the first world war it is difficult to call it successful for Russia - huge losses, retreats and deafening defeats pursued the country throughout the entire conflict. Eventually Russian state could not withstand the military tension, a revolution began that destroyed the empire and led to the death of millions. However, even in this bloody and controversial era, there are achievements that any citizen can be proud of. modern Russia. The creation of the first serial multi-engine bomber in the world is clearly one of them.

More than a hundred years ago, on December 23, 1914, the last Russian emperor, Nicholas II, approved the decision to create a squadron (squadron) consisting of heavy multi-engine Ilya Muromets aircraft. This date can be called the birthday of domestic long-range aviation and the most important milestone in the global aircraft industry. The creator of the first Russian multi-engine aircraft was the brilliant designer Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky.

"Ilya Muromets" is common name several modifications of multi-engine aircraft, mass-produced at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works in St. Petersburg from 1913 to 1917. During this period, more than eighty aircraft were manufactured, many records were set on them: in terms of flight altitude, carrying capacity, time spent in the air and the number of passengers carried. After the start great war"Ilya Muromets" retrained as a bomber. Technical solution first used on the Ilya Muromets for many decades to come determined the development of bomber aircraft.

After the end of the Civil War, Sikorsky's aircraft were used as passenger aircraft for some time. The designer himself did not accept the new government and emigrated to the United States.

The history of the creation of the aircraft "Ilya Muromets"

Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was born in 1882 in Kyiv into the family of a professor at Kyiv University. The future designer was educated at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, where he joined the Aeronautical Section, which united enthusiasts of the still nascent aviation. The section included both students and teachers of the university.

In 1910, Sikorsky lifted into the air the first single-engine S-2 of his own design. In 1912, he received a position as a designer at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works in St. Petersburg, one of the leading machine-building enterprises of the Russian Empire. In the same year, Sikorsky began to create the first multi-engine experimental aircraft S-21 "Russian Knight", which took off in May 1913.

The success of the designer did not go unnoticed: an unprecedented one was demonstrated to Emperor Nicholas II, The State Duma gave the inventor 75 thousand rubles, and the military awarded Sikorsky with an order. But, most importantly, the military ordered ten new aircraft, planning to use them as reconnaissance and bombers.

The first "Russian Knight" was lost as a result of an absurd accident: an engine fell off it, falling off an airplane flying in the sky. Moreover, the latter managed to land safely without an engine. Such were the realities of aeronautics in those days.

"Vityaz" decided not to restore. Sikorsky wanted to start creating a new air giant, the name of which was given in honor of the epic Russian hero - "Ilya Muromets". The new aircraft was ready in the autumn of 1913, and its dimensions and its appearance and the dimensions really amazed contemporaries.

The length of the Ilya Muromets hull reached 19 meters, the wingspan was 30, their area (on different modifications of the aircraft) was from 125 to 200 square meters. meters. The weight of an empty airplane was 3 tons, it could stay in the air for up to 10 hours. The plane developed a speed of 100-130 km / h, which was quite good for that time. Initially, the Ilya Muromets was created as a passenger aircraft, in its cabin there was light, heating and even a bathroom with a toilet - unheard of things for aviation of that era.

In the winter of 1913, tests began, "Ilya Muromets" for the first time in history was able to lift 16 people and the airfield dog Shkalik into the air. The weight of the passengers was 1290 kg. To convince the military of the reliability of the new machine, Sikorsky flew from St. Petersburg to Kyiv and back.

In the first days of the war, ten squadrons were formed with the participation of heavy bombers. Each such detachment consisted of one bomber and several light aircraft, the squadrons were directly subordinate to the headquarters of the armies and fronts. By the beginning of the war, four aircraft were ready.

However, it soon became clear that such use of airplanes is inefficient. At the end of 1914, it was decided to unite all Ilya Muromets aircraft into one squadron, which would be directly subordinate to the Headquarters. In fact, the world's first formation of heavy bombers was created. Shidlovsky, the owner of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works, became his immediate supervisor.

The first sortie took place in February 1915. During the war, two new aircraft modifications were made.

The idea to attack the enemy from the air appeared immediately after the appearance of balloons. Aircraft for this purpose were first used during the Balkan conflict of 1912-1913. However, the effectiveness of air strikes was extremely low, the pilots manually threw ordinary grenades at the enemy, aiming "by eye". Most of the military was skeptical about the idea of ​​using airplanes.

"Ilya Muromets" brought bombing to a completely different level. Bombs were hung both outside the aircraft and inside its fuselage. In 1916, electric droppers were used for the first time for bombing. A pilot piloting an airplane no longer needed to search for targets on the ground and drop bombs: the crew of a combat aircraft consisted of four or seven people (in various modifications). However, the most important was a significant increase in the bomb load. "Ilya Muromets" could use bombs weighing 80 and 240 kg, and in 1915 an experimental 410-kilogram bomb was dropped. The destructive effect of these ammunition cannot be compared with grenades or small bombs, which were armed with most vehicles of that time.

"Ilya Muromets" had a closed fuselage, which housed the crew and quite impressive defensive weapons. On the first machines to fight the "zeppelins" a rapid-fire 37-mm cannon was installed, then it was replaced with machine guns (up to 8 pieces).

During the war, "Ilya Murometsy" made more than 400 sorties and dropped 60 tons of bombs on the heads of enemies, up to 12 enemy fighters were destroyed in air battles. In addition to bombing, airplanes were also actively used for reconnaissance. Enemy fighters shot down one "Ilya Muromets", two more aircraft were destroyed by anti-aircraft artillery fire. At the same time, one of the airplanes was able to reach the airfield, but could not be restored due to severe damage.

Much more dangerous than enemy fighters and anti-aircraft guns for pilots were technical problems, because of them more than two dozen airplanes were lost.

In 1917, the Russian Empire was rapidly falling into the Time of Troubles. There was no time for bombers. Most of the air squadron was destroyed by its own because of the threat of capture by German troops. Shidlovsky, along with his son, was shot by the Red Guards in 1918 while trying to cross the Finnish border. Sikorsky emigrated to the United States and became one of the most famous aircraft designers of the 20th century.

Description of the aircraft "Ilya Muromets"

"Ilya Muromets" is a biplane with two-spar wings and six struts between them. The fuselage had a shortened nose and an elongated tail. The horizontal tail and wings had a large elongation. The design of all modifications of the aircraft was identical, only the dimensions of the wings, plumage, fuselage and engine power differed.

The fuselage structure was braced, its tail section was covered with fabric, and the nose section was covered with 3 mm plywood. On the later modifications of the Ilya Muromets, the cabin glazing area was increased, some of the panels could be opened.

All the main parts of the aircraft were made of wood. The wings were assembled from separate parts: the upper wing consisted of seven parts, the lower one - of four. Ailerons were located only on the upper wing.

Four internal racks were brought together and water-cooled engines and radiators were installed between them. The motors were absolutely open, without any fairings. Thus, access to all engines was provided directly in flight, and a plywood track with railings was made on the lower wing. The pilots of that time often had to repair their aircraft right in flight and there were many examples when it saved an airplane from a forced landing or a disaster.

"Ilya Muromets" model 1914 was equipped with two Argus internal engines with a capacity of 140 liters. with. and two external - 125 liters each. with.

Brass fuel tanks were located on the underside of the upper wing.

The vertical plumage consisted of three rudders - a central main and two additional lateral ones. After the appearance of the rear machine-gun point, the central steering wheel was removed, and the side ones were spaced apart.

Chassis "Ilya Muromets" was multi-wheeled. It consisted of two pairs of twin wheels. An anti-bonnet ski was strengthened on each chassis bogie.

Characteristics of "Ilya Muromets"

After Igor Sikorsky clearly proved the possibility of building a large multi-engine aircraft and its effectiveness as a bomber, the military of all the warring parties wanted to get an aircraft of this class. Long-range multi-engine bombers (by the standards of the First World War, of course) appeared in the air fleets of almost all warring states. The Italians were the first to create such aircraft, or rather the aircraft designer Giani Caproni ...

Giani Caproni

In 1911, in Caproni, he founded the company "Combinations per lo Svilluppo del'Aviazione in Italy - Caproni" and began to develop large aircraft. The first of these was Ca.30 (factory designation). Like all subsequent Caproni aircraft of the First World War, it was built according to the scheme of a twin-fuselage biplane with a central gondola, one pusher and two puller propellers. On Ca.30, the engines were located in the central gondola and the pulling screws located on the fuselages were driven by belt drives. In the following models, the designer abandoned unreliable gears, and the pusher propeller engines “moved” to the front of the fuselages.

Model Ca.31 under the army designation Ca.1 entered service with the Italian Air Force. 8 cars were produced.

Ca.32 (army designation Ca.2) with more powerful Fiat-A10 engines, 100 hp each, was produced in a series of 164 vehicles. And Ca.33 (Ca.3) became the most massive bomber in the Italian army. During the war, the troops received 269 aircraft. In addition to the bomber, there were variants of a torpedo bomber, a seaplane, and a transport and sanitary aircraft.

"Caproni" Ca.Z was a four-seat biplane with two fuselages and a central gondola. The structure of the aircraft is solid wood. The central gondola is rectangular, sheathed with plywood. In front of it was the place of the bow shooter. Further, the pilot and navigator sat next to each other. At the end of the gondola was an engine that rotated the pusher propeller. The wings are wooden, two-spar, straight, of the same span and the same width, with fabric covering. Two wooden fuselages, rectangular section. In front, they were attached to the spars of the lower wing. In front of the fuselages were motors with pulling propellers. The fuselages were of the same length, connected at the rear by a horizontal stabilizer. On the stabilizer were three floating rudders. The tail unit is wooden, with fabric lining. Chassis with two wheeled bogies under the fuselages and one bogie under the central gondola. In the tail section of each fuselage there was a support crutch. The wooden frame was reinforced with wire extensions. The aircraft was equipped with three 6-cylinder in-line liquid-cooled Isotta-Fraschini V-48 engines with a power of 110 kW. The engines rotated wooden two-bladed propellers. The radiators were on the sides of the engines. The aircraft is armed with two FIAT-Revelli machine guns of 6.5 mm caliber. One in the front cockpit (sometimes a 25-mm cannon was placed there instead of a machine gun), the second twin (sometimes built) in the cockpit above the upper engine, where a ladder from the gondola led. The machine gun in the upper rear cockpit had an unlimited sector of fire. But the man in the upper cabin was open to all winds, which was especially felt in winter. Two 200 kg bombs were hung under the gondola. Resetting occurred manually using a traction mechanism.

The largest and most powerful Italian bomber in the First World War was the Caproni triplane Ca.4 ...

After the success of the Ca.3 bomber in 1916, Giani Caproni decided to build a larger machine. General scheme aircraft remained the same, but the dimensions were proportionally increased. For compensation lifting force the increased weight of the machine, the designer added a third wing. The central gondola was at the level of the middle wing, and the fuselages immediately below it. The Ca.4 used the most powerful engines available: the first three cars were equipped with Fiat A-40 engines with a power of 224 kW, the next 15 cars received Isotta-Fraschini U-5 with a power of 292 kW, and another 23 cars were equipped with Right Liberty » with a capacity of 298 kW (400hp). The bomb load of the aircraft was 1950 kg. The bombs were placed in bomb racks (16 bombs) under the central gondola. The crew consisted of five people: a pilot, a navigator and three gunners. The pilot and navigator sat shoulder to shoulder in the central part of the gondola. One gunner was in the bow of the gondola, the other two were in the side fuselages under the trailing edge of the wing. The nose gunner had a 6.5 mm FIAT-Revelli machine gun (sometimes coaxial) or a 37 mm cannon. The gunners in the fuselages had coaxial FIAT-Revelli machine guns. The bomber was well protected, with the exception of the lower hemisphere in which there were “dead zones” that could not be shot through.

The giant Ca.4 triplanes had good payload and range, but were difficult to operate, requiring long paved runways and large hangars. They were used to fly over the Alps and bombard distant targets in Austria-Hungary.

The aircraft was put into service in 1918. A total of 50 machines were built, 6 of them were operated by the British as part of naval aviation.

“Caproni” Ca.5

In 1917, due to the advent of more advanced fighters, the characteristics of the Ca.3 and Ca.4 bombers of the Caproni company became insufficient to fulfill the tasks assigned to them. Therefore, a new aircraft was created, which entered the troops under the army index Ca.5. He largely repeated the design of the Ca.3, but had a slightly larger size, more powerful engines and improved aerodynamics of the structural elements.

The production scale was planned to be impressive: 3,900 aircraft, of which a third was planned to be acquired by France, plus 1,500 aircraft for the US Army. However, in connection with the end of hostilities in 1917 - 1921, 659 vehicles of various modifications were built, the vast majority for the Italian armed forces.

January 9, 1941 first flight of British aircraft Avro Lancaster- one of the most productive bombers of the Second World War. Read more about iconic bomber models in our review.

Arado Ar 234 Blitz (Germany)

Avro 683 Lancaster (UK)

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (USA)

Pe-2 (USSR)

Piaggio P.108 (Italy)

PZL.37 Łoś (Poland)

Farman F.220 (France)

Mitsubishi Ki-21 (Japan)

Interesting models of "peaceful" aircraft can be found in our review.

Back in the first year of the First World War, the German company "Gothaer Waggonfabrik", which until that time had specialized in the production of railway equipment (like our RBVZ - the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works), began to try its hand at aircraft construction. Having manufactured in February 1915 its own, original design, medium bomber G.I, the company created a whole family of successful bomber aircraft that left a noticeable mark in the sky (and, alas, on the ground) during the First World War.

Experience with bombers in Europe led to the development in 1916 of the longer range aircraft G.IV. It was of mixed wood/metal construction with plywood and canvas skins, and was a three-post biplane with a rectangular fuselage, strut-braced tail and tailwheel undercarriage and twin-wheel main struts. The power plant consisted of two in-line Mercedes D.IVa engines with pusher propellers mounted with struts between the wings (exactly above the main landing gear).

In the trailing edge of the upper wing, to ensure free rotation of the propellers, there was a large cutout. One of the serious shortcomings of the first Gotha bombers was the unprotected lower rear hemisphere, which was immediately taken advantage of by the fighter pilots of the Entente countries. To solve a vital problem, already in the latest Gotha G.III bombers, protection from fighter attacks from below was provided, for which cutouts were made in the upper and lower fuselage skins and an L-shaped cutout in the frame behind the gunner's cockpit. This made it possible to repel attacks from below to the top shooter, but the "dead zone" was still large. This drawback was eliminated on the Gotha G.IV, using the original solution, which became a kind of "calling card" of the airplane). The designers designed the lower surface of the tail section of the fuselage to be concave inwards: as far as possible from the side of the gunner's cockpit and fading towards the tail unit. The so-called "Gotha tunnel" significantly increased the firing zone from below, which was an unpleasant "surprise" for many Allied fighter pilots. In the forward cockpit, the machine gun was mounted on a high pivot, fixed in the cockpit floor.

The kingpin moved in a circle in a small bow turret. Bombs of large caliber were hung under the fuselage, and small ones were placed in the fuselage. In the autumn of 1916, a plan was developed for the operation "Türkenkreuz" (Turkish Cross) - a massive bombardment of the cities of England from airplanes, instead of the airships of Count Zeppelin that did not justify themselves. Based on this plan, an order was made to Gotha for 35 G. IV bombers, the most suitable in terms of their tactical and technical parameters, and a special air group was formed, which received the name KG3 (Kampfgeschwader - combat squadron), subsequently renamed more precisely BG3 ( Bombengeschwader - bomber squadron). On May 25, 1917, 23 Gotha G.IV bombers, taking off from an air base on the Belgian coast, made the first of eight daytime raids on England. And on June 13, at noon, for the first time in history, 22 G.IV bombers dropped bombs on London: 594 civilians were injured, of which 162 were killed. In August 1917, the Goths from BG3 also bombed the cities of Southend, Marksgate, Ramsgate, Dover. Daytime raids on England became impossible with the advent of British air defense aircraft Bristol F2B and Sopwith "Camel" fighters. And from October 1917, the air squadron BG3, as well as the newly organized squadrons BG2 and BG4, began night raids on London, Paris and other English and French cities. The raids were very intense: only one BG3 squadron made 22 night raids on London by the end of June 1918, during which the Goths dropped 85 tons of bombs.

Losses also increased: they amounted to 56 airplanes, and only 20 were shot down, the remaining 36 crashed. Since the Gotha company could not cope with the production of the required number of G.IV bombers, their production under license was launched at a number of other enterprises. About 30 Gotha G.IV bombers, manufactured under license by LVG ​​(Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft), were transferred to Austria-Hungary, which did not have its own medium and heavy bombers. LVG-Gotha G.IV, with Austrian "Hiero" engines installed on them, fought on the Italian and Eastern fronts. After the G.IV came the improved G.V, which was basically the same but had better equipment and a few other improvements, including more streamlined engine nacelles.

Night raids began to be carried out together with R-type heavy bombers (Reisen flugzeugen - giant aircraft), and the "Goths" were the leaders - they produced target designation with incendiary bombs and distracted air defense fighters.
In total, Gotha bombers made 70 night raids on Britain. The raids had a significant moral impact on the population, and diverted fighter squadrons from the front. The word "Gotha" has become a household name for all German twin-engine bombers.

Data for Gotha G.V.:
Crew: 3 people, engines: 2xMercedes D-IVa, 190 kW, wingspan: 23.7/21.7m, length: 12.4m, height: 4.3m, wing area: 89.5 sq.m , takeoff weight: 3975 kg, empty weight: 2740 kg, max. speed: 140 km/h, cruising speed: 130 km/h, ceiling: 6500 m, range with max. load: 840 km, armament: 4 machine guns, 1000 kg of bombs

In 1912-1913, Sikorsky worked on the project of the Grand multi-engine aircraft, which became known as the Russian Knight. Already at that time I understood that the weight and thrust of the engines are the fundamental parameters of the aircraft.

It was rather difficult to prove this theoretically, at that time the basics of aerodynamics were learned practically by experience. Any theoretical solution required an experiment. That is how, by trial and error, the Ilya Muromets aircraft was created.

The history of the creation of the first bomber

Despite all the difficulties, in 1913 the Grand took off, moreover, with its record-breaking performance, the aircraft received universal recognition and honor. But, alas ... only as a big and complex toy. September 11, 1913 "Russian Knight" was injured in the accident of the Gaber-Vlynsky aircraft.

The case was rather curious. In flight, the engine fell off at the Meller-II airplane, it fell on the wing box of the Vityaz and completely rendered it unusable. The pilot himself survived.

The frivolity of the accident was aggravated by the fact that the developer of the crashed aircraft, Gaber-Vlynsky, was a competitor of I.I. Sikorsky. It seems like a sabotage, but no - a simple coincidence.

But the War Ministry was already interested in the flights of the Grand. In the same 1913, Russo-Balta began building aircraft in the image and likeness of the Grand Russian Knight, but with some improvements proposed by both Sikorsky and his curators from the army.

In December 1913, the C-22 "Ilya Muromets" serial number 107 was released from the factory's workshops.

After a test cycle in 1914, a contract was signed for the supply of another 10 machines of this type for army aeronautical companies.

In addition, the fleet was also interested in the car, for the Russian imperial fleet one car was produced on a float chassis, it was equipped with more powerful Salmson engines of 200 hp, against Argus 100-140 hp. on land vehicles.

Subsequently, the machines were repeatedly modernized, new types and series were introduced. In total, about a hundred cars were produced various types. Including several bombers "Ilya Muromets" type E, after the revolution, from previously prepared parts.

Design

The Sikorsky "Ilya Muromets" was a six-post biplane with a fuselage brace. Frame made of wooden spars and stringers.

Birch plywood 3 mm thick was used for sheathing in the bow part, canvas in the tail part. The cabin had developed glazing, some of the doors and windows were movable.

The wings are two-spar, classical design. The span of the upper wing, depending on the modification, was 25-35 meters, the lower wing 17-27.

Spars of box type, made of wood. 5 mm plywood ribs, regular and reinforced (double with shelf) type. The step of the neurura was 0.3 m.
The surface of the wing was covered with canvas.

Ailerons only on the upper wing, skeletal structure, covered with canvas.
The racks were located in the area where the engines were located, they had a teardrop shape in cross section. Braces made of braided steel wire.

The wingspan was divided into 5-7 parts:

• Center section;
• Detachable half-wings, one or two per plane;
• Consoles.

Connector nodes made of steel, with a welded connection, less often with rivets and bolts.

The engines were mounted on the lower wing between the racks, on the scaffolding of vertical trusses, with a belt-loop mount. Fairings and engine nacelles were not provided.

Plumage and engines

The plumage is developed, bearing type. There were two stabilizers and rotary elevators. Three rudders were used for horizontal maneuvering.

Structurally, the stabilizer and keel repeated the wing, two box-shaped spars and a transverse set, with a close-fitting canvas.

The rudders and depth skeletal structure covered with fabric. Management through a system of rods, cables and rocking chairs.

On the very first aircraft, Argus piston engines with a power of 100 hp were installed, later Argus with a power of 125-140 hp were used.

Subsequently, "Salmsons" 135-200 hp were used. and other types of engines:

• "Ilya Muromets" type B, Kyiv - "Argus" and "Salmson";
• "Ilya Muromets" type B, lightweight - "Sunbeam", 150 hp, although there were also early engines;
• "Ilya Muromets" type G, with a wide wing - there were all types of engines, both domestically produced and purchased abroad, with an average power of 150-160 hp;
• "Ilya Muromets" type D, tandem installation "Sanbinov" in 150 hp;
• "Ilya Muromets" type E, Renault engines of 220 hp

The gas tanks of the external installation were suspended under the upper wing, above the engine. Less often on the fuselage, there were no internal tanks. Fuel was supplied by gravity.

Armament

The first Muromets were armed with a 37 mm Hotchkiss cannon, which was mounted on a gun and machine gun platform. But due to the extremely low efficiency of this weapon, it was decided to abandon the cannon.

And since 1914, the armament of the aircraft has become completely machine-gun. Although experiments were repeatedly made with the armament of "Ilya" with more powerful weapons, there was an attempt to install even a recoilless gun.

It was a 3-inch gun with a knock-out wad, but due to the low speed of the projectile and a spread of 250-300 meters, it was considered ineffective and was not accepted into service.

Depending on the production period, the bomber had from 5 to 8 firing points with Vickers, Lewis, Madsen or Maxim machine guns, almost all machine guns had a swivel mount and manual control.

In its first air battle, the Ilya was armed with only one Madsen machine gun and a Mosin carbine.

As a result, after Madsen's submachine gun jammed, the crew was left with one carbine and the enemy's airplane shot him with almost impunity.

The experience of this battle was taken into account, subsequently "Ilya Muromets" was equipped with a rich arsenal of small arms. And he could not only stand up for himself, but also bring down a couple of enemy aircraft.

Bomb armament was located in the fuselage. For the first time, suspension devices appeared on the "Muromets" series B, already in 1914. Electric bomb releasers appeared on the S-22 as early as 1916.

Hanging devices were calculated on bombs with a caliber of up to 50 kg. In addition to the fuselage suspension, the Muromets of the later series had external suspension units, on which a 25-pound bomb (400 kg) could also be attached.

At that time, it was truly a weapon of mass destruction, not a single country in the world could boast of such a caliber of air bombs.

It should be noted that in addition to full-fledged bombs in the usual sense, aircraft were also used to drop flashettes - metal darts to defeat infantry and cavalry units on the march.

Their use is reflected in the domestic film "The Fall of the Empire", where they were used by a German airplane.

The total load was about 500 kg. At the same time, in 1917, attempts were made to create a full-fledged torpedo bomber from Ilya Muromets, for this a marine torpedo tube was installed on it, unfortunately, the tests were delayed, and the aircraft never passed the full test cycle.

Modifications

The following modifications of the aircraft are known, they differed in the design of the wing, fuselage and engines. But general principle remained the same.

• "Ilya Muromets" type B, Kyiv - motors "Argus" and "Salmson", armament of one to three machine guns, 37 mm cannon, which was subsequently removed. Bombs are placed inside the fuselage on a mechanical suspension;
• "Ilya Muromets" type B, lightweight - "Sunbeam", 150 hp, although there were also early engines, a narrower wing was used, the car was as light as possible, bombs on the fuselage suspension, 5-6 Maxim or Vickers machine guns were used for armament, the series amounted to about 300 cars;
• "Ilya Muromets" type G, with a wide wing, the fuselage was changed, beam bomb racks were introduced, defensive armament was strengthened, it was equipped with all types of engines, both domestically produced and purchased abroad, with an average power of 150-160 hp;
• "Ilya Muromets" type D, tandem installation "Sanbinov" in 150 hp These aircraft did not take part in hostilities. It was planned to use them for the Arctic expedition in the early 20s. Three units released;
• "Ilya Muromets" type E, Renault engines of 220 hp The last model of the aircraft, about 10 pieces were produced, with the main part after the revolution from the backlog of parts. It was distinguished by excellent defensive armament with a greater flight range and carrying capacity.

Separately, it is worth noting the "Ilya Muromets" for the Maritime Department, equipped with 200 strong engines and a float landing gear, the aircraft was tested, but practically did not take part in hostilities.

Combat use

The first flight for the Ilya Muromets bomber was not entirely successful. On February 15, 1915, the "Muromets" type B, serial No. 150 made its first flight, but the cap of clouds that fell that day prevented the task from being completed and the crew was forced to return to the base airfield.

But already on 15, the plane completed its second sortie, it was necessary to find and destroy the crossing on the Vistula River, near the city of Plock. But the crew could not find the crossing and therefore simply bombed the enemy positions. From that moment on, you can consider the career of a bomber.

On July 5 of the same year, the aircraft conducted its first dogfight with enemy fighters. As a result, Muromets was damaged and made an emergency landing. But he also showed his resilience. The plane reached the landing site on 2 out of 4 engines.

March 19, 1916, "Ilya Muromets" again entered into an air battle, this time luck was on the side of the Russian crew. One of the attacking Fokkers was shot down by machine-gun fire, and Hauptmann von Mackensen, the son of General von Mackensen, commander of the 9th Army, was killed.

And there were dozens of such battles, the parties suffered losses, but, nevertheless, the Russian plane invariably fell short of its own.

Its highest survivability and powerful armament gave the crew a chance to both survive and win.

The squadron of airships fought actively and heroically until October 1917, but the discord in society and the state also affected this elite and combat-ready unit.

The lower ranks gradually dissolved, the repair of the damaged ones stopped, serviceable aircraft went out of order. And the rallies and confusion continued.

At the beginning of 1919, the squadron of warships practically no longer existed, the planes rotted, the wooden parts were damp, the canvas was torn. Engines and mechanics fell into disrepair.

The remaining single aircraft participated in the battles on the Southern Front as part of the AGON - Special Purpose Air Group.

In general, the history of the Russian Air Force in the battles of the Civil War is a topic for a separate study, however, it is worth noting that the aircraft, both from the side of the Red Army and from the side of the White movement, distinguished themselves more than once in battles, flying in difficult meteorological conditions and participating in battles on worn and unreliable machines.

civil service

After the victory in the Civil War, it turned out that the existing fleet, including Sikorsky's aircraft, was extremely worn out, and practically could not perform its functions.

For this reason, the Ilya Muromets aircraft were transferred to civil aviation. In the spring of 1921, the first regular Moscow-Kharkov passenger line was opened, 6 former bombers were assigned to serve it, divided into two detachments, one detachment served the line to Orel, which was a transfer point.

Aircraft made 2-3 flights a week, worn-out engines and airframes no longer allowed. But already in the middle of 1922, the detachment was disbanded, and the planes were dismantled.

To date, not a single Ilya Muromets aircraft has survived. The construction of wood and canvas does not tolerate the passage of time.

For Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky, this aircraft was the first step in a career that continued not in our country and not in this direction, but, nevertheless, it was the first, confident and broad step forward.

Subsequently, during a business trip to France, examining the drawings and the results of blowing in the wind tunnel of the IK-5 Ikarus aircraft, Sikorsky probably also recalled his favorite, the wide-winged Ilya.

"Ilya Muromets" is forever imprinted in the memory of the people, and in the history of aviation. The first bomber, the first serial multi-engine aircraft.

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