On May 26, 1913, the world's first multi-engine aircraft, the Russian Knight, engineer Igor Sikorsky, made its first flight. The young engineer created this machine as an experimental aircraft for long-range reconnaissance. It could accommodate either two or four motors. The aircraft was originally called “Grand” or “Big Baltic”, and after some modifications it received the name “Russian Knight”. On August 2, 1913, the plane set a world record for flight duration - 1 hour 54 minutes.
This aircraft, which exceeded in size and take-off weight all the machines built up to that point, became the basis for a new direction in aviation - heavy aircraft construction. “Russian Knight” became the ancestor of all subsequent heavy bombers, transport aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft and passenger airliners in the world. The direct successor of the “Russian Knight” was the four-engine aircraft “Ilya Muromets”, the first copy of which was built in October 1913.
Let's talk about these planes...
Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (1889 - 1972) was born into a family of doctors. Father, Ivan Alekseevich, was a famous psychiatrist, professor at Kyiv University, and a leading specialist in the treatment of stuttering. Mother - Maria Stefanovna (nee Temryuk-Cherkasova), worked as a general practitioner. The son did not follow the path of his parents. Young Sikorsky received his secondary education in one of the classical gymnasiums in Kyiv, in 1903 - 1906. studied at the St. Petersburg Maritime School (Marine cadet corps), which trained personnel for the fleet. After graduation, he entered the Kiev Polytechnic Institute. He also attended lectures on mathematics, chemistry and shipbuilding in Paris.
Since childhood, Sikorsky was interested in mechanics. At the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, Igor became interested in the construction of aircraft, he created and headed the student aviation society. Sikorsky first tried to build a helicopter back in 1908. This experimental helicopter, equipped with a 25-horsepower engine, became the basis for the engineer's subsequent work with helicopters. By 1910, a second helicopter was built; it had two propellers that rotated in opposite directions. The carrying capacity of the device reached 9 pounds, but none of the helicopters could take off with a pilot. The weak device took off only without a pilot. The device was presented at a two-day aeronautical exhibition in Kyiv in November 1909. Sikorsky would return to helicopter projects only in 1939.
Igor Sikorsky controls his BIS-1, equipped with a 15-horsepower Anzani engine. This biplane, built in 1910, never flew, but it marked the beginning of the Sikorsky C series aircraft.
In the same year, Sikorsky switched his attention to airplanes, and created a prototype of his biplane - S-1. It was driven by a 15-horsepower engine. In 1910, the engineer took into the air the modernized S-2, with a 25-horsepower engine. This plane rose to a height of 180 meters and set a new All-Russian record. Already at the end of 1910, Sikorsky built the S-3 with a 35-horsepower engine. In 1911, Igor Sikorsky received a pilot's diploma and built the S-4 and S-5 aircraft. These cars showed good results: During the tests, the pilot reached an altitude of 500 meters, and the flight duration was 1 hour.
At the end of 1911, a Russian aircraft designer built the S-6 and in the spring of 1912 upgraded it to the S-6A. In the S-6A, Igor Sikorsky took first place in a competition organized by the military. Among the eleven aircraft that took part in the competition, several represented such famous aircraft manufacturing companies as Farman, Nieuport and Fokker at that time. It must be said that all of Sikorsky’s aircraft, which the designer created before the S-6, were built by the young scientist in a barn on the territory of the Kyiv estate, which belonged to his parents. Subsequent aircraft, starting with the S-7, were built at the aircraft factory of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant (R-BVZ) in St. Petersburg. The Russian-Baltic Carriage Works built an aviation department for the purpose of building Russian-designed aircraft. This allowed the Russian designer to more successfully do what he loved.
Sikorsky built his first cars at his own expense. In addition, the young inventor was supported by his sister, Olga Ivanovna. At the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant, Igor Sikorsky was assisted by pilots G.V. Yankovsky and G.V. Alekhnovich, designer and builder A.A. Serebryannikov, he was a student at the Polytechnic Institute, and engine mechanic V. Panasyuk. The first aircraft built by Sikorsky at R-BVZ was the S-7 monoplane (an aircraft with one lifting surface and one wing). It was later acquired by the pilot Lerche.
The Russian-Baltic Carriage Works in St. Petersburg produced the S-7, S-9 and S-10 aircraft, they were equipped with Gnome rotary engines. The S-10 Hydro was equipped with floats and was intended for the Russian Navy. The S-10 was a direct successor to the S-6 design. It was a single-engine, two-seat biplane (an aircraft with two lifting surfaces, wings), mounted on two main and one auxiliary floats. The S-10 had a small hydraulic steering wheel. By the fall of 1913, 5 aircraft with 100 hp Argus engines were built. With. They were used as reconnaissance and training vehicles.
At the beginning of 1913, the inventor built the S-11 monoplane. The cabin was two-seater, for the pilot and passenger. Engine "Gnome-Monosupap 100 l. With. under the metal hood. The device was built for a competition and the pilot Yankovsky took second place in the competition in the Russian capital. In the spring of 1914, Igor Sikorsky designed and built the S-12 biplane. It was specially designed as a training aircraft and could perform aerobatic maneuvers. This elegant monoplane had an 80 hp Gnome engine, with a twin-wheel chassis characteristic of many of the inventor's designs. On March 12, 1914, pilot Yankovsky tested it, aircraft showed excellent flight qualities. Yankovsky, flying this machine, took first place in aerobatics during the aviation week, which was held at the Kolymyazh Hippodrome. On the same S-12, the test pilot set an all-Russian record, rising to a height of 3900 meters. True, the first device did not last long - on June 6, 1914, Yankovsky crashed the car, but did not die. The military department liked the flight qualities of the S-12 so much that when a contract was signed for the production of 45 Sikorsky aircraft, it included new model. During the First World War, these aircraft entered service with the Airship Squadron and the 16th Corps Aviation Detachment.
Already during the war, Sikorsky invented and built: the S-16 project - a fighter with an 80-horsepower Ron engine and a 100-horsepower Gnome-Mono-Supap, with a speed of 125 km per hour; S-17 - two-seat reconnaissance aircraft; S-18 - a heavy fighter that was supposed to cover long-range bombers and carry bombs on board to support the attacks of the Muromets; without a bomb load, the aircraft could serve as a strike fighter; S-19 is an attack aircraft, it had all the qualities of an attack aircraft - powerful weapons (up to six machine guns), armor of the most vital parts, and a layout that ensured maximum survivability and invulnerability of the vehicle (spaced cockpits, which reduced the likelihood of simultaneous defeat of pilots, one engine covered the other ); The S-20 is a single-seat fighter with a 120-horsepower engine and a maximum speed of 190 km per hour. During World War I, some Sikorsky aircraft were in military service. However, despite good flight performance and breakthrough solutions, these aircraft were not widely used, which was due to the fascination Russian authorities haves to all foreigners.
Russian knight
Even in the pre-war period, the inventor came to the conclusion that the future did not belong to small single-engine airplanes, but to large aircraft with two or more engines. They had advantages in flight range, transport capabilities and safety. An airship with several crew members and several engines was safer; if one engine broke down, the others continued to work.
Igor Sikorsky spoke about his plans to build a large airship to Mikhail Vladimirovich Shidlovsky, who was the head of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Company. Shidlovsky listened carefully to the young inventor, studied his drawings and gave permission to work in this direction. During this period, most experts did not believe in the possibility of creating a large aircraft. It was believed that a large plane would not be able to take off at all. Sikorsky built the world's first four-engine aircraft, the predecessor of all modern large aircraft. Work proceeded at a fast pace, enthusiasts worked 14 hours a day. In February 1913, all parts of the aircraft, which the factory people, generous with all sorts of nicknames, called “Grand”, which meant “big,” were basically ready.
It should be noted that Shidlovsky played an outstanding role in the development of Russian heavy aviation. A nobleman and naval officer, he graduated from the Alexander Military Law Academy; after retirement, he served in the Ministry of Finance and proved himself to be a talented entrepreneur. Became a high-ranking official, joined the State Council and was appointed commander of the Aircraft Squadron (EVS). The squadron became a special unit, which during the war flew I. Sikorsky’s Ilya Muromets bombers. As chairman of R-BVZ, Shidlovsky quickly increased the company's productivity and profitability. In addition to launching the production of Sikorsky aircraft, Shidlovsky supervised the production of the first and only cars of the Russian Empire, which went down in history as Russo-Balt. These cars performed well during the First World War. Another contribution of Shidlovsky to the defense capability of the empire was the production in 1915 of the first and only Russian aircraft engine.
Thanks to Shidlovsky, the Grand project was launched and fully justified itself. By the beginning of March 1913 it was completed general assembly airplane. It was a real giant: the span of the upper wing was 27 m, the lower - 20, and their total area - 125 square meters. m. The take-off weight of the aircraft is more than 3 tons (with a load of up to 4 tons), height is 4 m, length is 20 m. The plane was supposed to be lifted into the air by four German Argus engines of 100 liters each. With. They were located on the lower wings, two on each side of the fuselage. The vehicle could carry a load of 737 kg and fly at a speed of 77 km per hour (maximum speed 90 km). Crew - 3 people, 4 passenger seats. For the first time in the world, an aircraft had a large enclosed cockpit and passenger compartment. large windows for the crew and passengers. The pilots could go out from the cockpit onto the balcony, which was located in front of the car. In addition, side exits were also provided that led to the lower wings, which provided access to the engines. This created the possibility of in-flight repairs.
Igor Sikorsky on the bow balcony of the Russian Knight.
The bow of the Grand.
After several trial tests, on May 13 (26), 1913, at about 9 o’clock in the morning, in a meadow adjacent to the St. Petersburg Corps Airfield, aviator-designer Igor Sikorsky, together with 4 passengers, made a brilliant, quite successful flight on the “Grand” (“Big”) aircraft. . The plane rose to a height of about 100 m and for half an hour (not at full throttle) reached a speed of 100 km/h, made several large turns very well and landed smoothly. The audience watching this was delighted. With this flight, Sikorsky clearly refuted the predictions of many “experts” that the “Bolshoi” would not be able to fly...” Many foreign aviation experts abandoned the idea of building a large aircraft. However, the Russian inventor clearly destroyed all of them theoretical constructions. It was a triumph of human ingenuity and a victory for the Russian designer over numerous critics and spiteful critics.
On May 27, Bolshoi made another flight. On board were Sikorsky, Yankovsky and four mechanics. The flights provided a huge amount of information and good food for thought. Tests of the Grand became the basis for the creation of a more advanced aircraft, the Ilya Muromets. The emperor played a certain role in the development of the project. While in Krasnoe Selo, Nicholas II expressed a desire to inspect the car. The plane was flown there. The king examined the plane from the outside and climbed on board. Knight" made a great impression on the emperor. Sikorsky soon received a memorable gift from Nicholas II - a gold watch. The monarch's positive opinion protected the aircraft from attempts to tarnish the reputation of this amazing project.
Sikorsky began to create a second aircraft, which he named “Ilya Muromets”. Construction of the second hero aircraft began in the fall of 1913, and was completed in January 1914.
Ilya Muromets (or S-22) is the general name of several series of heavy four-engine all-wood biplanes, produced by the famous Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant. At one time, “Ilya Muromets” was able to set a number of world records, including the number of passengers transported, carrying capacity, maximum altitude and flight time. In total, from 1913 to 1918, about 80 Ilya Muromets aircraft of various modifications were produced. At the same time, the aircraft was initially intended to be used for civilian purposes.
The new aircraft was a further development of the Russian Knight design, created in 1913. During the work, its design was significantly redesigned; only the general design of the vehicle, the wing box with 4 engines installed in a row on the lower wing, remained without significant changes. At the same time, the fuselage of the aircraft was completely new. As a result of processing with the same German Argus engines with a power of 100 hp. the Ilya Muromets aircraft had twice as much maximum height flight and payload mass.
The Ilya Muromets aircraft became the world's first passenger aircraft. For the first time in the history of aviation, this aircraft had a cabin separate from the pilot’s cabin, which was equipped, among other things, with electric lighting, heating (engine exhaust gases), sleeping rooms and even a bathroom with toilet. At that time, pilots of single-engine aircraft avoided flying over cities, since in the event of an engine failure, a forced landing in a city could end in disaster. At the same time, the Muromets had 4 engines, so its creator Sikorsky was confident in the safety of the car.
Stopping one or even 2 of the 4 engines did not mean that the plane would lose stability and have to land. In addition, during the flight, people could walk on the wing of the aircraft, which did not disturb the balance of the machine. During the flight, Sikorsky himself came out on the wing to make sure that, if the need arose, one of the pilots would be able to repair the engine right in flight. At that time it was completely new and made a very big impression on people.
Construction of the prototype of the Ilya Muromets aircraft at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works began in August 1913. The new four-engine heavy airplane was named after the famous Russian epic hero. This name became common for various modifications of the new car. The aircraft prototype was ready by December 1913 and made its first flight on December 10. On the prototype, there was also a middle wing between the wing box and the empennage, and additional middle landing gear struts were installed under the fuselage. However, during the tests they realized that the middle wing did not justify itself, and it was dismantled. After a series of records and first successes, the military drew attention to the car. As a result, on May 12, 1914, the Main Military Technical Directorate (GVTU) entered into a contract with the plant for the construction of 10 Ilya Muromets airplanes.
This was largely facilitated by the fact that in February 1914, Sikorsky took off a plane with 16 passengers on board. At the same time, during the flight there was another passenger on board the plane - the dog Shkalik, who was the favorite of the entire airfield. This flight was an unprecedented achievement in the field of aviation at that time. The payload during the flight over Petrograd was almost 1,300 kg. At that time, “Ilya Muromets” quite often flew over the capital of the empire, flying at an altitude of about 400 meters.
During these flights, airplane passengers could admire the majestic boulevards and squares of the city from a comfortable and closed cabin. Moreover, each flight of a four-engine airplane led to a stop of all ground transport in the capital, as entire crowds of citizens gathered on the streets in order to look at the huge plane at that time, which made a lot of noise with its 4 engines.
By the spring of 1914, Sikorsky completed the construction of the second aircraft. This machine was equipped with even more powerful Argus engines. The two internal ones had a power of 140 hp, and the two external ones had a power of 125 hp. Thus, the total engine power of the second model aircraft reached 530 hp, which is 130 hp more. exceeded the engine power of the first Ilya Muromets. The increased power of the power plant made it possible to increase speed and load capacity, and a flight altitude of 2,100 meters was achieved. In its first test flight, the new aircraft lifted 6 passengers and 820 kg into the air. fuel.
By the beginning of the First World War (August 1, 1914), 4 “Ilya Muromets” were manufactured. By September of the same year, they were all transferred to the Imperial Air Force. By that time, all airplanes of the warring countries were intended exclusively for reconnaissance needs, so the Russian aircraft should be considered the world's first specialized bomber aircraft.
On October 2, 1914, another contract was signed for the construction of 32 Ilya Muromets aircraft, the price of each aircraft was 150,000 rubles. Thus, the total number of aircraft ordered reached 42. Despite this, negative feedback began to come from the pilots who were testing the aircraft in combat conditions. Thus, Staff Captain Rudnev wrote that the Ilya Muromets aircraft have low speed, do not gain altitude well, and are not protected; for these reasons, observation of the Przemysl fortress can only be carried out at the highest possible altitude and at a great distance. At the same time, no flights to the rear or bombing of the enemy were reported. The opinion about the new aircraft in the army was negative and the issuance of a deposit to the Russobalt plant in the amount of 3.6 million rubles for the construction of the ordered batch of aircraft was suspended.
The current situation was saved by Mikhail Vladimirovich Shidlovsky, who headed the aviation department at Rusobalt. Shidlovsky admitted that the new aircraft has shortcomings, but at the same time pointed out that the aircraft crews do not have sufficient training. At the same time, he agreed to suspend the construction of a batch of 32 aircraft, but insisted that the first 10 aircraft be built in order to combine them into a squadron, following the example of the navy, and comprehensively test them in a combat situation.
Nicholas II approved this idea and already on December 23, 1914, an order appeared, according to which Russian aviation was divided into light aviation, which was part of military formations and subordinate to the Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, and also into heavy aviation, which was subordinate to the Headquarters Supreme High Command. The same order announced the creation of a squadron of 10 combat and 2 training aircraft “Ilya Muromets”. Shidlovsky himself was appointed commander of the created air squadron, who was called up to military service. At the same time, he was awarded the rank of major general. So Mikhail Shidlovsky became the first aviation general in Russia. Unfortunately, in August 1918, he was shot by the Bolsheviks along with his son while trying to leave for Finland.
Over time, heavy aircraft began to be used as bombers; defensive weapons appeared on them; some models carried up to 7-8 machine guns. It made its first combat flight as part of the squadron on February 21, 1915. However, it ended in nothing, the pilots got lost and, not finding the target (Pillenberg), returned back. The second flight took place the next day and was successful. The railway station was bombed, and a series of 5 bombs were dropped on it. The bombs exploded in the middle of the rolling stock, and the results of the bombing were captured on camera.
On March 18, with the help of the Ilya Muromets, photo reconnaissance was carried out along the route Jablonna - Willenberg - Naidenburg - Soldnu - Lautenburg - Strassburg - Tory - Plock - Mlawa - Jablonna. As a result of this flight, it was possible to establish that there was no concentration of enemy troops in this area. For performing this reconnaissance flight, the crew of the aircraft was presented with awards, and Captain Gorshkov was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
Thanks to the successes that the squadron was able to achieve, in April 1915 the order for the construction of 32 Ilya Muromets bombers was again activated. The aircraft were planned to be built before May 1, 1916. In 1915, production of G series aircraft began; their crew consisted of up to 7 people, some of them were equipped with a special shooting cabin. Also in 1915-1916, 3 D (DIM) series vehicles were produced. In the fall of 1915, one of these bombers first lifted into the sky a bomb of enormous mass for those times - 400 kg (25 pounds).
During the war, from October 30, 1914 to May 23, 1918, 26 aircraft of this type were lost and decommissioned from the army. At the same time, only 4 aircraft were lost during the battles (1 was shot down by fighters, 3 by anti-aircraft fire), the rest of the aircraft were lost due to piloting errors, natural disasters (hurricanes, storms), and technical malfunctions.
In 1919, Sikorsky emigrated to the USA, where for several years he lectured, worked as a teacher, and in 1923, together with several Russian emigrants - former officers, he founded the Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation. The workshop and design office were located in a chicken coop on one of the farms on Long Island. When the unfortunate Russian aircraft manufacturers became completely despondent from the chicken coop, lack of money, failures and planes that did not take off on worn-out engines (there was no money for new ones), it became known that Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov bought shares of the company for 5 thousand dollars. For promotional purposes, a world-famous composer and pianist agreed to become vice president of the company. Instead of a chicken coop, the company could now rent a hangar.
By April 1924, the first American aircraft, the Sikorsky S-29A, was ready. Then the beautiful S-37 was designed, which regularly served on the Santiago de Chile-Buenos Aires line. IN South America he was overtaken by the chief tester of Sikorsky aircraft, the fearless Cavalier of St. George, Boris Sergievsky.
And then there was a big success with the S-38 amphibious aircraft. Orders poured in, most of all from the Pan American company. Sikorsky becomes a very famous person in America.
In 1928 the company became part of the United Aircraft Corporation. Sikorsky remained the general designer of this company until 1957. The first aircraft built by Sikorsky in the USA was the twin-engine biplane S-29 (1923).
But very rare photograph Igor Sikorsky is already in the USA after one of the test flights
In 1929, Sikorsky created the twin-engine S-38 for Pan American Airways. The aircraft had a short flying boat fuselage with a high-mounted tail, carried back by a double truss that rested on the wing, as well as a retractable landing gear. Sikorsky then began developing designs for aircraft with high wing loads. His four-engine S-40 (1931) and S-42 (1932) were the world's first transport aircraft equipped with constant-speed propellers. The S-42, designed for long-distance flights, set an altitude record in 1934 (6220 m), carrying more than 4900 kg of cargo on board. That same year, the S-38 set eight world speed records.
By the end of the 1930s, the era of flying boats was over, and Sikorsky returned to helicopters. Already in the early 1940s, the first reliable helicopter of its design was publicly demonstrated to fly along a stable trajectory. Sikorsky helicopters set several world records; in subsequent years they were supplied to the army, they were purchased by various civilian government agencies and airlines. The S-51 helicopter was widely used in combat operations during the Korean War.
Sikorsky was awarded many scientific titles and was an honorary member scientific societies different countries.
Sikorsky always enjoyed great authority in the Russian colony of America. In 1938, he was entrusted with giving a speech to his compatriots on the occasion of the 950th anniversary of the baptism of Rus', since Russian Americans knew that Sikorsky reflected on the problems of the universe and wrote theological works. Referring to Fyodor Dostoevsky and Vladimir Solovyov, the speaker bequeathed: “The Russian people should think not about how to turn back to what did not stand, apparently was not saved, but think about how to get out of the swamp in which we are now stuck, get out onto the wide road to move forward.”
After 1918, Ilya Muromets aircraft were no longer produced, but the fleet that survived the First World War and the Civil War was still in use for some time. For example, the first Soviet regular postal and passenger airline on the route Moscow - Orel - Kharkov was opened on May 1, 1921 and operated until October 10, 1921, during which time 43 flights were carried out, more than 2 tons of cargo and 60 passengers were transported. However, due to the severe deterioration of the aircraft fleet, the route was eliminated. One of the remaining aircraft was transferred to the Air Shooting and Bombing School located in Serpukhov. It was used to train pilots in 1922-1923, during which time the aircraft made about 80 training flights, but after this date no aircraft took to the skies.
Tactical and technical characteristics of "Ilya Muromets" version G-1:
Production time: 1915-1917
Dimensions: upper wing span – 31 m, lower wing span – 21 m, length – 17.1 m.
Wing area – 148 sq. m.
Aircraft weight: empty – 3,800 kg, take-off – 5,400 kg.
Engine type – 4 in-line “Sunbeam” with a power of 160 hp. every
Maximum speed – 135 km/h.
Flight duration – 4 hours
Practical ceiling – 3,000 m.
Armament: up to 6 machine guns, 500 kg of bombs.
Crew – 5-7 people.
sources
Yuferev Sergey,Samsonov Alexander - http://topwar.ru/
http://www.airforce.ru/
http://www.rusactive.ru/
BOMBER
The bomber as a type of combat aircraft emerged during the First World War. The first bomber was the Ilya Muromets aircraft, created in 1913. Bombs were suspended both inside, vertically along the sides of the fuselage, and outside. To drop bombs, a special electric release device was created (1916). Defensive weapons consisted of eight machine guns. Later, bombers were also created in other countries.
“Ilya Muromets” was built under the leadership of I.I. Sikorsky at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant on the basis of the Russian Knight aircraft of his own design. First flight - December 10 (23), 1913. A number of world records for payload capacity and flight range were set on the Ilya Muromets, including the St. Petersburg - Kyiv flight in June 1914.
Built serially in 1914-1918 in various modifications (series B, B, G, D, E); a total of 73 examples were built. It was used in the First World War and the Civil War as a bomber, attack aircraft and long-range reconnaissance aircraft (on a wheeled, ski and float chassis). In December 1914, the Ilya Muromets aircraft were consolidated into the Airship Squadron - the first heavy aviation formation. After Civil War On the surviving Ilya Muromets aircraft, postal and passenger transportation was organized on the Moscow - Orel - Kharkov line.
Basic data of the Ilya Muromets aircraft of the E series (the most advanced type: number of engines (Renault) 4; power of one engine 162 kW; wingspan: upper - 34.5 m, lower - 26.6 m; total wing area 220 sq. m; aircraft length 18.8 m; empty weight 7.46 t; landing speed 80 km/h; flight duration 4.4 h; flight range 560 km; take-off run 450 m; run 300 m.
Aviation: Encyclopedia. M., 1994
16 PASSENGERS AND A DOG
The first copy of the Ilya Muromets aircraft was completed in October 1913. The first factory flights, during which middle wing experiments were carried out, were not entirely successful. After the aircraft could be considered tested, demonstration flights began to be carried out on it. A number of records were set. On December 12, “Ilya Muromets” lifted a load of 1100 kg (the previous record on Sommer’s plane was 653 kg). The take-off run during test flights sometimes did not exceed 110 m. The plane was piloted by I.I. Sikorsky.
The press of those years noted that people could walk “on its wings” during flight without disturbing the balance of the device at all. Stopping even two engines does not force the device to descend. It can continue flying even with two engines running.” All this at that time was completely new, unprecedented and made a great impression on the participants and eyewitnesses of the flights.
Military encyclopedia
Sikorsky equipped the cabin with six large windows on each side. The new "Ilya Muromets" was decorated with comfort. There were wicker chairs in the cabin. Heating of enclosed spaces was provided by exhaust gases (from pipes acting as radiators and leading from internal engines). Electric lighting was provided by a special wind generator. In addition to the pilot's cabin, there was a passenger room, a bedroom and even a toilet on board.
In February 1914, Sikorsky lifted the Ilya Muromets into the air with 16 passengers on board. During this memorable flight, there was another passenger on board, the favorite of the entire airfield - a dog named Shkalik. This unusual flight with numerous passengers was an unprecedented achievement. The payload during this flight over St. Petersburg was 1300 kg. "Ilya Muromets" made many flights over the imperial capital and its suburbs. Quite often, “Ilya Muromets” flew over the city at a low altitude - about 400 meters. Sikorsky was so confident in the safety provided by the plane's multiple engines that he was not afraid to fly at such a low altitude. In those days, pilots who flew small single-engine airplanes typically avoided flying over cities, especially at low altitudes, because a mid-air engine stall and the inevitable forced landing could be fatal.
During these flights, carried out by the Ilya Muromets, passengers could sit comfortably in an enclosed cabin and observe the majestic squares and boulevards of St. Petersburg. Each flight of Ilya Muromets led to a stop of all transport, as whole crowds gathered to look at the huge plane with its engines making a lot of noise.
By the spring of 1914, Sikorsky built the second Ilya Muromets. It was equipped with more powerful Argus engines, two 140 hp inboard engines and two 125 hp outboard engines. The total engine power of the second model reached 530 hp, which was 130 hp more than the power of the first Ilya Muromets. Accordingly, greater engine power meant greater load capacity, speed and the ability to reach an altitude of 2100 meters. During the initial test flight, this second Ilya Muromets carried 820 kg of fuel and 6 passengers.
IGOR IVANOVICH SIKORSKY
Sikorsky Igor Ivanovich (1889 - 1972) - an outstanding Russian aircraft designer. After a series of inventions, at the age of 23 he became the chief designer of the Russian-Baltic Plant and the youngest aviation inventor in the world. He was the first in the world to build a multi-engine aircraft. He was the first in the world to make a long-distance flight from St. Petersburg to Kyiv. In 1919 he was forced to emigrate. In exile, he founded the Sikorsky aviation “Russian company”, which took a leading position in the aircraft industry. Creator of airliners for transatlantic flights, seaplanes, inventor of the helicopter. In exile, he headed the Tolstoy and Pushkin societies, studied philosophy and theology.
Russian world. Educational almanac. N 2-2000
BREAKFAST IN HEAVEN (FLIGHT ST. PETERSBURG - Kyiv, 1914)
The night turned out to be clear and windless. The crew inspected the plane - everything is in order. Around one o'clock in the morning the horizon began to brighten. We started the engines, warmed them up, and checked them at full power. There are no failures, everything is fine... The engines roared, the plane slowly moved off and gradually began to speed up my takeoff. The overloaded car, swaying heavily over uneven surfaces, picked up speed. The ground was difficult to see, but the direction of the run could be well maintained according to the reference point on the horizon. Breakaway. Time 1 hour 30 minutes. The car is slowly, very slowly going up. In the first 15 minutes we managed to gain only 150m. During the first hour of instrument flight, I had to use a flashlight from time to time - the instruments were not backlit. The cabin itself was illuminated light bulbs, and nothing was visible overboard. After two o'clock in the morning it began to get light. The air was completely calm. Gradually, the fuel was exhausted, and the lightweight vehicle gained altitude faster. After an hour and a half of flight, the plane was at an altitude of 600 m. The engines withstood the overload and were already operating at nominal speed.
The weather was great. The morning sun illuminated the still sleeping earth. There is no smoke over the villages. Forests, nougat, smooth surface of rivers and lakes. The plane floated calmly in the still air. The pilots took turns replacing each other after half an hour. Sikorsky twice climbed onto the wing to the outer engine to observe the airship as if from the side, look at the ground and see for himself the possibilities of repairing the engine in a dense air flow. He felt behind the engine a space more or less protected from the cold wind and from there he watched with rapture as the huge body of a ship with outstretched yellow wings hung in the clear morning air against the backdrop of the waking earth. The spectacle was simply fantastic. He remembered how only a few years ago he began his first experiments with fragile devices equipped with weak engines. Now there is a mighty machine in the air - an airship. At this time, the already venerable designer and famous pilot was only 25 years old.
Another two hours passed. The plane was already flying at an altitude of one and a half thousand meters. The crew pumped fuel from the canisters into the main tanks and emptied the cabin. Around seven in the morning, when Prussis remained at the helm, Sikorsky, Lavrov and Pavasyuk sat down at a table covered with a white tablecloth. On him light breakfast- fruits, sandwiches, hot coffee. Comfortable wicker chairs made it possible to relax and enjoy your vacation. This collective breakfast in a comfortable cabin on board an airship was also a world first.
After eight in the morning we passed Vitebsk at an altitude of 1200 m. Visibility was excellent. The city is in full view of the streets, houses, market square and a large number of golden-domed churches. Sikorsky decided to send, as provided for in the flight program, telegrams - one home to Kyiv, the other to the factory. He wrote the text, rolled it up and stuffed it into an aluminum pencil case. Money and a note asking to send telegrams to the addresses were also enclosed there. The pencil case was wrapped with a pennant attached to it and thrown away. As it fell, the red pennant unfurled and was clearly visible from afar. This method was used along the entire route, and all telegrams sent reached their destination.
Soon Orsha appeared ahead. A site was prepared on a pre-selected field. A factory engineer arrived there in advance along with fuel for refueling. Sikorsky slowed down and began to descend. At 600 m it began to chatter - the warming of the earth was already having an effect. The landing took place without complications. The pilot taxied the plane to the corner of the area, where barrels of gasoline were visible. The first stage of the flight has ended. We spent more than seven hours in the air.
When the crew exited the plane, they were surrounded by an excited crowd. Everyone tried to treat the pilots with something, to touch them, to the people who descended from heaven, and asked a lot of questions.
SQUADRON
Russian aviation gained its first combat experience in 1912 during the Balkan War. The air squad sent to Bulgaria was formed from civilian volunteer pilots (Agafonov, Evsyukov, Kolchin, etc.).
On the eve of the war, Russia had the largest air fleet among the warring powers: 244 aircraft in 39 air squadrons. By the beginning of hostilities, there were 221 pilots in the Russian air fleet: 170 officers, 35 lower ranks and 16 volunteers (volunteers).
In the second half of 1914, before the completion of comprehensive tests, heavy bomb carriers were sent to the front. Taking into account the experience of combat operations, Sikorsky quickly made changes to the design. From series to series the aircraft was rapidly improved.
Most efficient use“Muromtsev” at the front is associated with the name of M.V. Shidlovsky - Chairman of the Board of the RBVZ and the first head of the Aircraft Squadron organized on his initiative. On December 23, 1914, all the Muromets operating at the front were consolidated into the Squadron. Today in Russia is Long-Range Aviation Day.
It was a special force in the Russian armed forces and reported directly to the Supreme Command.
With the formation of the Ilya Muromets Aircraft Squadron, for the first time in the world, tactics and strategies for the use of large formations of heavy bombers and a system for supporting them were developed.
The plane could take on board bombs of unprecedented calibers - up to 25 pounds (410 kg).
“Ilya Muromets” had strong defensive weapons, with virtually no “dead zones”, and therefore losses at the front amounted to only one vehicle. For such defensive capability, the enemy called the Muromets “hedgehogs.”
After the revolution, several aircraft remained in Ukraine, where they tried to create something similar to the Squadron (without success), some became part of the Red Air Fleet.
GRANDFATHER OF LONG LONG AVIATION
The acquired combat experience was gradually generalized, studied and reflected in instructions and manuals. Thus, in 1916, “Initial instructions for organizing and performing group flights” were published. Then the “Draft Manual on the Use of Aviation” was put into effect, which emphasized that in order to inflict significant damage on the enemy, a large number of aerial bombs must be dropped simultaneously. It was pointed out that it was advisable to fly heavy bombers at night. The compilers of the “Draft Manual” came to the conclusion that the greatest result of actions is achieved by organizing group raids, ensuring surprise and coordination of air strikes with the actions of ground forces.
Thus, the first generation of Russian aviators, having achieved remarkable success in mastering aviation technology, made a worthy contribution to the development of the technology of piloting heavy ships, aircraft navigation, and their combat use... The combat activity of the squadron of heavy ships marks an important stage in the history of our long-range aviation.
Combat practice showed that bombing strikes against enemy operational rear targets was the main task of heavy aviation. Carefully studying the experience of the war, the father of Russian aviation, Professor N. E. Zhukovsky and his followers developed the work “The Theory of Bombing from an Airplane,” which served as the basis for the development of a new branch of aviation science - aeroballistics.
The airship squadron was not only a new combat formation. On the airships of the squadron, as in a laboratory, new elements of tactics for crews, groups of bombers operating day and night against troops and various operational and tactical logistics targets, as well as methods for combating anti-aircraft artillery and enemy fighters, were developed and tested in the fire of battle. At the same time, the first bomber sights were developed and the foundations were laid for air navigation, navigation, logistics, aviation engineering and airfield support for heavy bomber aircraft.
A significant contribution to the development of the theory and practice of air navigation, bombing and aerial shooting was made by the commander of the heavy ship A.N. Zhuravchenko. While taking part in combat flights, he was simultaneously engaged in experimental and research work. Zhuravchenko developed a method for determining navigation data in flight, created a wind gauge - a device with which navigation data is calculated in flight, laid the foundations for compass navigation, theories of bombing and aerial shooting.
RED "MUROMTS"
From the first days of its existence, young Soviet Republic it was necessary not only to fight internal and external counter-revolution, but also to overcome technical and economic backwardness Tsarist Russia, improve the scientific and technical base.
It was at this time that Vladimir Ilyich Lenin spoke about aviation as a powerful means of scientific and technological progress, well understanding how the country needed an air fleet.
There is evidence that he asked the pilots about the merits of the heavy ship Ilya Muromets. It is also known that already in March 1918 he approved the decision to create a separate air group from these aircraft.
The red “Muromets” were successfully used in combat operations against the White Guard gangs of Mamontov in Shkuro, who were rushing towards Moscow, and were used on the Polish front and against Wrangel. More often they acted alone. Having a significant supply of bombs on board, the planes exhausted the enemy cavalry and inflicted heavy losses on them.
An example of the skillful combat use of the high qualities of “Ilya Muromets” was shown in one of the missions by red military pilot A.K. Tumansky, who later became a famous test pilot. First, his crew attacked the Dzhankoy railway station, and on the way back bombed the Fedorovka station. Here is what the Izvestia newspaper wrote about this flight: “September 8 this year. An airplane of the Red Air Fleet of the "Ilya Muromets" type, operating on the southwestern front, made a brilliant flight under the control of the red military pilot Comrade Tumansky with the goal of destroying aircraft at the enemy airfield. Despite heavy rain preventing the flight, Tumansky inflicted great damage on the enemy, destroying the enemy airfield with bombs and destroying four of the six aircraft at the start. Comrade Tumansky, for his brilliant flight, which produced amazing results, was immediately awarded the Order of the Red Banner by the commander of the N Army.”
On August 12, 1920, covering the crossing of Red Army units across the Dnieper, red soldier N.N. Vasilchenko entered into battle with seven enemy aircraft. Having shot down one of them, he forced the rest to turn away from their target. And this was not the only case when a heavy bomber with honor emerged from a battle with superior enemy forces.
The First World War can hardly be called successful for Russia - huge losses, retreats and deafening defeats haunted the country throughout the conflict. Eventually Russian state could not withstand the military tension, a revolution began that destroyed the empire and led to the death of millions. However, even in this bloody and controversial era there are achievements that any citizen can be proud of modern Russia. The creation of the first serial multi-engine bomber in the world is definitely one of them.
More than a hundred years ago, December 23, 1914, the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II approved the decision to create a squadron (squadron) consisting of heavy multi-engine aircraft "Ilya Muromets". This date can be called the birthday of domestic long-range aviation and the most important milestone in global aircraft construction. The creator of the first Russian multi-engine aircraft was the brilliant designer Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky.
“Ilya Muromets” is the common name for several modifications of multi-engine aircraft mass-produced at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works in St. Petersburg from 1913 to 1917. During this period, more than eighty machines were manufactured; many records were set on them: in terms of flight altitude, carrying capacity, time in the air and the number of passengers transported. After the start of the Great War, the Ilya Muromets was retrained as a bomber. The technical solutions first used on the Ilya Muromets determined the development of bomber aviation for many decades to come.
After the end of the Civil War, Sikorsky aircraft were used for some time as passenger planes. The designer himself did not accept new government
and emigrated to the USA.
The history of the creation of the Ilya Muromets aircraft
In 1910, Sikorsky launched the first single-engine S-2 of his own design. In 1912, he received the position of designer at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works in St. Petersburg, one of the leading machine-building enterprises of the Russian Empire. In the same year, Sikorsky began creating the first multi-engine experimental aircraft, the S-21 “Russian Knight,” which took off in May 1913.
The designer’s success did not go unnoticed: the unprecedented one was demonstrated to Emperor Nicholas II, the State Duma gave the inventor 75 thousand rubles, and the military awarded Sikorsky with the Order. But, most importantly, the military ordered ten new aircraft, planning to use them as reconnaissance aircraft and bombers.
The first “Russian Knight” was lost as a result of an absurd accident: an engine fell on it, falling off an airplane flying in the sky. Moreover, the latter managed to land safely even without an engine. Such were the realities of aeronautics in those days.
They decided not to restore Vityaz. Sikorsky wanted to start creating a new air giant, whose name was given in honor of the epic Russian hero - “Ilya Muromets”. The new aircraft was ready in the fall of 1913, and its size, appearance and dimensions truly amazed contemporaries.
The length of the Ilya Muromets hull reached 19 meters, the wingspan was 30, and their area (on different modifications of the aircraft) was from 125 to 200 square meters. meters. The empty weight of the airplane was 3 tons; it could stay in the air for up to 10 hours. The plane reached a speed of 100-130 km/h, which was quite good for that time. Initially, the Ilya Muromets was created as a passenger plane; its cabin had light, heating and even a bathroom with a toilet - unheard of things for aviation of that era.
In the winter of 1913, tests began; for the first time in history, the Ilya Muromets was able to lift 16 people and the airfield dog Shkalik into the air. The weight of passengers was 1290 kg. To convince the military of the reliability of the new car, Sikorsky flew from St. Petersburg to Kyiv and back.
In the first days of the war, ten squadrons were formed with the participation of heavy bombers. Each such detachment consisted of one bomber and several light aircraft; the squadrons were directly subordinate to the headquarters of the armies and fronts. By the start of the war, four aircraft were ready.
However, it soon became clear that such use of airplanes was ineffective. At the end of 1914, it was decided to combine all Ilya Muromets aircraft into one squadron, which would be directly subordinate to Headquarters. In fact, the world's first formation of heavy bombers was created. The owner of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works, Shidlovsky, became his immediate boss.
The first combat flight took place in February 1915. During the war, two new modifications of the aircraft were manufactured.
The idea of attacking the enemy from the air appeared immediately after the appearance of hot air balloons. Airplanes were first used for this purpose during the Balkan conflict of 1912-1913. However, the effectiveness of air strikes was extremely low; the pilots manually threw ordinary grenades at the enemy, aiming “by eye.” Most of the military was skeptical about the idea of using airplanes.
"Ilya Muromets" took bombing to a completely different level. The bombs were hung both outside the aircraft and inside its fuselage. In 1916, electric release devices were used for bombing for the first time. The pilot piloting the airplane no longer needed to look for targets on the ground and drop bombs: the crew of the combat aircraft consisted of four or seven people (on different modifications). However, the most important thing was the significant increase in bomb load. The Ilya Muromets could use bombs weighing 80 and 240 kg, and in 1915 an experimental 410 kg bomb was dropped. The destructive effect of these ammunition cannot be compared with grenades or small bombs with which most vehicles of that time were armed.
"Ilya Muromets" had a closed fuselage, which housed the crew and quite impressive defensive weapons. The first vehicles to combat Zeppelins were equipped with a rapid-firing 37-mm cannon, then it was replaced with machine guns (up to 8 pieces).
During the war, "Ilya Muromtsy" made more than 400 combat missions and dropped 60 tons of bombs on the heads of enemies; up to 12 enemy fighters were destroyed in air battles. In addition to bombing, airplanes were also actively used for reconnaissance. One Ilya Muromets was shot down by enemy fighters, and two more aircraft were destroyed by anti-aircraft artillery fire. At the same time, one of the airplanes was able to reach the airfield, but could not be restored due to severe damage.
Much more dangerous than enemy fighters and anti-aircraft guns for pilots were technical problems; more than two dozen airplanes were lost because of them.
In 1917, the Russian Empire was rapidly falling into the Time of Troubles. There was no time for bombers here. Most of the air squadron was destroyed by its own due to the threat of capture by German troops. Shidlovsky, along with his son, was shot by the Red Guards in 1918 while trying to cross the Finnish border. Sikorsky emigrated to the USA and became one of the most famous aircraft designers of the 20th century.
Description of the aircraft "Ilya Muromets"
"Ilya Muromets" is a biplane with two-spar wings and six struts between them. The fuselage had a short nose and an elongated tail. The horizontal tail and wings had a large elongation. The design of all modifications of the aircraft was identical, only the dimensions of the wings, tail, fuselage and engine power differed.
The fuselage structure was braced, its tail section was covered with canvas, and the nose section was covered with 3 mm plywood. On later modifications of the Ilya Muromets, the cockpit glass area was increased, and some of the panels could be opened.
All main parts of the aircraft were made of wood. The wings were assembled from separate parts: the upper wing consisted of seven parts, the lower wing - of four. Ailerons were located only on the upper wing.
The four internal racks were brought together and water-cooled engines and radiators were installed between them. The engines stood completely open, without any fairings. Thus, access to all engines was provided directly in flight, and a plywood path with railings was made on the lower wing. Pilots of that time often had to repair their aircraft in flight, and there were many examples when this saved the airplane from a forced landing or disaster.
"Ilya Muromets" model 1914 was equipped with two internal Argus engines with a power of 140 hp. With. and two external ones - 125 l each. With.
On the underside of the upper wing were brass fuel tanks.
The vertical tail consisted of three rudders - a central main one and two side additional ones. After the appearance of the rear machine-gun point, the central steering wheel was removed and the side ones were moved to the sides.
The Ilya Muromets chassis was multi-wheeled. It consisted of two pairs of twin wheels. An anti-crash ski was attached to each chassis bogie.
Characteristics of “Ilya of Murom”
A bomber is a military aircraft whose main purpose is to destroy ground, surface, underground and underwater targets using missiles and bombs.
The appearance of the bomber
The first use of airplanes to destroy ground targets occurred before the outbreak of the First World War. Instead of bombs, metal darts or flechettes were then used. They were slightly larger than a pencil. Thus, the bombing with darts was carried out from above on the positions of the infantry and cavalry. The weight of such an arrow is 30 grams, it was capable of piercing 150 mm of wood. The first aerial bomb was created by the Italian military man C. Zipelli. His main goal was to design a fuse that should go off at the most crucial moment. Subsequent experiments with different types of grenades led to the death of the inventor.
The very first combat bombing took place on November 1, 1911. At the height of the Italo-Turkish war, the Italian pilot Gavotti dropped 4 bombs on the Turks in the city of Tripoli. A little later, the Italians began to use buckshot as destructive elements.
World War I
At the very beginning, airplanes carried out bombing purely to intimidate the enemy. Light reconnaissance aircraft were used as carriers. Bombs were dropped manually by pilots, and operations were not coordinated with those of ground troops. The first bombing of Paris took place at the end of August 1914. In November of the same year, Lieutenant Caspar bombed Dover.
But airships showed themselves best during this period. Germany was the most powerful aeronautical power. With 18 copies, it could drop several tons of bombs. In mid-August 14, one of the airships carried out an air raid on Antwerp, destroying 60 residential buildings, more than 900 were damaged. But the British anti-aircraft gunners managed to shoot down 4 units, after which the Germans refused to operate the airships during the daytime.
The first full-fledged bomber that fully corresponds to the rank of bomber was the Russian four-engine vehicle Igor Sikorsky “Ilya Muromets”. In December 1914, the “Squadron of Airships” was created from these “Murom residents”. Bombs were placed not only inside the plane, but also outside. In addition, the installed machine guns were responsible for protecting the aircraft. The first multi-engine bombers began to appear in many countries. One way or another, they looked like “Ilya Muromets”. Germany – G-III, G-IV, G-V, “Zeppelin-Staken R-VI”; England – 0/400, Vickers Vimy; USA - Martin MV-1.
Interwar period
In the post-war period, development of the bomber class slowed significantly. This was mainly due to the events taking place in the countries: Russia - revolution and civil war; Due to the loss, Austria and Germany were prohibited from developing the military industry; Western countries, including the United States, were struggling with an internal crisis.
Nevertheless, aviation was developed. The main indicators of optimal quality were considered to be flight range and load capacity. In addition to the aircraft themselves, combat tactics were developed in flight schools. In the 1920s, the Italian military man Giulio Douhet made a huge contribution to the development of the strategic use of aviation. The main design for that period was a biplane box with wooden wings, a non-retractable landing gear and open machine gun mounts. The most prominent representatives: LeO-20 - France, "Heyford" and "Virginia" - England. In 1925, the legendary ANT-4 took to the skies in the USSR. It was the first production multi-engine all-metal bomber at that time. In December 1930, TB-3 took to the skies and set several world records. In 1933, the American-made twin-engine B-10 Martin became the first bomber with internal bomb storage, enclosed gunner and pilot cockpits, smooth skin and retractable landing gear. This period can be noted as the beginning of the construction of different types and types of bombers, but mainly several stand out: high-speed and long-range. The Versailles Peace Treaty prohibited Germany from building military aircraft, so their designers, with an eye on a possible second war, began producing passenger airliners with the possibility of their subsequent transformation into bombers. Typical representatives of such cunning - He-111 and Ju-86 - became the basis of Luftwaffe aviation. In July 1935, an experimental prototype of the first heavy bomber of the new generation, the Boeing B-17, took off. December next year Tests of TB-7 began in the USSR. And in 1939, Italy and England released their own types of bombers: Piaggio R.108, Stirling and Halifax. At the same time, dive bombers appeared in the military aviation industry - Pe-2 and Junkers U 87.
The Second World War
Over the entire history of World War II, over 100 different types of bombers took part in battles. Conventionally, they began to be divided into distant and front-line. Accordingly, depending on the type of bomber, they performed the assigned tasks. Among the front-line ones, the most notable ones are the English De Havilland Mosquito, the Soviet Pe-2, the American Martin B-26 Marauder, Douglas A-20 Havoc and A-26 Invader. Long-range - English Vickers Wellington, Soviet Il-4, American B-25 Mitchell, German Junkers U 88 and Henkel He 111. While the USSR and Germany developed front-line aviation more, Great Britain and the USA paid attention to heavy four-engine bombers that could deliver massive attacks on targets. The American heavy bombers were based on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, which was considered the fastest and highest-altitude combat aircraft at the beginning of the war. The most prominent representative was A. Jordanov’s Boeing B-29 project. At that time, this unit had perfect aerodynamics and powerful engines. And it was he who became the first of all on which it was possible to transport nuclear weapons (with the Enola Gay the US Air Force bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945).
Since 1944, bomber jet aircraft have been involved in active combat operations. And for the first time, jet fighter-bombers began to develop. The first modification of such an aircraft is the Me-262A2, designed in Germany back in 1942. A year later, German designers developed a carrier bomber (Do-217K) for guided weapons that dropped glide bombs. The world's first missile carrier was the He-111, which was obsolete by the end of the war. It was he who produced the V-1 cruise missiles.
Cold War period
With the beginning of complications in communication between the USA and the USSR, advanced countries began an arms race. In particular, bombers became the only potential carriers of the most formidable nuclear weapons at that time. However, developing new heavy aircraft with the ability to travel vast distances to strike was extremely expensive. Because of this, only three countries were engaged in such research: the USA, the USSR and the UK, among which Soviet Union lagged behind the most. Realizing this, the country's leadership decided to begin developing new prototypes, in particular, the Tupolev Design Bureau managed to completely copy the American B-29. The copy was called Tu-4.
New capabilities for flying over vast distances made it possible to introduce other classes and designations. Thus, bombers that were capable of covering a distance of 10-15 thousand km began to be called intercontinental, and up to 10 thousand km - long-range (medium). Devices that could be used in the front-line zone or behind enemy lines began to be called tactical aviation.
In 1946, the United States created the first intercontinental bomber, the Convert B-36. It was also the last strategic bomber to use piston engines. In the 50s, aircraft designers managed to create aircraft that long years determined appearance heavy aircraft manufacturing, among which the B-47 is considered the first. Unlike American designers, Tupolev specialists used a wing with a rigid caisson, which had great survivability, for the new jet bomber (Tu-16). On its basis, the USSR designed the first flagship of jet passenger aviation, the Tu-104.
In April 1952, the prototype of the US YB-52 intercontinental bomber took off. The design used many previously developed optimal parts of the B-47 aircraft. Thus, the new B-52 became the main subsonic aircraft of America's Strategic Air Command. The aircraft performed extremely well, which influenced the decision of the Air Force command to develop purely supersonic aircraft. In November 1956, the B-58 prototype took off, becoming the first long-range supersonic bomber. To improve aerodynamic qualities, aircraft designers used some fighter components. Thus, the project gradually began to be modernized, smoothly transitioning into the B-70 Valkyrie. Hopes were pinned on the new unit to replace the obsolete B-52s. However, the program was closed due to a spectacular demonstration in May 1960 of Soviet air defense systems, which easily hit both subsonic and supersonic targets.
At the same time, Khrushchev came to power in the Soviet Union, who firmly believed in the omnipotence of missile weapons. This direction completely stopped work on intercontinental bombers in the USSR. However, aviation, one way or another, needed aircraft capable of destroying AUG (carrier strike groups); in particular, this project was more concerned with the creation of new weapons for the US Navy. In September 1959, the long-range supersonic bomber Tu-22 made its first flight. Its layout was the most original and had not been used anywhere before. A further development was the Sukhoi Design Bureau supersonic aircraft T-4. However, due to political problems, the program was closed in the 70s.
Low altitude supersonic bombers
The period of the 60s in the United States was marked by constant preparations and research in the field of heavy aviation. The Air Force leadership identified this need after receiving data on Soviet air defenses, the characteristics of which were the best at that time. A temporary solution was the adoption of the FB-111 bomber, a modification of the F-111 heavy strike tactical aircraft.
The USSR decided to make an analogue of the American front-line bomber - the Su-24, which took off in January 1970. Unlike the American leadership, the Union decided not to give up high altitude. All efforts were devoted to creating new multi-mode aircraft. Tu-22M is one such project, which first took to the skies in August 1969. At the same time, the United States began to develop a new multi-mode bomber, the B-1A. According to preliminary calculations, it was supposed to replace the B-52, but in 1977, after a series of flight tests, they decided to close the project. In addition, the need for stealth aircraft to break through enemy air defenses disappeared after the successful development of Stealth technology.
Stealth bombers
The new air defense systems of the USSR forced the US Air Force to look for other ways to increase the survivability of aircraft in combat conditions. The F-117, which took off in June 1981, is considered the first stealth bomber. In July 1989, the B-2 bomber, which was created under the ATV program, took off for the first time. After some time, the designers had to slightly change and increase the requirements, since the new S-300 air defense systems entered service with the USSR. A total of 20 B-2 units were built.
Modernity
When cold war ended, many expensive strategic bomber programs were canceled. Before the collapse, the Soviet Union managed to build 35 Tu-160 units, which were based mainly in Ukraine, in the city of Priluki. In 1992, serial production of the aircraft ceased, but a year later production began making small series of Tu-160 for Russia. By 2007, there were 16 aircraft in the Russian Federation. In addition, Russia has 64 Tu-95MS and 158 Tu-22M in service. And in 2015, the Russian Air Force plans to launch into the sky the first domestic long-range bomber with Stealth technology.
In 1990, the US defense demanded new solutions in the production of advanced bombers. Thus, by 2007, the Air Force had 21 B-2 units, 20 B-2A units, 66 B-1B units and 76 B-52N units. Lockheed and Boeing have announced their intention to create a new strategic bomber. It is planned to be put into service in 2018.
Tactical aviation is characterized by blurred boundaries between fighter-bombers, front-line bombers and attack aircraft. The main differences are the flight range and limitations on combat capabilities.
Bomber classification:
Strategic.
Tactical (front-line).
Stormtroopers (support).
Diving.
Fighter-bombers.
The design features of almost all bombers are associated with:
the presence in the fuselage of huge compartments for storing weapons;
large volume of fuel tanks, which can sometimes increase the weight of the aircraft by up to 60%;
the fact that the crew cabins are sealed and large in size.
To create such aircraft, radar-absorbing materials can be used, which reduce radar signature. Sometimes, to cover vast distances, bombers are equipped with an aerial refueling system. In most cases, the power plant is multi-engine.
Aircraft classification:
| A |
| B |
| IN |
| G |
| D |
| AND |
"Ilya Muromets" in flight
Ilya Muromets (S-22 “Ilya Muromets”) is the common name for several series of four-engine all-wood biplanes produced in the Russian Empire at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant during 1914-1919. The plane set a number of records for carrying capacity, number of passengers, time and maximum flight altitude. It is the first serial multi-engine bomber in history.
Development and first copies
The aircraft was developed by the aviation department of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant in St. Petersburg under the leadership of I. I. Sikorsky. The technical staff of the department included such designers as K.K. Ergant, M.F. Klimikseev, A.A. Serebryannikov, V.S. Panasyuk, Prince A.S. Kudashev, G.P. Adler and others. “Ilya Muromets” appeared as a result of further development of the “Russian Knight” design, during which it was almost completely redesigned, only the general scheme aircraft and its wing box with four engines installed in a row on the lower wing, the fuselage was fundamentally new. As a result, with the same four 100 hp Argus engines. With. the new aircraft had twice the load weight and maximum flight altitude.
In 1915, at the Russo-Balt plant in Riga, engineer Kireev designed the R-BVZ aircraft engine. The engine was a six-cylinder, two-stroke, water-cooled. Automotive-type radiators were located on its sides. R-BVZ was installed on some modifications of the Ilya Muromets.
"Ilya Muromets" became the world's first passenger aircraft. For the first time in the history of aviation, it was equipped with a comfortable cabin, sleeping rooms and even a bathroom with toilet, separate from the cabin. The Muromets had heating (using engine exhaust gases) and electric lighting. Along the sides there were exits to the consoles of the lower wing. The outbreak of the First World War and the Civil War in Russia prevented the further development of domestic civil aviation.
Construction of the first car was completed in October 1913. After testing, demonstration flights were carried out on it and several records were set, in particular a load capacity record: on December 12, 1913, 1100 kg (the previous record on Sommer’s plane was 653 kg), on February 12, 1914, 16 people and a dog were lifted into the air, with a total weight of 1290 kg. The plane was piloted by I. I. Sikorsky himself.
In the spring of 1914, the first Ilya Muromets was converted into a seaplane with more powerful engines. In this modification, it was accepted by the naval department and remained the largest seaplane until 1917.
The second aircraft (IM-B Kyiv), smaller in size and with more powerful engines, lifted 10 passengers to a record altitude of 2000 meters on June 4, set a flight duration record on June 5 (6 hours 33 minutes 10 seconds), June 16-17 made a flight from St. Petersburg to Kyiv with one landing. In honor of this event, the series was named Kyiv. In 1915-1917, 3 more aircraft with the name “Kyiv” were produced.
Aircraft of the first and Kyiv types were called series B. A total of 7 copies were produced.
Use during World War I
By the beginning of the war (August 1, 1914), 4 Ilya Muromets had already been built. By September 1914 they were transferred to the Imperial Air Force.
On December 10 (23), 1914, the emperor approved the resolution of the military council on the creation of the Ilya Muromets bomber squadron (Airship Squadron, EVC), which became the world's first bomber formation. M.V. Shidlovsky became its head. The Directorate of the Ilya Muromets airship squadron was located at the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief at the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. He had to start work practically from scratch - the only pilot capable of flying the Muromtsy was Igor Sikorsky, the rest were distrustful and even hostile to the very idea of heavy aviation, they had to be retrained, and the machines had to be armed and re-equipped.
During the war, the production of aircraft of the B series, the most widespread (30 units produced), began. They differed from the B series in being smaller in size and faster. The crew consisted of 4 people, some modifications had two engines. Bombs weighing about 80 kg were used, less often up to 240 kg. In the fall of 1915, an experiment was carried out with the bombing of the largest bomb in the world at that time, a 410-kilogram bomb.
In 1915, production of the G series began with a crew of 7 people, G-1, in 1916 - G-2 with a shooting cabin, G-3, in 1917 - G-4. In 1915-1916, three D-series vehicles (DIM) were produced. Aircraft production continued until 1918. G-2 aircraft, one of which (the third named “Kyiv”) reached an altitude of 5200 m, was used during the Civil War.
From the combat report:
Lieutenant I. S. Bashko
“...In flight (July 5, 1915) at an altitude of about 3200-3500 m, the plane under the command of Lieutenant Bashko was attacked by three German aircraft. The first of them was seen through the lower hatch, and it was about 50 meters below our car. At the same time, our plane was over Shebrin, 40 versts from the forward positions under the control of Lieutenant Smirnov. Lieutenant Smirnov was immediately replaced by Lieutenant Bashko. The German car, having greater speed and a large power reserve, quickly overtook our plane and ended up 50 meters higher from right side in front, opening machine-gun fire on our plane. In the cockpit of our vehicle at this time, the work of the crew members was distributed as follows: Lieutenant Smirnov was near the commander, staff captain Naumov opened fire from a machine gun, and co-pilot Lavrov from a carbine. During the first attack by the enemy, machine gun fire from an enemy vehicle broke both upper gasoline tanks, the filter of the right engine group, the radiator of the 2nd engine, both gasoline pipes of the left engine group were broken, the glass of the right front windows was broken, and the aircraft commander, lieutenant, was wounded in the head and leg Bashko. Since the gasoline lines to the left engines were interrupted, the left taps from the gasoline tanks were immediately closed and the fuel pump of the left tank was turned off. Then the flight of our car was on two right engines.
Following the first plane, the next German plane immediately appeared, which flew only once above us on the left and fired at our plane with a machine gun, and the oil tank of the second engine was pierced. Lieutenant Smirnov opened fire on this plane from a carbine, co-pilot Lavrov was in the front compartment of the cabin near the filter, and staff captain Naumov was repairing the machine gun. Since the machine gun was completely out of order, Lieutenant Smirnov handed over the carbine to Naumov, and he replaced co-pilot Lavrov, taking measures to conserve gasoline, since Lavrov’s both hands were numb from great stress. The second German plane did not attack us again.
On the line of forward positions, our vehicle was machine-gunned by a third German aircraft flying at a great distance to the left and above us. At the same time, artillery was also firing at us. The altitude at that time was about 1400-1500 m. When approaching the city of Kholm at an altitude of 700 m, the right engines also stopped, because the entire supply of gasoline had run out, so it was necessary to make a forced descent. The last one was made 4-5 versts from the town of Kholm near the village of Gorodishche, near the airfield of the 24th aviation regiment on a swampy meadow. At the same time, the landing gear wheels got stuck right up to the struts and were broken: the left half of the chassis, 2 struts, the propeller of the second engine, several transmission levers, and the right rear lower spar of the middle compartment was slightly cracked. When inspecting the aircraft after landing, in addition to the above, the following damage from machine gun fire was found: the propeller of the 3rd engine was broken in two places, the iron strut of the same engine was broken, the tire was broken, the rotor of the second engine was damaged, the cargo frame of the same engine was broken, the rear strut was broken the first engine, the front strut of the second engine and several holes in the surface of the aircraft. The descent was carried out personally by the aircraft commander, Lieutenant Bashko, despite his injuries.”
During the war years, 60 vehicles were received by the troops. The squadron flew 400 sorties, dropped 65 tons of bombs and destroyed 12 enemy fighters. Moreover, during the entire war, only 1 aircraft was shot down directly by enemy fighters (which was attacked by 20 aircraft at once), and 3 were shot down.
On September 12 (25), 1916, during a raid on the headquarters of the 89th German Infantry Division in the village of Antonovo and the Boruny station, the plane (ship XVI) of Lieutenant D. D. Maksheev was shot down.
Two more Muromets were shot down by anti-aircraft battery fire:
On November 2, 1915, the plane of Staff Captain Ozersky was shot down, the ship crashed
On 04/13/1916, Lieutenant Konstenchik’s plane came under fire; the ship managed to reach the airfield, but due to the damage received it could not be restored.
In April 1916, 7 German airplanes bombed the airfield in Segewold, as a result of which 4 Muromets were damaged.
But the most common cause of losses were technical problems and various accidents - about two dozen cars were lost because of this. The IM-B Kyiv flew about 30 combat missions and was later used as a training aircraft.
According to General Brusilov A.A., Ilya Muromets did not live up to the hopes placed on him:
The famous “Ilya Muromtsy”, on which so many hopes were pinned, did not justify themselves. It must be assumed that in the future, this type of aircraft will be significantly improved, but at that time it could not bring significant benefit...
Brusilov A. A. “Memories.”
Walking deck on the roof of the cabin, passengers could go out there while moving
Use after the October Revolution
In 1918, not a single combat mission was carried out by the Muromtsev. Only in August - September 1919 was Soviet Russia able to use two vehicles in the Orel area.
The first regular flights on domestic airlines in the RSFSR began in January 1920 with flights Sarapul - Yekaterinburg - Sarapul on the Ilya Muromets heavy aircraft.
In 1920, several sorties were flown during the Soviet-Polish War and military operations against Wrangel. On November 21, 1920, the last combat flight of the Ilya Muromets took place.
On May 1, 1921, the postal and passenger airline Moscow - Kharkov was opened. The line was served by 6 Muromtsevs, heavily worn out and with exhausted engines, which is why it was closed on October 10, 1922. During this time, 60 passengers and about 2 tons of cargo were transported.
In 1922, Socrates Monastyrev made a flight from Moscow to Baku on an Ilya Muromets plane.
One of the mail planes was transferred to an aviation school (Serpukhov), where it made about 80 training flights during 1922-1923. After this, the Muromets did not take off. The Air Force Museum displays a model of the Ilya Muromets, equipped with Czech-made engines. It was made life-size by order of the Mosfilm film studio for the filming of the film “The Poem of Wings.” The model is capable of taxiing and jogging around the airfield. It entered the Air Force Museum in 1979 and has been on display since 1985 after restoration.
Ilya Muromets IM-B IM-V IM-G-1 IM-D-1 IM-E-1 Aircraft type bomber Developer Aviation department of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works Used by Air fleet of the Russian Empire Production time 1913-1914 1914-1915 1915-1917 1915-1917 1916-1918 Length, m 19 17,5 17,1 15,5 18,2 Upper wing span, m 30,9 29,8 30,9 24,9 31,1 Lower wing span, m 21,0 Wing area, m² 150 125 148 132 200 Empty weight, kg 3100 3500 3800 3150 4800 Loaded weight, kg 4600 5000 5400 4400 7500 Flight duration, hour 5 4,5 4 4 4,4 Ceiling, m 3000 3500 3000 ? 2000 Rate of climb 2000/30" 2000/20" 2000/18" ? 2000/25" Maximum speed, km/h 105 120 135 120 130 Engines 4 things.
"Argus"
140 hp
(inline)4 things.
"Russobalt"
150 hp
(inline)4 things.
"Sunbeam"
160 hp
(inline)4 things.
"Sunbeam"
150 hp
(inline)4 things.
"Renault"
220 hp
(inline)How much produced 7 30 ? 3 ? Crew, people 5 5-6 5-7 5-7 6-8 Armament 2 machine guns
350 kg bombs4 machine guns
417 kg bombs6 machine guns
500 kg bombs4 machine guns
400 kg bombs5-8 machine guns
up to 1500 kg bombs
"Ilya Muromets" on postage stamp Russia 2015 (DFA [ITC “Marka”] No. 1998)
Armament
The bombs were placed both inside the aircraft (vertically along the sides) and on an external sling. By 1916, the aircraft's bomb load had increased to 500 kg, and an electric release device was designed to release bombs.
The first armament of the Ilya Muromets aircraft was the ship's rapid-fire Hotchkiss gun of 37 mm caliber. It was installed on the front artillery platform and was intended to combat Zeppelins. The gun crew included a gunner and loader. Sites for installing the gun were available on modifications “IM-A” (No. 107) and “IM-B” (No. 128, 135, 136, 138 and 143), but the guns were installed only on two vehicles - No. 128 and No. 135. They were tested, but were not used in combat conditions.
Also, various modifications of the Ilya Muromets aircraft were equipped with defensive small arms: Maxim, Vickers, Lewis, Madsen, and Colt machine guns were installed on them in various quantities and in different combinations.
Reflection of the Muromets plane in art
“While the Dream Goes Wild” - film - musical comedy by Yuri Gorkovenko, 1978.
“Poem about Wings” - a film by Daniil Khrabrovitsky about the life and work of aircraft designers A. N. Tupolev and I. I. Sikorsky, 1979.
“The Flying Elephant” (novel-film from the series “Death to Brudershaft”) - Boris Akunin, 2008.