Imperial Russian Air Force

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Ilya Muromets

The Imperial Russian Air Force existed in the Russian Empire between 1910 and 1917. The origins of the Russian aviation go back to theoretical projects of 1880s by pioneer Russian scientists such as Nikolai Kibalchich and Alexander Mozhaisky. During the 1890s the aviation innovation was further advanced by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. In 1904 Nikolai Zhukovsky established the world's first Aerodynamic Institute in Kachino near Moscow. In 1910 Imperial Russian Army purchased a number of French planes and started to train first military pilots. The history of military aircraft in Imperial Russia is closely associated with the name of Igor Sikorsky .

Ramming attack performed by Pyotr Nesterov

Remains of German aircraft Albatros shot down by the Russians during World War I

In 1913 Sikorsky built the first four-engine biplane Russky Vityaz and his famous bomber aircraft Ilya Muromets. In the same year Dmitry Grigorovich built a number of “flying boats” for the Imperial Russian Navy. In 1914 Russian aviators conducted the first ever flights in the Arctic looking for the lost expedition of polar explorer Georgy Sedov. At the beginning of World War I Russia had an air force second only to France, although a significant part of the Imperial Russian Air Force used outdated French aircraft. Initially Russians used aviation only for reconnaissance and coordination of artillery fire but in December of 1914 a squadron of Ilya Muromets bombers was formed and used against the German and Austro-Hungarian armies.

Among Russian pilots were the legendary Pyotr Nesterov, who performed the first suicide plane crash in the history of aviation, and the most successful Russian flying ace and fighter pilot Aleksandr Kazakov, who shot down 32 enemy planes. In 1915 the Imperial Russian Air Force, formerly part of the Engineer Corps, became a separate branch of the army directly under command of the Stavka (commander-in-chief's HQ). However, the war was not going well for Russia and following the significant setbacks on the Eastern front and economic collapse in the rear military aircraft production fell far behind Russia's rival Germany. Between 1914 and 1917 only about 5000 planes were built in Russia compared to more than 45 000 in Germany.

In late 1916 Sikorsky built a unique four-engine bomber-biplane called Alexander Nevsky but it was never put to serial production due to the events preceding and following the October Revolution and Sikorsky’s emigration to the United States of America in 1919.

The Soviet Air Force became the Air Force of the Soviet Union after the Russian Revolution.

[edit] Reference

• Янин, В.Л. (ed.). Отечественная история c древнейших времен до 1917 года. Большая Российская Энциклопедия, 1994.

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