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

Polikarpov R-5

1930 COLD WAR GOLDEN AGE SPANISH CIVIL WAR WORLD WAR 2

History of the Polikarpov R-5

The Polikarpov R-5 was a Soviet-built biplane reconnaissance/light bomber during World War II. Design work continued for more than three years until the first test flight in 1928 (using a German BMW VI engine), followed by the series launch in 1930, with a total of 6,000 to 7,000 prototypes produced.

From 1931 to World War II (1939-1945), the type served as the standard reconnaissance and light attack platform for the Soviet Air Force. The series was finally officially abandoned in 1944, although it has continued to fly for other operators since then.

When flying, the R-5 was mostly made of wood and fabric, which was common at the time. It features a relatively streamlined hull that contains the engine in the nose and a cockpit above the midship. A single-cabin, unequal-span configuration biplane wing assembly supported by N-type struts was used.

The two-wheeled undercarriage is fixed and is of the "trailer" type, while the single-blade tail is very traditional. Biplanes are easy to mass manufacture and are said to be easier to fly.

The main production form of 1930 carried a crew of two and had a barrel length of 34.7 feet, a wingspan of 50.9 feet, and a height of 10.7 feet. The curb weight is 4,340 pounds and the MTOW is 7,160 pounds.

Power comes from a liquid-cooled Mikulin M-17B inline V-12 engine that produces 680 horsepower and drives a twin-blade propeller unit in the nose. It has a top speed of 142 mph and a range of up to 500 miles. Service is capped at 21,000 feet, and it takes just over two minutes to reach 3,280 feet. Typical weapons are 1 x 7.62mm PV-1 machine gun mounted on a fixed forward firing bracket and 1 x 7.62mm DA (Degtyaryov) machine gun mounted on a trainable bracket in the rear cockpit.

Can transport up to 550 pounds of bombs.

Some of the earliest combat uses of the R-5 occurred during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), when the Republican Air Force received about 31 prototypes from the Soviet Union. Operations began in 1936, but these did not perform well as day bombers and were relegated to night bombers.

Additionally, through the Sino-Soviet Treaty of 1937 (Non-Aggression Pact), the R-5 was used in the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) to enhance China's offensive and defensive capabilities against invading Japan.

This aircraft served both the Soviet Union and Mongolia, and was used again against Japan at the Battle of Khalkhin Gol in 1939 (leading to a Su-Mongolian victory). From there, the model continued to serve during the Soviet invasion of Poland (September 1939) and the 1939-40 "Winter War" with neighboring Finland - with mixed results.

Such numbers allowed the series to remain in service during the Soviet-German war from 1941 to 1945 - but the R-5 was well past its heyday against more modern adversaries.

The R-5 also existed on the civilian market before, after, and after the war, primarily for transporting cargo or passengers or both.

Specification

BASIC

Year of Operation

1930

Origins

Soviet Union

Status

retirement

does not work.

Crew

Production

6,500

Manufacturer

Polikarpov OKB - USSR

Operator

Iran; Mongolia; Spain; Turkey; former Soviet Union

Roles

Ground attack (bombing, strafing)

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

Disable support (CAS)

Designed to operate near active ground elements with a wide range of air-to-surface weapon and ammunition options.

nautical/navy

Land-based or ship-based capability to operate on water in various maritime roles, supported by Allied Naval Surface Forces.

Commercial Aviation

Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, moving passengers and cargo over long distances.

Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR), reconnaissance

Monitor ground targets/target areas to assess surrounding threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

34.6 feet

(10.55m)

Width/span

50.9 feet

(15.50m)

Height

10.7 feet

(3.25m)

Cured weight

4,409 lbs

(2,000 kg)

MTOW

7,165 lbs

(3,250 kg)

Wgt Difference

+2,756 lbs

(+1,250kg)

Performance

Installed:

1 x Mikulin M-17B V-12 680 hp liquid-cooled in-line piston engine driving a twin-bladed propeller in the nose.

Maximum speed

143 km/h

(230 km/h | 124 knots)

Maximum

20,997 feet

(6,400 m | 4 km)

Area

497 km

(800 km | 1,482 nautical miles)

rate of climb

1,500 ft/min

(457 m/min)

Weapon

Military variant: 1 x 7.62mm PV-1 machine gun, fixed forward mount. 1 x 7.62mm DA machine gun mounted on a trainable bracket in the rear cockpit. Traditional dropshipping stores outside shipping up to 550 lbs.