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

Belyayev DB-LK

1939 WORLD WAR 2 X-PLANE

History

The Belyayev DB-LK ("Bomber - Long Range") was a long-range bomber designed by the Soviet Union prior to World War II. It appeared before the battle in 1939 and made its first flight the following year, with subsequent flight attempts.

Despite its relatively good performance (except for some turbulence, including a collapsed landing gear and ongoing problems related to its unfavorable center of gravity), the Soviet Air Force did not order the aircraft.

The design of this entry fell to Viktor Nikolayevich Belyayev, who came to the likes of Aeroflot and Tupolev and has a rich history in aerospace engineering. Using his experience in the development of glider, flying wing and double boom concepts, he created the DB-LK, which combines a recessed fuselage boom and an almost fully flying wing design floor plan - a horizontal plane that retains its vertical mounting The rear wing has gone from being a real flying wing.

Each boom houses not only an engine with a tractor propeller, but also crew quarters. The main plane runs through the design, tapering off at the tip. Light alloy stress skins are used in the construction of the aircraft, while the wing elements are covered with aluminium alloy sheets.

A "trailer" landing gear (retractable) had main legs and a tail wheel supporting the tail under each boom.

The tails of the two conventional cockpit positions were fitted with glass rearward cones at the ends of the fuselage legs to accommodate radio and artillery specialists (four crew members in total). Due to the position of the cockpit, the position of the main pilot will be offset from the centerline (about 9 feet from this point), which can make takeoffs and landings somewhat challenging.

The aircraft is powered by relatively new Tumansky M-88 air-cooled radial piston engines, both rated between 950 and 1,000 horsepower, to power the three-blade propeller unit.

The aircraft was built with a barrel length of 32 feet, a wingspan of 70.10 feet, and a height of 11.11 feet. The curb weight is 13,236 pounds, bringing the total weight to 23,528 pounds.

During testing, the aircraft could reach speeds of up to 303 mph, with a range of up to 1,800 miles and a service ceiling of 27,890 feet. Its primary operating range is about 20,000 feet. The climb rate is 1,210 feet per minute.

Despite these fairly promising numbers, the unorthodox design never went beyond a single airworthy prototype.

In its final form, the combat bomber will be armed with a pair of 7.62mm Medium Machine Guns (MMG), fixed forward-firing mounts mounted on the center wing panel, and defensive 4x7s. There are 62mm ShKAS machine guns on each end of the fuselage cantilever (two guns at one gunner's position).

The bombs will be carried externally, under the center section of the wing, with multiple hardpoints designed to carry up to 24 conventionally dropped bombs, depending on bomb weight/type.

Specification

BASIC

Year of Service

1939

Origins

Soviet Union

Status

Cancel

Development ended.

Crew

Production

Manufacturer

Belyayev - USSR

Carrier

USSR (tested)

Roles

Ground attack (bombing, strafing)

The ability to conduct air strikes against ground targets using (but not limited to) artillery, bombs, rockets, rockets, etc.

X-Plane (development, prototype, tech demo)

Aircraft designed for prototyping, technology demonstration, or research/data collection.

Notable Features

Multi-engine

Include two or more engines to improve survivability and/or performance.

Sturdy aircraft frame

The inherent ability of the airframe to take significant damage.

High-speed performance

Can accelerate to higher speeds than the average aircraft at the time.

High performance

The ability to fly and operate at higher altitudes than the average aircraft of the day.

Extended range performance

Ability to travel long distances using on-board fuel supplies.

Super performance

The design covers the three key performance categories of speed, altitude and range.

Rating Process

A manual process to allow the pilot and/or crew to exit in the event of an onboard emergency.

Depression in crew members

Support the pressurization required for crew survival at higher operating altitudes.

Crew management

In addition to the pilot, the aircraft also employs additional crew members who specialize in specific functions on the aircraft.

Rifle positions

Defensive weapon location for attack/suppression.

Closed crew room

There are partially or fully enclosed crew work areas.

Scalable

Has retractable/retractable landing gear to maintain aerodynamic efficiency.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

32. 1 ft

(9.78m)

Width/span

70.9 feet

(21.60m)

Height

12. 0 feet

(3.65m)

Cured weight

13,239 lbs

(6,005 kg)

MTOW

23,534 lbs

(10,675 kg)

Wgt Difference

+10,296 lbs

(+4,670 kg)

MAINPLANE STRUCTURE

Monoplane / Center / Straight

Monoplane

Designed to use a single main wing main aircraft; this is the most popular arrangement of main aircraft.

Central Install

The main aircraft is mounted below the center on the sides of the fuselage.

Straight

Floor plans involve the use of simple, straight main plan elements.

(The structure descriptor refers to the base Belyayev DB-LK production variant)

Performance

Installed:

2 x Tumansky M-88 air-cooled radial piston engines ranging from 950 to 1,000 hp, driving a three-blade propeller unit.

Maximum speed

326 km/h

(525 km/h | 283 kn)

Cruising speed

303 km/h

(488 km/h | 263 knots)

Maximum speed difference

+23 km/h

(+37 km/h | 20 kn)

Maximum

27,887 feet

(8,500 m | 5 km)

Area

1,802 km

(2,900 km | 5,371 nautical miles)

rate of climb

1,210 ft/min

(369 m/min)

Weapons

Recommended, Standard: 2 x 7.62mm ShKAS machine guns mounted on fixed forward mounts in the central wing section. 2 x 7.62mm ShKAS machine guns are located aft on the end of the port fuselage boom. 2 x 7.62mm ShKAS machine guns in the aft position on the starboard fuselage cantilever end.