Russian aircraft of World War II. The First Russian Aircraft

During the war, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics significantly increased and improved the base of its air fleet. If in the thirties the air fleet was dominated by foreign-made aircraft, then by the middle of the war Russian military aircraft dominated.

Preconditions for the development of Soviet military aviation

The construction of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics presupposed full autonomy of any industry, be it industrial, agricultural or military. However, at the junction of the twenties and thirties, the aircraft fleet was made up of imported aircraft. And the Russian aircraft were represented only by the ANT-2 and ANT-9 manufactured by the Tupolev Design Bureau. The problems of the armament of the Red Army in those days were:

- obsolete models of devices;

- poor technical condition of aircraft;

- non-unification (a wide range of models and brands did not allow to optimize the base of spare parts).

Formation of military aviation before World War II

Positive changes in the industry came with the creation of the Moscow Aviation Institute. The appearance of the educational site gave a significant increase in the number of specialists to aviation plants and design bureaus.

Soviet power invested large personnel and financial resources in Russian aircraft. By the second pre-war five-year period, aircraft manufacturers had a wide production base for the full cycle. The task of Secretary General Stalin for the creation of modern aviation was being carried out . In the mid-thirties test flights of the first Soviet bomber, hidden under a civilian transport ship, passed. The first Russian aircraft, which later participated in the fighting of World War II, was prepared by such aviators as Levanevsky, Vodopyanov, Grizodubov, and others.

Tests of fighters were also conducted abroad. For example, in Spain in 1937. Then the Polikarpov, I-15 and I-16 types were tested. However, the results were disappointing. Machines significantly lost to their German competitors.

Stalin did not skimp on the premiums and resources allocated to designers for Russian aircraft. The fighters received radio sensing, and also due to the development of materials science new mixed designs, which significantly improved the tactical and technical characteristics of combat vehicles.

Aircraft construction on the eve of the war

The performance of the People's Commissar of Defense Voroshilov at the Plenum of the Central Committee in March 1939 shows well the prewar condition of the aviation war industry. In his report, it was told about the substantial increase in the Aviation of the Soviet Union. In particular, the Air Force, compared with 1934, grew by 138 percent. And the number of aircraft increased by 1.3 times.

Ratio. Bombers and fighters

Particular emphasis was placed on heavy bombers. It was believed that this is the main trump card in the fight against the Western troops. Therefore, heavy bombers occupied a significant percentage of the fleet. The fleet of fighters was also increased 2.5 times.

Due to the designers Russian planes were brought to an essentially new level. Also, M-25 engines with a capacity of 715 horsepower with air cooling, M-100 power of 750 horsepower, which used a water cooling system, were designed and put into operation. The maximum altitude of flights also increased and amounted to 14-15 thousand meters. The aircraft acquired a more streamlined form, the air resistance of the apparatus decreased. The growth of production spurred the introduction of stamping and stream casting.

By 1941, Mig, Yak and LAGG were considered the most successful of the fighter planes developed in the Soviet Union. Il-2 was recognized as a problem, which was constantly modified. According to the strategy of "Clear Sky", it was planned to release about 100,000 SU-2 aircraft, for which an unprecedented call was made to the air force.

The War Begins

In the starting 8 hours of Germany's attack on the Soviet Union, 1,200 Soviet aircraft were destroyed, including several airfields with all storage facilities. In the first year and a half, German aviation dominated the Soviet aircraft. The I-15 and I-16 planes lost significantly to the newest fascist "Messerschmidt" and "Junkers". Sometimes even outdated aircraft managed to achieve victories in aircraft jets. For a month, Russian planes destroyed about 1,300 German air units.
In six months of military operations, the production of aircraft dropped by almost four times. This was due to the fact that the Germans came close to Moscow, and had to evacuate a significant production capacity, which were producing parts for the aircraft industry. Therefore, in 1941 the plan for the production of all types of military aircraft was fulfilled only by 40 percent.

With the launch of evacuated enterprises, the situation improved significantly, and by 1944 aerodromes were receiving about 100 combat vehicles daily. Absolutely all models were modernized. Of the improved, it is worth highlighting Yak-3, LA-5, IL-10, PE-2, Yak-9.

Growth rates can be tracked by years:

- 1942 - 25,400 vehicles.

- 1943 - 34,900 vehicles.

- 1944 - 40 300 cars.

By 1944, the Soviet Union surpassed Fascist Germany in terms of the number of aircraft in 2.7 times. One of the factors was the assembly speed. The design of our fighters was much more primitive than that of German and American manufacturers. Of course, not always the quality of manufactured aviation products was in favor of the Soviet aircraft industry.

Russian aircraft of World War II. SU-2

The machine was developed from 1937 in the design bureau Tupolev under the direction of Pavel Osipovich Sukhoi. Initially, the aircraft was called the "near bomber-1" and was produced with an engine M-88 with a capacity of 1,100 horsepower. Su-2 was produced at three plants. The flight speed of the Su-2 was over 490 km / h, and the flight altitude was 6000 meters. On board was placed 6 machine guns. The bomb load of SU-2 was varied.

SU-2 is one of the first bombers to enter the war. He carried out various tasks. Subsequently, it was upgraded to SU-4.

Yak-9

Of the fighters who participated in the Second World War, it is worth highlighting this particular model. Even if you compare the photos of Russian planes, Yak-9 has its own external style. It was developed in 1942. The base was a Yak-7b fighter. By replacing the wooden parts with aluminum, the weight of the fighter was significantly reduced. Armament on board consisted of a large-caliber machine gun and one gun. The aircraft had excellent flying qualities, maneuvered well and was easily operated. He also won the previous models in maximum speed and range. These figures became record for all aircraft of the class of 1944. All these properties allowed to fight with dignity the leading military aircraft of the enemy.
Production of the aircraft took several years after the end of hostilities. A total of about 16,800 combat vehicles were produced in several modifications.