The Ilyushin IL-2 was the workhorse of the Soviet Air Force during World War II. It was so cheap and easy to fly that Soviet aerial squadrons just massed IL-2 attacks on any significant enemy concentrations until it had been reduced to heaps of scrap and gore. The armour on this aircraft was nothing to scoff at, and IL-2s frequently duelled with ground-based anti-air weapons, taking many hits without being downed. Its most common iteration was designated in the West as the IL-2M3 (in the Soviet Union as Production 1944), accounting for over half of all aircraft built. This variant had improved armour, a better engine and redesigned aerodynamics. Much like Soviet interceptors had to contend with masses of German, American and British machineguns in massed bomber formations, Allied fighter aircraft intercepting IL-2 attacks would typically face hails of turret fire, and these would commonly turn into suicide missions.
Following World War II, thousands were sold off or donated to Soviet-aligned states and groups, including some within Oceanyka. From there, the design spread throughout the continent.