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In the early 1930s, a Russian aeronautical engineer named Kalinin conceived the design of a gigantic flying fortress that was truly awesome. He sold the idea to
the Russian military and it was finally constructed in 1933. It was an elliptical wing with six main engines plus a pusher engine. On, it's maiden flight, the plane developed uncontrollable "flutter" and crashed near Kharkov with a loss of 14 lives. Later, Kalinin, like so many others, ran afoul of Stalin and he was executed in 1940. The following link shows several photos of the Kalinin K-7:
Thanks, good post, I had read about that monster some years back, but it had slipped my mind since. I enjoyed the pictures.
Given the immense size and multiple engines, I wonder how a fighter plane would have gone about trying to shoot one down? At what would you aim?
It is just as well for the Soviets that the program was a failure. Had the bomber functioned as designed, they might have wasted a lot of resources in building a fleet of them. This would have been useless since strategic bombing played no role at all in the Soviet defeat of the Third Reich.
I notice the photos have different engine configurations. The first has eight 'puller' engines. In any case, what a huge flying machine!
If the USSR had successfully developed a big bomber, they might have used strategic bombing against Nazi Germany. They did a little as it was. But I'd say the Western powers did such a thorough job of it that the Russians would have done little more than move the debiris around. (My father was a B-17 copilot.)
I see only a couple that might qualify as "photos." The rest are nice computer exercises. My immediate thought is that we need a new Harrison Ford vehicle. "Indiana Jones and the Alien Faberge Eggs?"
That was about teh time when the theory on war is much like that movie ;Thigns to come. Military believe that all cities in eourope would be quickly destroyed quickly in the first days of a new war. that was waht was behind the accepted theory that'the bombers will always get thru".That was why so many were not ready with defensive fighters until just before WWII.
I notice the photos have different engine configurations. The first has eight 'puller' engines.
Well, the mockups are rather fanciful. For example, look at the 5th, 6th and 7th pictures from the top. Someone has decided that not only can the engines lift this monster into the sky, but they are so powerful that they can also lift ones equipped with as many as 14 heavy artillery pieces attached in batteries of twos and threes. We would also have to add the weight of the large shells which these guns would fire. The plane would have to be incredibly rugged to stay aloft if all ten forward facing guns were discharged at once.
I suppose this was someone's notion of a flying battleship.
Thanks, good post, I had read about that monster some years back, but it had slipped my mind since. I enjoyed the pictures.
Given the immense size and multiple engines, I wonder how a fighter plane would have gone about trying to shoot one down? At what would you aim?
It is just as well for the Soviets that the program was a failure. Had the bomber functioned as designed, they might have wasted a lot of resources in building a fleet of them. This would have been useless since strategic bombing played no role at all in the Soviet defeat of the Third Reich.
One thing smart about Russian weapon design especially during WWII is to keep it simple and reliable! They may not make the most sophisticated weapons compared to Germans. But they certainly made sure ---easy manufacture especially in quantity, easy maintenance etc.
I doubt the flying fortress would be a Soviet choice in the 30's at all.
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