| R-6 | |
|---|---|
| Tupolev R-6/ANT-7 multi-role aircraft | |
| Role | Experimental aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Tupolev |
| Designer | TsAGI |
| First flight | 20 October 1923 |
| Introduction | 1930s |
| Retired | 1941 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | Soviet Air Force Aeroflot Avia Arktika |
| Produced | 1931-1934 |
| Number built | 411 |
| Developed from | Tupolev TB-1 |
The Tupolev R-6 (development name ANT-7) was a Soviet reconnaissance aircraft and escort fighter. It traces its roots back to early 1928 when the Soviet Air Force needed a long-range multirole aircraft. The requirements were that it could be used for long-range transport, defensive patrolling, reconnaissance (thus its military designation was R-6. R stood for razvedchik, "reconnaissance"), light bombing, and torpedo attacks.
ANT-7 was a development of the ANT-4 (TB-1) using two 533 kW M-17F engines. More than 400 were built.
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Under Ivan Pogosski and guided by Andrei Tupolev, TsAGI designed the ANT-7 off the ANT-4, scaling it down by about one third and retaining the open cockpit. However, a "passenger limo" with a closed cockpit was built. It had a cabin that could seat seven and had glass windows, and also had a luggage compartment. However, a year later, it crashed due to a technician overlooking something. Power for the ANT-7 was to come from two 388-455 kW (520-610 hp) Hispano Suiza engines or two 313 kW (420 hp) Bristol Jupiter engines, but actually, the plane was powered by two 373-529 kW (500-710 hp) BMW VI's.
The ANT-7's first flight was on September 11, 1929, piloted by Mikhail Gromov. Flight tests started in March 1930 after TsAGi decided to postpone them until after the winter. That summer, the NII-VVS conducted state tests, realizing that the tailplane was pounded. To make up for this, the elevators were enlarged. The next flight encountered the problems radiator damage and an engine failure. In spite of this, the tests continued on and the ANT-7 passed.
The ANT-7 was designated the R-6 by the Soviet Air Force. The first production one was rolled off the N22 assembly line in November 1931. This was one year after production started. Another 410 aircraft was made during the following three years: 385 at N22 in Moscow (one of these was a "passenger limo"), five were made at N31 in Taganrog (the ones at N31 were floatplanes and designated KR-6P), and 20 more at N12 in Komsonolsk-na-Amure.
The standard aircraft was called the "R-6" and was a reconnaissance aircraft, which had a pilot, gunner, and observer. It was able to carry 250 pounds (110 kg) of bombs for up to 600 miles (970 km). Some were built with floats, too. The ones with floats were designated KR-6P, which was a patrol plane, or the MR-2P, which was a torpedo carrier. Another variant was the KR-6 (the K stood for "Kreiser", meaning "Cruiser"), which had two PV-2 machine guns and the second crew member was a gunner. Later on, these planes would become trainers.
By 1935, the R-6 was becoming outdated, so the Soviet Air Force started to pull them out of service. Yet several were handed to Aeroflot and Avia Arktika, who used them to carry passengers and cargo. Aeroflot used it much in Siberia before the German-Soviet War. The aircraft were designated the PS-7-2M17 (the "2M17" showed that the aircraft were powered by two Mikulin M-17s), or as MP-6-2M17 if floats were attached.
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
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