Air Force Russian Federation consist of several divisions, each with its own functions and tasks. Operational-tactical aviation, military transport aviation, army aviation and long-range aviation, in turn, consist of bomber, reconnaissance, fighter, attack, special and transport aviation.
The Russian Air Force includes territories with air bases that are directly subordinate to the commander-in-chief.
History of Russian long-range aviation
A little over a hundred years ago, under Tsar Nicholas II, an air squadron was created, which consisted of the progenitors of modern aircraft - the Ilya Muromets airliners. Despite the fact that the first bombers took to the air in 1923, a military holiday dedicated to long-range aviation was introduced only on December 23, 1999, by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force.
"Ilya Muromets" is an S-22 designed by Sikorsky. The first aircraft came off the assembly line of the carriage factory. It was made of wood, had two wings and four engines, that is, it was a biplane. The weight of the car was about five tons. For military operations, the aircraft was equipped with two platforms and machine guns in the space between the chassis and on top of the fuselage.
The first pilot was the aircraft designer Sikorsky himself. After six months of test flights, the aircraft began to be produced for the army of the Russian Empire. Only an officer could obtain permission to take the helm. Moreover, the on-board mechanic also had to hold the rank of officer.
Since 1914, all Muromets were equipped with the latest engines with greater power, in addition to machine guns, bomb holders, a bomb sight and six seats for the crew appeared. These were the first type B bombers of Russian long-range aviation. The same machine set a record for flight duration - 6 hours 30 minutes.
Russian aviation in the First World War
The squadron was formed from a large staff of pilots and ground support personnel. M. Shidlovsky became the commander of long-range aviation of that time. Repair and mechanical barns and warehouses were built, their own communications units, a meteorological service, a flight school (which was equipped with special training aircraft), and special anti-aircraft artillery was created.
During the First World War, manned groups lost only one Muromets unit and flew about four hundred reconnaissance missions.
In 1916, the S-22 was again upgraded to type E. Thus, the new aircraft weighed more than seven tons and was equipped with eight firing points - shelling could be carried out from all sides of the aircraft.
1917 - creation of the next modification of "Ilya Muromets" - Zh. However, after the February revolution, all plans to build 120 heavy bombers failed. The destruction of the squadron continued with the removal of Shidlovsky from his post, who was declared a monarchist.
When the troops of the Russian Empire began to retreat from Vinnitsa in the fall of 1917, they decided to burn the “Murom residents” so that the enemy would not capture them. The S-22 performed its last combat flight in 1920 on November 21, after which the use of the aircraft was limited to passenger and postal transportation.
Design bureaus of Tupolev and Ilyushin
The 30s of the 20th century went down in the history of the country as a major breakthrough in the development of aircraft manufacturing. For the long-range aviation unit, the design of radically new machines began back in 1927. As a result, the most famous design engineer today, A. Tupolev, created his creations TB-1, TB-3 and TB-4, which were put into further mass production. The bombers were heavyweights, made from solid pieces of metal, the chassis was converted into ski gear. The Soviet Union came out on top in the quality of twin-engine bombers.
Few people know, but the TB-4 (or ANT-20) bomber was also designed as a cargo-passenger aircraft. It was named "Maxim Gorky" and the first pilot was the famous long-range aviation pilot M. Gromov. Being a world record holder in lifting a fifteen-ton cargo to a height of five kilometers, the plane “lived” for only about a year. The airliner collapsed in front of the public after a mid-air collision during a demonstration flight in 1935.
The next development for long-range aviation was truly phenomenal. The year was 1932, P. Sukhoi, guided by the instructions of A. Tupolev, was developing a low-glider aircraft with a single engine. It was also all-metal. It was on it that one of the best pilots, Valery Chkalov, set a world flight range record. The pilot flew from Moscow on an ANT-25 through the North Pole and reached the Pacific coast in California. The mileage of the route was 10,140.
In the same 30s, simultaneously with the developments of A. Tupolev, the Main Directorate of Aviation Industry brought together all the eminent aircraft designers of the Union under one roof of the Central Design Bureau. S. Ilyushin was invited to lead. Along with the design of TB-4, in 1935 a completely the new kind bomber - DB-3. After a year of successful testing, aircraft of this type began to enter service with the Air Force.
1938 - development of IL-4. Ilyushin created what many other countries could not cope with - the first attack aircraft. The vehicle, with improved engine power and an improved combat kit, participated in both the Finnish War and the Second World War. The total number of IL-4s produced is 1,528 aircraft.
Aviation during the Second World War
Long-range aviation began to carry out its strategic and operational-tactical tasks from the first day of the declaration of the Great Patriotic War, from June 22, 1941. The IL-4 became the main bomber. From DB-3, Pe-2 and Pe-8 aircraft, the crews dropped bombs on the heads of the Germans in the European cities they captured, Warsaw, Bucharest, and Koenigsberg.
Not a single major operation of the Red Army was complete without long-range aviation sorties. A year after the start of the war, 8 long-range aviation divisions were formed in the army. There were 340 bombers with 365 crews.
During the years of hostilities, almost 260 pilots received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The post-war situation brought the long-range aviation fleet into crisis - the aircraft became outdated and were written off. Therefore, in 1947, it was decided, with the help of the Tupolev bureau, to create new, powerful and heavy Tu-4. It was a copy of the American B-29 bomber. The aircraft was adapted to the request of the Soviet leadership. In 1951, a newly made copy of the Tu-4 became the first carrier of nuclear weapons.
Leaps in aircraft manufacturing
The mid-50s raised Soviet military aircraft production to a new level. The Badger or Tu-16 was created - a qualitatively new monoplane, which had a swept wing clearly located in the center of the body. The first production was made in Kazan, in October 1953. The Tu-16 was operated by 6 people. Military weapons consisted of turret-mounted remote installations, a bow cannon mount (PU-88) and a 23-mm AM23.
Another brainchild of Tupolev is the turboprop four-engine strategic missile-carrying bomber "Bear" (Tu-95). The total combat load was 12,000 kg. There are still no analogues to these engines in the world - they are considered the most powerful.
56-60s - creation of ZM. The main difference from other strategic bombers is the presence of a new weapon system - the D5 cruise missile. It was created to destroy heavily protected sea and land targets. Its range is 270 km, and its speed is three times faster than sound.
Aviation development during the Cold War
After the end of World War II, the NATO and Warsaw Pact organizations were the main military-political blocs. The confrontation between the USA and the USSR, according to historians, could turn from cold war into the Third World War, so long-range aviation was an excellent nuclear defense for the Union. Soon the long-range aviation was replenished with missile troops, and a missile division was created.
The Cold War period gave impetus to the creation of the K-22 aircraft-missile system based on the Tu-22, which underwent three modifications.
The symbol of the confrontation was the “White Swan” (Tu-160). Its power lay not only in its supersonic speed, but also in its variable wing geometry. The plane first took off in 1981 from the airfield in Ramenskoye. Subsequently, "Swan" entered mass production.
Review of long-range aircraft today
Modern long-range aviation is the basis of the nuclear forces of the Russian Federation. The bases of long-range aviation units are distributed taking into account strategic purpose and efficiency.
The aircraft fleet is represented by:
- Missile carrier Tu-160 - 16 units.
- Missile carrier Tu-95MS - 32 units in service and 60 in reserve.
- Missile-bomber Tu-22MZ - about 12.
- Il-78 refueling aircraft - 19 units.
- Tu-22MR reconnaissance aircraft - 150 units.
The aircraft are armed with long-range cruise missiles, nuclear and conventional missiles with operational-tactical missions, and bombs of various calibers.
The military patrol controls the space of Iceland, the Norwegian Sea, the North Pole, the Aleutian Islands, and the eastern coast of South America.
Long Range Aviation Museum
Russian museums dedicated to long-range aviation are located in Ryazan and Engels. The Ryazan Museum is the oldest; it was created in 1975 in honor of the thirtieth anniversary of the victory in the Second World War. The museum is located in Diaghilev's garrison. Its exposition is represented by military aircraft (Tu-22M2, Tu-95K, Tu-16), various documents and photographs of officers and pilots. Museum address: Ryazan, st. Belyakova, military unit 41521, Long-Range Aviation Museum.
The second Russian long-range aviation museum is located in the Saratov region. Its visitors will be pleasantly surprised that it is located on an active long-range aviation airbase. Here you can see real strategic bombers - Tu-160. Moreover, the museum owns a whole collection of cruise missiles and aerial bombs. Museum address: Engels, 1, military unit 42152.
And the largest Air Force museum is the museum in the village of Monino, Moscow region. It is recognized as the largest aviation museum in the world; the collection of aircraft will not leave any visitor indifferent. Plus, several times a year the museum hosts an Open Day, when a ramp is brought to the most interesting exhibits and inspection of the inside of military vehicles is allowed. The collection is rich in both the very first aircraft and the most modern ones. Museum address: Moscow region, Shchelkovsky district, urban settlement. Monino, st. Museum, 1.
The future of long-range aviation
On September 16, 2016, Major General S.I. Kobylash became commander of long-range aviation. Today, the long-range aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces expects the development from JSC Tupolev of a promising long-range aviation complex for a new generation strategic bomber-missile carrier. The first flight is approximately scheduled for 2019, and commissioning in 2025. From different sources information comes that the new car will look like a “flying wing”. The long-range design will reduce the possibility of detection by radars.
- ADD of the USSR Armed Forces.
The world's first practical creation of heavy passenger aircraft, with 4 engines on the wings, began in the Russian Empire. On the passenger plane of the engineer and pilot I. I. Sikorsky Ilya Muromets, several world records were set, so in 1913 a load weighing 1,100 kilograms was lifted, and in 1914 16 passengers and a dog, these events were listed in the Guinness Book of Records. This aircraft was mass-produced at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works (Russo-Balt), a total of 80 such machines were built.
In the current difficult situation, the initial period of the war, violations occurred centralized management DBA GC, large losses of aircraft and crews, constant reorganization of formations. The forces of the DBA of the Red Army Civil Code were divided into small groups, as a result, 74% of all sorties were flown "long rangers", for 1941, was produced for the purpose of directly supporting troops on the battlefield, which was not the main purpose of the DBA GK.
In August 1941, the Supreme High Command had to abolish the corps control level of the DBA Civil Command, since the loss of forces reached 65% of the original composition in June of the same year, and only seven air divisions remained in the DAF. The state of affairs in the DBA GC, by the beginning of 1942, left much to be desired, therefore, in order to preserve the forces of the DBA GC, centralize their management, and ensure their massive use at the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, they made a decision and created Long-Range Aviation (LRA), as a separate branch of the Air Force , Decree of the State Defense Committee of the USSR, dated March 5, 1942, in order to carry out tasks of strategic importance:
In addition, the ADD (including the Civil Air Fleet, Civil Air Fleet, which is part of it) was widely used to support the partisan movement both in the occupied territory of the USSR and in Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Poland, and to carry out special tasks, such as delivery to any a point deep behind enemy lines (even near Berlin) intelligence officers, reconnaissance and reconnaissance and sabotage groups, providing assistance to the Resistance movement in occupied Europe and many others.
ADD formations were allocated from the Red Army Air Force and were directly subordinate to the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (SVGK). Eight long-range bomber aviation divisions and several paved airfields were transferred to long-range aviation, and a control, manning, logistics and repair system independent of the Red Army Air Force was created.
Throughout its existence, Long-Range Aviation was the reserve of the Supreme High Command (SHC). Commanding ADD received orders only from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin. Long-range aviation at that time consisted of more than 1,300 TB-3, TB-7 and Il-4 bombers.
A directorate and five long-range bomber corps were created, which at various times were armed with almost 3,000 airships, of which about 1,800 were combat aircraft. The basis of the combat aircraft fleet long-range aviation were distant diplomats, during the first raid on Budapest, the large railway station of the Hungarian capital was badly damaged and, according to a statement from the Hungarian press, the government was requisitioning all the glass in the city to repair windows. At present, all three states are feverishly organizing air defense in the main cities and factories working for the Nazis, prudently created in these countries, as if far from the bombers of the united countries”...
In September 1944, Long-Range Aviation was transferred to the Red Army Air Force and transformed into the 18th Air Army. Purpose 18 VA however, it remained the same.
According to military statistics, Long-Range Aviation carried out the following sorties:
37 VAVGK military doctrine of the USSR Armed Forces. Three armies were reorganized as missile armies, and one army was disbanded in mid-1953.
Only aviation formations are presented, other formations (communications, airfield, security, and so on) are indicated as others.
By the beginning of 1943, the ADD of the Supreme High Command had 11 aviation divisions. In accordance with the decree of the State Defense Committee of the USSR, eight long-range bomber aviation corps began to be formed in May. The combat strength of long-range aviation increased to 700 aircraft and, thanks to the defense industry, continued to increase, albeit at a slow pace, and the goal was to bring it to 1,200 aircraft.
In December, the ADD of the Supreme High Command had 17 aviation divisions and 34 aviation regiments.
In order not to “die”, like that Lama from Yakutia, in his worthless wait for the corresponding offspring to finally take the abandoned “bait”, I will share useful information on the stated topic of this magazine. So:
For reference, I consider it necessary to at least briefly highlight the question of what long-range aviation was like during the Great Patriotic War? Without further ado, I will quote an excerpt from the book “Years in the fiery sky. (Long-Range Aviation in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945)” by P. P. Bochkarev and N. I. Parygin.
It's here - http://militera.lib.ru/h/bochkarev_parygin/index.html.
“During the Great Patriotic War, long-range aviation was the most maneuverable and powerful long-range means of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. It was involved in carrying out independent strategic and operational tasks with conducting air operations to destroy military-industrial and administrative-political centers, as well as to disrupt communications and disrupt the maneuver of enemy reserves. In close cooperation with front-line aviation and independently, the ADD carried out a number of air operations in the struggle for strategic air supremacy, which were carried out under the leadership of the Supreme Command Headquarters and were characterized by a large scope and decisiveness of objectives.”
And here are the main resulting statistics on ADD during the war years, also borrowed from these authors: “Long-range aviation during the war years carried out 219,788 combat sorties, dropping 2,000,000 bombs on the enemy, weighing more than 200,000 tons.” And fordestruction of troops and equipment during the war years, 40.5% of all completedsorties.Fordisruption of railway transportation accounts for 30.6%sorties. Strikes on airfields amounted to 9.33%sorties. On landing of troops and cargo accounted for 11.72%sorties. On y gifts for deep rear facilities were made 3.15%sorties. P 2.86% of work was completed on offshore facilitiessorties. Aerial reconnaissance required 1.55%sorties. On aircraft interception was involved 0.3%sorties.
“Out of 202,128 tons of bombs, 6,628 tons were dropped on administrative-political and military-industrial facilities deep behind enemy lines, and 74,819 tons were dropped on railway junctions and stations; airfields - 22685 tons; naval ports - 5914 tons and troops on the battlefield - 92082 tons.
In the interests of the ground forces and the most important defensive and offensive operations carried out by them, long-range aviation carried out over 80,000sorties, of which in the battle of Stalingrad - 13874, in the battles on the Kursk Bulge - 7600, in the Belgorod-Kharkov offensive operation- 1898, in the battles near Leningrad - 23270, during the liberation of Crimea - 1865, in the Belarusian offensive operation - 13,451, in the Iasi-Kishenev offensive operations - 2602, in the battles for the liberation of the Baltic states - 7213, in the Vistula-Oder, East Prussian offensive operations - 8538 and in the Berlin offensive operation - 3441 sorties. In all these operations, long-range aircraft dropped 87,982 tons of bombs.
To provide direct assistance to the partisans of Belarus, Ukraine, Crimea, Latvia, Lithuania, Leningrad and other regions of Russia, as well as Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Poland, long-range aviation carried out over 8 thousand sorties. 12 thousand people and a large amount of cargo were transported by air to the territory occupied by the Germans, and over 4,700 wounded were evacuated to the mainland. In total, during the war, the ADD made 25,747 sorties in the interests of the ground forces to transport more than 17 thousand tons of cargo, 83 thousand military personnel and 23 thousand wounded" (Bochkarev P. P. and Parygin N. I.)
Belgorod historian-scientist Anatoly Mikhailovich Sergienko, researching the history of long-range aviation, established the absolutely exact number of Heroes of the Soviet Union in ADD. There are 273 of them, six were awarded the highest award twice.
And here is specific data on the 36th Air Division, in the regiments of which my father served. These data are given from the book “The Winged Guard” by Nikolai Levchenko, who describes the history57 Smolensk Red Banner Marine Missile Aviation Division, which continued the glorious combat path of the 36th Air Division of the DD in post-war period and was stationed in Bykhov until the collapse of the Union. But as it now turns out, he also borrowed them, but fromofficial history “Birth of the Division” (36th Hell DD), discovered in Sergienko’s archive. A unique document, created by staff clerks immediately after the war.
“In just the years of the Great Patriotic War In the battles for the Motherland, 119 pilots, 131 navigators, 142 radio operators, and 153 air gunners of the division died. (It should be noted that in terms of the number of losses, the flight personnel of more than three DD air regiments.)
Combat work is characterized by the following data: 1,424 sorties were flown during the day, 13,467 at night, 182,724 air bombs were dropped. As a result of bomb attacks, 6,439 fires were caused, explosions of varying strength - 3,292, 248 tanks, 254 trains, 41 locomotives, 1,367 wagons, 731 vehicles, 47 aircraft in the air and 480 on the ground, 250 warehouses and 46 tanks with fuel and lubricants, 320 anti-aircraft guns were destroyed. guns, 44 railway bridges and crossings, 88 searchlights, 20 oil storage facilities and 12 oil derricks, 3 power plants, 210 industrial and station buildings, 31 hangars, 3 enemy warships and transports were sunk, a large amount of manpower and military equipment of the Nazi troops was destroyed." .
As you can see, the nature of the tasks performed, the range of actions and their scale, Long-Range Aviation is impressive. But every flight is a concrete effort by the technicians preparing them. This is the work of hard workers from the airfield service battalions, delivering fuel and bombs to the aircraft, keeping the airfields in proper condition, as well as mechanics of the field repair shops, patching lacerated aircraft wounds and resuscitating the motor hearts of combat vehicles. And you will find very little about these war workers in memoirs. These are people who remained in the shadow of the military glory of long-range aviation regiments, but without whom not a single ADD aircraft took to the skies.
On December 23, the long-range aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces celebrates its professional holiday. Pilots, technicians and everyone related to domestic long-range aviation, that is, strategic bombers and missile carriers, can raise a glass of champagne, unless, of course, they are on duty. The date was not chosen by chance.
On December 23, 1914, just three and a half months after the start of the First World War, the Ilya Muromets heavy bomber squadron was created for the first time in the world, for which the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II approved the corresponding decision of the military council Russian army. The first head of the squadron was the initiator of its creation, Major General Mikhail Shidlovsky, a member of the State Council Russian Empire and Chairman of the Board of the Joint Stock Company of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Plant, where the world's first Ilya Muromtsy were made.
The highest order coincided day after day with another significant date: exactly a year earlier, on December 23, 1913, the four-engine giant Ilya Muromets took to the skies for the first time. So when in 1999, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Anatoly Kornukov, in his order established a new professional holiday for his subordinates, he had two good reasons to choose this particular date.
Over the past 103 years, domestic long-range aviation has become one of the main elements of the strategic deterrent forces, in the same company as the strategic missile forces and missile submarines. Today, the Russian Army is, of course, not armed with the Muromets, but much more modern aircraft - Tu-95 and Tu-160, and they carry much more serious weapons. But continuity remains: the strategic missile carrier Tu-160 carrying out combat flights today with tail number 06 bears the name “Ilya Muromets” in memory of its ancestor.
Russian hero "Ilya Muromets"
The world's first heavy four-engine bomber S-22 "Ilya Muromets" received the name of the legendary Russian hero for a reason. Its predecessor - the world's first four-engine aircraft - was called more abstractly - “Russian Knight”. According to some reports, the creator of these heavy machines, the famous Russian and then American aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky, planned to build a whole series of heavy aircraft, each of which would bear the name of the epic hero.
From the very beginning, the “Russian Knight” was created as a long-range military reconnaissance aircraft. But his successor became the world's first passenger airliner. It received the first passenger compartment in the history of aviation, separated from the pilot’s cabin, designed to accommodate one and a half dozen people. This salon not only had glazing and sleeping rooms, but even a bathroom with a toilet and heating, which was powered by engine exhaust gases.
The plane even had doors to exit from the cabin to the surface of the lower wings, where, as expected, passengers could, if desired, ventilate during the flight (then speeds and altitudes made it possible to do this almost without risk).
The outbreak of the First World War quickly forced aircraft manufacturers to switch to war footing, and instead of passengers, the Ilya Muromets began to carry bombs on board. The first squadron had only four aircraft - by that time they simply did not have time to build more. But in just three years of the war, 76 of them were already produced, of which 60 vehicles entered the troops. They were used until the end of the Civil War. The Ilya Muromets departed on its last combat mission on November 21, 1920. After this, the legendary aircraft returned to its original purpose: in 1921, six of the strongest aircraft began to serve the first postal and passenger line in Soviet Russia, Moscow-Orel-Kharkov, and transported 60 passengers and more than 2 tons of cargo in 43 flights.
Not just for the sake of records: why did the USSR need ultra-long flights?
The thirties of the twentieth century became a time when aviation took one record milestone after another: faster, higher, further. At first, military and civilian aircraft differed little from each other. The flying machines that performed record-breaking flights were not entirely military, but not entirely civilian either. For example, the famous ANT-25 aircraft had a middle name - RD, which most often stood for “Range Record”. However, knowledgeable people understood that this abbreviation, without compromising the meaning, could also be deciphered as “Long-Range Scout.” In the summer of 1937, a unique taxiway transported two record-breaking crews from the USSR to the USA: Valery Chkalov and Mikhail Gromov. After which the RD was put into production in a small series - for military needs. It entered service with the troops under the designation ANT-36 or DB-1, that is, “Long-Range Bomber First.”
Photo: Wikimedia
The record-breaking ANT-37bis “Rodina” aircraft was also a military aircraft, on which in 1938 the female crew under the command of Marina Raskova set the women’s world aviation flight range record. In fact, it was the same DB-2, that is, the “Second Long-Range Bomber,” modified specifically for the record flight. The same ANT-25, or RD, was taken as the basis for the Rodina and its combat variants: it was not for nothing that Chkalov and Gromov tested this vehicle in the most extreme conditions over the Arctic Ocean.
By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, long-range aviation of the USSR had 1,333 aircraft. Many of them were not inferior to German bombers - at least in flight range. It was these features of domestic machines that allowed our pilots, in the most difficult days of August 1941, to accomplish what seemed simply impossible to the whole world: the bombing of Berlin. And although the real damage inflicted on the enemy capital was small, the psychological damage was much more important: the Berliners were clearly made to understand that the USSR was not only not going to surrender, but was capable of inflicting serious blows.
Photo: Wikimedia
DB-3 long-range bombers were the first to attack Berlin Baltic Fleet on the night of August 8, 1941. Then, on the night of August 11, more “long-range” and load-lifting aircraft, the TB-7 (later renamed Pe-8) and Er-2, which began to enter the troops just before the war, went on a bombing mission.
A total of 10 long-range bombers took part in the raid. And in just less than a month - from August 8 to September 5 - the Soviet Air Force carried out nine bombing attacks on Berlin and other German cities, dropping 311 high-explosive and incendiary bombs.
"Diplomatic bomber" Pe-8
Since Soviet bombers at the beginning of the war had the greatest flight range (at that time only the American B-17 Flying Fortresses had a comparable range), it was one of our winged aircraft that had the honor of carrying out a secret mission in 1942: to deliver the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov to negotiations to London and then to Washington and back. The crew of the bomber with tail number 42066 was commanded by Major Endel Pusep, an Estonian, one of the participants in the raid on Berlin on August 10, 1941.
Photo: Wikimedia
Preparations for the diplomatic flight were so secret that German intelligence learned about it only after Vyacheslav Molotov completed the mission assigned to him, forcing Great Britain and the United States to sign agreements on mutual assistance in the fight against Germany and its allies. Therefore, the flight to the West was relatively safe - as safe as a flight over a combat zone can be.
The only element of comfort that the designers were able to provide for the minister and his entourage was a special compartment equipped with oxygen equipment for six people in the fuselage of the aircraft.
Minister Molotov was dressed in the same way as the entire crew - in a fur overalls, a helmet and high boots. As he himself later said, on board he ceased to be “the second person in the country”
The Pe-8, which took off from Moscow, flew over the Baltic and North Seas and landed in Northern Scotland on May 19, from where the head of the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs was taken to London. After 9 days, the Pe-8 was already in Washington, from where on June 12 Molotov, having once again visited London, returned to Moscow.
It is noteworthy that Soviet and Western newspapers reported the signing of an important document while the “diplomatic bomber” was still in England. In Berlin, they immediately gave the order to destroy the Pe-8 with Molotov on board at any cost, but the Luftwaffe pilots were unable to carry out this order.
When the United States carried out the first and last atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in world history, it became clear that Soviet Union There is an urgent need to restore military-strategic parity. But if work on the Soviet atomic bomb was already in full swing, it was more difficult to create a carrier for it. The reason was simple: during the Great Patriotic War, the main focus of the aviation industry was on front-line aviation, and this required an aircraft capable of covering a much greater distance. Since it was unrealistic to quickly create such a machine, the government supported the idea of aircraft designer Vladimir Myasishchev: to copy the American B-29 Superfortress bomber that had suitable parameters. Naturally, the United States did not really like the idea, and the American Air Force flatly refused to provide aircraft to the USSR. Then Soviet aircraft designers decided to take advantage of a fortunate opportunity. At this moment, two “Superfortresses” made an emergency landing on Soviet territory, having been damaged after the raids on Japan. They began to copy them.
Photo: Wikimedia
Since time was short, the American car was actually recreated as is. The main difficulty was only in converting the dimensions of parts and assemblies from the inch system to the metric system, so that they could be produced by domestic industry.
The plane's American engines were replaced with more powerful Soviet ones, its defensive weapons were strengthened, and a Soviet radio station was installed. Otherwise, the Tu-4 was little different from its American progenitor.
This gave the Soviet pilots a reason to joke: they say, the American plane was forced to carry a Soviet atomic bomb!
Tu-104: demobilized bomber
The beginning of the jet age in aviation at first seemed to return it to the beginning of the twentieth century, when airplanes were just trying their wings. Despite the fact that by the end of the Second World War, military and passenger vehicles were already quite different from each other, the advent of the jet engine forced aircraft designers to bring them closer together again: it was more convenient to develop new solutions on single prototypes. This is exactly what the Soviet aviation design bureau of academician Andrei Tupolev did when in 1954 he was given the task of creating the first domestic jet passenger airliner.
Photo: Wikimedia
By that time, the first Soviet jet bomber and missile carrier Tu-16 was already in full flight - a unique machine that served in Soviet and Russian Long-Range Aviation for more than half a century. The plane turned out to be so successful that they decided to build the first domestic jet airliner based on it. To do this, we had to slightly increase the diameter of the fuselage and lower the wing lower. All other structural elements remained without significant changes.
The Tu-104, of course, was not as long-lived as the Tu-16: if the last combat modifications of the “sixteenth” were removed from service already in the mid-1990s, then the “one hundred and fourth” were taken out of service already in 1979 - 25 years later. But a quarter of a century is also not bad for an aircraft that for two years, from 1956 to 1958, was the only flying jet passenger airliner in the world!
Record holders of modern Russian long-range aviation
The fact that the aircraft in service with the Long-Range Aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces are not outdated and are still a formidable weapon, both Russian and foreign military personnel were convinced during the combat operation of the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria. The basis of today's Russian long-range aviation is made up of aircraft developed at the Andrei Tupolev Design Bureau - Tu-22M, Tu-95 and Tu-160. Of this trinity, it was the “ninety-fifths” and “one hundred and sixties” that chalked up greatest number record figures.
Photo: Alex Beltyukov, Wikimedia
The Tu-95, for example, is the world's fastest propeller-propelled aircraft and the only production bomber and missile carrier with turboprop engines. This bomber began its service back in 1956, but it still has significant advantages over its jet counterparts. For example, it is more difficult to detect it for reconnaissance satellites, which are focused on searching for the jet stream of enemy aircraft.
As for the Tu-160, this machine is the successor to the Tu-22M, one of the world's first heavy bombers with variable wing geometry. Over the 30 years that the “one hundred and sixtieth” has been in service, it has maintained all its record performance. Firstly, this is the largest and most powerful supersonic aircraft in the history of military aviation. Secondly, this is the largest and fastest aircraft with variable wing geometry. Thirdly, the Tu-160 is the heaviest combat aircraft in the world, which is capable of carrying a bomb load that no other modern bomber can lift. And fourthly, it is the fastest bomber in service around the world.
Long-range aviation played a decisive role in the war.
212th separate
In January 1941, Golovanov, one of the best pilots in the country, who became famous during the Finnish War and the operation at Khalkhin Gol, wrote a letter to Stalin...
In this letter, the ace pilot proposed creating a large aviation formation that would be capable of carrying out combat missions deep behind enemy lines in difficult weather conditions at any time of the day. He wrote: “It is this question, essentially, that will decide the success of the upcoming military operations in the sense of disorganizing the enemy’s deep rear areas, his industry, transport, ammunition supply, etc. etc., not to mention the possibility of landing operations. Having some experience and skill in these matters, I could set about organizing and organizing a formation of 100-150 aircraft, which would meet the latest requirements for aviation, and which would fly as well as the British or Germans and would be a base for the Air Force in the sense personnel and further increase in the number of connections.”
Golovanov was stunned by the speed with which the government responded to his proposal. The very next day, the pilot was summoned to the Kremlin to see Stalin, who was very attracted by Golovanov’s proposal. Soon it was decided to form a regiment of pilots who were proficient in the elements of “blind” flight and familiar with radar equipment. In February 1941, such a regiment was created - the 212th separate long-range bomber regiment. Golovanov was appointed its commander. He was given the task of ensuring that the crews were capable of carrying out bombing strikes deep behind enemy lines, day and night, in any weather. The best pilots from all over the country were gathered into the regiment, located near Smolensk, and intensive training began. Particular attention was paid to training in radio navigation and communications - long-range aviation had to be able to fly in the most difficult conditions and at the same time carry out its tasks.
The regiment was often tested by drills - two to three times a week. The crews received combat missions and carried out sorties with suspended bombs. After the alarm was lifted, the exhausted pilots still had to go through curriculum. People were tired from constant overexertion, and at the regimental headquarters it was decided to give them a day of rest the following Sunday...
On Sunday night they called from the district headquarters. This is how Golovanov recalled it: “The phone rang, I picked up the phone and heard the excited voice of the district duty officer from Minsk:
- Combat alert, the Germans are bombing Lida!
Such calls in connection with drills were not uncommon at that time.
“Comrade on duty,” I answered, “give the personnel at least one day to rest.” Only yesterday I raised a regiment according to my plan. Can't it be postponed?!
“The Germans are bombing Lida, I have no more time,” answered the duty officer and switched off.”
After this, communication was interrupted, and the regiment stood in combat readiness for a long time, without instructions, complaining that the district headquarters was so poorly prepared for the exercises. No one knew that thousands of people were already dying very close by... Only in the afternoon did the pilots learn about the beginning of the war - on a regular radio, from Molotov’s speech.
When communication appeared, the regiment received an order to strike targets deep behind enemy lines. The pilots made one sortie after another, and without cover. Several crews were killed - by June 28, out of 72 aircraft, only 14 remained capable of performing combat missions. The rest were shot down or required repairs. But the pilots, while carrying out their long-range bombing missions, managed to shoot down 18 Messerschmidts.
Golovanov, in those crazy days of the outbreak of the sudden war, showed sobriety of thinking and the ability to navigate emergency situations. Soon Stalin appointed him commander of the 81st Air Division. Later, the 212th separate long-range bomber regiment, considered the most experienced and skilled in aviation, joined the division. The 81st Air Division successfully fought the enemy, and during the defense of Moscow inflicted tangible damage. In Sovinformburo reports they often spoke about this division without naming its number: “As a result of bombing and attack, one of our air units destroyed 108 tanks, 189 vehicles with infantry and ammunition, 6 gas tanks, about 50 motorcycles, several guns and 2 anti-aircraft artillery batteries." “In one day, October 24, in the area of Maloyaroslavets and Mozhaisk, 70 tanks, 220 vehicles with infantry and ammunition, up to 6 tanks with fuel and 4 anti-aircraft firing points were destroyed.”
With bombs on Berlin
At the beginning of 1942, it was decided at Headquarters to create ADD - long-range aviation. The ADD reported directly to Stalin. Alexander Golovanov was appointed commander.
The headquarters transferred eight long-range bomber air divisions and several airfields with paved runways to the ADD. This expanded combat capabilities and allowed crews to fly uninterruptedly at any time of the year.
The ADD carried out bombing strikes deep behind enemy lines and destroyed the most important strategic objects. Moreover, the bombing of territories occupied by the Nazis was carried out even when the USSR itself was under threat of capture.
Here is how English newspapers wrote about it in August 1942: “Russian air raids on Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary caused serious damage to numerous centers. Until now, it was generally believed that Russia was too far away and busy defending its own front to attack the Balkans, and therefore many elements of precaution were absent there... Budapest was especially damaged. According to one neutral diplomat, during the first raid on Budapest, the large railway station of the Hungarian capital was badly damaged and, according to a statement in the Hungarian press, the government was requisitioning all the glass in the city to repair the windows. At present, all three states are feverishly organizing air defense in the main cities and factories working for the Nazis, prudently created in these countries, as if far from the bombers of the united countries."
Even then, in 1942, bombings of Berlin and other German cities were carried out. In addition to causing enormous damage to the enemy through bombing, the ADD performed another function. Long-range aviation provided air support to the partisans. Ammunition, food, medicine for the partisans - all this was delivered deep behind enemy lines by the brave ADD pilots.
In addition, they carried out bombings “at the request” of the partisans. Golovanov cites the following interesting document in his memoirs: “I ask for your order to help the partisan detachment and bomb a concentration of Germans of one thousand eight hundred people with equipment in populated areas: p. Semenovskoye (eighteen kilometers northwest of the city of Sevsk) and the village. Alekshkovichi (twenty-three kilometers northwest of the city of Sevsk), Suzemsky district Oryol region, after which the partisans will destroy the group. July 6, 1942, head of the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement P.K. Ponomarenko.”
And such “requests” were by no means uncommon - the ADD worked closely with the partisans. All major military operations were carried out with the direct participation of the ADD. This is how official documents talked about it: “During the defensive battles in the Stalingrad direction from July 17 to November 19, 1942, the ADD made 11,317 sorties, which amounted to 49 percent of all ADD combat sorties during this period. In November and December, despite very bad meteorological conditions, the ADD continued its combat activities in the Stalingrad direction, destroying enemy troops and equipment both in the areas of Stalingrad itself and on the close approaches to it.”
In total, during the existence of the ADD, according to military statistics, more than 194,000 sorties were flown. More than 6,600 sorties were carried out against enemy administrative and industrial centers; at railway junctions and highways - more than 65,000; against enemy troops - more than 73,000 sorties; at airfields - more than 18,000 and at seaports - more than 6,000 sorties. In addition, on special missions, 7,298 flights were carried out behind enemy lines and about 5,500 tons of cargo were transported, mainly ammunition and about 12,000 personnel. We can safely say that the victory of our army was brought on the wings of the ADD...
