Илья Муромец: Российские самолёты до Первой мировой войны

Russian airplane series

The Sikorsky Ilya Muromets (Сикорский Илья Муромец) (versions S 22, S 23, S 24, S 25, S 26 and S 27) was a class of Russian pre World War I large four engine commercial airliners and military heavy bombers used during World War I by the Russian Empire. The aircraft series was named after Ilya Muromets, a hero from Slavic mythology. The series was based on the Russky Vityaz or Le Grand, the world's first four engined aircraft, designed by Igor Sikorsky. The Ilya Muromets aircraft as it appeared in 1913 was a revolutionary design, intended for commercial service with its spacious fuselage incorporating a passenger saloon and washroom on board. The Ilya Muromets was the world's first multi engine aircraft in production and at least sixty were built. During World War I, it became the first four engine bomber to equip a dedicated strategic bombing unit. This heavy bomber was unrivaled in the early stages of the war, as the Central Powers had no aircraft capable enough to rival it until much later.

The Ilya Muromets (Sikorsky S 22) was designed and constructed by Igor Sikorsky at the Russo Baltic Carriage Factory (RBVZ) in Saint Petersburg in 1913. It was based on his earlier S 21 Russky Vityaz, which started out as the twin engined Le Grand, then as the twin tandem engined Bolshoi Baltisky before placing all four of the Baltisky's engines in a tractor configuration along the lower wing's leading edge to create the Russky Vityaz — which had played an important role in the development of Russian aviation and the multi engine aircraft industries of the world. The Ilya Muromets was first conceived and built as a luxurious aircraft. It was the first aircraft to have an insulated passenger saloon, containing wicker chairs, a bedroom, a lounge, as well as the first airborne toilet. The aircraft also had heating and electrical lighting. The S 22 cockpit had sufficient space allowing several persons to observe the pilot. Openings on both sides of the fuselage permitted mechanics to climb out onto the lower wings to service the engines during flight. A hatch on the left side provided an entry to the main cabin, behind the cockpit. The main cabin featured two large windows on each side. Further back was a private cabin that included a berth, a small table, and a cabinet. Lighting was provided by a wind driven generator and heating was supplied by two long engine exhaust pipes that passed through the corners of the cabin. Later, in the bomber variants, a drift indicator and elementary bombsight was added to aid bombing. In 1913 the Ilya Muromets No. 107 flew for the first time, and on 11 February 1914, the second prototype (factory airframe 128) took off for its first demonstration flight with 16 passengers aboard, marking a record for number of passengers carried. From 30 June to 12 July 1914, it set a world record by making a trip from Saint Petersburg to Kiev, a distance of some 1200 km, and back. The first leg took 14 hours and 38 minutes, with one landing for fuel at Orsha, and the return one, with a fuel stop at Novosokolniki, took even less time, about 13 hours. According to Sikorsky, "The 1600 mile (2575 km) flight proved conclusively the value of large multi motored airplanes. The Army placed an order for ten four engined airplanes of the Ilia Mourometz type and the factory personnel was overjoyed by this final approval of the results of two years of hard work." The acclaim received by Sikorsky included Tsar Nicholas II presenting him with the Order of St. Vladimir, Fourth Degree, arranging for an exemption from the wartime draft to allow him to continue his design work, and a promise of a grant worth 100,000 rubles from the State Duma.#tag:ref|One of Sikorsky's prized possessions was a personal gift from the Tsar, a diamond studded gold watch that arrived later in the mail, also in recognition of his achievements with the Ilya Muromets. Sikorski retained the watch throughout his lifetime. During testing, the Ilya Muromets were fitted with both skis and pontoons in anticipation of new variants being produced. If it had not been for World War I, the Ilya Muromets would probably have started passenger flights that same year. The new heavy bomber was slightly smaller and lighter than the Type A. Internal racks carried up to 800 kg of bombs, and positions for up to nine machine guns were added for self defense in various locations, including the extreme tail. The Muromets (in its S 25 Geh 2 variant, March 1916) was the first aircraft in history to incorporate a tail gunner position. The engines were protected with 5 mm thick armor. In August 1914, the Ilya Muromets was introduced to the Imperial Russian Air Service and on 10 December 1914, the Russians formed their first ten bomber squadron, slowly increasing the number to 20 by mid 1916. Operations with the heavy bombers began on 12 February 1915 with a raid on German frontline positions. German Fighter Pilots often were reluctant to attack Ilya Muromets in the air due to their defensive firepower including the unique tail gun position, and the difficulty in bringing down such a large aircraft. On 12 September 1916 (Julian calendar), the Russians lost their first Ilya Muromets in a fight with four German Albatros, three of which it managed to shoot down. This was also the only loss to enemy action during the war; three others were damaged in combat, but managed to return to base to be repaired. Due to systematic weapon upgrades, the effectiveness of bomb dropping reached 90%. The Ilya Muromets performed more than 400 sorties and dropped 65 tons of bombs during the war. By 1917, attrition from constant flying had reduced the bombing fleet substantially and only four bombers remained at the front line; the other Ilya Muromets were relegated to trainer duties. After carrying 60 passengers and two tons of freight, the Ilya Muromets were considered too difficult to maintain as engines and airframes were worn out and on 10 October 1922, the airliners were retired. The last flight of an Ilya Muromets bomber took place in 1922 at the Air Shooting and Bomb dropping School in Serpukhov.

Ilya Muromets No. 107
Experimental airliner, 1913; fitted with four Argus As I engines, later refitted with two Salmson 2M7 and two Argus 115 hp engines. Ilya Muromets No. 107 Hydroplane
Hydroplane modification of airframe No. 107, fitted with two Salmson 2M7 and two Argus 115 hp engines.

One Ilya Muromets S 22 replica exists in the Monino Air Force Museum near Moscow built in 1970.