Review of Russian Airpower
February 1942 Flying Aces

February 1942 Flying Aces Table of Contents These pages from vintage modeling magazines like Flying Aces, Air Trails, American Modeler, American Aircraft Modeler, Young Men, Flying Models, Model Airplane News, R/C Modeler, captured the era. All copyrights acknowledged.

Aircraft historians might find the information from this 1942 edition of Flying Aces magazine useful. As has long been the case on many Russian airplanes and helicopters, the basic outlines - and often even the details - are recognizable from the original versions designed by the United States, England, and Germany. The Russkies have been short on design and test capabilities and long on materials, manpower, and espionage agents. It wouldn't be so bad if the copying was not so obvious. Even their attempt at a space shuttle was a carbon copy of ours. If not for their leaders' commitment to Communism and Socialism, Russia could be an ally against the forces of radical Islam and other nutball evil entities in the world, since the people are not so unlike us otherwise.

Review of Russian Airpower

Here is a list of the Red military planes that are battling to the death on the Eastern Front to halt Hitler's forward march.

by William Herbert Randall

In view of the unexpected showing Russia is making against Hitler's blitz machine, and the fact that the Luftwaffe has so far failed to gain control of the Soviet air, it should prove interesting to study the Russian air force equipment this month.

It is not necessary to memorize or have at hand a list of Russian aircraft manufacturer's designations. Under the Communist plan all military aircraft are built in military aircraft factories and are listed under the mass designation of military aircraft, thus confusion is avoided.

Some of the Russian aircraft are copied after foreign designs or are manufactured under license from some foreign aircraft corporation. Many original Soviet designs are so original as to take radical departures from accepted aeronautical design the world over. Probably the most radical of these Soviet designs is the four-engine T.B. 3 bomber monoplane. This plane appears to be flying upside down; yet if you turn a picture of that same machine upside down it still appears to be flying inverted. This impression is due to the nose design which places the cockpit on the underside of the fuselage. The Soviet six-engine transport L-760 is another radical design combining modern cantilever wings set in mid position with an obsolete-type fuselage and fixed landing gear with wheel fairings of tremendous size.

Russian engines are for the most part entirely unoriginal, many being copied from foreign makes or manufactured under license. In several cases the Russians are fighting Germany in German aircraft, powered with German engines. American and English planes are beginning to flow to Russia, but no attempt will be made to list these planes in this summation.

There are about sixteen large aircraft factories in Russia, most of which are centered around Moscow. Four of the sixteen are in Siberia and the rest are in European Russia. There are at least four or five aircraft engine factories; nearly all of these are equipped with foreign-built machinery and machine tools. The Russian production capacity is small, at the maximum probably no more than 400 to 700 planes per month.

The five-pointed red star of the Soviet Republic is the only official marking on Russian warplanes. This star appears near the tips on the underside and topside of the wings, placed that one point of the star is directly forward. The star sometimes is also on the rudder, arranged so that one point of the star is straight up.

All military aircraft of the Soviet Union are equipped with skis for Winter operation, interchangeable for wheels during seasons when there is no ice or snow. This, of course, does not apply to naval flying boats or amphibians.

Fighting Aircraft

Russian fighters are all single-engine types - both single-seat and biplace - and are low-powered in comparison with major airpowers. Their showing against the more powerful Nazi fighters must rest in their being available in greater numbers.

I. 5 - Military Aircraft single-seat biplane. M-22 480 horse power 9-cylinder air-cooled radial. Modeled after Bristol Bulldog. Engine is Gnome-Rhone Jupiter design.

J. 7 - Military Aircraft single-seat biplane fighter. M-17 (B.M.W. VI) 600 horse power liquid-cooled V-12. (Built under Heinkel license.)

K. 15-Military Aircraft single-seat biplane. M-25 (Wright Cyclone) 700 horse power 9-cylinder air-cooled radial.

I 16 - Military Aircraft single-seat low-wing monoplane. (Avia design.) M-25 (Wright Cyclone) 700 horse power 9-cylinder air-cooled radial.

I. 17 - Military Aircraft single-seat low-wing monoplane. Improved I. 16. M-25 (Wright Cyclone) 700 horse power 9-cylinder air-cooled radial.

I. 18 - Military Aircraft single-seat low-wing monoplane. Improved 1. 17. M-25 (Wright Cyclone) 700 horse power 9-cylinder air-cooled radial. Top speed, 260; cruising range 500 miles.

Z.K.B. 19 - Military Aircraft single-seat low-wing monoplane. M-100 (Hispano-Suiza 12Y-drs) 860 horse power liquid-cooled V-12.

D.I. 4 - Military Aircraft two-place biplane. M-17 (B.M.W. VI) 680 horse power liquid-cooled V-12.

D.I. 6 - Military Aircraft two-place attack-fighter biplane. M-25 (Wright Cyclone) 700 horse power 9-cylinder air-cooled radial.

L.R.- Military Aircraft two-place attack-fighter biplane. M-34 (Curtiss Conqueror) 830 horse power water-cooled V-12.

Bombardment Machines

Here are only a few types of bombers in service with the Russians, but the numerical force of these is reported to be the largest in the world.

T.B. 1 - Military Aircraft four- or five-place monoplane. Two M-17 (B.M.W. VI) 680 horse power liquid-cooled V-12's.

Z.K.B. 26 - Military Aircraft five-place twin-engine mid-wing monoplane. Two M-85 (Gnome-Rhone 14k) 1,000 horse power 14 cylinder air-cooled twin-row ra-dials.

T.B. 3 - Military Aircraft five- or six-place mid-wing monoplane. Four AM-34RFNA (Improved M-34, which was copied from Curtiss Conqueror) 1,250 horse power liquid-cooled V-12's.

S.B. - Military Aircraft low-wing monoplane. Two M-25 (Wright Cyclone) 750 horse power 9-cylinder air-cooled radials.

T.B. 6 - Military Aircraft mid-wing monoplane. Four M-34 (Curtiss Conqueror) 830 horse power liquid-cooled V-12's.

Reconnaissance Planes

Russia has three types of reconnaissance craft and these are designed primarily for this type of work, having no secondary mission to perform.

R. 3 - Military Aircraft sesquiplane. (Bellanca design) M-22 (Gnome-Rhone Jupiter 480 horse power 9-cylinder air-cooled radial.

R. 5 - Military Aircraft biplane. M-17 (B.M.W. VI) 680 horse power liquid-cooled V-12.

R. 6 - Military Aircraft three-place low-wing monoplane. Two M-17 (B.M.W. VI) 680 horse power liquid-cooled V-12's.

Naval Aircraft

Of the Soviet military machines there are seven types that serve in cooperation with the navy, performing patrol duties over water.

M.I. 4 - Military Aircraft single-seat seaplane fighter. M-17 (B.M.W. VI) 680 .horse power liquid-cooled V-12 engine.

M.T.B. 1 - Military Aircraft torpedo-bomber seaplane. Two M-17 (B.M.W. VI) 680 horse power liquid-cooled V-12's.

ARK 3 - Military Aircraft two-place reconnaissance flying boat monoplane. Engines are pusher-tractor in tandem atop wing. Two M-25 (Wright Cyclone) 750 horse power 9-cylinder air-cooled radials.

M.R. 5 - Military Aircraft three-place reconnaissance flying boat. M-17 (B.M.W. VI) 680 horse power liquid-cooled V-12.

N. 243 - Consolidated PBY patrol-bomber, built in Russia. Two M-25 (Wright Cyclone) 750 horse power 9-cylinder air-cooled radials.

M.D.R. 5 - Military Aircraft five-place reconnaissance flying boat. M-17 (B.M.W. VI) 680 horse power liquid-cooled V-12.

E. 59 - Military Aircraft six-place high-wing patrol amphibian. M-25 (Wright Cyclone) 750 horse power 9-cylinder air-cooled radial atop wing.

Transport Types

Aircraft of the transport type for use with the military forces are drawn from the civil aircraft branches and do not bear military designations. In the following list, the factory name appears in letters of abbreviation.

L-760 - Z.A.G.I. 78-place mid-wing monoplane. Six M-34 (Curtiss Conqueror) 950 horse power liquid-cooled V-12's. Specifications: Span, 260 feet; height, 25 feet; length, 112 feet; cruising speed, 146 m.p.h.

A.N.T. 22 - Z.A.G.I. twin-hull monoplane flying boat. Six M-34 (Curtiss Conqueror) 800 horse power liquid-cooled V-12's.

A.N.T. 9 - Z.A.G.I. nine-place tri-motored high-wing monoplane. Three M-26 (Wright Whirlwind) 300 horse power 7-cylinder radials.

A.N.T. 25 - Ten-place low-wing monoplane. AM-34RFNA (Curtiss Conqueror) 950 horse power liquid-cooled V-12.

A.N.T. 35 - Z.A.G.I. twelve-place low-wing monoplane. Two M-85 (Gnome-Rhone 14k-frs) 900 horse power 14-cylinder air-cooled- twin-row radials.