- Yes
- No
- North Korean sub-tree in China
- United Korea tech tree
- I said no
- Other
TL;DR: One of only 2 true indigenous aircraft developed by North Korea. Armed with 2x 23mm, 2x 7.62mm, 1x 12.7mm or 20mm, and 2x 100kg bombs.
History
The Korean People’s Air Force (KPAF) was founded in August of 1947, and was initially equipped with Japanese and Soviet planes from WWII, which were used during the Korean War, alongside some early jets (MiG-15/15bis) later into the conflict. In the following decades, the DPRK obtained steady deliveries of jets from both China and the Soviet Union.
At some point in the early 1970s, the DPRK developed a homegrown ground-attack aircraft. This was seen rarely in military footage, and was only produced in small numbers. It appears to have been retired very quickly, as it was totally outclassed by pretty much all other aircraft of the time. It’s name is unknown, and basically everything about it is only known from that footage.
Characteristics
The aircraft is visibly very similar to both the Yak-18 and Il-10, moreso the latter. It has a redesigned cockpit, a taller tail, a new rear gun, and overall a longer silhouette. It’s wings appear more reminiscent of the Yak-18.
The aircraft has virtually the same weaponry as the Il-10 – on either wing, it has a ShKAS 7.62mm and a VYa-23 23mm cannon. These are very common guns across planes in the Soviet tech tree – the 23mm in particular is quite powerful, with a rate of fire of 600 rpm, and penetration of 46mm. In its rear cupola, it has what appears to be a 20mm cannon (although it’s claimed it could also be a 12.7mm; to my eyes, it’s a 20mm). If a 20mm, it’s likely to be the B-20E as seen in-game on the Il-10 (1946).
It is capable of carrying at least 2x 100kg bombs. It was never seen with any other weaponry, despite the Il-10 being capable of mounting a number of rockets and other bomb designs.
The authors of ‘The Armed Forces of North Korea: On the Path of Songun’ claim that the plane has the same engine as the Yak-18/CJ-6, which would provide a pitiful 260hp. This would make this plane very sluggish, unless it’s weight was reduced drastically to be more in line with the Yak-18 (>1t) than the Il-10 (~6t). I’m personally unsure about the validity of this claim (especially as there’s no elaboration as to why North Korea did this, or what their source is), as the nose of the plane and exhaust appear to be pretty much identical to the Il-10. If it uses the same engine as the Yak-18, as I suspect it does, it likely lets the plane reach speeds of around 550km/h (1770hp). The slightly larger size might increase its weight, and thus decrease its speed, but those details are unknown. It’s said to have thinner armour than the Il-10.
Conclusion
This aircraft is one of North Korea’s only truly indigenous planes, and as such, deserves to have a place in the game in either a North Korean sub-tree, or a United Korean tech tree. With the Il-10’s engine, It would play similarly to the Il-10, but with fewer choices of weaponry, so I therefore suggest a BR of around 4.7. If it instead had the Yak-18’s engine, I would expect a much lower BR, likely around 2.0-3.0, maybe even lower.
Specifications
Weight: Unknown, ~6.3t. Possibly lower.
Engine: Unknown, likely AM-42, 1770hp. Potentially HS-6A, 260hp.
Maximum Speed: Unknown, ~550km/h with AM-42 engine.
Primary Armament: 2x VYa-23 23mm, 2x ShKAS 7.62mm
Defensive Armament: 1x 20mm (or 1x 12.7mm)
Suspended Armament: 2x 100kg bombs
Images
Sources
Spoiler
The Armed Forces of North Korea: On the Path of Songun – Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans
