The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during the war significantly increased and improved the base of its air fleet. If in the thirties foreign-made aircraft dominated in the air fleet, then by the middle of the war Russian military aircraft dominated.
Prerequisites for the development of Soviet military aviation
The construction of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics presupposed the complete autonomy of any of the branches, be it industrial, agricultural or military. However, at the junction of the twenties and thirties, the aircraft fleet was composed of imported aircraft. And Russian aircraft were represented only by the created ANT-2 and ANT-9 produced by the Tupolev Design Bureau. The problems of aircraft of the Red Army in those days were:
- outdated models of devices;
- poor technical condition of the aircraft;
- lack of uniformity (a large spread of models and brands did not allow to optimize the spare parts base).
The formation of military aviation before World War II
Positive changes in the industry came with the creation of the Moscow Aviation Institute. The appearance of the educational site has given a significant increase in the number of specialists at aviation plants and design bureaus.
The Soviet government invested large personnel and financial resources in Russian aircraft. By the second prewar five-year plan, aircraft manufacturers had a wide production base of a full cycle. The task of the Secretary General of Stalin to create
modern aviation was carried out
. In the mid-thirties there were test flights of the first Soviet bomber, hidden under a civilian transport ship. The first Russian aircraft, which then participated in the fighting of the Second World War, was prepared by such aviators as Levanevsky, Vodopyanov, Grizodubov, etc.
Tests of fighter jets were also conducted abroad. For example, in Spain in 1937. Then the aircraft were tested Polikarpov, brand I-15 and I-16. However, the results were disappointing. Cars significantly lost to their German competitors.
Stalin did not skimp on bonuses and resources allocated to designers on Russian aircraft. The fighters received radio equipment, as well as due to the development of materials science, new mixed designs, which significantly improved the tactical and technical characteristics of combat vehicles.
Aircraft industry on the eve of the war
The prewar state of the aviation military industry is clearly shown by the speech of the People's Commissar of Defense Voroshilov at the Plenum of the Central Committee in March 1939. His report described a substantial increase in Soviet Aviation. In particular, the Air Force, compared with 1934, grew by 138 percent. And the number of aircraft increased by 1.3 times.
Ratio. Bombers and fighters
Particular emphasis was placed on heavy bombers. It was believed that this is the trump card in the fight against the Western troops. Therefore, heavy bombers occupied a significant percentage of the fleet. The fleet of fighters was also increased 2.5 times.
Due to the designers, Russian aircraft were brought to a substantially new level. Also, M-25 engines with an air-cooled capacity of 715 horsepower and 750 M-horsepower M-100 engines using an aqueous cooling system were developed and put into operation. The maximum flight altitude also increased and amounted to 14-15 thousand meters. Aircraft acquired a more streamlined shape, the air resistance of the devices decreased. The growth in production has spurred the introduction of stamping and stream casting.
By 1941, of the fighter aircraft developed in the Soviet Union, Mig, Yak and LAGG were considered the most successful. IL-2 was recognized as problematic, which was constantly modified. According to the Clear Sky strategy, it was planned to release about 100,000 SU-2 aircraft, for which an unprecedented call was made into the air forces.
Start of war
In the starting 8 hours of the German attack on the Soviet Union, 1,200 Soviet aircraft were destroyed, including several airfields with all storage facilities. In the first year and a half, German aviation dominated the Soviet. Aircraft I-15, I-16 significantly lost the latest fascist “Messerschmidt” and “Junkers”. Sometimes, even on outdated aircraft, it was possible to achieve victories in air duels. In a month, Russian planes destroyed about 1300 German air units.
After six months of hostilities, aircraft production fell almost four times. This was due to the fact that the Germans came close to Moscow, and had to evacuate significant production facilities that were engaged in the production of parts for the aircraft industry. Therefore, in 1941, the plan for the production of all types of military aircraft was completed only by 40 percent.
With the launch of the evacuated enterprises, the situation improved significantly, and by 1944, about 100 military vehicles received airfields daily. Upgrade received absolutely all models. Of the improved ones, it is worth highlighting the Yak-3, LA-5, IL-10, PE-2, Yak-9.
The growth rate can be tracked by year:
- 1942 - 25,400 cars.
- 1943 - 34,900 cars.
- 1944 - 40 300 cars.
By 1944, the Soviet Union surpassed fascist Germany in the number of aircraft 2.7 times. One factor was the build speed. The design of our fighters was significantly more primitive than that of German and American manufacturers. Of course, the quality of manufactured aviation products was not always in favor of the Soviet aviation industry.
Russian planes of the Second World War. SU-2
The machine was developed since 1937 at the Tupolev Design Bureau under the leadership of Pavel Osipovich Sukhoi. Initially, the aircraft was called the “near bomber-1” and was produced with the M-88 engine with a capacity of 1,100 horsepower. Su-2 was produced at three plants. The flight speed of the Su-2 is over 490 km / h, and the flight altitude was 6000 meters. On board were placed 6 machine guns. The bomb load of the SU-2 varied.
SU-2 is one of the first bombers to enter the war. Carried out a variety of tasks. Subsequently, it was modernized in SU-4.
Yak-9
Of the fighters participating in the Second World War, it is worth highlighting this particular model. Even if you compare the photo of Russian aircraft, the Yak-9 has its own external style. It was developed in 1942. The base was the Yak-7b fighter. By replacing the wooden parts with aluminum, the weight of the fighter was significantly reduced. The armament on board consisted of a heavy machine gun and one gun. The aircraft had excellent aerobatic qualities, maneuvered well and was easily controllable. He also beat previous models at maximum speed and range. These figures were a record for all 1944 class aircraft. All these properties made it possible to adequately fight the leading military aircraft of the enemy.
The production of the aircraft was carried out several more years after the end of hostilities. And in total about 16800 combat vehicles in several modifications were produced.