Aviation Naval Warfare Land Systems Small Arms By Flag By Year By Tag

Sikorsky S-16 (RBVZ S-XVI)

1916 WORLD WAR 1

History of the Sikorsky S-16 (RBVZ S-XVI)

Designed by Ukrainian aeronautical engineer Igor Sikorsky, the S-16 was developed in response to Imperial Russian requirements for a two-seat biplane for the large, bulky, multi-engine Ilya Muromets bomber. The bomber itself, designed by Sikorsky, was the world's first four-engine bomber, launched in 1913. More than 85 were built for the Russian Imperial Aviation Service and used in the First World War (1914-1918). The S-16 fighter appeared a few years later with a much smaller production total.

It is also recognized under the name RBVZ S-XVI, on which the manufacturer ("Russo-Baltic Wagon Works") is noted.

Externally, the S-16 was the traditional layout of the time, mostly fabric-skinned wood. An equal-span biplane wing arrangement was chosen, with a single cabin and parallel struts. The hull fixed the plate sides and installed the engine in the front compartment, which was wrapped in thin metal.

The tail uses flat vertical fins and a low-set horizontal plane. The landing gear is formed by a network of struts to form the two main legs, and the two-wheeled bogies are located below the central mass of the aircraft.

Interestingly, the two crew members sit side by side in a staggered open-air cockpit arrangement. The S-16 was originally intended to be powered by a 100 hp French Le Rhone engine, but due to limited availability in 100 hp form, it was fitted with an 80 hp air-cooled Gnome rotary engine driving a two-blade wooden propeller unit.

This ultimately affects the performance of the fighter compared to its contemporaries. Performance specs include a top speed of 75 miles per hour and a rate of climb of nearly 410 feet per minute.

Weapons included a 7.7mm Lavrov (or British Vickers) machine gun mounted on the hood. The gun was fired synchronised (with Lavrov synchronised gears) through the rotating propeller blades, marking the S-16 as one of the first fighter jets of the war to feature this revolutionary feature.

This gun provides approximately 500 rounds of 7.7mm ammunition.

The first flight of the S-16 prototype took place on February 6, 1915, and it entered service in January 1916, with an inventory formed by contract orders for 18 such prototypes. In practice, the line was nimble enough, but its underpowered engine didn't make it a war classic.

Additionally, 1917 and the events that followed pulled the Russian Empire out of the war with Germany and forced the S-16 to be used during the Russian Revolution to rage against the Russians themselves. The Soviet Union was born in place of the Empire in 1922, and the S-16 aircraft in service entered the inventory of the newly formed Soviet Air Force.

They didn't survive long as the line was completely shut down in 1923.

Before its demise, engineers experimented with the S-16 design several times, including the installation of an additional machine gun (along the upper wing), pontoons for water landing and takeoff, and various wings and engine tuning.