Outstanding Soviet aircraft designers made a huge contribution to the development of world aviation. The work of these talented engineers created a wide variety of aircraft, which made our country a great aviation power. Domestic airplanes and helicopters are widely known throughout the world. Hundreds of world records have been set on machines designed in the Soviet Union. Presented are 12 documentaries from the Wings of Russia studio about famous aircraft designers of the Soviet Union.
- 01. Artyom Mikoyan
Almost all over the world, the word “moment” has become a symbol of the Russian fighter. Abroad, even fighters from other domestic companies are sometimes called this way. The MiGs owe such great fame to their designer Artyom Ivanovich Mikoyan. His contribution to the development of domestic aviation is unique. His name will forever go down in the history of world aviation.
He is one of the few representatives of our country whose memory is immortalized in the Hall of Fame of the International Aerospace Museum in San Diego (USA, California). - 02. Nikolay Kamov
The word “helicopter” has firmly entered our vocabulary and replaced the outdated concept of “helicopter”. This word was invented by aircraft designer Nikolai Ilyich Kamov. He is rightfully considered a pioneer in the field of domestic rotary-wing technology. It was Kamov who was the first in the Soviet Union to fly on a main rotor.
Nikolai Kamov devoted his entire life to the creation of rotorcraft. His activities as general designer bore pronounced features of innovation, courage, daring... The design bureau he created in the late forties still remains a recognized leader in the field of helicopter development. - 03. Georgy Beriev
World-famous brands brought glory to domestic aviation: “Tu”, “Il”, “MiG”, “Su”, “Yak”...
Standing apart in this series is the Be brand, which rightfully bears the title of “leader of hydroaviation”. “Be” is an abbreviation for the surname of the famous aircraft designer Georgy Beriev. All of his aircraft, in one way or another, became landmarks in the development of world hydroaviation, starting with his first flying boat, the MBR-2. To this day, the A-40 and Be-200 amphibious aircraft, created at the design bureau that bears his name, are unsurpassed in many of their characteristics. - 04. Vladimir Myasishchev
Vladimir Mikhailovich Myasishchev became known to the general public in the 50s of the twentieth century. It was then that his planes were first shown at the parade. The machines created by Myasishchev were for a long time one of the guarantors of the security of the Soviet Union in the Cold War.
Vladimir Mikhailovich has come a long creative way: from a simple draftsman to a general designer. He devoted his entire life to aviation, never doubting his choice for a second. - 05. Andrey Tupolev
Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev is one of the largest aircraft designers of the 20th century. Perhaps no other name in domestic aviation is as important as this one. He made history and was part of this history. In the design bureau under his leadership, more than one and a half hundred types of aircraft were created - starting with the small ANT-1 aircraft and ending with the huge supersonic passenger airliner Tu-144. - 06. Semyon Lavochkin
Semyon Alekseevich Lavochkin became the first in many areas of aviation and rocket technology. The first domestic aircraft with a swept wing, the first flight at the speed of sound, the first intercontinental cruise and anti-aircraft missiles. He had the talent to see the future and was able to find solutions that would make it possible to make a genuine breakthrough into the future. And at the same time, he understood well what was needed today.
Semyon Alekseevich was remembered by his colleagues not only as a talented, but also a truly sympathetic person. Such a personality among great people is truly rare. - 07. Alexander Yakovlev
The name of Alexander Yakovlev is included in the list of the most famous figures in world aviation. He created more than 200 types and modifications of beautiful, reliable and easy-to-drive machines. Yakovlev was an unsurpassed master in creating light aircraft. But his powerful intellect could solve design problems in any class of machines: from helicopters to bombers.
Alexander Sergeevich Yakovlev truly lived by aviation. He was one of those who invested all his strength, time, knowledge, and talent into it. Creating airplanes was his passion and main goal in life.
He once wrote a book about this, which became a reference book for several generations of people in love with the sky. - 08. Sergey Ilyushin
The civil and military aviation fleet of the Soviet Union consisted of aircraft of several brands. Among them are aircraft with the Il brand, created in the design bureau of Sergei Ilyushin.
Manufacturability, efficiency and safety of these aircraft are the main principles of the design school of Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin. - 09. Pavel Sukhoi
Today, Su brand aircraft are known all over the world. The designer of these aircraft, Pavel Osipovich Sukhoi, was always focused on the future. In many ways, this was the key to the success of his cars.
But the path to global recognition of Sukhoi Design Bureau aircraft was not easy. Pavel Osipovich's team fully experienced both the joy of victory and the bitterness of defeat. But to this day, the aircraft of this famous design bureau form the basis of Russian aviation - the Su-25 attack aircraft, front-line bombers and Su-24 and Su-34, the legendary Su-27 fighter. - 10. Nikolay Polikarpov
Russia has given the world many outstanding aircraft designers. But only one of them was awarded the royal title by his colleagues - “King of Fighters.”
It was Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov. However, the “King of Slayers” experienced drama and tragedy in his life, no less than Shakespeare’s King Lear.
Only one plane bore his name - Po-2. But the famous I-15 and I-16, created by Nikolai Polikarpov before the Second World War, brought glory to our aviation in numerous military conflicts. - 11. Oleg Antonov
He was an unusually bright and attractive personality. He wrote books on gliding and children's stories, was fond of painting and played tennis masterfully. He loved to communicate with young people and was not afraid to argue with those in power. Designer Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov lived an incredibly eventful life. She was as multifaceted as his outstanding talent.
On his 60th birthday, two interviews with Oleg Konstantinovich were published in a Polish and Soviet magazine. The correspondents, without saying a word, called their articles the same - “A man who is interested in everything...” But, despite his many hobbies, aviation became Antonov’s life’s work. He managed to build such machines that glorified the designer as one of the best creators of transport aircraft in the world. - 12. Mikhail Mil
In January 1970, Mikhail Leontievich Mil died at the age of 60. He devoted his entire life to work. His famous helicopters are known all over the world. Mi-1, Mi-2, Mi-4, Mi-8, Mi-6, V-1 and other rotorcraft appeared thanks to his genius. And even though he never managed to complete much of what he had planned, the most important thing is that Mil left a school of like-minded people who continued his work.
Mil's students completed the Mi-24 project. Mil’s “helicopter-attack aircraft” concept was embodied in the Mi-28, known today as the “night hunter”. The glorious line of training and sports Mi-1 and Mi-2 was continued by the Mi-34. And in the class of heavy helicopters, Mil Design Bureau created the Mi-26, which still has no analogues.
Work by Zhilin Stepan - 2nd place
Scientific advisor-consultant: Burtsev Sergey Alekseevich, MSTU. N.E. Bauman
Introduction
The flight of the Wright Brothers marked the birth of air transport - new, mysterious and unknown. The emergence of the ability to move through the air became a symbol of the 20th century. More than a hundred years have passed since then... During this time, the airplane has transformed from a dangerous entertainment into a reliable and fast mode of transport, which has significantly reduced the distances between cities, countries and continents.
Since the 10s of the 20th century, almost all world powers began to pay great attention to aircraft construction. Several schools of aircraft construction and aeronautics were formed, and many machine-building plants began producing airplanes. The First World War became an “accelerator” for the development of aviation: during these four years, combat aircraft appeared, which determined the degeneration of clumsy “chicks” into machines that no longer had “toy” tactical and technical characteristics. The aircraft became capable of not only carrying weapons, but also transporting passengers and cargo over considerable distances much faster than a train or ship.
This is how aviation was born.
And the greatest credit for this belongs to the aircraft design engineers who created flying machines from scratch and made them perfect. The way we see them now.
England
Sir Geoffrey De Havilland
(1882-1965)
Born 27 July 1882 in Hazlemyre (Surrey). After graduating from Oxford University and the Higher School of Engineering, he worked in the automotive industry. In 1914 he became the chief designer at Airplane Manufacturing, where he created several D.H. series aircraft used in the First World War. In 1920 he founded the De Havilland Aircraft company. In 1944, Geoffrey De Havilland was elevated to the Knighthood.
Bombers designed by Geoffrey De Havilland were widely used by the British Royal Air Force in the First World War. The most famous of these was the D.H.4, a two-seat, two-strut braced biplane with fabric skin. The power plant consisted of an in-line Rolls-Royce Eagle engine producing 220 hp. Bombers D.H.4 of the latest series with an Eagle III engine with a power of 375 hp. superior in performance to many fighters of that time. The armament, as a rule, consisted of three machine guns (synchronized and coaxial turret), bomb load - 209 kg. During hostilities, these aircraft often received the most important and responsible missions, such as attacking the Zeebrugge dam.
Significant success was achieved by the D.H.88 Comet (the first with this name), specially designed for racing from Mildenhall to Melbourne. The aircraft featured an all-wood structure, a large-capacity nose fuel tank, and a manual landing gear retraction system.
The D.H.98 Mosquito bomber, along with the Spitfire, is rightfully considered one of the most famous and renowned English combat aircraft. When creating the Mosquito design, De Havilland had only one goal in mind - speed. The all-wood aircraft (here, by the way, the experience of D.H.88 was very useful) had a three-layer “sandwich” skin: veneer-balsa-veneer. Incredible survivability for a wooden aircraft was achieved through the full use of the strength and flexibility of the main material - plywood. The main feature of the design was that the aircraft wing was a single unit. Two Merlins XXI made it possible to reach a speed that was enormous at that time - 686 km/h. The aircraft's thrust-to-weight ratio was so high that it allowed it to spin upward “barrels” on one engine! “Mossy,” as the English pilots affectionately called him, became a real thorn in Germany: only at the end of 1944 did the Luftwaffe have an aircraft capable of intercepting it. Soon, aircraft similar in class to the Mosquito appeared in air forces around the world.
After the war, under the leadership of De Havilland, a series of jet fighters with a twin-boom design, atypical for this class of aircraft, was built, the first of which was the D.H.100 Vampire.
But it was the D.H.106 Comet aircraft that brought De Havilland world fame in 1949. Even at the height of the war in England, the Barbazon Committee was formed, whose task was to determine the prospects and priorities in the development of civil aviation. It was on the instructions of Lord Barbazon of Tara that a new airliner was designed. Until then, there was no practice in the world in creating jet passenger aircraft. For the de Havilland company, the development of high-speed aircraft was common practice: the D.H.88 Comet sports aircraft and the D.H.98 Mosquito bomber helped the designers accumulate colossal experience in designing aircraft with high performance characteristics. The “Comet,” designed for 44 passengers, was lifted into the air by 4 Rolls-Royce “Avon” RA.7 engines with a thrust of 33 kN, installed in the root part of the trapezoidal wings with a slight sweep angle. To ensure reliable takeoff from airfields of limited size, a Sprite liquid rocket booster with a thrust of 15.6 kN was used (never before used on aircraft of this type). The first series of "Comets" flew in many airlines until misfortunes began in 1954. As it turned out later, the cause of the disaster was fatigue failure of the metal. After this, the aircraft was carefully redesigned, and, at the same time, the wing area and the volume of fuel tanks were increased. Passenger capacity increased to 101 people. The modernized Comets IV served until 1965, when they were replaced by the American Boeing 707.
Reginald Joseph Mitchell
(1895-1937)
Reginald Mitchell was born in 1895 in the village of Take near Stoke-on-Trent. In 1911, he began working for Kerr Stewart & Co., a manufacturer of steam locomotives. Already in 1919, at the age of 24, he became the chief designer of the Supermarine company. In 1931, the S.6B racing aircraft of his design won the Schneider Cup. In 1937, he completed the design of his last aircraft, the Spitfire fighter.
From the memoirs of the Soviet designer A. S. Yakovlev: “...Visitors were not allowed close to the Spitfire aircraft: the fighter was the newest military secret of England. A rope was pulled around the machine, blocking access. No explanations related to this machine were given. And only Much later, during the war, I learned about the designer of the Spitfire aircraft, Reginald Mitchell. He died in 1937, when his aircraft was put into mass production. Translated into Russian, "Spitfire" means "firemaker." "Spitfire" was the fruit of years of painstaking calculations and wind tunnels, it was essentially the most compact fighter that could be built around a pilot, weapons and a 12-cylinder engine. Its elliptical wing shape, although initially causing trouble for the technologists, allowed for a big gain in aerodynamics. During the war, the aircraft's armament increased from 8 machine guns to 4 cannons. Engine power increased from 1000 hp (Rolls-Royce "PV XII" engine, Merlin prototype) to 2035 hp. (Rolls-Royce Griffin engine). Here's what English pilot Bob Stanford said about the Spitfire: “...some people fall in love with yachts, some with women... or cars, but I think every pilot experiences a state of falling in love when he sits in this cozy little cockpit, where everything is at hand." In 1940, it was the only aircraft capable of opposing the German Messerschmitt Bf109E fighter, which embodied the “Spanish lessons”. The famous Soviet ace Alexander Karpov (30 victories) fought on the Spitfire Mk.IXLF, supplied under Lend-Lease. The quality of the design is also evidenced by the fact that the “firebreakers” flew until the mid-fifties (the last time they were used during the Arab-Israeli conflicts). The Spitfire is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful propeller-driven aircraft.
Germany
Kurt Tank
(1898-1970)
Kurt Tank was born in Bromberg-Schwedenhöhe in 1898. He took part in the First World War, commanded a squadron of a cavalry regiment, and was nominated for awards for personal courage. In 1918 he was seriously wounded. He was educated at the Technical Institute of Berlin. In 1924 he began working as a design engineer at the Robach-Metalflugzeugbau company. In 1931 he headed the design bureau of the Focke-Wulf enterprise in Bremen. In 1945, after the end of the war, he emigrated to Argentina, then to India. Returned to Germany in 1970.
The most famous and widely known aircraft built by Kurt Tank is undoubtedly the Focke-Wulf FW-190 fighter. This fighter, whose mass production began in 1941, constituted the main striking force of the Luftwaffe. It was based on a fundamentally new concept of air combat, first put forward by Kurt Tank: the main thing was powerful weapons, rate of climb and speed (later the Soviet La-5, the English Typhoon and Tempest, and the American P-47D were designed on the same principle ). The aircraft was built as a bomber, torpedo bomber, photo reconnaissance aircraft, attack aircraft, fighter and interceptor. The design of the FW-190 included colossal survivability: the safety factor of the airframe structure was very high - 1.2. The FW-190 had a high wing load, the internal layout of which was particularly rational. The powerful “double star” BMW-801C engine, thanks to which the aircraft had excellent thrust-to-weight ratio, was good protection for the pilot even from cannon fire from the front hemisphere. The FW-190 was distinguished by a very high quality of assembly and post-assembly finishing - Kurt Tank himself insisted on this. The wide-gauge landing gear and low-pressure pneumatics made the aircraft unpretentious to the quality of airfield surfaces and allowed landing at a high vertical speed. The plane's cabin was a bit cramped, but had good visibility, especially to the rear. For the emergency reset of the canopy, Tank used a squib for the first time (since, due to the aerodynamics of the canopy, it was simply impossible to reset it manually at speeds above 370 km/h). The armament of the FW-190 changed several times during combat operations, but the standard was two 13-mm MG-131 machine guns and two 20-mm MG-151 cannons; provision was made for the suspension of bombs, external fuel tanks, Panzerblitz missiles and additional containers with guns. There was a night modification: the FuG-216 Liechtenstein radar was installed on the aircraft. The One Hundred and Ninety became the only German aircraft capable of resisting American heavy bombers. The FW-190 fighter was modernized several times, remaining the most formidable enemy for Allied aircraft throughout the war. In 1944-1945, the magnificent Ta-152 high-altitude fighter was created on its basis, which set a speed record of 746 km/h. During the flight on this plane, one incident occurred with the Tank, which perfectly illustrates the combat characteristics of the vehicle. In the spring of 1945, Tank, who was not a military pilot, but knew how to pilot a plane well, ferried the pre-production Ta-152 to a military airfield in the city. Cottobus. At an altitude of about two kilometers, four Mustangs from the 356th Squadron of the 8th Air Force of the United States were positioned behind the non-maneuvering aircraft. The Americans apparently realized that the strange aircraft was not being flown by a combat pilot, and decided to take the German into a “box” and land him. But the plan failed: the Tank simply turned on the afterburner and left the Mustangs with a climb, “like standing ones.”
No less famous was the reconnaissance spotter FW-189, which our soldiers nicknamed the “frame” because of its two-beam design. The cabin with a large glass area created excellent visibility and made the aircraft ideal for performing the assigned tasks.
One of the best airliners of that time was the FW-200 Condor, designed by Tank in 1936 on his own initiative. The plane was supposed to displace the American Dc-3 and replace the old veteran Ju-52. Aerodynamically, the FW-200 was very clean, and the Condor's flight characteristics were truly outstanding: during a non-stop flight from Berlin to New York, a distance of 6558 km was covered in 24 hours 55 minutes. Winston Churchill called this plane the “Scourge of the Atlantic.” An interesting fact is that Hitler and Goering chose the FW-200 as their personal transport. During the war, the aircraft was produced as a long-range naval bomber, minelayer and patrol aircraft. The anti-submarine version of the FW-200 was very effective. However, in battles, the main drawback of the Condors was revealed - the engines, and during their service accidents quite often occurred with them.
But Kurt Tank’s most outstanding aircraft, in my opinion, is the Ta-183 fighter, which unfortunately (or rather fortunately) remained under construction. Absolutely everything in the design of the Ta-183 was innovative: a swept wing and a turbojet engine located in the fuselage with a frontal air intake. The design chosen by the designer was used in a huge number of post-war combat aircraft, passed testing in Korea with honor and determined the shape of fighter aircraft for many years. After all, the direct descendants of the Ta-183 were the legendary MiG-15 and F-86 Saber fighters. It was on the basis of the Ta-183 that Kurt Tank built his first post-war aircraft in Argentina - the IAe "Pulka" II.
Italy, USSR
Bartini Robert Ludovigovich
(1897-1974)
Robert Ludovigovich (Roberto Oros di Bartini) was born in Fiume (Rijeka, Yugoslavia). In 1916 he graduated from officer school, and in 1921 from flight school, Milan Polytechnic Institute (1922).
In 1923 he immigrated to the USSR. In 1937, Bartini was unjustifiably accused of having connections with the executed “enemy of the people” - Marshal Tukhachevsky and was repressed. In 1956 he was rehabilitated.
In the fall of 1935, under his leadership, the 12-seat passenger aircraft “Steel-7” with a reverse gull wing was created. In 1936 it was exhibited at the International Exhibition in Paris, and in August 1939 it set an international speed record for a distance of 5000 km - 405 km/h. Subsequently, this aircraft turned into the Er-2 long-range bomber, beloved by pilots, which repeatedly opened bomb bays over Berlin during the war.
Bartini's designs were innovative, free and daring. One of these projects was the “P” aircraft - a supersonic single-seat experimental fighter, built according to the “flying wing” design with a low aspect ratio wing with a large leading edge sweep, a two-fin vertical tail at the ends of the wing and a combined liquid-direct-flow power plant. R-114 is an anti-aircraft fighter-interceptor with four liquid-propellant rocket engines designed by V.P. Glushko with 300 kgf of thrust each, with a swept wing with boundary layer control to increase the aerodynamic quality of the wing. The R-114 was supposed to reach an incredible speed of Mach 2 for 1942! But in the fall of 1943, for unknown reasons, the OKB was closed.
In the early 70s, Bartini proposed creating a suborbital interceptor fighter whose task was to destroy enemy reconnaissance and communications satellites. The system for entering orbit was unusual: one launch vehicle was supposed to launch 3 interceptors at once.
Russia, USSR
Lavochkin Semyon Alekseevich
(1900-1960)
Semyon Alekseevich was born in 1900 in Smolensk. In 1927 he graduated from the Moscow Higher Technical School, and in 1939 he became the chief designer of aircraft; from 1956 - general designer. In 1943 and 1956 he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. In 1950, its design bureau was reoriented to the production of missiles.
The most famous aircraft designed by Semyon Alekseevich Lavochkin is the La-5. The famous fighter was created as a result of “docking” the airframe of the not very successful LaGG-3 aircraft with a powerful star-shaped air-cooled engine M-82 (ASh-82) designed by Shvetsov. Finally, our Air Force received an aircraft capable of fighting German fighters “on an equal footing.” The new engine made it possible to achieve excellent performance at low altitudes - the Lavochkin exceeded the Fw-190A in speed by 60 km/h. An important advantage was that most of the aircraft's structure was made of delta wood, which was durable and cheap. The armament of the Laiba, as the pilots called it, was improved compared to the LaGGs and consisted of two ShVAK-20 cannons with 170 rounds of ammunition per barrel. The pilots greatly respected the La-5 for its excellent combat capabilities, ease of operation, and excellent survivability. It was on the La-5 that the best Soviet aces, such as Ivan Kozhedub, Alexey Alelyukhin, Sultan Amet-Khan and Yevgeny Savitsky, won most of their victories. And near Kursk, Alexander Horovets destroyed nine Ju-87 bombers in one battle (this record has not yet been broken). One day, the commander of the famous Normandy, Louis Delfino, made a test flight on the Lavochkin, after which he was indescribably delighted and asked to give the French the La-5, not the Yak-1. The Germans called the La-5 “Neue Rata”, “New Rat” (“Rat” is the nickname assigned by the Nazis to the I-16 fighter back in Spain). After the development of the uprated ASh-82FN engine with direct fuel injection into the cylinders, a new modification of the fighter was released, the La-5FN, which was distinguished by a lower garrot and a cockpit with all-round visibility, as well as some modifications to the fuselage design. The best Soviet fighter of the Great Patriotic War, the La-7, was obtained as a result of blowing the La-5FN model in a wind tunnel, identifying and subsequently correcting deficiencies. The aircraft's airframe has become lighter and aerodynamically cleaner. The armament was increased to three B-20 cannons (although early La-7s were still equipped with ShVAKs).
The most secret work of the Lavochkin Design Bureau was the Burya MCR, a carrier of a thermonuclear charge, which was far ahead of its time. The huge projectile aircraft was equipped with ramjet and rocket engines. Navigation was carried out automatically by the stars. Several successful launches were made. But the program was closed due to the fact that the state could not simultaneously finance the “Storm” and the R-7 rocket designed by S.P. Korolev.
In my opinion, the La-250 Anaconda interceptor, created in 1956, made a huge contribution to the development of modern aviation. By design, the La-250 is a mid-wing with a delta wing; the air intakes and engines were located along the very long fuselage. It was planned to install a special radar with a detection range of 40 km and a K-15U sight. On this aircraft, powerful hydraulic boosters were one of the first to be widely used and studied (for all controls). To fine-tune the aircraft, an electronic modeling stand was built for the first time in the USSR. The La-250 was ahead of its time by about 8-10 years. Despite some troubles, which were later easily resolved, the aircraft was very successful, but never went into mass production. The main reason for this is problems with the development of AL-7F engines. But this aircraft served as a model for the next generations of our interceptors - Tu-128, MiG-25 and MiG-31.
Of course, Lavochkin’s noteworthy work is the S-25 anti-aircraft missile system, Moscow’s air defense system. It consisted of two rings with radii of 50 and 100 kilometers, respectively. Single-stage rockets were positioned vertically. The guidance radar was twenty-channel - it could simultaneously “guide” and fire at up to twenty targets flying at speeds up to M = 4.5. There was active interaction between the missile units, which made it possible to conduct “dagger” fire. The system was unique. There were no others like them in the world.
Ilyushin Sergey Vladimirovich
(1894-1976)
Sergei Vladimirovich was born near Vologda into a peasant family. Since 1919 he was an aircraft mechanic, and in 1921 he became the head of an aircraft repair train. In 1926 he graduated from the Air Force Academy. N.E. Zhukovsky (now LVVIA). During his studies at the academy, he built three gliders. The last of them, "Moscow", received first prize for flight duration at competitions in Germany. In 1933, Ilyushin headed the Central Design Bureau at the Moscow plant named after V.R. Menzhinsky, whose activities were related to the development of attack, bomber, passenger and transport aviation. Since 1935 Sergei Vladimirovich has been the chief designer, and from 1956-70 he was the general designer.
The aircraft that made its designer famous throughout the world was the Il-2 attack aircraft. The fundamental novelty of the aircraft was that the layered armor not only protected the crew and vital organs of the aircraft, but was also part of the power structure of the airframe. A very significant advantage of the aircraft was that it had one engine (Am-38, 1720 hp). Thus, Ilyushin saved the country a huge amount of resources and time. Initially, it was planned to produce a two-seat version of the attack aircraft, but Stalin, who always understood everything better than any specialist, intervened in this matter, and a single-seat aircraft was put on the production line. The absence of a gunner led to huge losses: even bombers hunted defenseless from the rear hemisphere of the Ilya, and attack pilots received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for 10 sorties (usually 100). Only by 1942 the pilot’s back was covered by a gunner with a UBT machine gun. After installing the 23-mm VYA Il-2 cannon, they were able to fight German light tanks, and the new NS-37 cannon even penetrated the top of Pz.Kpfw.VI tanks, the famous “Tigers”. There was also a torpedo-carrying modification of the attack aircraft, the Il-2T. Throughout the war, Germany was never able to create an aircraft capable of comparable combat and operational characteristics to the Ilami. The Germans called Soviet “flying tanks” the “black death”, and Goering said that the Il-2 was “the main enemy of the German army.” IL-2 became the most popular aircraft in the world. About 40,000 of them were built. The Il-2 became the founder of a new class of combat aircraft, the modern representatives of which are the Su-25, Su-39, A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft.
After the War, the Ilyushin Design Bureau designed the Il-12 passenger aircraft, intended to replace the Li-2. During the construction of the next aircraft, the Il-14, and the development of the Il-12, the design bureau began to solve a complex and completely new problem in the world aircraft construction of that time, the problem of ensuring the take-off of a twin-engine aircraft after the failure of one engine on takeoff, during the take-off run, or immediately after take-off. land. The IL-14 turned out to be an extremely successful airliner, unpretentious and reliable; it operated flights on short-haul routes for a long time.
The first Soviet wide-body aircraft, the Il-86, is considered one of the safest in the world. A special feature of the design is its amazing quality for aircraft of this class - unpretentiousness to the airfield surface, as well as a relatively short pre-flight preparation time.
Currently, the Ilyushin Design Bureau is working on promising civil aircraft Il-96, Il-114, Il-103.
Russia, USA
Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky
(1889-1972)
Igor Ivanovich was born in Kyiv in 1889 in the family of a famous psychiatrist. He entered the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, but did not finish his studies, as he began researching and designing aircraft. In 1920 he emigrated to France and then to the USA.
Sikorsky became famous for being the first in the world to prove the possibility of flying a multi-engine aircraft. The Russian Vityaz (Grand) biplane he built first took off from the ground in 1912. At that time it was the largest aircraft in the world. It was powered by two (later four) in-line Argus engines of 100 hp each. Unfortunately, the plane did not survive long. On September 11, 1913, a military airplane competition was held at the Korpus Airfield. The engine of the Meller-2 apparatus flying over the Russian Knight fell off and fell on its left wing box. The damage was so severe that they decided not to restore the plane. But in the meantime, Sikorsky was building the next aircraft, even larger. The new airplane No. 107, named Ilya Muromets, was equipped with new 220-horsepower Salmson engines. When the First World War began, the aircraft was first used as a reconnaissance aircraft, but then the IM became the world's first strategic bomber. Defensive weapons consisted of a 37-mm Hotchkiss cannon (later abandoned), 4 machine guns and 2 Mauser pistols. The bomb load was within 400 kg. One ship was equal to a field detachment and was assigned to the headquarters of armies and fronts. During one of the raids behind enemy lines, “IM” destroyed a train with 30,000 shells with a well-aimed hit from a 16-kg bomb.
After emigrating to the USA, Igor Ivanovich had to work hard to create his own new design bureau. This company consisted almost entirely of emigrants, so it was nicknamed the “Russian company.” Sikorsky's first success was the Clipper flying boat, and the S-42 aircraft set 10 world records.
Since the mid-30s, Sikorsky began developing helicopters. Initially, the emphasis was placed on a single-rotor design with a tail rotor. This was quite risky, since there was practically no experience in creating such machines capable of performing any tasks. The experimental helicopter VS-300 was created first, and was a development of the unfinished helicopter of the 1909 project. An order for an army communications and surveillance helicopter soon followed. The two-seat S-47 was ready in December 1941 and became the first helicopter to go into large-scale production. He was the only one in the anti-Hitler coalition to take part in World War II. After the end of the war, Sikorsky built the S-51 universal helicopter, which was widely used for both military and civilian purposes. Subsequently, Sikorsky’s company became the largest and most famous manufacturer of rotorcraft in the United States, and Igor Ivanovich himself received the nickname “Mr. Helicopter.”
USA
Donald Wills Douglas
(1892-1981)
“When you design it, think how you would feel if you had to fly it! Safety first!
Donald W. Douglas
“When you design an airplane, think about how you would feel sitting at the controls! Safety first!”
Donald Douglas
Donald Wills Douglas was born in Brooklyn, New York. After spending two years at the Naval Academy, he studied aeronautical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Already at the age of 23, Douglas became the chief engineer of the Martin company, and in 1920 Douglas founded his own aircraft manufacturing company. The company remained under his leadership even after Douglas reached retirement age, until financial difficulties forced him to sell it to McDonnell.
In 1934, TWA signed an initial contract with Douglas for 25 light transport aircraft. The Dc-2, or more precisely, the Douglas DST, became the prototype for the next aircraft of a new, improved design - the legendary Dc-3. The new passenger aircraft revolutionized air travel - passenger traffic in America increased by almost 600%! The reason for this popularity was the low ticket price and incredible flight safety. The plane was considered “non-falling”. Profitability was also excellent because the Dc-3 was incredibly convenient and inexpensive to operate (it took only 10 man-hours to replace the engine). The aircraft is built according to the classical design, low-wing; two Pratt-Whitney Twin Wasp R-1830 engines with 1,200 hp power. provided a cruising speed of 260 km/h and a maximum speed of 370 km/h. There was also a military transport modification of the Dc-3, S-47, which was distinguished by a more durable cargo compartment floor and minor modifications. One of the most unusual variants of the aircraft was the landing glider, the engineless Douglas. The release of Dc-3 under license was established in the USSR. The aircraft was named Li-2 (Ps-84), after the name of the chief engineer Lisunov, who set up its mass production. During the War, the Li-2 was used as a night bomber, headquarters, ambulance, landing and transport aircraft. Each air regiment was assigned at least one Li-2 transport aircraft. Although the plane did not have outstanding piloting abilities, it was simple and pleasant. The pilots said about the Douglas: “... the main thing is not to interfere with its flight.” The great advance of the Dc-3 is that its concept underpins most modern airliners. The aircraft turned out to be so successful that about five hundred Dc-3s (some of them were modernized by installing new fuel-efficient turboprop engines) are still flying today.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that the creation of an aircraft lies almost entirely on the shoulders of aircraft designers, who get all the laurels if they are successful, I would like to pay tribute to the engineers, the result of whose work plays an equally, and perhaps more important, role. After all, as you know, “with a good engine, the cabinet will fly.”Famous aircraft engines
Rolls-Royce Merlin, due to its high power density, is considered one of the best in-line piston engines. "Merlins" were distinguished by excellent workmanship. These engines powered not only almost all British aviation during World War II, for example, Lancasters, Spitfires, Hurricanes, but also many American aircraft, such as the Mustang (starting with the P-51B modification). During use, the motor was repeatedly upgraded. An interesting fact is that the engine was developed by the company on its own initiative, without a government order. "Merlins" worked reliably even in the Arctic.
ASh-82 (M-82) designed by A.D. Shvetsov is one of the most advanced radial engines. This is due to its low weight, high power (1700 hp for the first series) and relatively small radius. There were three modifications of the engine. The last of them, ASh-82 FN, was distinguished by a system of direct fuel injection into the cylinders and the ability to use the afterburner mode. The engine had amazing survivability: there are known cases when, after a battle, planes returned to the airfield with engines missing 4 cylinders! The most famous aircraft on which the Ash-82 was installed are the Tupolev Tu-2 bombers and the Lavochkin La-7 fighters. Mi-4 helicopters also flew on these engines.
BMW-003 is the world's first production turbojet engine that fully meets the requirements for an engine for installation on an aircraft. Work on it began back in 1938, and in 1944 active combat use of the Messerschmitt Me-262 fighter, on which these engines were installed, began.
The best (in the post-war years) turbojet engine VK-1 in the world was obtained as a result of the deep modernization and (!) simplification of the design of the licensed English Rolls-Royce Nin engine carried out at the V.Ya. Klimov Design Bureau. The surprising thing is that after these measures were taken, the thrust of the VK-1 almost doubled compared to the Nin! MiG-15 fighters, as well as Il-28 front-line bombers, flew and fought on these engines.
When I started working on my essay, I thought a lot about who I should single out from the galaxy of talented aircraft designers in the world. By talking about famous aircraft engineers, I wanted to show how engineering thought developed, and behind it the history of aeronautics. In addition to special, historical, and biographical literature, I was interested in the opinions of people closely associated with aviation, its recent past and present. Probably, my choice is not only undisputed, but also to some extent biased, because it is impossible not to mention the outstanding scientists and engineers N.E. Zhukovsky, A.N. Tupolev, A.I. Mikoyan, P.O. Sukhoi, K. A. Kalinin, N. I. Kamov, A. Lippisha, M. L. Mil, K. Johnson, V. Messerschmitt, A. Kartvelishvili, V. M. Myasishchev, B. Rutan, F. Rogallo, and many others .
All the people I listed were (or are) not only talented aircraft designers and generators of ideas, but also outstanding leaders and organizers of large design bureaus, which employ competent and, perhaps, no less talented specialists, whose task is to develop individual components, mechanisms, and structural elements . Therefore, in my opinion, it is wrong to completely link the main designer and the main creator (who often remains in the shadows). Unfortunately, the talents of many engineers, due to political, economic, or other circumstances, were never able to fully develop.
Now the time for single designers is passing... All modern production aircraft are created by huge design bureaus, which include specialists of various profiles. Soon it will be impossible to determine the main thing - the team will merge into a single whole.
List of used literature
1. R. Vinogradov, A. Ponomarev. “Development of World Aircraft” - Mechanical Engineering, 1991.
2. Encyclopedia “Avanta +” “Technology” - 2003.
3. “Warplanes of the Luftwaffe” – Aerospace Publishing London, 1994.
4. “Unique and paradoxical military equipment” - AST, 2003.
5. Y. Nenakhov “Miracle Weapon of the Third Reich” - Minsk, 1999.
6. Directory “Aviation WWII” - Rusich, 2000.
7. P. Bowers “Aircraft of non-traditional designs” - World, 1991.
8. R.J. Grant “Aviation 100 Years” - Rosman, 2004
9. V.B. Shavrov “History of aircraft designs in the USSR. 1938-1950" - Mechanical Engineering, 1988.
10. I. Kudishin “Focke-Wulf Fw-190 Fighter” - AST, 2001.
11. A. Firsov “Fighter Messerschmitt Bf-109” - AST, 2001
12. S. Sidorenko “Supermarine Spitfire Fighter” - AST, 2002.
13. A.N. Ponomarev “Designer S.V. Ilyushin” - Military Publishing House, 1988.
14. Walter Schick, Ingolf Meyer “Secret projects of Luftwaffe fighters” - Rusich, 2001.
15. Walter Schick, Ingolf Meyer “Secret Projects of Luftwaffe Bombers” Rusich, 2001.
16. A.S. Yakovlev “The Purpose of Life” - Publishing House of Political Literature, 1967.
17. A.A. Zapolskis “Luftwaffe Jets” - Harvest, 1999.
18. Jane`s Directory “Famous Aircraft” - AST, 2002.
19. Jane`s Directory “Modern Aircraft” - AST, 2002.
20. Encyclopedia “Aviation” - Scientific publishing house “Big Russian Encyclopedia”, TsAGI, 1994.
21. G.I. Katyshev, V.R. Mikheev “Aircraft designer Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky” - Science, 1989.
22. “History of civil aviation of the USSR” - Air Transport, 1983.
23. Yu. Zuenko, S. Korostelev “Russian combat aircraft” - Moscow, 1994.
24. BEKM Multimedia Encyclopedia
25. Multimedia encyclopedia of aviation version 1.0 2001 KorAx
26. I. Shelest “Flying for a dream” - Young Guard, 1973.
27. Daniel J. March “British WWII military aircraft” - AST, 2002.
Internet using
1. http://www.airwar.ru
2. http://www.airpages.ru
3. http://www.airforce.ru
4. http://www.rol.ru
Magazines
1. “Aviation and Cosmonautics”, issue “Military Aviation of Russia” 8.2003.
2. “Aviation and Cosmonautics” 1.2003, p.21.
3. “Bulletin of the Air Fleet” (“VVF”) 07-08.2003, p. 98.
4. “VVF” 07-08.2000, p.45.
5. “VVF” 05-06.2002, p.14.
6. “VVF” No. 6.1996, p.42, p.48.
7. "B"
Outstanding Soviet aircraft designers made a huge contribution to the development of world aviation. The work of these talented engineers created a wide variety of aircraft, which made our country a great aviation power. Domestic airplanes and helicopters are widely known throughout the world. Hundreds of world records have been set on machines designed in the Soviet Union. Presented are 12 documentaries from the Wings of Russia studio about famous aircraft designers of the Soviet Union.
01. Artyom Mikoyan. Almost all over the world, the word “moment” has become a symbol of the Russian fighter. Abroad, even fighters from other domestic companies are sometimes called this way. The MiGs owe such great fame to their designer Artyom Ivanovich Mikoyan. His contribution to the development of domestic aviation is unique. His name will forever go down in the history of world aviation.
He is one of the few representatives of our country whose memory is immortalized in the Hall of Fame of the International Aerospace Museum in San Diego (USA, California).
02. Nikolay Kamov. The word “helicopter” has firmly entered our vocabulary and replaced the outdated concept of “helicopter”. This word was invented by aircraft designer Nikolai Ilyich Kamov. He is rightfully considered a pioneer in the field of domestic rotary-wing technology. It was Kamov who was the first in the Soviet Union to fly on a main rotor.
Nikolai Kamov devoted his entire life to the creation of rotorcraft. His activities as general designer bore pronounced features of innovation, courage, daring... The design bureau he created in the late forties still remains a recognized leader in the field of helicopter development.
03. Georgy Beriev. World-famous brands brought glory to domestic aviation: “Tu”, “Il”, “MiG”, “Su”, “Yak”...
Standing apart in this series is the Be brand, which rightfully bears the title of “leader of hydroaviation”. “Be” is an abbreviation for the surname of the famous aircraft designer Georgy Beriev. All of his aircraft, in one way or another, became landmarks in the development of world hydroaviation, starting with his first flying boat, the MBR-2. To this day, the A-40 and Be-200 amphibious aircraft, created at the design bureau that bears his name, are unsurpassed in many of their characteristics.
04. Vladimir Myasishchev. Vladimir Mikhailovich Myasishchev became known to the general public in the 50s of the twentieth century. It was then that his planes were first shown at the parade. The machines created by Myasishchev were for a long time one of the guarantors of the security of the Soviet Union in the Cold War.
Vladimir Mikhailovich has come a long creative way: from a simple draftsman to a general designer. He devoted his entire life to aviation, never doubting his choice for a second.
05. Andrey Tupolev. Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev is one of the largest aircraft designers of the 20th century. Perhaps no other name in domestic aviation is as important as this one. He made history and was part of this history. In the design bureau under his leadership, more than one and a half hundred types of aircraft were created - starting with the small ANT-1 aircraft and ending with the huge supersonic passenger airliner Tu-144.
06. Semyon Lavochkin. Semyon Alekseevich Lavochkin became the first in many areas of aviation and rocket technology. The first domestic aircraft with a swept wing, the first flight at the speed of sound, the first intercontinental cruise and anti-aircraft missiles. He had the talent to see the future and was able to find solutions that would make it possible to make a genuine breakthrough into the future. And at the same time, he understood well what was needed today.
Semyon Alekseevich was remembered by his colleagues not only as a talented, but also a truly sympathetic person. Such a personality among great people is truly rare.
07. Alexander Yakovlev. The name of Alexander Yakovlev is included in the list of the most famous figures in world aviation. He created more than 200 types and modifications of beautiful, reliable and easy-to-drive machines. Yakovlev was an unsurpassed master in creating light aircraft. But his powerful intellect could solve design problems in any class of machines: from helicopters to bombers.
Alexander Sergeevich Yakovlev truly lived by aviation. He was one of those who invested all his strength, time, knowledge, and talent into it. Creating airplanes was his passion and main goal in life.
He once wrote a book about this, which became a reference book for several generations of people in love with the sky.
08. Sergey Ilyushin. The civil and military aviation fleet of the Soviet Union consisted of aircraft of several brands. Among them are aircraft with the Il brand, created in the design bureau of Sergei Ilyushin.
Manufacturability, efficiency and safety of these aircraft are the main principles of the design school of Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin.
09. Pavel Sukhoi. Today, Su brand aircraft are known all over the world. The designer of these aircraft, Pavel Osipovich Sukhoi, was always focused on the future. In many ways, this was the key to the success of his cars.
But the path to global recognition of Sukhoi Design Bureau aircraft was not easy. Pavel Osipovich's team fully experienced both the joy of victory and the bitterness of defeat. But to this day, the aircraft of this famous design bureau form the basis of Russian aviation - the Su-25 attack aircraft, front-line bombers and Su-24 and Su-34, the legendary Su-27 fighter.
10. Nikolai Polikarpov. Russia has given the world many outstanding aircraft designers. But only one of them was awarded the royal title by his colleagues - “King of Fighters.”
It was Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov. However, the “King of Slayers” experienced drama and tragedy in his life, no less than Shakespeare’s King Lear.
Only one plane bore his name - Po-2. But the famous I-15 and I-16, created by Nikolai Polikarpov before the Second World War, brought glory to our aviation in numerous military conflicts.
11. Oleg Antonov. He was an unusually bright and attractive personality. He wrote books on gliding and children's stories, was fond of painting and played tennis masterfully. He loved to communicate with young people and was not afraid to argue with those in power. Designer Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov lived an incredibly eventful life. She was as multifaceted as his outstanding talent.
On his 60th birthday, two interviews with Oleg Konstantinovich were published in a Polish and Soviet magazine. The correspondents, without saying a word, called their articles the same - “A man who is interested in everything...” But, despite his many hobbies, aviation became Antonov’s life’s work. He managed to build such machines that glorified the designer as one of the best creators of transport aircraft in the world.
12. Mikhail Mil. In January 1970, Mikhail Leontievich Mil died at the age of 60. He devoted his entire life to work. His famous helicopters are known all over the world. Mi-1, Mi-2, Mi-4, Mi-8, Mi-6, V-1 and other rotorcraft appeared thanks to his genius. And even though he never managed to complete much of what he had planned, the most important thing is that Mil left a school of like-minded people who continued his work.
Mil's students completed the Mi-24 project. Mil’s “helicopter-attack aircraft” concept was embodied in the Mi-28, known today as the “night hunter”. The glorious line of training and sports Mi-1 and Mi-2 was continued by the Mi-34. And in the class of heavy helicopters, Mil Design Bureau created the Mi-26, which still has no analogues.
We present to the audience the documentary series "Outstanding Aircraft Designers", which was filmed by the Wings of Russia studio at the request of the Zvezda TV channel and shown in 2012. The heroes of this series are talented Soviet aircraft designers, thanks to whom dozens of different types of aircraft, both civil and military aviation, were designed. The winged creations of these outstanding people set hundreds of world records and made our Motherland a great aviation power. From this documentary series you will learn about such legendary brands of domestic aircraft and helicopters as MiG, SU, MI and so on. "Outstanding Aircraft Designers" is a look at the history of Russian aviation through the prism of human genius.
Artyom Mikoyan
Artyom Ivanovich Mikoyan (1905-1970) - Soviet aircraft designer, under whose leadership such world-famous aircraft as the MiG-1, MiG-3, MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-25. More than 50 world records were set on these aircraft.
Oleg Antonov
Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov (1906-1984) is a prominent Soviet scientist and aircraft designer, thanks to whom Soviet aviation received excellent transport and passenger aircraft.
Pavel Sukhoi
Pavel Osipovich Sukhoi (1895-1975) - founder of Soviet supersonic and jet aviation, Doctor of Technical Sciences. Under the leadership of Pavel Osipovich, Su-9, Su-11, Su-15 fighter-interceptors, Su-7B fighter-bombers, Su-24 front-line bomber, Su-25 attack aircraft, Su-27 fighter and other aircraft were created.
Andrey Tupolev
Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev (1888 - 1972) - a talented Soviet aircraft designer and academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences, under whose leadership over a hundred different types of aircraft were created.
Sergey Ilyushin
Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin (1894-1977) - academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences and an outstanding Soviet aircraft designer, thanks to whom such aircraft as the DB-3 (Il-4) bombers and the Il-2 attack aircraft were created during the Great Patriotic War.
Georgy Beriev
Georgy Mikhailovich Beriev (1903-1979) - Soviet aircraft designer, under whose leadership the seaplanes MBR-2, MP-1, KOR-2 (Be-4), Be-12PS and others were created.
Vladimir Myasishchev
Vladimir Mikhailovich Myasishchev (1902-1978) - Soviet aircraft designer, head of OKB-23. Under the leadership of Vladimir Mikhailovich, such aircraft as M-50, M-4, 3M/M-6, M-17 "Stratosphere", M-55 "Geophysics", M-18 were created.
Nikolay Polikarpov
Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov (1892-1944) - talented Russian aircraft designer, head of OKB-51. Under the leadership of Nikolai Nikolaevich, more than a dozen fighter aircraft, a heavy bomber - TB-2 and a number of other types of aircraft were created.
Mikhail Mil
Mikhail Leontievich Mil (1909-1970) - Doctor of Technical Sciences and famous designer of Soviet helicopters. In 1964, Mikhail Leontievich became the general designer of the experimental design bureau. His team created the Mi-2, Mi-4, Mi-6, Mi-8, Mi-10, Mi-12, Mi-24 and others helicopters.
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Soviet aircraft designer, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1953; corresponding member 1933), colonel general engineer (1968), three times Hero of Socialist Labor (1945, 1957, 1972), Hero of Labor of the RSFSR (1926). In 1908 he entered the Imperial Technical School (later MVTU), and in 1918 he graduated with honors. Since 1909, member of the aeronautical circle. He participated in the construction of a glider, on which he made his first flight (1910). In 1916-18, Tupolev participated in the work of the first aviation settlement bureau in Russia; designed the first wind tunnels at the school. Together with N. E. Zhukovsky, he was the organizer and one of the leaders of TsAGI. In 1918-36 - member of the board and deputy head of the institute for experimental all-metal aircraft construction. A.N. Tupolev - organizer of the production of the Soviet aluminum alloy - chain mail aluminum, semi-finished products from it. Since 1922, Tupolev has been the chairman of the Commission for the Construction of Metal Aircraft at TsAGI. From that time on, the experimental design bureau formed and headed by him for the design and production of all-metal aircraft of various classes began to operate in the TsAGI system. In 1922-36, Tupolev was one of the creators of the scientific and technical base of TsAGI, the developer of projects for a number of laboratories, wind tunnels, an experimental hydraulic channel, and the country's first pilot plant for the construction of all-metal aircraft. In 1923, Tupolev created his first light aircraft of mixed design (ANT-1), in 1924 - the first Soviet all-metal aircraft (ANT-2), in 1925 - the first all-metal combat aircraft (ANT-Z), built in series. For the first time in world practice, Tupolev not only scientifically substantiated the rationality of the design of a cantilever all-metal monoplane with a wing profile of a large “structural height”, with engines located in its nose, but also created such an aircraft that had no analogues (ANT-4, 1925). Tupolev developed and put into practice the technology for large-scale production of light and heavy metal aircraft. Under his leadership, bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, fighters, passenger, transport, marine, and special record-breaking aircraft, as well as snowmobiles, torpedo boats, gondolas, motor mounts and the plumage of the first owls were designed. airships. He introduced into the practice of domestic aircraft manufacturing the organization of branches of the main design bureau at serial factories, which significantly accelerated the production of aircraft; the creation of its own flight development bases at the design bureau, which reduced the time required for both factory and state testing of prototypes.
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Fig.1 Tu-2 bomber |
In 1936, Tupolev was appointed first deputy head and chief engineer of the Main Directorate of Aviation Industry of the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry, at the same time he headed the design bureau separated from the TsAGI system with a plant of experimental designs (aircraft plant No. 156). He was unreasonably repressed and in 1937-41, while in prison, he worked in the Central Committee B-29 of the NKVD. Here he created the front-line bomber “103” (Tu-2). Tupolev's milestone aircraft, which embodied the latest achievements of science and technology and aviation design in the pre-war period, were: ANT-4, ANT-6, ANT-40, ANT-42, Tu-2 bombers; passenger aircraft ANT-9, ANT-14, ANT-20 “Maxim Gorky” and the record-breaking ANT-25. TV-1, TV-3, SB, R-6, TV-7, MTB-2, Tu-2 and torpedo boats G-4, G-5 participated in the Great Patriotic War.
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Fig.2 Tu-16 Bomber |
In the post-war period, under the leadership of Tupolev (he has been the general designer since 1956), a number of military and civil aircraft were created. Among them are the Tu-4 strategic bomber, the first Soviet jet bomber Tu-12, the Tu-95 turboprop strategic bomber, the Tu-16 bomber, and the Tu-22 supersonic bomber. In 1956-57 A new division was created in the design bureau, whose task was to develop unmanned aircraft. Cruise missiles "121", "123", SAM "131", unmanned reconnaissance aircraft Tu-123 "Yastreb" were developed. Work was carried out on the hypersonic glide vehicle "130" and the rocket plane "136" ("Zvezda"). Since 1955, work has been carried out on bombers with a nuclear power plant (NPP). After the flights of the Tu-95LAL flying laboratory, it was planned to create an experimental Tu-119 aircraft with nuclear power systems and supersonic bombers "120".
On the basis of the Tu-16 bomber, the first Soviet jet passenger aircraft, Tu-104, was created in 1955. It was followed by the first turboprop intercontinental aircraft Tu-114, short- and medium-haul aircraft Tu-110, Tu-124, Tu-134, Tu-154, as well as the supersonic passenger aircraft Tu-144 (together with A. A. Tupolev). Under the leadership of Tupolev, over 100 types of aircraft were designed, 70 of which were built in series. His planes set 78 world records and performed about 30 outstanding flights. Tupolev trained a galaxy of prominent aviation designers and scientists who headed aircraft design bureaus. Among them is V. M. Petlyakov. BY. Sukhoi, V.M. Myasishchev, A. I. Putilov. V. A. Chizhevsky, A. A. Arkhangelsky, M.L. Mil, A.P. Golubkov, I.F. Nezval. A.N. Tupolev is an honorary member of the Royal Aeronautical Society of Great Britain (1970) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (1971). He was awarded the N. E. Zhukovsky Prize (1958), the FAI Gold Aviation Medal (1958), the Prize named after. Leonardo da Vinci (1971), gold medal of the Society of the Founders of Aviation of France (1971). He was a member of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, a Deputy of the USSR Supreme Council since 1950. Laureate of the Lenin Prize (1957), State Prizes of the USSR (1943, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1972). Awarded 8 Orders of Lenin, Orders of the October Revolution, Suvorov 2nd degree, Patriotic War 1st degree, 2 Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, Orders of the Red Star, Badge of Honor, medals, as well as foreign orders. The Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex in Moscow, the Kazan Aviation Institute, and an island in the Ob Bay of the Kara Sea are named after Tupolev. In the city of Kimry, Tver region. A bust of Tupolev was erected.
