Exactly 90 years ago, on November 26, 1925, the Soviet TB-1 bomber, designed by Tupolev, made its first flight. It was the world's first serial all-metal heavy twin-engine bomber, made according to a cantilever monoplane design. The aircraft was developed in just 9 months. The aircraft was mass-produced from the summer of 1929 to the beginning of 1932. During this time, 212 aircraft of this type were built in the Soviet Union. TB-1 bombers were in service until 1936. After decommissioning, their careers did not end. The aircraft were transferred to Aeroflot, where they received a new designation G-1 (cargo first). In Aeroflot, the planes were used at least until the end of 1945.
In the TB-1 aircraft (prototype ANT-4), for the first time in the world, it was possible to combine all the features of a monoplane bomber with the maximum possible completeness. In those years, aviation specialists admired the completeness of the design and the beautiful forms of the Soviet aircraft. TB-1 became the prototype for many bombers built on a cantilever monoplane scheme. Many foreign designers did not hesitate to copy its scheme, while for a long time the TB-1 remained the world's best machine in its class.
The design of the TB-1 (ANT-4) aircraft with Nepir-Layon engines (450 hp) began at TsAGI on November 11, 1924 by order of the Special Technical Bureau. Construction of the aircraft began in Moscow in an unsuitable for these purposes premises, located on the second floor of house No. 16 on Radio Street and was delayed by a shortage of skilled workers. Despite this, on August 11, 1925, the assembly of the aircraft was completed. In order to send the plane to the airfield, they had to break the wall of the house. The final assembly at the airfield was completed by October of the same year. The first flight, which lasted only 7 minutes, was made by test pilot A. I. Tomashevsky on November 26, 1925. After some fine-tuning of the aircraft design, the second flight took place on February 15, 1926 and lasted 35 minutes.
After a series of further improvements, the ANT-4 was put up for state tests. The first part of them lasted from June 11 to July 2, 1926, in total the plane flew 42 hours. The fine-tuning of the engines and control systems provided the aircraft with a maximum speed of 196.5 km / h. At the same time, the pilots noted the ease of takeoff and landing, good controllability of the machine. The aircraft demonstrated excellent stability in flight, the pilot could give up control for a short time even when making a U-turn. At an altitude of 400-500 meters, the car could easily fly on one engine without descent. In addition to the established programs, Tomashevsky managed to complete two record flights on the ANT-4 for a duration with a load of 1075 kg and 2054 kg. In the first case, the plane was in the sky for 4 hours 15 minutes, in the second - 12 hours 4 minutes. Since at that time the Soviet Union was not a member of the International Aviation Federation, these records were not recognized abroad.
State tests of the aircraft lasted intermittently until March 26, 1929, after which the aircraft was recommended for serial production. The Soviet Air Force ordered several hundred TB-1 bombers, which made it possible to move to the formation of heavy bombers. Prior to that, the USSR had only two types of such aircraft in service: the French FG-62 (Farman F.62 "Goliath") and the German YUG-1 (Junkers K.30). However, both of them were not enough. So "Goliaths" there were only 4 pieces, and "Junkers" - about two dozen. By the time the first TB-1 bombers began to arrive in the unit, the Soviet Air Force had two squadrons armed with YuG-1, and FG-62 aircraft were used as training and transport vehicles. After the supply of TB-1 began, it became possible to think about the creation of brigades of heavy bombers. Each of the brigades was to include three squadrons of 6 aircraft each. Thus, together with the aircraft of the headquarters, a fully staffed brigade of heavy bombers had to include 20 aircraft.
The first TB-1 bombers were supposed to have a communication system designed for three subscribers and consisting of microphones and "two-ear phones". However, it was not possible to establish its work. Due to the noise of the motors and interference, it was simply impossible to hear anything in the headphones. For this reason, it was decided to switch to color signaling. A set of three bulbs, which lit up in different sequences and combinations, transmitted a set of code messages.
The pilots liked the plane at once. The aircraft was stable in all flight modes and, despite its substantial dimensions, could make deep turns. True, in this case, insignificant vibrations of the wing ends could be observed, which were not dangerous. Taking off the plane was as easy as landing. When switching from R-1 to TB-1, Soviet pilots only had to get used to the new steering column. Also, TB-1 was quite successfully operated from uneven sites.
The significant disadvantages of the aircraft included a limited view of the pilots at taxiing and at the beginning of takeoff. The long nose of the plane obscured the forward view. In this case, the left pilot saw only what was on the left, and the right one - on the right. For this reason, the plane was taxied at the airfield according to the commands given by the navigator, who was standing in the opening of the front turret. For the same reasons, the aircraft approaching for landing was carried out depending on where the pilot was: the right pilot made a right turn, the left, respectively, left. Also, the cockpits of the aircraft were cramped for flights in winter, when the crew put on winter uniforms, which included a fur coat, felt boots and mittens. In general, it was quite uncomfortable in the open cockpits of the bomber in winter. In frosty weather, the pilots smeared the skin with goose fat, and put on a woolen mask on their faces.
The summer of 1932 became a kind of "finest hour" for the TB-1 bombers. By August 25 of this year, the Soviet Air Force had 203 aircraft of this type. More than a third of these vehicles were deployed in the Moscow military district. However, already in the fall, heavy bombers began to re-equip brigades with new four-engine TB-3s. By the spring of 1933, only 4 squadrons remained in the Air Force, which were equipped with old equipment. At the May Day parade in Moscow, the number of TB-3 bombers has already doubled the number of TB-1 bombers. Gradually, twin-engine bombers were supplanted into the role of transport and training aircraft. At the same time, pilots who did not undergo training on them were not allowed to fly on the TB-3.
There are many interesting things in the TB-1 (ANT-4) track record. In particular, this aircraft took part in the famous epic on the rescue of the Chelyuskinites. On March 5, 1934, the plane, piloted by A. V. Lyapidevsky, took the first group of members of the expedition stuck in the ice from the ice camp to the mainland. And before that, back in 1929 on the TB-1 aircraft, for the first time in the world, an experiment was carried out to uncouple two fighter planes from the "mother plane" in flight. The experimental project, proposed by the engineer V. S. Vakhmistrov, was called "Airplane-link". At the same time, the main tests in flight of the "link aircraft" in 1929 were carried out by the outstanding Soviet pilot V. P. Chkalov.
For its time, the TB-1 (ANT-4) aircraft had excellent flight data. With Soviet-made M-17 engines, which developed power up to 680 hp, the plane could accelerate to 207 km / h. The excellent operational and flight characteristics of the ANT-4 aircraft were demonstrated by the crew of S. A. Shestakov, who flew from Moscow to Omsk - Khabarovsk - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - Attu Island - Seattle - San Francisco - New York. The total length of the route, which was not without incident, was 21,242 kilometers. The crew covered a significant part of the route, almost 8 thousand kilometers, above the water surface. The change of the aircraft's wheeled landing gear to a float one was made back in Khabarovsk.
At least two TB-1 aircraft in the civilian version have survived to this day. In the 1980s, G-1 was found on Dikson Island, which crashed back in the 1940s (the landing gear was destroyed). A group of cadets from the Vyborg Aviation Technical School departed for the island in August 1985. They got to the scene of the accident by helicopter, after which they began to disassemble the plane. As a result, disassembled, it was delivered by an Il-76 aircraft to Vyborg, where it was completely restored. As a result, this plane became an exhibit of the Civil Aviation Museum in Ulyanovsk, and you can see it here today. Another float G-1 is located not far from the railway station in the village of Taksimo (Muisky district of the Republic of Buryatia). This aircraft is mounted on a stele and has the tail number "USSR Zh-11".
Description of the aircraft TB-1
The TB-1 bomber is a twin-engine cantilever all-metal monoplane. Its structure was truss, with corrugated duralumin sheathing. The pitch of the corrugation along the fuselage and wing of the aircraft was 32 mm. The main material was duralumin (chain-link aluminum) with the use of steel in the most loaded structural units. In cross-section, the bomber's fuselage was trapezoidal, tapering to the bottom. The fuselage consisted of three compartments: nose - F-1, central (combined with the center section) - F-2 and tail - F-3. The fuselage frame included 21 frames, 9 of which were reinforced.
The TB-1 glider was divided into separate units, which greatly facilitated the production process, repairs and transportation. The wing of the aircraft consisted of a center section and consoles, while the center section had a detachable nose and rear. Steel welded motor mounts, designed for the installation of two engines, were fixed on the center section. The center section included 5 spars. The spars are truss, riveted from pipes with a variable cross-section.
The plumage of the TB-1 bomber was cantilever, while all steering surfaces were equipped with horn compensation. Aircraft stabilizer - adjustable in flight. The angle of installation of the stabilizer could be changed using the steering wheel located to the right of the left pilot. Rudder and aileron spars - pipes; stabilizer - with pipe shelves and sheet walls.
The power plant was originally represented by two piston engines BMW VI, but after mass production of its domestic modification M-17 was mastered and launched in Rybinsk, it was possible to refuse import. Both engines were V-shaped, 12-cylinder, water-cooled. They used honeycomb-type water radiators. In the operation of the aircraft, it was quite possible to install one M-17 engine and one BMW VI, which had the same compression ratio, on one bomber. The engines were started by an autostarter or compressed air, and, if necessary, manually, by simply swinging the propeller. Each of the engines had an oil tank with a capacity of 56 liters. They were installed in the engine nacelle and separated by a firewall. The aircraft was equipped with ten gasoline tanks, the total fuel supply in them was 2010 liters. All tanks were combined into a single system. The tanks were suspended in the wing of the aircraft on special metal belts with felt pads.
The landing gear of the aircraft is of a pyramidal type with rubber cord shock absorption. The bomber's wheels were spoke, originally imported wheels of the company "Palmar" were used in the size of 1250x250 mm, but then it was possible to switch to the Soviet counterpart with dimensions of 1350x300 mm. In the rear fuselage of the TB-1 bomber, a metal crutch equipped with rubber shock absorption was installed. In winter, the wheels could easily be replaced with skis. In this case, the ski tragus was put on the semi-axle. At the back and front, rubber restraining cables and guy lines were attached to each ski. In addition, instead of a wheeled chassis, a float one could be installed on the aircraft. The crutch was removed on the float plane. The float versions of the TB-1 were additionally equipped with floating and bottom anchors, a hook and mooring devices. The TB-1P (float) was rolled out onto land on two special wheeled carts, which were attached to the floats.
The following equipment was installed on the plane. In the forward cockpit of the navigator there was an AN-2 compass, an altimeter, a speed indicator, a clock, and a thermometer for determining the outside air temperature. The cockpit contained an altimeter, an AL-1 compass, two tachometers, direction indicators, speed and slip indicators, a clock, two thermometers for oil and water, two petrol and oil pressure gauges. An AN-2 compass, speed indicator, altimeter, clock, etc. were installed in the rear cockpit. The radio equipment installed on the bomber consisted of a 13PS station, designed to receive signals from radio beacons, and a short-wave transceiver telegraph and telephone station of the 11SK type, which was used to communicate with airfield radio stations over long distances. Also on the plane were installed navigation and code lights, two landing lights, there was night lighting in the cockpits.
The small arms of the TB-1 bomber included three twin mounts of 7, 62-mm machine guns. Initially, Lewis machine guns of the 1924 model were used, which were then replaced with domestic DA machine guns. Machine guns were installed on the Tur-6 (bow) and Tur-5 (stern) turrets, while the Tur-5 was rolled from side to side. Internal suspension of bombs was carried out using Der-9 cluster holders, external - Der-13. The total weight of the maximum bomb load reached 1300 kg. At the same time, the following options for loading the bomber were possible: 16 bombs of 32, 48 and 82 kg caliber in the bomb bay, or up to four 250 kg bombs located on the external sling.
The crew of the TB-1 bomber consisted of 6 people: the first pilot, the second pilot, the navigator-bombardier and three gunners. The functions of one of the shooters could be performed by a flight mechanic.
Flight technical characteristics of TB-1:
Overall dimensions: length - 18 m, height - 5.1 m, wingspan - 28.7 m, wing area - 120 m2.
The empty weight of the aircraft is 4520 kg.
Normal takeoff weight - 6810 kg.
Maximum takeoff weight - 7750 kg.
Power plant - 2 PD M-17, power up to 680 hp. each.
The maximum flight speed is 207 km / h.
Cruising flight speed - 178 km / h.
The practical flight range is 1000 km.
Service ceiling - 4830 m.
Armament - 6x7, 62-mm machine guns DA and up to 1000 kg bomb load.
Crew - 6 people.
