Sikorsky Ilya Muromets

The Sikorsky Ilya Muromets (Russian: Сикорский Илья Муромец; versions S-22, S-23, S-24, S-25, S-26 and S-27) was a class of Russian pre-World War I large four-engine commercial airliners and military heavy bombers used during World War I by the Russian Empire. Named after Ilya Muromets, a hero in Russian folklore, these aircraft were based on the Russky Vityaz, the world's first four-engined aircraft, designed by Igor Sikorsky.

The Ilya Muromets was a revolutionary design when it first appeared in 1913. It was intended for commercial service and had a spacious passenger area. It was the world's first multi-engine aircraft to be made in large numbers, with at least sixty built.

During World War I, the Ilya Muromets became the first four-engine bomber to have a special unit for strategic bombing. In the early part of the war, it had no equal, because the Central Powers did not have any aircraft that could match it until much later. This made the Ilya Muromets an important and advanced aircraft in its time.

Design and development

The Ilya Muromets was designed by Igor Sikorsky in Saint Petersburg in 1913. It was based on an earlier aircraft called the Russky Vityaz. The Ilya Muromets was first built as a passenger plane. It had many modern features for its time, like a comfortable passenger room, heating, and electric lighting.

Later, it was changed into a military bomber for use in World War I. This version could carry bombs and had places for machine guns to defend itself. It was one of the first planes designed specifically for bombing missions.

Operational history

When World War I began, only two Ilya Muromets bombers were ready, but more were built quickly. By mid-1916, Russia had a group of ten bombers, which grew to twenty. These big planes were hard for enemy fighters to attack because they were well-protected and large.

The Ilya Muromets did many important things in aviation, like the first heavy bomber attacks, bombing at night, and checking damage with pictures. They flew over 400 missions and dropped bombs. By 1917, the planes were getting older, so they were used for training instead. After the war, some became airplanes for passengers until the early 1920s.

Main articles: Imperial Russian Air Service, Russian Civil War, Soviet Air Forces

Variants

The Sikorsky Ilya Muromets had many versions for different uses. The Ilya Muromets No. 107 was a test plane from 1913, and there was a water version too. The Ilya Muromets Kievsky No. 128 was another test plane from 1914.

The S-22 Type A was used to teach flying, while the S-23 Type B(eh) Bomber was used for the military starting in August 1914. There were many changes to the S-23 with different engines. The S-24 G-1 Series and S-25 Series were also bombers, and 55 of the S-25 were made. The S-26 D-1 DIM Series and S-27 E (Yeh-2) Series were later bomber models, each with different engine setups.

Argus As I
Salmson 2M7
Argus 115 hp
Salmson engines
Sunbeam Crusader
Sunbeam 225 hp
RBVZ-6
Beardmore 160 hp
Renault engines of 220 hp

Operators

The Sikorsky Ilya Muromets was used by several countries for both military and civilian purposes. In the military, it served with the Imperial Russian Air Service, the Soviet Air Forces, and the Polish Air Force. For civilian use, the aircraft was operated by the Soviet Union Civil Air Fleet.

Replica

A replica of the Ilya Muromets S-22 can be seen at the Monino Air Force Museum near Moscow. This copy was built in 1970 and shows what these early airplanes looked like long ago.

Specifications (Ilya Muromets Type S-27 E-2)

The Sikorsky Ilya Muromets Type S-27 E-2 was a large aircraft made before World War I. It needed a crew of 8 people to operate. The aircraft was very big, stretching 18.8 meters (about 61 feet and 8 inches) long. It had four engines, each driving a propeller. It could carry enough fuel to fly for about 4.4 hours.

This aircraft could reach a top speed of 130 kilometers per hour (about 81 miles per hour). It could travel up to 560 kilometers (about 350 miles). It was armed with 8 machine guns and could carry up to 800 kilograms (about 1,764 pounds) of bombs.