Mostly less know than occidental bombers like B17 or Lancaster the IL-4 was one of the bomber wich all along the war have made bombing run over the Reich.
The russian tactics are quite different of other allied, their bombers was used for many differents mission, ground attack,strategic bombardment, anti-tank purpose or torpedo bombing.

The first project was made during 1935, nammed TsKB-26 the plane was officially nammed DB-3 (DB is the first letters of Dalni Bombardirovchtchik, long -range bomber) and it's under this name that the plane began to be producted during 1937.
The early planes was powered by 2 x Chvetsov M-85 of 765cv soon replaced by the M-86 of 960cv.
The construction of DB-3 was keep on until 1939, when a new variant was introduced, the DB-3F powerfull with the new engine Chvetsov M-88 of 1100cv. The DB-3F receive a new nose with many windows , in replacement of the round nose turret of the DB-3.
The defensive armament was modified the 3 cal 7,62mm ShKAS of the nose ,dorsal turret and belly turret was replaced by cal 12,7mm Beresin BS.
But despite the upgrade of the caliber of guns the DB-3F allways suffer from the lack of it's defensive armament.
The bomb load was composed of 10 100kg bombs or an equivalent load, 3 hard points are available for 3 500kg bombs, a 940kg torpedo or a 1000kg bomb under fuselage.

During 1940 , 2000 units have been delivered when the name of the plane was changed to obey to the new rules of aircraft designation. The name was now IL-4 ( IL was the initial letters of the constructor Sergei Ilushin)

After the beginning of the german offensive, the production of the IL-4 was theaten by the german advance,and mostly by the lack of materials.A new factory was built in Siberia and the fuselage of the plane was now mostly in wooden construction.

The production of IL-4 was cancelled at the end of 1944 , 10 000 IL-4 have been built.

The IL-4 make many bombing mission over Berlin ,the fisrt on august 8 1944 by a squadron of the VS-VMF (Russian Navy)