We approach the next milestone. Tomorrow we plan to begin testing if the release candidate version 2.012, which, as we said earlier, will include very significant innovations like:

 

Speaking of the plane Hs 129 B-2, it should be noted that this is an extremely interesting aircraft with many features. Firstly, this is the first twin-engine single-seat aircraft in our project. Secondly, it is equipped with French production air-cooled engines  Gnome-Rhone 14M, with automatically adjustable oil coolers and a constant speed screw (2750 rpm) with the possibility of manual direct control of the pitch of the screw and the mode of feathering. The airplane is equipped with flaps with a hydraulic smooth extending system, which includes a special metering cylinder for extending flaps right to intermediate take-off position.

 

 

 

In the cockpit there is a folding armored seat for easy getting in the aircraft. The instruments for monitoring engine parameters are installed directly on engine cowls, outside the cabin. Front firing weapons of the aircraft are installed in the central part of the fuselage, behind the cockpit, and fire through special channels along the sides of the cabin. Despite the tightness, the configuration of the cockpit canopy provides the pilot with an excellent front-to-bottom visibility, which is extremely important for the attack aircraft. Collimator sight is installed very unusually - outside the canopy, in front of the armored windscreen, which is also unusual in itself because it has a curved shape with a multilayer structure. The "Revi C/12D mit Zieleinrichtung" gun sight is equipped with a special mechanical sighting device for level bombing at fixed altitudes and speeds; How to use it in detail is shown in the images below.

 

 

 

 

Well, finally, this is the first aircraft in our project that carries 30 mm cannonin the form of an optional under-fuselage mounted gun MK 101 or MK 103. Also a under-fuselage gunpod with 4 MG-17 machine guns can be mounted, bringing the total amount of front firing weapons to 8 with a common rate of fire up to 9200 rounds per minute, and ammunition up to 6,500 rounds.

 

 

 

 

In total, version 2.012 will be one of the most important milestones in the history of the Il-2 project. Of course, with so many changes, there may be some shortcomings that we weren't able to find during testing, but we hope that their amount will be minimal and will not hamper the pleasure that you will undoubtedly get in the process of getting acquainted with this update.