Sikorsky Ilya Muromets
| Sikorsky Ilya Muromets | |
|---|---|
 Ilya Muromets in flight |
|
| Type: | Heavy bomb plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
February 25, 1914 |
| Commissioning: |
1914 |
| Production time: |
1913-1918 |
| Number of pieces: |
73 |
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The Sikorski Ilya Muromets ( Russian Сикорский Илья Муромец ) was the first in series produced four-engine bomber in the world. He could carry his bomb load far into enemy territory. It was named after the legendary Russian figure Ilya Muromets .
development
The Ilya Muromets was designed by Igor Ivanovich Sikorski in 1913 at the Russian-Baltic Waggon Works (RBWS) in Saint Petersburg . It was based on the predecessor model Russki Witjas , which played an important role in Russian aviation development and in the construction of multi-engine aircraft.
Originally the aircraft (serial number 128) was planned as a comfortable passenger aircraft. It had a saloon separated from the cockpit with armchairs, a bedroom and a bathroom. The plane was heated and had electric lights. The first tests began on December 10, 1913. The first flight was on February 25, 1914 with 16 passengers and a dog named Schkalik . From June 21 to 23, 1914, the Latvian pilot Captain Prussis flew the plane from Saint Petersburg to Kiev in 14 hours and 38 minutes with only one stopover. During the summer maneuvers of the Russian army in Tsarskoye Selo, the aircraft attracted the attention of the Tsar , who named it “Kievsky”, awarded Igor Sikorsky the Order of Vladimir and placed an order for ten giant aircraft.
When the war against Germany began in 1914 , only two of the ordered bombers had left production: the No. 135 with German 140 hp Argus engines and a second machine with heavier water-cooled French Salmson engines (two with 200, two with 130 hp ) had to be equipped. The machines could carry 800 kg bombs, plus machine guns for self-defense. The engines were armored with 5 mm steel.
Mission history
In August 1914, the planes were taken over by the Russian Air Force as "Schiff I" and "Schiff II" . "Schiff I" carried out reconnaissance flights against the Przemyśl fortress with the 3rd Army from mid-September 1914 under the command of Staff Captain Rudnew from the Lemberg area . With its Argus engines, this aircraft reached a height of almost 1,000 m. Ship II under Staff Captain Pankratjew reached over 2,250 m with Salmson engines, but Rudnew's mission report prompted Russian headquarters to first declare the aircraft unsuitable for the front. On December 10, 1914, however, a bomber squadron of ten aircraft was set up, which was expanded to 20 by 1916. On September 12, 1916, the Russians lost the first Ilya Muromets in combat with four Albatros aircraft . This was the only casualty of this type of aircraft, along with another one. Three damaged machines were able to reach their home bases again. The construction of the aircraft was relatively robust. Despite not infrequently severe combat damage and engine failures, only two Ilya Muromets were lost during an enemy flight; one of them crashed. However, the damage often turned out to be irreparable upon return, so that the aircraft had to be scrapped. Their combat strength was also great: while only one Ilya Muromets was lost to the shelling of German fighters, the Russian bombers shot down at least ten opponents. The aircraft was nicknamed "Igel" by German pilots.
The Russians sold licenses to England and France. The Germans tried to recreate the aircraft from the remains of the only kill. The development formed a basis for the later giant German aircraft .
At the end of 1916 the aircraft became too heavy due to its additional armament. Sikorski turned to a new type of aircraft, the Alexander Nevsky .
A total of 73 Ilya Muromets bombers were built between 1913 and 1918. Their bombs reportedly had a hit accuracy of 90%. The Ilya Muromets flew more than 400 sorties and dropped around 65 tons of bombs.
The last Ilya Muromets flew in 1922 in the Air Force School in Serpukhov .
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data (Ilja Muromez E-2) | Data (Ilja Muromez G-3) |
|---|---|---|
| crew | 4–8 (max. 12) | 6th |
| length | 18.8 m | 17.10 m |
| span | 34.5 m | 30.87 m above, 20.20 m below |
| height | 3.95 m | |
| Wing area | 220 m² | 159.6 m² |
| Empty mass | 5000 kg | 3800 kg |
| Takeoff mass | normally 6500 kg, maximum 7460 kg | 5600 kg |
| drive | 4 Renault 12-cylinder engines, each 220 PS (162 kW) | 4 Renault Sunbeam , two with 220 hp (162 kW), two with 150 hp (110 kW) takeoff power |
| Top speed | 130 km / h | 115 km / h |
| Rise time | 12 min at 1000 m altitude | |
| Range | 560 km | 460 km |
| Summit height | 3200 m | 2700 m |
| Flight duration | 4 h | |
| Wing loading | 29.5 kg / m² | |
| Power / mass | 0.10 kW / kg | |
| Armament | various numbers and combinations of firearms in war: 12.7 mm, 15.3 mm, 25 mm, 37 mm and 7.62 mm rifles Maxim machine guns , Lewis machine guns Leonid Kurschewski's experimental recoilless cannon |
seven MG with 4100 rounds |
| Bomb load | eight 100 kg bombs or sixteen 50 kg bombs or one 656 kg bomb six 127 mm rockets under the wings |
500 kg |
literature
- Wilfried Copenhagen: Soviet bomb planes. transpress, Berlin 1989, ISBN 3-344-00391-7
- Ray Rimell (Ed.): The big Il'ya. In: Windsock International. No.3 / Vol.6, Berkhamsted, May / June 1990, p. 16ff (engl.)
