The Soviet Il-2 ground-attack aircraft, developed just before the outbreak of World War II, proved to be a successful design. In 1942, work began in the Soviet Union on a new, improved aircraft for combating bombers. This was the single-seat, heavy fighter Il-1 — it became the basis for the two-seat Il-10, which entered production in 1944.
This airframe featured more carefully designed armour than the Il-2. The specific nature of ground-attack operations required heavy armour on the side surfaces of the cockpit, while the lower and upper surfaces were less exposed and could therefore be thinner. By the end of 1944, the Il-10 had fully replaced the Il-2 on the assembly lines. The Il-10 entered service in the final months of the war and was used on a larger scale against Japanese forces. After the war, licence production of the Il-10 began at the Czechoslovak Avia-Letnany factory.
However, certain changes were introduced — the Avia B.33 aircraft differed from the Soviet Il-10 mainly in armament: 2 fixed cannons and 2 fixed machine guns were replaced by 4 fixed cannons. Serial production of the Avia B.33 began in 1951, and the first examples reached regiments the following year. In 1953-1954, the Avia factory exported large batches of these aircraft to Poland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. Of the total 1,200 produced, nearly 600 were foreign orders.
Poland imported the B.33 and CB.33 (training) versions. They were used in ground-attack aviation regiments and in the Naval Air Squadron for only a short period, until 1960. After that, most of them were scrapped, and only a few examples subsequently served for auxiliary purposes.
The exhibited Avia B.33 aircraft, bearing side number ‘4’, previously ’29’, was manufactured in 1952. After the conclusion of the Aviation Exhibition marking the 20th anniversary of the Polish People’s Republic, held in 1964, the airframe was transferred to the Museum’s collection.
| Wingspan | 13,4 m |
| Length | 11,2 m |
| Takeoff weight | 6535 kg |
| Maximum speed | 570 km/h |
| Ceiling | 7500 m |
| Range | 830 km |
| Armament | 4 NS-23 cannons cal. 23 mm in the wings, 1 UB-20 cannon cal. 20 mm in the gunner’s cockpit, suspended bombs and unguided rockets in various configurations; capability to mount equipment for chemical warfare operations |
| Engine | M-42 (lic. AM-42) inline, V-configuration, liquid-cooled, 2,000 hp (1,472 kW) |
