hero of the Soviet Union.
His second wife was Anastasia Vasilyevna Sovetova (1915–2008), known for her work as a design engineer.
From this marriage came Sergey Sergeyevich Ilyushin (1947–1990), who pursued a career in engineering.
Another son from his second marriage is Alexander Sergeyevich Ilyushin (born 1955);
- Alexander’s son, Sergey Alexandrovich Ilyushin (1985–2002), was his grandson.

Legacy

The summer residence where S. V. Ilyushin spent vacations during the 1950s through the 1970s remains preserved in the village of Dilyalevo.
The House Museum dedicated to Alexander Mozhaysky in Mozhaiskoye—located about twelve kilometers from Vologda—features an extensive exhibit focused on S. V. Ilyushin’s life and achievements.
Exhibits relating to S. V. Ilyushin’s contributions are also displayed within the Hall of Military Glory at the Kubenskoye Regional Museum of Local Lore.
Bronze busts honoring S. V. Ilyushin were installed both in Vologda—at the intersection of Mira and Blagoveshchenskaya Streets, unveiled on January 17, 1977 by sculptor O. M. Maziner with architect I. Rozhin—and in Moscow.
Streets bearing Ilyushin’s name can be found across Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh, Vologda, Tyumen, and Kubenskoye.
A USSR postage stamp commemorating Ilyushin was released in 1984 to mark the 90th anniversary of his birth; Russia issued a postal block featuring him in 2019.
In Vologda on Ilyushin Street, a monument to the IL-28 aircraft was erected in 1984 as a tribute to its designer Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin.
On May 8, 2020, a monument dedicated to S. V. Ilyushin was inaugurated in the village of Bereznik.

Sergey Ilyushin

Early life

Work in aviation

Awards and distinctions

Family

Legacy

See also

References

Further reading