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Re: Armored windscreens?
The Il-2 incorporated armored windscreens from the initial concept. So the technology was available.
No all flat windscreens are armored. Some are flat for the optical advantages.
Remember that fighters are performance-driven designs. All unnecessary weight must be eliminated. Also, in a fighter the threat from directly ahead seems to be quite small. Most head-on gunfire may be absorbed by the engine .The additional protection gained by adding ½ square foot of armored glass may be minimal. (assuming a single-engine fighter). When armored windscreens were necessary it may have been the result of attacking bombers or other aircraft with rear-facing defensive armament. In this instance, the additional front armor was necessary for pilot survivability.
Soviet designers may have considered armored windscreens unnecessary.
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