A temporary exhibition on the armoured Il-2 ground-attack aircraft: its design, its crews and frontline life in 1941–1945.
More than 36,000 Il-2s were built — more than any other combat aircraft in history. At the centre of the hall stands a restored example recovered from a bog near Murmansk: the armoured hull still bears shrapnel scars, and the instrument panel carries its 1943 factory markings.
A separate section covers the AM-38 engine, developed by the Mikulin design bureau specifically for low-altitude work, and tells how the evacuated factories in Kuibyshev reached an output of forty aircraft a day. Documents, crew letters and flight maps complement the machinery.
Displayed alongside for comparison are the Yak-3 and La-7 escort fighters, together with the Po-2 trainer on which future Shturmovik pilots gained their first flying experience.
