Ilya Muromets is the first-born of strategic aviation. Which planes can be called legends and why?

Ilya Muromets(S-22 “Ilya Muromets”) - the general name of several series of four-engine all-wood biplanes produced in Russia at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant over the years. The plane set a number of records for carrying capacity, number of passengers, time and maximum flight altitude.

Russian Empire RSFSR
Years of production	-
Units produced	~80
Basic model	Russian knight
Images on Wikimedia Commons

Development and first copies

Airplane "Russian Knight".

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 layout of the aircraft was left without significant changes and its wing box with four engines installed in a row on the lower wing, while the fuselage was fundamentally new. As a result, with the same four German-made Argus engines of 100 hp. the new aircraft had twice the load weight and maximum flight altitude.

In 1915, at the aviation production of the Russo-Balt plant in Petrograd, engineer Kireev designed the R-BVZ aircraft engine, which became one of the first Russian-developed aircraft engines. 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 lower wing consoles. 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 vehicle was completed in October. After testing, demonstration flights were carried out on it and several records were set, in particular a load capacity record: on December 12, 1100 kg (the previous record on Sommer’s plane was 653 kg), on February 12, 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.

Second plane ( IM-B Kyiv) smaller in size and with more powerful engines, on June 4, lifted 10 passengers to a record altitude of 2000 meters, on June 5, set a flight duration record (6 hours 33 minutes 10 seconds), -on June 17, made a flight from St. Petersburg to Kyiv with one landing . In honor of this event, the series was named Kyiv. B - 3 more aircraft with the name “Kyiv” were produced (one series G-1, the other G-2, see below).

Aircraft of the first and Kyiv types were named series B. A total of 7 copies were produced.

Use during World War I

I.M. series B with 400 kg bomb

Aircraft production began during the war series B, the most widespread (30 units produced). 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, an experiment was carried out with the bombing of the largest bomb in the world at that time, a 410-kilogram bomb.

From the combat report:

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.

Used

See also

• Alekhnovich, Gleb Vasilievich - worked as a test pilot at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant in St. Petersburg, tested the Ilya Muromets aircraft.
• Spirin Ivan Timofeevich - pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union. He worked as an aerologist for the 2nd combat detachment of the heavy ship squadron “Ilya Muromets”, then as the head of the technical unit of the aviation detachment.
• Russian hero Ilya Muromets

Notes

Literature

1. Shavrov V. B. History of aircraft designs in the USSR until 1938. 3rd ed., corrected. M.: Mechanical Engineering, 1985: ,
2. Finne K.N. Russian air heroes of I. I. Sikorsky. - Belgrade, 1930.
3. Katyshev G. I., Mikheev V. R. Wings of Sikorsky ISBN - Moscow, Voenizdat, 1992, ISBN 5-203-01468-8
4. Khairulin M.A."Ilya Muromets" The pride of Russian aviation. - M.: Collection; Yauza; EKSMO, 2010. - 144 p. - (War and us. Aviation collection). - ISBN 9785699424245

Airship, ()

The first multi-engine heavy bomber was created by the great Russian aircraft designer I.I. Sikorsky in 1913. The device, called "Ilya Muromets", appeared on the basis of the previous development of Sikorsky - the world's first four-engine aircraft "Grand Baltic", or "Russian Knight", but it was a larger aircraft with a larger wing area and four engines mounted in a row on the lower wing The new device had flight data that significantly exceeded its predecessor. It had a number of significant improvements and was originally intended for military use. The design of the aircraft was several years ahead of its time, it was revolutionary and became a model for all subsequent aircraft of this class. For the first time, the fuselage had a closed, comfortably equipped cabin.
This aircraft received its name, in accordance with the patriotic sentiments prevailing in Russian society, after the epic hero Ilya Muromets. Subsequently, this designation became common to all its varieties, with the addition of capital letters corresponding to a specific type (series).
The fuselage has a rectangular cross-section of a wooden truss structure, the nose section is sheathed with 3 mm plywood, the tail section is covered with canvas. The fuselage spars were made of ash timber with a cross-section of 50 x 50 mm at the bow and 35 x 35 mm at the tail. The pieces of the spar were connected by means of a mustache and wrapped with braid using wood glue. The posts and braces were made of pine, and the braces were made of piano wire (double). The cabin floor was made of 10 mm thick plywood. The interior lining of the cabin was also made of plywood. On the left side behind the edge of the wings, sometimes on both sides, there was an entrance sliding door.
The front part of the fuselage was a spacious, closed cabin: width 1.6 m, height from 2 m to 2.5 m, length 8.5 m. The total volume of the cabin of about 30 m3 allowed free internal movement of the crew, placing defensive equipment without any particular difficulty weapons and bomb cargo. The frontal part of the cabin, initially curved, was laminated from veneer, and later became multifaceted, with an ever-increasing glass area. The control is single, using a steering wheel, located in the center of the cabin. It was believed that in case of injury, another crew member would take the pilot’s place - this is exactly what happened in combat conditions.
The aircraft's wings are two-spar, with a significantly increased area compared to (in the first copy the wing area was 182 m2), the transverse profile is thin, of significant curvature, ailerons are only on the upper wing. The wing was split along its span and consisted of parts connected by bolts. The upper wing usually consisted of 7 parts: a center section, two intermediate elements on each half-span and two consoles. The lower wing consisted of four parts. The span, chord and area of ​​the wings changed from type to type, although structurally they remained the same.
The box-section spar was made of pine and plywood and had a cross-section of 100 x 50 mm. The thickness of the shelves is from 14 to 20 mm, the thickness of the plywood walls is 5 mm. The spars were assembled with glue and screws. On wings of greater chord, a third spar was sometimes placed in front of the ailerons. The ribs were made from 6 x 20 mm pine slats and 5 mm plywood. Holes were made in the plywood walls to reduce weight. The spacing of the ribs is 0.3 m. The covering is double-sided, made of canvas, which is covered with dope. The wing joints, like many other fastening elements, are made of mild steel, sometimes welded - sometimes in the form of flat plates - in any case of a simple rational design.
The wing struts are wooden, teardrop-shaped, with sections of 120 x 40 mm along the entire length and 90 x 30 at the ends with a smooth transition. The posts were hollow inside. The wing end struts had the same cross-section, but were longer. The braces were made of piano wire with a diameter of 3-3.5 mm and were paired. A wooden strip 30 mm thick was inserted between the two wires, and the entire structure was wrapped with braid, which significantly reduced the resistance of the structure. The minor stretches were single, and the most loaded stretches were made triple.
The horizontal tail had a load-bearing profile and a fairly large area (up to 30% of the wing area). The two-spar stabilizer had a design similar to the wing, but was thinner. It was attached with guy ropes to the “boar” and struts to the fuselage. Single braces. There were initially three all-moving rudders: the middle main one and two small side ones. With the advent of the tail machine gun mount, two spaced apart rudders with axial compensation were mounted, and the middle rudder was abolished. The design of the steering surfaces is wooden, covered with canvas.
The chassis was mounted under the internal engines and consisted of V-shaped struts, skids and braces. In spans they were fastened in pairs on short axles with rubber cord shock absorption. In the absence of wheels of sufficient size, wheels with a diameter of 670 mm were used, assembled in pairs (and covered with leather) in four-wheeled carts to obtain a wide rim, allowing landing and take-off from fairly loose ground. The crutch is an ash beam with a cross-section of up to 80 x 100 mm and a length of more than 1.5 m. The wing had an installation angle of 8-9°, and the tail - 5-6°, this was caused by the almost horizontal position of the car in the parking lot (to ensure the necessary take-off characteristics). The engines were mounted on wooden racks and struts above the lower wing and were of great variety, but all were mostly liquid cooled.
The engines are without fairings; for their maintenance and repair, reinforcement was made on the lower wing in the form of a plywood track with wire railings. In practice, at a fairly low flight speed, within 100 km/h, this device actually made it possible to correct the engine in flight and thereby save the plane.
Brass gas tanks, at first cigar-shaped, and on later machines - flat, were located mainly above the fuselage, sometimes above the engines or above the upper wing. The machine is controlled by cable, from the steering wheel and pedals. The armament was very diverse both in quantity and in location of installation and increased in strength from type to type. In general, we can say that the design was simple, reliable and expedient, and the working conditions for the crew could be called comfortable. The crew accommodation has become classic for most heavy bombers to this day. In the bow there is a bombardier-gunner, behind him is the pilot (or pilots), and behind him is the navigator (flight engineer) and on-board weapons gunners.
Standard bomber armament consisted of 150 - 250 kg bombs placed inside the fuselage on the starboard side in special cassettes. The maximum bomb load was estimated at 80 pounds (480 kg) or even more.
In 1914, for the supposed fights with the Germans, she tested the installation of artillery weapons on a special gun platform located in the landing gear area, under the front part of the fuselage. Tests of the 37-mm Hotchkiss cannon and Colonel Delvig's recoilless rifle (it had two barrels, a combat charge was sent forward, and a blank counterbalancing the recoil force flew back) did not bring satisfaction. The low rate of fire and the presence of additional artillery crews promised unnecessary trouble with unconvincing combat advantages. Therefore, the guns were not used during combat use.
Standard defensive weapons initially included: two machine guns, two machine guns and two pistols. The arrows were located on the sides of the fuselage, in its upper central part and in the space between the upper wings. In the later series, when the number of onboard machine guns reached 6-8, the gunners mastered the front hemisphere of the cockpit, the ventral space and the tail section in the tail area. In this version, almost complete all-round fire from onboard machine guns was provided.

First prototype, No. 107.
The first one built at RBVZ, which received serial number 107, was laid down in August 1913, and already on December 10, 1913 it took off for the first time. No. 107 was distinguished by the presence of an additional mid-wing in the space between the main wings and the tail. Under this middle wing there was an additional chassis in the form of a truss equipped with runners. The tests did not reveal the need to install an additional wing, so it was immediately dismantled. As a rudimentary reminder of this wing, a platform with a railing remained in the central part of the fuselage, which could be accessed during flight.
The aircraft's power plant consisted of 4 in-line 100 hp engines. with pulling propellers.
Experienced at the beginning of 1914 made a number of successful flights, among which were record achievements in carrying capacity. February 12, 1914 No. 107, managed by I.I. Sikorsky, lifted 16 people into the air - the weight of the lifted load was 1290 kg.
The flights showed that continued horizontal flight is possible even when two engines are stopped. People could walk on the wing during flight without disturbing the alignment. In winter, the plane flew with ski landing gear. Engines - four "Argus" 100 hp each. With..
Successful tests and record achievements had an impressive impact on the Main Military Technical Directorate, which on May 12, 1914 entered into a contract with RBVZ for the supply of 10 aircraft of the type for the needs of military aviation.

Subsequently, "Ilya Muromets" was mass-produced in many modifications until 1919. The car was constantly being modernized and improved, although a constant problem was the lack of engines with the required power. In total, according to various sources, from 79 to 83 copies were built.

The first "Muromians" arrived on the Russian-German front in the fall of 1914. At first, the plane was plagued by setbacks: breakdowns, accidents, damage from its own anti-aircraft artillery fire. Nevertheless, the pilots remained confident in the prospects of the flying giant.
In December, the so-called Aircraft Squadron (AES) was created - the world's first combat unit of heavy multi-engine aircraft. The squadron consisted of 12 Muromets: 10 combat and 2 training. This unit successfully fought until the fall of 1917.
The Ilya Muromets aircraft were used as long-range reconnaissance aircraft, and less often as bombers. They were equipped with powerful defensive weapons, with an almost all-round firing sector, and could fly without fighter escort. The cabin was equipped with control and navigation instruments, bomber sighting devices, and a radio station could also be installed. The airships became role models for designers of other countries, but were not completely copied by anyone. The plane was difficult to fly, slow and difficult to maneuver. By the middle of the war, its characteristics no longer met the increased requirements and new foreign devices. Many of the bomb load options were at the level of single-engine bombers.
In total, about 50 Muromets operated on the Russian-German front during the war. Their crews flew more than 300 reconnaissance and bombing missions, dropping 48 tons of bombs. Only one “airship” was shot down in battle by German fighters, and the Muromtsev gunners managed to destroy at least three enemy aircraft.
To the above, it must be added that the Murom crews did not always fly with a full set of machine guns. Often, instead of “barrels” and cartridges, they took an additional supply of bombs.
After the October Revolution and the conclusion of the Brest Peace between Germany and Russia, the Squadron ceased to exist. Most of its aircraft went to the newly formed Ukrainian state, but due to poor storage conditions they quickly fell into disrepair.

End of practical use
The initial period of the Civil War, accompanied by anarchy, anarchy and the plundering of military property, led to the fact that individual copies of the Muromets ended up in the hands of different owners: in the Red Army (Northern Group of Aircraft - SGVK), in the aviation of independent Ukraine, in aviation 1 -th Polish Corps (one copy). At the same time, of the 20 Ilya Muromets devices available in the Squadron at the beginning of 1918, not a single copy was used in a worthy manner in the current situation. Almost all of these machines disappeared in a short time in the revolutionary confusion.
Only in 1919, after the production of 13 different types of copies at the RBVZ, the Reds managed to begin recreating a formation called DVK (Division of Aircraft). These devices were assembled from old factory stocks, and therefore had separate structural elements from types G-1 and G-3. Total with RBVZ in the period 1918 - 1920. The Airship Division received 20 Ilya Muromets aircraft. The DCK was initially based in Lipetsk, and later, from August - September 1919 - in Sarapul.
Throughout 1919, the Muromets of the DCK made several combat flights on the Southern Front against the army of General Denikin and the cavalry of General Mamontov.
In July 1920, "Muromtsy" with red stars made two sorties against the Polish army in the Bobruisk region, and in August 1 several successful sorties on the Southwestern Front against the troops of General Wrangel. These episodic sorties, due to the low reliability and dilapidation of the equipment used, and primarily dangerous for the aircraft crews themselves, became the last combat episodes in the history of the Muromets.
In 1921, according to the decision of the Soviet government, the Moscow-Kharkov postal and passenger line was opened for the maintenance of which 6 fairly worn-out “IM” Airship Divisions were allocated. During the summer period, before the line was closed on October 10, 1921, it was possible to make 76 flights, which carried 60 passengers and more than 2 tons of cargo.
At the beginning of 1922, due to the deterioration of the aircraft and the lack of new arrivals, the Airship Division was disbanded, and the remaining property was transferred to create a flight school in the city of Serpukhov (School of Air Shooting and Bombing - “Shooting”). In the period 1922 - 1923. pilot B.N. Kudrin made about 80 flights in the last flying prototype "IM" No. 285 in the Serpukhov area.

Flight and technical characteristics||No. 107
Upper wing span (m)||32.0
Lower wing span (m)||22.0
Length (m)||22.0
Wing area (m2)||182.0 (210.0 - with medium wing)
Empty weight (kg)||3800
Flight weight (kg)||5100
Flight speed (km/h)||95
Ceiling (m)||1500
Flight range (km)||270
Total engine power||400hp (4 x 100 hp)

V.Shavrov History of aircraft designs in the USSR until 1938

Diagram and design of the aircraft "Ilya Muromets". The large four-engine aircraft of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant, produced after the “Russian Knight”, was called “Ilya Muromets”, and this name became a collective name for a whole class of heavy aircraft built by this plant during 1914-1918.

The Ilya Muromets aircraft was a direct development of the Russian Knight, and only the general layout of the aircraft and its wing box with four engines mounted in a row on the lower wing remained without significant changes. The fuselage was fundamentally new: for the first time in world practice, it was made solid, one-piece without a protruding cockpit, a tetrahedral section, more than human height, without truss reinforcements. The front part of it was occupied by the cabin. The Ilya Muromets was the prototype for all future military and civil aircraft, with a fuselage enclosing the cabin in a streamlined body.

A number of improvements in the design of the aircraft made it possible, with the same four Argus engines of 100 hp. pp., as in the “Russian Knight”, achieve significantly better results: twice the load mass and ceiling of the aircraft. The wing area of ​​the first Muromets (182 m2) was one and a half times greater than the wing area of ​​the Vityaz, and the empty mass was only slightly greater. Cabin length 8.5 m, width 1.6 m, height up to 2 m.

It is interesting that the designers did not immediately come to the final design of the aircraft. Initially, the aircraft had another middle wing between the wing box and the empennage with boars for attaching its braces, and additional skids were made under the fuselage (“middle landing gear”). At first, even a whole biplane box was installed (according to the assumption of K. K. Ergant), and the first approaches were made in this form. However, the additional wings did not justify themselves, the load capacity did not increase from this, and they were removed.

The removed middle wings left a platform on the fuselage with railings on which one could stand in flight.

There was originally one more feature in the layout of the aircraft. Taking into account the military purpose of the Muromets and intending to use a 37-mm cannon and two machine guns for its armament, the designers installed a “gun-machine gun platform” on the middle skids of the chassis, placing it in front of the nose of the fuselage, not a meter below it, almost right next to the ground in the parking lot . The shooter had to climb out onto this platform from the cockpit during the flight. The area was fenced with railings. Later (after the first series) it was abolished.

The design of all Muromets was generally the same - a six-post biplane with wings of a very large span and aspect ratio (up to 14 - the upper wing). The four internal struts were brought together in pairs and engines were installed between their pairs, standing completely open, without fairings. Access to all engines was provided in flight, for which a plywood walkway with wire railings ran along the lower wing. There were many examples when this saved a plane from an emergency landing. On several aircraft, four engines were installed in two tandems, and in several cases, the Muromtsy training aircraft had only two engines. The design of all Muromets was also almost the same for all types and series. Its description is given here for the first time.

The wings were two-spar. The span of the upper one is from 24 to 34.5 m, the lower one is 17-27 m, respectively. The length of the chords is from 2.3 to 4.2 m. The total surface of the wings, depending on their size, is from 120 to 220 m2. The spars are placed on average at 12 and 60% of the chord length. The wing profile thickness ranged from 6% chord in narrower wings to 3.5% chord in wider ones. The wing profile was constructed primitively. Their upper and lower contours were parallel from the toe to the rear spar and outlined in a circular arc. From the rear spar, the lower contour of the profile ran approximately in a straight line to the trailing edge. The toe of the profile was outlined in a semicircle. The profile needle was 1/22-1/24.

The spars were of a box-shaped design. Their height was 100 mm (sometimes 90 mm), width 50 mm, and plywood wall thickness 5 mm. The thickness of the shelves varied from 20 mm in the center section to 14 mm at the ends of the wings. The material of the shelves was originally imported Oregon pine and spruce, and later - ordinary pine. The lower wing spars below the engines had shelves made of hickory wood. The spars were assembled using wood glue and brass screws. Sometimes a third one was added to the two spars - behind the rear one, an aileron was attached to it. The brace crosses were single, located at the same level, made of 3 mm piano wire with tanners.

The wing ribs were simple and reinforced - with thickened shelves and walls, and sometimes with double walls made of 5 mm plywood, with very large oblong lightening holes, the shelves were made of 6x20 mm pine lath with a groove 2-3 mm deep, into which the rib fit walls. The ribs were assembled using wood glue and nails. The pitch of the ribs was 0.3 m throughout. In general, the design of the wings was light.

The sections of the wing box struts are teardrop-shaped, 120x40 mm, decreasing towards the ends to 90x30 mm. On the latest types of "Muromets" these dimensions were larger. The stands were made of pine, glued together from two halves and were hollow. The thickness of the strut material after milling was 9 mm in the central struts (for engines) and 8 and 7 mm in the rest. The end struts of the upper wing were of the same cross-section.

The braces of the wing box were made of piano wire (3.5-3 mm) and almost all were paired - from two wires with a 20 mm wide strip inserted between them, wrapped with glued tape. Thunderbolts in all braces were placed at their lower ends. An adjacent pair of tanders was attached to an intermediate eye, which in turn was bolted to a cup assembly at the base of the racks. The secondary braces were single, but the most loaded ones were also made triple.

The wings were made detachable in span. The upper one usually consisted of seven parts: a center section, two intermediate parts on each half-span and two consoles; the lower one consisted of four parts. The connector units were box-shaped, welded, made of mild steel (s = 40 kgf/mm2). Like all other components in the aircraft, they were of a very simple and practical design. Many nodes were simple flat plates. Assemblies with wooden parts were assembled using bolts with inch threads. The largest bolts were conical with a hexagonal head, under which the diameter of the bolt was 12-14 mm, and at the end 8 mm.

The fuselage structure was braced with a fabric covering of the tail section and a plywood (3 mm) covering of the nose section. The frontal part of the cabin was initially curved, laminated from veneer, and in later Muromets it was multifaceted with a simultaneous increase in the glazing surface. Some of the glazing panels were opening. The midsection of the fuselage in the latest types of Muromets reached 2.5 m in height and 1.8 m in width. The cabin volume reached 30 m3.

The fuselage frame consisted of four ash spars with a cross-section of 50x50 mm in the front and middle parts (up to 35x35 mm at the tail). The joining of the pieces of spars was done with a mustache using wood glue and wrapped with braid. The transverse elements of the frame were made of pine, the braces were made of piano wire, double everywhere. The inside of the cabin was lined with plywood. The floor is made of plywood up to 10 mm thick. In the floor behind the pilot's seat there was a large window with thick glass for sighting devices. On the left side (or both) behind the lower wing there was an entrance sliding door. In later types of the Muromets, the fuselage behind the wing box was detachable.

The horizontal tail of the Muromtsev was load-bearing and had a relatively large size - up to 30% of the wing area, which is rare in aircraft construction. The profile of the stabilizer with elevators was similar to the profile of the wings, but thinner. Stabilizer - two-spar, spars - box-shaped, rib spacing - 0.3 m, rim - pine. The stabilizer was divided into independent halves, attached to the upper fuselage spars, the tetrahedral boar and to the top of the crutch pyramid. Braces - wire, single.

There were usually three rudders: the middle main one and two side ones. With the advent of the rear shooting point, the side rudders were widely spaced along the stabilizer, increased in size and equipped with axial compensation, and the middle rudder was eliminated.

Ailerons were only on the upper wing, on its consoles. Their chord was 1-1.5 m (from the rear spar). The rudder levers had a length of 0.4 m, and sometimes a special pipe with braces up to 1.5 m long was added to such levers.

The Muromtsev chassis was attached under the middle engines and consisted of paired N-shaped struts with skids, in the spans of which wheels on short axles with rubber cord shock absorption were mounted on hinged blocks. Eight wheels were covered in leather in pairs. The result was twin wheels with a very wide rim. The landing gear was unnaturally low, but everyone was convinced that the high landing gear, unusual for pilots, could cause accidents during landing due to the difficulty of determining the distance to the ground.

The crutch was an ash beam with a cross-section on a support of 80 X 100 mm and a length almost as tall as a person. The upper end of the crutch was screwed with a rubber cord to the transverse brace of the fuselage, and at the lower end there was a considerable size spoon. The first "Muromets" had two parallel crutches of smaller sizes.

The fuselage occupied an almost horizontal position when parked. Because of this, the wings were installed at a very large angle of 8-9°. The position of the aircraft in flight was almost the same as on the ground. The installation angle of the horizontal tail was 5-6°. Therefore, even with the unusual design of the aircraft with the center of gravity located behind the wing box, it had a positive longitudinal V of about 3° and the aircraft was stable.

The engines were installed on low vertical trusses or on beams consisting of ash shelves and braces, sometimes covered with plywood.

Gas tanks - brass, cylindrical, with pointed streamlined ends - were usually suspended under the upper wing. Their bows sometimes served as oil tanks. Sometimes the gas tanks were flat and placed on the fuselage.

Engine control was separate and general. In addition to the throttle control levers for each engine, there was one common “autolog” lever for simultaneous control of all engines.

The aircraft is controlled by cable. Initially, a steering frame was made, later - a column. The control was always single. It was believed that if the pilot was killed or wounded, he could be replaced by another crew member, which subsequently happened more than once in a combat situation. Foot control - pedals Control wiring - sometimes doubled in places.

The entire design of the aircraft, as well as its diagram, is for 1913-1914. should be recognized as advanced, production-simple and expedient.

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. After a number of flights with different loads, on February 12, 1914, a flight was made with 16 passengers on board (and a dog), the mass of the lifted cargo was 1290 kg . During February and March, several dozen flights were carried out with a total duration of 23 hours.

The press of those years noted that people could walk “on its wings” during flight without in any way disturbing the balance of the device. Stopping even two engines does not force the device to descend. It can continue to fly 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.

However, despite the success, numerous flights showed that the engine power was insufficient

The flights were carried out in winter, and the aircraft was mounted on a ski chassis. For the first time in the world, skis were built for such a large aircraft, in the form of paired runners and attached to two boars each, with rubber cord shock absorption. There were also two crutch skis.

Airplane|| (No. 107)/IM with middle wing (No. 107)
Year of manufacture||1913/1913
Number of engines||4/4
Engine, brand||/
Power. l. s.||100/100
Aircraft length, m||22/22
Wingspan (upper) (lower)||32.0(22.0)/32.0 16 (average)
Wing area, m2||182.0/210.0
Empty weight, kg||3800 /4000
Fuel+oil weight, kg||384/384
Full load weight, kg||1300/1500
Flight weight, kg||5100/5500
Specific wing load, kg/m2||28.0/26.0
Specific load on power, kg/hp||13.8/14.8
Weight return,%||25/27
Maximum speed near the ground, km/h||95/85
Landing speed, km/h||75/70
Time to climb 1000 m, min||25/?
Practical ceiling, m||1500/500
Flight duration, h||3.0/3.0
Flight range, km||270/250
Run, m||300/400
Mileage, m||200/200

G.Haddow, P.Grosz The German Giants (Putnam)

Sikorsky "Ilia Mourometz"

The world"s first four-engined aeroplane, designed by the Russian, Igor Sikorsky, had a great influence on the aeronautical community throughout the world. The early "Le Grand" and "Russkii Vitiaz" machines visibly demonstrated that it was possible to operate four engines in unison and that a large aircraft could be readily controlled in flight. As stated in the Introduction, here was the true promise of flight: a vehicle to conquer long distances at high speeds in relative safety. "giants", particularly the "Ilia Mourometz" bombers, a short description of the latter is included in this book.
Developed from Igor Sikorsky"s record-breaking "Le Grand" and "Russkii Vitiaz" passenger-carrying machines of 1913, the slightly larger"Ilia Mourometz" was flown for the first time in January 1914. In the summer of that year the Russian Army placed an order for ten machines of the "Ilia Mourometz" class ("Ilia Mourumetz", a legendary Russian hero, was the name given to the first machine only, but later it was used to designate the whole series and each machine was given a number, i.e., IM.IX, IM.XIV.)
The first operational bomber (actually the second one built) was completed in the spring of 1914. On 15 February 1915 the "Kievsky", as the machine was named, took-off from Jablonna airfield to bomb German forces stationed near Plotsk. On this, its first operational mission, it carried a crew of five and bomb load of 600 kg. Nine days later it bombed the railroad station at Willenberg, returning the next day to destroy two ammunition trains detained by the previous day's attack.
As more "Ilia Mourometz" class bombers reached active service, they were grouped into a special squadron known as the E.V.K. (Eskadra Vozdushnyh Korablei). This squadron moved from one front sector to another as required, several additional E.V.K. squadrons were formed as the number of available bombers increased. During 1916 as many as ten bombers would fly on a single mission, and an even greater number in 1917. Available records for the first sixteen operational "Ilia Mourometz" bombers state that they flew 422 sorties between February 1914 and October 1917. A total of 2300 bombs were dropped and 7000 aerial photographs were taken during this period.
The ruggedness of these bombers must have impressed the Germans who met them in combat. The bombers were quite difficult to shoot down; one machine returned to base with 374 shrapnel and bullet holes and one wing strut shot away. Other aircraft returned safely with one or two engines out of action. The crews of the "Ilia Mourometz" could also hit back if their claim for thirty-seven enemy aircraft shot down is correct.
Of the seventy-three "Ilia Mourometz" class bombers constructed, about half were used at the front; the remainder were placed into service primarily as trainers. In thirty-two months of active service only four bombers were lost: two through enemy action, one spun into the ground, and one was lost as a result of Bolshevik sabotage. With the disintegration of the Russian Front at the time of the revolution many of the "Ilia Mourometz" bombers were destroyed to prevent their capture by the Germans. It is claimed that thirty machines were burned by their own crews at the Vinnitz airfield.
The "Ilia Mourometz" bombers had a span of about 31 1 meters (102 feet), a wing area of ​​158 square meters (1700 quare feet) and an overall length of 20 2 meters (66 feet 3 inches). The most striking characteristic was the small amount of fuselage projecting ahead of the wings, giving the bombers a sawn-off appearance. Production was undertaken by the Russo-Baltic Wagon Works in Riga. The basic design was progressively modified; for instance, the original machine was provided with four German 120 h.p. Argus engine, but later type were fitted with British and French engines totaling 880 h.p. Similarly, wing area and weight were increased. The total weight of later types was 17,000 lb., of which 6600 lb. was useful load. The "Ilia Mourometz" bombers were the first to have a tail-gun position, which the gunner reached by riding a trolley on rails running along the inside of the fuselage. At least one "Ilia Mourometz" was fitted with floats for tests with the Russian Navy.

Flight Magazine

Flight, January 3, 1914.

FOREIGN AVIATION NEWS.

A New Sikorsky Biplane.

A NEW giant biplane, to take fifteen passengers, has now been built by Sikorsky, and during its first trials it carried four, six, and eventually ten passengers, together with petrol and oil, totaling to 384 kilogs. The machine has a span of 37 meters, it is 20 meters in length, while the lifting surface is 182 sq. meters, and the weight, empty, 3,500 kilogs. The fuselage resembles in general appearance that of the Nieuport monoplane. On each side of the fuselage are arranged two 100 h.p. Argus motors. As during these first tests the ground was covered with snow, the wheels were removed and the skids relied upon for landing.

Flight, March 7, 1914.

FOREIGN AVIATION NEWS.

More Passenger Records by Sikorsky.

IT is announced from St. Petersburg that on the 26th ult., Sikorsky, on his latest "Grand" biplane, carried sixteen persons, the weight lifted being 1,200 kilogs., for a period of 18 mins. He had previously flown with eight and with fourteen passengers. The next day, with eight passengers, he flew from St. Petersburg, by Gatchina, to Tsarkoie-Selo and back, the flight taking 2 hrs. 6 mins.

Flight, May 3, 1917.

THE "TOTALLY ENCLOSED" AEROPLANE.

<...>
Instead of rebuilding the damaged "Grand," Mons Sikorsky set to work and produced a second machine of somewhat different design, which he named the "Ilia Mourometz." This machine was finished towards the end of 1913, and although its initial trials were not very successful the designer continued to experiment and alter various details, and during the early part of 1914 succeeded in getting some excellent flights out of it. One of the best known of these is the flight made on February 25th, 1914, when Sikorsky made a flight of some 18 minutes" duration accompanied by 15 passengers. In the "Ilia Mourometz" the body was very much deeper than that of the " Grand," so that the cabin did not project above the body proper. Windows were fitted in the side, and extended some distance back of the trailing edge of the wings. The cabin, entered through a side door, which can be seen in our illustration, extended from this door right up to the bows, where the pilot was seated.
Very few particulars of the "Ilia Mourometz" are available, but it appears that it had four engines developing something like 500 h.p. Concerning the machines of this type built since the outbreak of war nothing may, of course, be said, except that some of these were slightly smaller and had only two engines.
<...>

On February 12, 1914, the first passenger aircraft Ilya Muromets set a world record for the maximum number of passengers on board.

Airplane "Ilya Muromets"

16 people and an airfield dog named “Shkalik” were lifted into the air. A whole crowd gathered to see the aircraft, which was unusually large for that time. The designer of “Ilya Muromets” Sikorsky I.I. was confident in his plane, and flew over the city at a low altitude for that time - only 400 meters. At that time, pilots of single-engine aircraft avoided flying over cities, since in the event of engine failure, a forced landing in urban conditions could be fatal.

The Muromets had 4 engines installed, so Sikorsky was confident in the safety of the aircraft. Stopping two of the four engines does not necessarily force the plane to descend. People could walk on the wings of the plane during the flight, and this did not disturb the balance of the Ilya Muromets (I. I. Sikorsky himself walked on the wing during the flight to make sure that, if necessary, the pilot could repair the engine right in the air). At that time it was completely new and made a great impression.

Aircraft test

It was Ilya Muromets that became the first passenger aircraft. For the first time in the history of aviation, it had a separate cabin from the pilot's cabin. The salon had sleeping rooms, heating, electric lighting and, imagine, even a bathroom and toilet.

Separate salon

Tsar Nicholas II appreciated the success of Sikorsky and his aircraft. The State Duma awarded the designer a huge cash prize in the amount of 75,000 royal rubles. In modern money, this equals $2,296.50 or £1,404.75.

2013 - 2019 Events digest.

Status decommissioned Operators Russian Empire Russian Empire
Years of production - Units produced 76 Basic model Russian knight Images via Wikimedia Commons

Ilya Muromets(S-22 “Ilya Muromets”) - the general name of several series of four-engine all-wood biplanes, produced in the Russian Empire on Russian-Baltic Carriage Works during 1914-1919. The plane set a number of records for load capacity, number of passengers, time and maximum altitude. flight. It is the first serial multi-engine bomber in history.

Encyclopedic YouTube

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  The aircraft was developed by the aviation department of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works in St. Petersburg under the leadership 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 design “ Russian knight", during which it was almost completely redesigned, only the general scheme was left without significant changes airplane and its wing box with four engines mounted in a row on the lower wing, 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 an aircraft engine R-BVZ. The engine was a six-cylinder, two-stroke, water-cooled. Automotive-type radiators were located on its sides. R-BVZ 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 lower wing consoles. Start First World War And 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 payload record: December 12 1913 1100 kg (the previous record on Sommer's plane was 653 kg), 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.

  Second plane ( IM-B Kyiv) smaller in size and with more powerful engines June 4 lifted 10 passengers to a record height of 2000 meters, June 5 set a flight duration record (6 hours 33 minutes 10 seconds), - June 17 made a flight from St. Petersburg to Kyiv with one landing. In honor of this event, the series was named Kyiv. B - 3 more aircraft with the name “Kyiv” were produced (one series G-1, the other G-2, see below).

  Aircraft of the first and Kyiv types were named series B. A total of 7 copies were produced.

  Use during World War I

  Aircraft production began during the war series B, the most widespread (30 units produced). They differed from the B series in being smaller in size and faster. Crew consisted of 4 people, some modifications had two engines. Used bombs weighing about 80 kg, less often up to 240 kg. In the fall, an experiment was carried out with the bombing of the largest bomb in the world at that time, a 410-kilogram bomb.

  Production began in 1915 G series with a crew of 7 people, G-1, in 1916 - G-2 with a shooting cabin, G-3, in 1917 - G-4. Three cars were produced in 1915-1916 series D (DIM). Aircraft production continued until 1918. Aircraft G-2, on one of which (the third with the name “Kyiv”) a height of 5200 m was reached (at that time a world record), were used in Civil War.

  From the combat report:

  ...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 planes. 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. Immediately Lieutenant Smirnov was replaced by Lieutenant Bashko. The German car, having greater speed and a greater power reserve, quickly overtook our plane and found itself 50 meters higher on the right side in front, opening machine-gun fire on our plane. In the cabin 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 machine gun and co-pilot Lavrov from 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 our car flew on two right engines. The German plane, after crossing our path for the first time, tried to attack us again from the left side, but when met by machine-gun and rifle fire from our plane, it turned sharply to the right and, with a huge roll, began to descend towards Zamosc. After repelling the attack, Lieutenant Smirnov replaced Lieutenant Bashko, who was bandaged by co-pilot Lavrov. After the dressing, Lieutenant Bashko again began to control the plane, Lieutenant Smirnov and co-pilot Lavrov took turns closing the holes in the right group filter with their hands and taking all possible measures to preserve the remaining gasoline in the tanks to continue the flight. When repelling the attack of the first enemy aircraft, a full cassette of 25 pieces was fired from the machine gun, only 15 pieces were fired from the second cassette, then the cartridge jammed inside the magazine and further firing from it was completely impossible.

  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 completed 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. [ ]

  • 12 (25) September During a raid on the headquarters of the 89th Army 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 Zegewolde, 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.

  Use after the October Revolution

  IN 1920  several flights were flown during Soviet-Polish war and fighting against Wrangel. November 21 1920 The last combat flight of the Ilya Muromets took place.

  WITH May 1 1921 postal passenger airline opened Moscow - Kharkov. The line was served by 6 Muromets, heavily worn out and with exhausted engines, which is why it was already October 10 1922 it was closed. During this time, 60 passengers and about 2 tons of cargo were transported.

  IN 1922 Socrates Monastyrev made a flight along the route Moscow - Baku on the Ilya Muromets plane.

  One of the mail planes was given to an aviation school ( Serpukhov), where about 80 training flights were made on it 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 " Poem about wings" The model is capable of taxiing and jogging around the airfield. He entered the Air Force Museum as a 1979 and with 1985 exhibited after restoration.

  Technical data

  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
  Duration flight, 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 pcs. "Argus" 140 hp (inline)	4 pcs. "Russobalt" 150 hp (inline)	4 pcs. "Sunbeam" 160 hp (inline)	4 pcs. "Sunbeam" 150 hp (inline)	4 pcs. "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 bombs	4 machine guns 417 kg bombs	6 machine guns 500 kg bombs	4 machine guns 400 kg bombs	5-8 machine guns up to 1500 kg bombs

  Armament

  The bombs were placed both inside the aircraft (vertically along the sides) and on an external sling. TO 1916 the aircraft's bomb load 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: in different quantities and in different combinations they were equipped with

   
  

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