picture 192008

With only two or three rather poor photographs available, exact details of PDRYAF’s Il-28s are hard to make out, but it seems that all were left in ‘silvergrey’ overall. They received three-digit serials applied on the front fuselage, and roundels in a rather unusual position – almost directly below the cockpit. Four additional roundels might have been applied on usual positions on top and bottom wing-surfaces, but there is no visual confirmation for this. Fin flashes were relatively large, and usually had their front party – including most of the blue field – entirely ‘flown away’. The type saw some combat service with the PDRYAF during the short war with North Yemen in 1972, and the sole South Yemeni Il-28R flew a single reconnaissance sortie over Oman, in early July of the same year. (Artwork by Tom Cooper)