Tupolev R-6

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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 mutli-role aircraft. The requirements were that it could be used for transporting materials over a long-range, defensive patrolling, reconnaissance (thus its military designation was R-6. R stood for Razdevchik, or Reconnaissance), light bombing and for torpedo attacks.

Development of the TB-1/ANT-4. Two 533kW M-17F. More than 400 built starting in 1929.

[edit] Design and Development

Under Ivan Pogosski and guided by Tupolev, TsAGI designed the ANT-7 off the ANT-7, 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 technician overlooking something. Power for the ANT-7 was to come from two 520-610hp Hispano Suiza engines or two 420hp Bristol Jupiter engines, but actually, the plane was powered by two 500-710hp 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 spit of this, the tests continued on and the ANT-7 passed.

[edit] Operational History

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. 410 other aircraft was made during the following three years: 385 at N22 in Moscow ( one of these was a "passenger limo"), 5 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 carrry 250 lbs of bombs for up to 600 miles. 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 standed 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 Great Patriotic War. The aircraft were designated the PS-7-2M17 (the "2M17" showed that the aircraft were powered by two Mikulin M-17's), or as MP-6-2M17 if floats were attached.

[edit] Variants

• R-6 - reconnaissance/escort fighter version, first flight 1929, trials 1930
• KR-6 - escort fighter version 1934
• MP-6 - civil floatplane version
• MR-6 - "Morskoj"(maritime) R-6, torpedo bomber version, 1932
• PS-7 - civil transport version PS-7 2M-17, cargo and passenger transport, first versions open cockpit, one version enclosed
• P-6 - civil cargo and passenger transport version
• R-6L - nine passenger civil transport version

[edit] Operators

Military Operators

 Soviet Union

• Soviet Air Force

Civil Operators

 Soviet Union

• Aeroflot
• Avia Arktika

[edit] Specifications (R-6)

General characteristics

• Crew: 4
• Length: 15.06 m (49 ft 5 in)
• Wingspan: 23.20 m (76 ft 1 in)
• Height: m (ft in)
• Wing area: 80.0 m² (861 ft²)
• Empty weight: 3,856 kg (8,501 lb)
• Loaded weight: 6,472 kg (14,270 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: kg (lb)
• Powerplant: 2× M-17F V12 engines, 540 kW (720 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 230 km/h (120 kt, 140 mph)
• Cruise speed: km/h (kt, mph)
• Range: 800 km (430 nm, 500 mi)
• Service ceiling 5,620 m (18,400 ft)
• Rate of climb: 2.7 m/s (541 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 81 kg/m² (16 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 170 W/kg (0.10 hp/lb)

Armament

• Guns: 5 or 6× 7.62 mm PV-1 machine guns
• Bombs: up to 500 kg (1,100 lb)

[edit] See also

Related development

• Tupolev TB-1
• Tupolev ANT-8
• Tupolev ANT-9
• Tupolev ANT-17
• Tupolev ANT-18
• Tupolev ANT-19
  

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS
• List of military reconnaissance aircraft
  

[edit] References

• Duffy, Paul and Andrei Kankdalov. (1996) Tupolev The Man and His aircraft. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers.
• The initial version of this article was based on material from aviation.ru. It has been released under the GFDL by the copyright holder.