Grigorovich M-9

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M-9
Type	Reconnaissance flying boat
Manufacturer	Shchetinin
Designed by	Dmitry Grigorovich
Maiden flight	January 9, 1916
Retired	1920s
Primary users	Russian navy Finnish Air Force
Number built	ca 500
Developed from	Grigorovich M-5

Grigorovich M-9 (alternative designation ShchM-9, sometimes also Shchetinin M-9) was a successful Russian WW1-era biplane flying boat, developed from the M-5 by Grigorovich.

The first M-9 was ready in 1915 and its maiden flight was carried out on January 9, 1916 at Baku. On September 17, 1916, the test pilot Jan Nagórski became the first to make a loop with a flying boat.

During the Russian Civil War, M-9s participated in the air defence of Baku, dropping some 6,000 kg of bombs and 160 kg of arrows. The aircraft also carried out photo reconnaissance, artillery spotting and air combat.

The M-9 was also used for the first experiments on sea shelve study, participating in the finding of new oil fields near Baku.

Nine M-9s fell into Finnish hands during the Russian Civil War. One was flown by a Russian officer to Antrea on April 10, 1918. It sank the following day during type evaluation. Eight more were taken over at the airfields at Åland and Turku. The aircraft were used until 1922 by the Finnish Air Force.