The Ilyushin Il-2 is a ground-attack plane that was produced by the Soviet Union in large numbers during the Second World War. The word shturmovĂk, the generic Russian term for a ground-attack aircraft, became a synecdoche for the Il-2 in English sources, where it is commonly rendered Shturmovik, Stormovik and Sturmovik.
Ilyushin Il-2
Il-2M at MAKS air show
Il-2 in Museum of the Polish Army in Warsaw.
Soviet Il-2 planes attacking a German column during the battle of Kursk
An attack aircraft, strike aircraft, or attack bomber is a tactical military aircraft that has a primary role of carrying out airstrikes with greater precision than bombers, and is prepared to encounter strong low-level air defenses while pressing the attack. This class of aircraft is designed mostly for close air support and naval air-to-surface missions, overlapping the tactical bomber mission. Designs dedicated to non-naval roles are often known as ground-attack aircraft.
A USAF A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft in flight
An A-1 Skyraider of the USAF
RAF Harrier GR9 in flight, 2008
Boeing GA-1, ~1920