Message on the topic of the Air Force Bomber Force. Purpose, tasks and objects of action of bomber aviation (BA) and attack aviation (AS) units

Airplanes introduced “bomber” requirements for combat aircraft projects. In particular, at the 1912 competition in the Russian Empire, it was regulated that the airplane should provide “the greatest convenience for handling firearms and throwing bombs.”

World War I[ | ]

At the beginning of the war, bombing from airplanes was more of a deterrent measure. The role of bombers was performed by light reconnaissance aircraft, the pilots of which carried several small bombs with them. They dropped them manually, aiming through the eye. Such raids were random and did not coordinate with the actions of ground troops. The first bombing of Paris was carried out on August 30, 1914 by Lieutenant Ferdinand von Hiddesen from a Rumpler 3C aircraft, dropping 4 hand grenades. One woman died as a result of the attack. On 4 November 1914, the crew of the Gotha LE2, piloted by Lieutenant Kaspar and Oberleutnant Roos, made the first raid on English soil, dropping two bombs on Dover.

Interwar period[ | ]

After the war, the development of bombers as a class of military aircraft and bomber aircraft slowed down: a revolution took place in Russia and the Civil War began, defeated Germany and Austria were prohibited from developing military aviation, and leading Western countries focused on building a system for limiting the arms race and overcoming the economic crisis. Nevertheless, aviation continued to develop. The main qualities of bombers were considered to be payload and flight range. Speed ​​was not given any importance: multi-engine aircraft had to be protected by numerous machine-gun installations from fighters. Strict requirements were put forward for takeoff and landing at poorly equipped airfields.

"Hainaidi" - a representative of the first post-war generation of bombers (1923)

Until the end of the 20s, the biplane design dominated in bomber aviation: a biplane box made of wooden wings, a fixed landing gear, and open machine-gun installations. These were: the French LeO-20, the English Virginia and Heyford and many other aircraft. Already in 1925, the TB-1 (ANT-4) made its first flight in the USSR - the first multi-engine serial all-metal monoplane bomber with a cantilever wing. These solutions in the design of bombers have become classic. Many interesting experiments are associated with the TB-1: in 1933, experimental launches with powder accelerators took place, in -1935, experiments were carried out on in-flight refueling, and the TB-1 was also used in a composite link: two I-16 fighters were suspended from the bomber.

B-17 bomber prototype

Progress in aircraft construction also made it possible to build heavy four-engine aircraft, not inferior in speed to “high-speed” twin-engine bombers. This was achieved through the installation of powerful and lightweight supercharged engines, the introduction of variable pitch propellers, increasing the load on the wing through the use of landing mechanization of the wing, reducing the drag coefficient and improving the aerodynamic quality of the aircraft through the use of smooth skin, smooth fuselage contours and a “thin” wing. The first heavy bomber of the new generation was the four-engine Boeing B-17. The prototype aircraft took off on July 28, 1935.

Simultaneously with the improvement of the “classic” bomber, a new type of aircraft appeared in the 1930s - the “dive bomber”. The most famous dive bombers are Junkers Ju 87 and Pe-2.

The Second World War[ | ]

In total, about 100 different models of bombers took part in the battles. The greatest variety of models was in the class of twin-engine bombers. They were conventionally divided into “front” and “distant”. The former launched strikes to a depth of 300-400 km from the front line and along the front edge of the enemy’s defenses, the latter carried out raids behind enemy lines. Among frontline Bombers include the Soviet Pe-2, the English De Havilland Mosquito, the American Douglas A-20 Havoc, Martin B-26 Marauder, and Douglas A-26 Invader. TO distant include the Soviet Il-4, English Vickers Wellington, American North American B-25 Mitchell, German Heinkel He 111 and Junkers Yu 88.

In combat operations, single-engine bombers were also used to support ground forces: Fairey Battle, Su-2, Junkers Ju 87, etc. As practice has shown, they operated effectively only in conditions of air supremacy of their aircraft, as well as when striking weakly protected anti-aircraft artillery objects. As a result, by the end of the war, the production of light single-engine bombers was generally curtailed.

Unlike Germany and the USSR, where front-line aviation was primarily developed, in the USA and Great Britain much attention was paid to the development of heavy four-engine bombers capable of destroying the enemy’s economic centers and disorganizing their industry with massive strikes. With the outbreak of war in Great Britain, the Avro Lancaster was adopted, which became the main heavy aircraft of the Royal Air Force Bomber Command (RAF).

The basis of American long-range heavy bomber aircraft was the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, the fastest and highest altitude bomber in the world at the beginning of the war, and the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Despite the fact that it was inferior to the B-17 in speed and ceiling, the manufacturability of its design made it possible to organize the production of individual aircraft components at non-aviation factories. Thus, the Ford Motor Company automobile factories produced fuselages for these bombers.

The pinnacle in the development of heavy piston bombers was the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, created in 1942 under the leadership of designer A. Jordanov. Powerful engines and perfect aerodynamics provided the aircraft with a speed of up to 575 km/h, a ceiling of 9,700 m and a range of 5,000 km with 4,000 kg of bombs. It became the first carrier of nuclear weapons: on August 6, 1945, a bomber with its own name “Enola Gay” dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, and on August 9, the city of Nagasaki was subjected to nuclear bombing.

Since 1944, jet bomber aircraft have taken part in hostilities. The first jet fighter-bomber was the Me-262A2, a bomber modification of the first jet fighter created in 1942 in Germany. Me-262A2 carried two 500 kg bombs on an external sling. The first Ar-234 jet bomber was also built in Germany. Its speed was 742 km/h, combat radius 800 km, ceiling 10,000 m. The Ar-234 could use bombs weighing up to 1,400 kg.

The first carriers of guided weapons were German Do-217 K bombers, which destroyed the Italian battleship Roma in 1943 with guided gliding bombs. The He-111 bomber, obsolete by the end of the war, became the first strategic missile carrier: it launched V-1 cruise missiles at targets in the British Isles.

Cold War [ | ]

At the end of World War II, the flight characteristics of bombers increased so much that the destruction of anti-aircraft guns by their shells became a real problem - the consumption of ammunition to defeat one high-flying high-speed bomber was almost equal to its cost. The appearance of nuclear weapons in 1945 and the prospect of the rapid adoption of jet bombers with even higher characteristics required an increase in the effectiveness of air defense to a level inaccessible to cannon artillery; anti-aircraft guided missiles (SAM) became a way out of the situation.

The first jet and turboprop, intercontinental and supersonic bombers[ | ]

Due to the increase in flight range, the classification of bombers has changed slightly: strategic machines with an intercontinental range of about 10-15 thousand km began to be called, bombers with a range of up to 10,000 km became “long-range”, sometimes they are called average(or medium range), and vehicles that operate in the tactical rear of the enemy and in the front line began to be called tactical. However, countries that never became the owners of bombers with an intercontinental range continued to call their long-range bombers strategic (example: the Chinese H-6 bomber, a copy of the Tu-16). Also, the classification of bombers was seriously influenced by the management's views on their use and construction. For example, the F-111 front-line bomber received the “fighter” name.

The first bomber with an intercontinental range was the Convair B-36, built in 1946 in the United States, which at the same time became the last strategic bomber with piston engines. It had an unusual appearance due to its combined power plant: 6 piston engines with pusher propellers and 4 jet engines mounted in pairs under the wing. But even with jet engines, the piston machine could not reach a speed of more than 680 km/h, which made it very vulnerable against the high-speed jet fighters adopted for service. Despite the fact that by the standards of modern aviation, the B-36 did not serve long (the last bomber was withdrawn from service in 1959), machines of this type were widely used as flying laboratories.

B-58: the first supersonic bomber.

It was to completely replace the subsonic B-52 bombers at the Strategic Air Command. However, a spectacular demonstration in May 1960 of the capabilities of Soviet air defense systems to combat high-altitude high-speed targets confirmed the fears of the US leadership about the vulnerability of both subsonic and promising supersonic bombers. As a result, the B-70 bomber program was abandoned as a weapon system. In the early 60s, they tried to resume development, but successful tests of US intercontinental ballistic missiles and the high cost of the aircraft finally buried the project.

In the Soviet Union, after N. Khrushchev, who believed in the omnipotence of missile weapons, came to power, work on intercontinental bombers was stopped.

Unlike the United States, the Soviet leadership did not lower the altitude of the bombers in service and focused efforts on developing new multi-mode aircraft. On August 30, 1969, the Soviet multi-mode long-range bomber with a variable-sweep wing Tu-22M made its first flight. Initially, this aircraft was developed by the Tupolev Design Bureau on its own initiative as a deep modernization of the generally unsuccessful Tu-22 aircraft, but as a result, the new aircraft had practically nothing in common with it. The Tu-22M has a large bomb load of 24,000 kg, comparable only to the bomb load of the B-52.

American leadership initiated the development of a new multi-mode bomber to replace the B-52 only in 1969. The B-1A bomber made its first flight on December 23, 1974 in Palmdale (USA). The aircraft was a low-wing aircraft with a variable geometry wing and smooth articulation of the wing and fuselage. But in 1977, after a series of flight tests, the program was stopped: successes in the creation of cruise missiles, as well as successful research in the field of stealth technology (Stealth technology), once again called into question the need for low-altitude air defense breakthrough aircraft. The development of a multi-mode bomber was resumed only in 1981, but already as an intermediate aircraft, before the stealth strategic bomber entered service. The updated B-1B Lancer made its first flight on October 18, 1984, and production vehicles entered service only in 1986. Thus, the B-1 became the most “researched” aircraft, setting a kind of record: from the start of design in 1970 until entering service 16 years have passed.

At the end of 2007, the Russian Air Force formulated requirements for a new long-range aviation bomber (PAK DA project). The aircraft will be created by the Tupolev Design Bureau using stealth technology. The first flight of the new aircraft is scheduled for 2015.

In 1990, the US Department of Defense developed a new program for creating the latest models of military equipment, which provided for the construction of a limited number of equipment (for example, to form one squadron). As a result, production of the B-2 was discontinued after 21 aircraft were built. As of December 2008, the US Air Force operated: 20 B-2A stealth bombers, 66 B-1B supersonic bombers, and 76 subsonic B-52Hs.

China, which is armed with 120 long-range H-6 (Tu-16) bombers, and France, which carries out strategic missions with 64 Mirage 2000N fighter-bombers, also have strategic aviation.

Tactical aviation[ | ]

In modern tactical aviation, the difference between a tactical (front-line) bomber, a fighter-bomber and an attack aircraft is sometimes very blurred. Many combat aircraft designed for air strikes, although they look like fighters, have limited capabilities for air combat. It is obvious that the characteristics that allow an aircraft to effectively strike from low altitudes are not very suitable for a fighter to achieve air superiority. At the same time, many fighters, despite the fact that they were created for air combat, are also used as bombers. The main differences of the bomber still remain its long range and limited air combat capabilities. Modern low-altitude tactical bombers (for example, Su-34) are also significantly superior to fighters in terms of armor protection.

In the air forces of technologically advanced countries, tactical bomber missions are typically performed by multi-role fighters (fighter-bombers). Thus, in the United States, the last specialized tactical bomber, the F-117, was withdrawn from service on April 22, 2008. Bombing missions in the US Air Force are carried out by F-15E and F-16 fighter-bombers, and in the Navy - by F/A-18 carrier-based fighter-bombers.

Russia stands apart in this series, in which the Su-24 tactical bombers and now the Su-34, which are now replacing them, are in service.

Strategic aviation of the theater of operations[ | ]

The so-called Tu-22M long-range bombers, designed mainly for the destruction of aircraft carrier squadrons and strategic targets in the continental and oceanic zones, i.e., in the theater of military operations. The Tu-22M occupies an intermediate tactical-strategic niche between intercontinental strategic and tactical bombers. For this reason, the class of combat aircraft formed by the Tu-22M is also often called intermediate. Like any strategic bomber, the Tu-22M is capable of carrying a fairly heavy bomb load, although less than that of an intercontinental bomber, and can carry the same long-range cruise missiles as the Tu-160 or Tu-95, albeit in smaller numbers.

The appearance of the bomber

Interwar period

After the war, the development of bombers, as a class of military aircraft and bomber aircraft, slowed down: a revolution took place in Russia and the Civil War began, defeated Germany and Austria were prohibited from developing military aviation, and leading Western countries focused on building a system for limiting the arms race and overcoming the economic crisis. Nevertheless, aviation continued to develop. The main qualities of bombers were considered to be payload and flight range. Speed ​​was not given any importance: multi-engine aircraft had to be protected by numerous machine-gun installations from fighters. Strict requirements were put forward for takeoff and landing at poorly equipped airfields.

Until the end of the 20s, the biplane design dominated in bomber aviation: a biplane box made of wooden wings, a fixed landing gear, and open machine-gun installations. These were: the French LeO-20, the English Virginia and Heyford and many other aircraft. Already in 1925, the TB-1 (ANT-4) made its first flight in the USSR - the first multi-engine serial all-metal monoplane bomber with a cantilever wing. These solutions in the design of bombers have become classic. Many interesting experiments are associated with the TB-1: in 1933, experimental launches with powder accelerators took place, in 1935, experiments were carried out on in-flight refueling, and the TB-1 was also used in a composite link: two I-16 fighters were suspended from the bomber.

Progress in aircraft construction also made it possible to build heavy four-engine aircraft, not inferior in speed to “high-speed” twin-engine bombers. This was achieved through the installation of powerful and lightweight supercharged engines, the introduction of variable pitch propellers, increasing the load on the wing through the use of landing mechanization of the wing, reducing the drag coefficient and improving the aerodynamic quality of the aircraft through the use of smooth skin, smooth fuselage contours and a “thin” wing. The first heavy bomber of the new generation was the four-engine Boeing B-17. The prototype aircraft took off on July 28, 1935.

Simultaneously with the improvement of the “classic” bomber, a new type of aircraft appeared in the 1930s - the “dive bomber”. The most famous dive bombers are Junkers Yu-87 and Pe-2.

The Second World War

In total, about 100 different models of bombers took part in the battles. The greatest variety of models was in the class of twin-engine bombers. They were conventionally divided into “front” and “distant”. The former launched strikes to a depth of 300-400 km from the front line and along the front edge of the enemy’s defense, the latter carried out raids behind enemy lines. Among frontline Bombers include the Soviet Pe-2, the English De Havilland Mosquito, the American Douglas A-20 Havoc, Martin B-26 Marauder, Douglas A-26 Invader. TO distant include the Soviet Il-4, the English Vickers Wellington, the American North American B-25 Mitchell, the German Heinkel He 111 and the Junkers Yu 88.

In combat operations, single-engine bombers were also used to support ground forces: Fairey Battle, Su-2, Junkers Ju 87, etc. As practice has shown, they operated effectively only in conditions of air supremacy of their aircraft, as well as when striking weakly protected anti-aircraft artillery objects. As a result, by the end of the war, the production of light single-engine bombers was generally curtailed.

Unlike Germany and the USSR, where front-line aviation was primarily developed, in the USA and Great Britain much attention was paid to the development of heavy four-engine bombers capable of destroying the enemy’s economic centers and disorganizing their industry with massive strikes. With the outbreak of war, the Avro Lancaster was adopted in Great Britain, becoming the main heavy aircraft of the Royal Air Force Bomber Command (RAF).

The basis of American long-range heavy bomber aircraft was the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, the fastest and highest altitude bomber in the world at the beginning of the war, and the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Despite the fact that it was inferior to the B-17 in speed and ceiling, the manufacturability of its design made it possible to organize the production of individual aircraft components at non-aviation factories. Thus, the automobile factories of the Ford Motor Company produced fuselages for these bombers.

The pinnacle in the development of heavy piston bombers was the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, created in 1942 under the leadership of designer A. Jordanov. Powerful engines and perfect aerodynamics provided the aircraft with a speed of up to 575 km/h, a ceiling of 9,700 m and a range of 5,000 km with 4,000 kg of bombs. He became the first carrier of nuclear weapons: on August 6, 1945, a bomber with its own name “Enola Gay” dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, and on August 9, the city of Nagasaki was subjected to nuclear bombing.

Since 1944, jet bomber aircraft have taken part in hostilities. The first jet fighter-bomber was the Me-262A2, a bomber modification of the first jet fighter created in 1942 in Germany. Me-262A2 carried two 500 kg bombs on an external sling. The first Ar-234 jet bomber was also built in Germany. Its speed was 742 km/h, combat radius 800 km, ceiling 10,000 m. The Ar-234 could use bombs weighing up to 1,400 kg.

The first carriers of guided weapons were German Do-217 K bombers, which destroyed the Italian battleship Roma in 1943 with guided gliding bombs. The He-111 bomber, obsolete by the end of the war, became the first strategic missile carrier: it launched V-1 cruise missiles at targets in the British Isles.

Cold War

The first jet, intercontinental, supersonic bombers

At the beginning of the Cold War, bombers turned out to be the only carriers of nuclear weapons, which caused the rapid development of heavy bomber aircraft and the massive emergence of new bomber projects. But due to the complexity and high cost of developing heavy aircraft, representatives of the first generation of strategic bombers were produced only in three countries: the USA, the USSR and the UK. Among these countries, the greatest lag was in the USSR, which, despite the formation of long-range aviation units, actually did not have full-fledged strategic aviation. (During the Great Patriotic War, all the efforts of designers were devoted to improving existing models of equipment, and practically no one was involved in experimental and experimental developments.) The lag in the development of aircraft equipment for strategic aviation was especially large. As a result, the USSR began to create its own strategic aviation by copying the best bomber at that time, the B-29. Its Soviet copy, the Tu-4, made its first flight in 1947.

In connection with the increase in flight range, the classification of bombers changed slightly: those with an intercontinental range of about 10-15 thousand km began to be called strategic, bombers with a range of up to 10,000 km became “long-range”, sometimes they are called medium (or medium-range), and which operate in the tactical rear of the enemy and in the front line began to be called tactical. However, countries that never became owners of bombers with an intercontinental range continued to call their long-range bombers strategic (example: the Chinese H-6 bomber). Also, the classification of bombers was seriously influenced by the management's views on their use and construction. For example, the F-111 front-line bomber received the “fighter” name.

The first bomber with an intercontinental range was the Convair B-36, built in 1946 in the USA, which at the same time became the last strategic bomber with piston engines. It had an unusual appearance due to its combined power plant: 6 piston engines with pusher propellers and 4 jet engines mounted in pairs under the wing. But even with jet engines, the piston machine could not reach a speed of more than 680 km/h, which made it very vulnerable against the high-speed jet fighters adopted for service. Despite the fact that by the standards of modern aviation, the B-36 did not last long (the last bomber was withdrawn from service in 1959), machines of this type were widely used as flying laboratories.

It was to completely replace the subsonic B-52 bombers at the Strategic Air Command. However, a spectacular demonstration in May 1960 of the capabilities of Soviet air defense systems to combat high-altitude, high-speed targets confirmed the fears of the US leadership about the vulnerability of both subsonic and promising supersonic bombers. As a result, the B-70 bomber program was abandoned as a weapon system. In the early 60s, they tried to resume development, but successful tests of US intercontinental ballistic missiles and the high cost of the aircraft finally buried the project.

In the Soviet Union, after N. Khrushchev, who believed in the omnipotence of missile weapons, came to power, work on intercontinental bombers was stopped.

Unlike the United States, the Soviet leadership did not lower the altitude of the bombers in service and focused efforts on developing new multi-mode aircraft. On August 30, 1969, the Soviet multi-mode long-range bomber with a variable sweep wing, the Tu-22M, made its first flight. Initially, this aircraft was developed by the Tupolev Design Bureau on its own initiative as a deep modernization of the generally unsuccessful Tu-22 aircraft, but as a result, the new aircraft had practically nothing in common with it. The Tu-22M has a large bomb load of 24,000 kg, comparable only to the bomb load of the B-52.

American leadership initiated the development of a new multi-mode bomber to replace the B-52 only in 1969. The B-1A bomber made its first flight on December 23, 1974 in Palmdale (USA). The aircraft was a low-wing aircraft with a variable geometry wing and smooth articulation of the wing and fuselage. But in 1977, after a series of flight tests, the program was stopped: successes in the creation of cruise missiles, as well as successful research in the field of stealth technology, once again called into question the need for low-altitude air defense breakthrough aircraft. Development of a multi-mode bomber was resumed only in 1981, but already as an intermediate aircraft, before the stealth strategic bomber entered service. The updated B-1B Lancer made its first flight on October 18, 1984, and production vehicles entered service only in 1986. Thus, the B-1 became the most “researched” aircraft, setting a kind of record: from the start of design in 1970 until entering service 16 years have passed.

At the end of 2007, the Russian Air Force formulated requirements for a new long-range bomber (PAK DA project). The aircraft will be created by the Tupolev Design Bureau using stealth technology. The first flight of the new aircraft is scheduled for 2015.

In 1990, the US Department of Defense developed a new program for creating the latest models of military equipment, which provided for the construction of a limited number of equipment (for example, to form one squadron). As a result, production of the B-2 was discontinued after 21 aircraft were built. As of December 2008, the US Air Force operated: 20 B-2A stealth bombers, 66 supersonic bombers

Secondly, the development of aviation implied the solution of more serious problems. Thirdly, the Soviet leadership, considering the main task of aviation to support actions of ground troops, the main forces and resources were directed to the development of attack and fighter aircraft, paying virtually no attention to the conduct of a strategic air war. In the end, the Russians were able to get by without having a strong bomber force, since the Western Allies did the job for them.

Thus, in 1944-1945. Soviet bomber aviation lagged far behind and. Noting this circumstance, German combat commanders are nevertheless unanimous that Soviet bomber aviation was able to take advantage of the decrease in the activity of German fighter aviation and has increased significantly over the last two years of the war.

In 1944-1945 the main task of the Soviet bombers supported ground army operations. Continuous massive bombing attacks in the German front line in the area of ​​the main attack during the offensive and breakthrough of the defense played an important role in the successful completion of the operation. Over time, attacks on airfields and other targets deep in the German rear became more frequent. And yet, during the final stage of the war, the use of Soviet bombers, even in pseudo-strategic operations, was quite rare.

Acting in accordance with the accepted concept of air warfare, the Russians successfully used their bomber aircraft, which provided significant assistance to the ground army. Its technical equipment was fully adequate for solving this specific problem. The effectiveness of bombing strikes has increased, since the opposition to German fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft weapons was weakened both by the use of strong fighter escort and by the use of high flight altitudes by Soviet bombers.

Soviet aviation ADD also acted in accordance with the concept of the use of bomber aircraft by the Soviet command. It was originally planned that this would be an independent branch of aviation, independent of the army, intended to conduct pseudo-strategic night operations, but almost immediately due to technical problems, the impossibility of training a large number of pilots, as well as the general concept of using aviation, these plans had to be abandoned. Thus, Soviet long-range bomber aircraft were used exclusively to carry out missions to directly or indirectly support ground forces.

Long-range bombers They acted against targets in the main attack area and directly on the battlefield, as well as against the infrastructure of the transport network, warehouses and structures in the rear of German troops. Therefore, ADD aviation, which for a long time was based in the Moscow region, was later distributed along the entire front line and concentrated in those areas where the Soviet command was preparing large offensive operations.

This purpose of bomber aviation became especially obvious with the start of the Soviet offensive on June 22, 1944, when the advancing troops were supported by large forces of bomber aviation, which until that time had been in reserve. Several night raids Königsberg (Kaliningrad), Berlin, Bucharest and some other large cities with the use of high explosive and incendiary bombs showed the features of these strategic operations and can only be considered as exceptional events. Often only about a third of the total number of aircraft sent on missions of this kind reached the target area, which determined the insignificance of the final results. This applies equally to terrorist attacks (for political purposes) on Finnish cities, especially Helsinki, Turku and Kotka spring 1944

The lack of long-range fighter escorts prevented long-range bomber aircraft from striking deep behind German lines during daylight hours. Bombers were often given missions to supply partisans. During the last two years of the war, Soviet bomber activity against German shipping and ports in the eastern Baltic Sea and the North reached such a level that on some occasions the Russians caused serious trouble for the Germans.

In general, we can assume that in 1944-1945. Soviet bomber aviation has made some progress in its development. However, insufficient attention to this type of aviation, problems with training flight personnel, as well as equipping bomber units with modern technology and equipment, limited use of available forces - all this led to the fact that bomber aviation did not reach the level and importance of fighter and attack aircraft.

According to available sources, the organization of Soviet bomber aviation in 1944-1945. remained approximately the same as the year before. This statement applies both to bomber aviation operating as part of air armies, and to long-range bomber aviation, which was directly subordinate to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.

Consolidation of actions by air division and air corps headquarters became a general rule and was applied with exceptional firmness to forces assigned to long-range bomber operations. Every air corps long-range bomber aircraft usually included two air divisions, each, in turn, consisted of two (later three) air regiments. In front-line bomber aviation, the number of air divisions in the corps varied, depending on the current situation. Each air division consisted of three air regiments. At the end of the war, it was planned to create a new 18th Air Force, consisting only of long-range bomber air units, but this plan was never implemented.

In March 1944, the quantitative composition of Soviet bomber aviation was estimated as follows: 530 aircraft produced by the Western Allies (45 DC-3, 100 B-25, 385 Boston III); 2213 Soviet-made aircraft (68 TB-7, 309 PS-84, 543 DB-ZF, 1293 Pe-2); 1818 night light and obsolete Soviet-made aircraft (70 SB-2, 1624, 124 aircraft of other designs). The composition of long-range bomber aviation was estimated at 860 aircraft in February 1944, 1100 in June, 1300 in August, 1400 in September 1944 and 1600 in January 1945. Thus, its forces almost doubled in just a year times.

In mid-September 1944, 6 bomber air corps, 30 air divisions and 110 bomber air regiments were known. By the end of the year, these numbers had increased to 7 air corps, 35 air divisions and 135 air regiments. For comparison, long-range bomber aviation in mid-September had 9 air corps, 18 air divisions and 48 air regiments. By the end of the year, the number of air corps and air divisions did not change, and the number of air regiments increased to 58.

At the end of 1944, the actual number of aircraft in the regiment, as a rule, exceeded the standard number (33 bombers) by 3-5 aircraft. In addition, most squadrons had several reserve crews. Approximately 70% of the crews consisted of experienced pilots. They flew the same aircraft models as in previous years, albeit with some technical improvements.

In 1943, 5,100 bombers were lost, and in 1944 - 5,200. The slight increase in lost aircraft in 1944 is completely disproportionate to the increase in numbers and clearly demonstrates the increasing power of Soviet bomber aviation.

The distribution of Soviet bomber air units along the Eastern Front depended largely on the areas of attack by ground forces. This applies equally to front-line bomber aviation and long-range bomber aviation.

For example, at the beginning of 1944, most long-range bombers were concentrated in the northern regions to attack Finland, and from April they were relocated to the south. There they concentrated under the control of six corps headquarters in the Kyiv area, and starting in June they supported the operations of ground army units. During the summer these forces took part in attacks in the southern and central regions, and in the autumn almost all were moved north to conduct operations against the German Army Group North. All of the above movements of long-range bomber aviation units were carried out based on the needs of the ground forces, and not in accordance with plans for a strategic air war.

The growth of Soviet bomber aviation was still constrained by the fact that advantage was given to fighter and attack aircraft, and it was there that the best flying personnel were sent. Without a doubt, these circumstances adversely affected the morale and perseverance of Russian pilots. At the same time, everyone agrees that the fighting qualities of the Soviet aircrews and self-confidence strengthened as German opposition decreased and the successful Soviet ground offensive increased.

According to available sources, the general principles of the use of Soviet bomber aircraft remained unchanged until the very end of the war. This means that the overwhelming majority of bomber aircraft, including units of long-range bomber aircraft, were used to support the operations of ground units, with Soviet aircraft attacking targets in the front line and in the zone of German transport communications; bomber flights of a pseudo-strategic nature remained the exception to the rule. At the same time, groups of bombers attacked targets in the German rear with increasing intensity, since these targets were directly related to ground operations.

Close cooperation with the ground army led to increased responsibility and control over the execution of combat missions. During the last two years of the war, bombers rarely operated in groups of less than a regiment, usually attacks by regimental groups followed each other within a fairly short period of time. Bombers always had fighter escort, and if the first happened to carry out a mission in the front line, then patrol fighters took on this function.

According to the Soviet command, the pseudo-strategic operations of long-range bomber aviation were not particularly important, so there were no major changes in the organization of these flights. However, attack tactics gradually became more advanced. Now, in accordance with modern concepts, bombers operated in night operations in large groups, bombing attacks carried out individually by each aircraft, following each other at shorter intervals than before. In addition, long-range bombers carried out night harassing attacks in the area of ​​the main defense line of German troops - with single aircraft; as well as strikes in groups against targets deep in German defenses and cargo delivery missions. As a rule, flights at night, especially over long distances, were carried out only in good weather.

During the last years of the war, no changes were noted in the way combat missions were carried out. The attacks were carried out in waves within the regiment, with squadrons following each other at short intervals. On average, the flight altitude ranged from 2000 to 4000 m. The planes flew in close formation, all of them dropped bombs from horizontal flight after receiving the appropriate order from the leading aircraft. In general, the accuracy and efficiency of strikes has increased. Often an attacking group of bombers approached the target in such a way that immediately after dropping bombs, without changing the direction of flight, they would head towards the front line.

At the end of the war, the decline in German air defense capabilities led to Soviet bombers increasingly launching attacks from low altitudes. In air combat, the bombers acted more cohesively, without the nervousness and clumsiness inherent in them previously. Decisive in this was both the increase in the number of groups and the decrease in the activity of German fighter aircraft. In the spring of 1945, Soviet bombers carried out attacks on targets in East Prussia in the morning and evening twilight. Long-range twin-engine bombers took part in the raids. In this case, each aircraft individually approached the target at an altitude of 800-1000 m and dropped three or four 100-kg bombs. The interval between planes was approximately five minutes. The effectiveness of these attacks, however, was low due to strong opposition from German fighters and anti-aircraft artillery.

The only real innovation in night operations was that bombers began to operate during night harassing raids. large groups(previously only single aircraft were used) and began to adhere to modern tactical principles.

Thus, in 1944-1945. Soviet bombing operations are characterized by the following peculiarities:

a) with regard to the order of battle, cruising and attack altitudes, approach, combat course, withdrawal, flight in formation and air combat, previously used tactics were retained and improved, but nothing new, in fact, was demonstrated;

b) daytime bombing strikes were carried out by increasingly larger forces with mandatory fighter escort;

c) night bombing operations, with the exception of harassing raids, were carried out not by single aircraft, but more and more often by groups in accordance with Western standards.

The behavior of bombers over the battlefield and interaction with the army in 1944-1945. were similar to similar actions in 1943. The only difference was that they became more intense, powerful and successful. Both in choosing the time and place of attack, the Russians firmly adhered to the principle of concentration of forces. During the battle for and Sevastopol in the spring of 1944, Soviet bombers used the same tactics as attack aircraft. In the first stage of the ground operation (the retreat of the German army to Sevastopol), bombers did not take part at all. In the second stage (an attempt to take the fortress on the move), bombers based in the Kyiv area attacked targets deep in the fortified area day and night. However, not so many bombs were dropped in total, so the German losses were small.

During the third stage of the battle, Soviet bomber aircraft occasionally carried out similar raids on targets in the city, but this time special attention was paid to German airfields. In the fourth stage (evacuation of German troops across the Black Sea), bombers attacked troop loading areas and transport ships in the Sevastopol port. Here they have achieved significant success, sinking Totila and Teia, transports with a displacement of 3000 tons, and many ships with a displacement of up to 1000 tons. At the same time, the Germans suffered heavy losses in personnel.

During the period under review, the scope of bomber aviation activities expanded. Often, together with attack aircraft and fighter-bombers, bombers operated in the area of ​​ground offensive, attacking targets both directly on the battlefield and in the German rear. Like attack aircraft, Soviet bombers quite rarely and irregularly attacked retreating columns of German troops.

Both with regard to the German defense strongholds in Courland and the German retreat from Estonia to Riga, it can be said that continuous attacks by Soviet bombers could seriously jeopardize the conduct of these operations by the German army. For example, in the fall of 1944, during the retreat to Riga, a German division crossed the Dvina (both along an established crossing and by boat) on a clear sunny day without any opposition from Soviet aviation. Later, Soviet bombers repeatedly attacked Libau, but to no avail.

Even in the spring of 1945, Soviet bombers, attacking the fortified city of Bromberg (Bydgoszcz), aimlessly dropped bombs on residential areas of the city, not paying attention to the German command post in a separate building, the power plant, gas plants and bridges over the Brahe River (Brda). Even later, when the German garrison left Bromberg, the troops were able to withdraw northward without any opposition from Soviet aircraft. Single bombers and light combat aircraft were the only aircraft operating at night against targets on the front line of defense.

Thus, in the last years of the war, the scale of the use of bomber aircraft to support ground units increased, and it was able to achieve some success. However, bomber operations never became decisive, even with increased Soviet numerical superiority and the declining effectiveness of German air resistance. In addition, there were also shortcomings in the training system for flight personnel, and a lack of adequate experience, possibly caused by the fact that in the past the Soviet command did not pay due attention to this type of aviation.

German commanders believe that over the last two years of the war, the interaction of Soviet bomber aviation with the Navy has improved significantly. In 1943, the Black Sea was the only area where Soviet bombers attacked German port facilities and transport ships during loading, but in 1944-1945. such operations began to be carried out in the Baltic Sea and in the Arctic regions. Attacks were primarily directed against maritime traffic: convoys, supply ships and troop transports; formations of warships and ports were less often attacked.

Particular attention was paid to sea communication from Odessa and Constanta to Crimea; convoys along the coast of Norway; evacuation of German troops from Latvia; German and Romanian warships based in Constanta; German mine forces operating in the Eastern Baltic (their work was seriously hampered by the actions of Soviet aviation); ports Odessa, Constanta, Riga, Windau (Ventspils), Libau (Liepaja), Konigsberg (Kaliningrad), Danzig (Gdansk), etc. At first, these attacks were not very effective due to poor planning and dispersal of forces. Towards the end of the war, they were carried out on a larger scale, were better organized and reached their greatest effectiveness in the final stage of the war, when German shipping became practically defenseless.

Naval bombers operated depending on the nature of the mission performed as part of a regiment, squadron or unit. The normal altitude for approaching the target and attacking it was considered to be 3000-4000 m; bombing was carried out from horizontal flight across areas. In very rare cases groups Pe-2 carried out low-altitude bombing or dive attacks at an angle of approximately 60-70 degrees. The leader of the group attacked first, followed by all the other planes one after another. As a rule, 150-250 kg bombs were used, which were dropped from a height of 1000 m. Bombers engaged in such operations always had strong fighter cover and carried defensive parachute fragmentation bombs on board.

At the end of the war, torpedo bombers, usually of the type IL-4 And A-20G Boston, began to operate at night, carrying out mine-laying missions. Such operations, previously very rare, became increasingly frequent and were practiced on coastal ship routes, entrances to port waters, anchorages, and in some cases, at the mouths of navigable rivers. Mines were laid at night or during the day in bad weather by single aircraft or small groups. The flight altitude depended on the type of mines used, which were either British bottom magnetic mines or Soviet-made mines. On very few occasions, mostly late in the war, Soviet bombers used aerial depth charges during anti-submarine operations.

The operations against German convoys were combined: they were carried out with the participation of bombers, torpedo bombers, attack aircraft, fighters and together with submarines. When approaching the target, formations of aircraft split up to simultaneously attack small groups and attacked from various heights and directions using bombs, small arms and cannon weapons, torpedoes, and sometimes phosphorus bombs.

The reconnaissance aircraft sent to the target area served as a command post, directing attack aircraft, informing the crews about the nature of damage to targets, the appearance of German fighters, the actions of anti-aircraft artillery, pointing out errors, recording losses and reporting the need for rescue operations for the crews of downed aircraft. This allowed the command to quickly respond to circumstances that arose and required solutions. During such missions, the Russians typically conducted blockade of German airfields.

Although the Russians used a large air force, losses to the German convoys were relatively small. This was due in no small part to the serious opposition of German fighter aircraft, which in some cases managed to force the Russians to abandon the attack. For example, on June 17, 1944, about 100 Soviet aircraft (Boston, Il-2, R-40, Yak-9 and) attacked a German convoy, consisting of 10 transport ships and 20 escort ships, near the coast of Norway. The attack was carried out in four waves and lasted 25 minutes. Having lost 40 aircraft, the Russians were able to respond by shooting down only two German fighters, sinking one 1,600-ton transport and damaging another.

In light of the above, in 1944-1945. Soviet bombing operations over the battlefield and in cooperation with the navy characterized by the following features.

1. Soviet bomber aviation, including units of long-range bomber aviation, was used massively to support ground troops, achieving ever-increasing success, but not to the extent that could decide the outcome of the battle.
2. The bombers attacked targets located both in the battlefield area and in the German rear areas. However, until the very end of the war, their passivity against the retreating German troops remained an inexplicable mistake of the Soviet command.
3. Combined strikes bombers, attack aircraft and fighters supported by ground forces gradually became the main feature of bomber operations.
4. Bomber operations in support of the Soviet Navy were further developed and expanded into northern waters and the Baltic Sea. In addition to bomber and torpedo attacks, the number of bombers engaged in mine-laying operations was constantly growing. However, the actions of Soviet bomber aircraft did not have a significant impact on German naval operations.

With few exceptions, the actions of Soviet bombers in the German rear were aimed at destroying ground service, as well as against targets, the choice of which directly or indirectly depended on the interests of ground troops. The opinion of German field commanders is unanimous - in 1944-1945. There were no significant changes in the actions of Soviet bombers, although their attacks became more intense, massive and effective than in previous years. The level of planning and execution of operations remained unchanged compared to previous years.

Bombing operations behind the German lines intensified as early as 1943 and reached their peak in the spring of 1945. Continuous bombing during daylight hours, and sometimes at dusk and at night, against the last German airfields in East Prussia had a huge negative impact on German aircraft in the area . The same can be said regarding Soviet bomber attacks on Baltic ports.

Probably one of the reasons that Soviet bombers did not achieve more effective results operating behind German lines was the excessive caution of the Russians in this new role for themselves. Sometimes a Soviet plane would appear at a very high altitude for a final reconnaissance, accompanied by a small group of fighters whose task was to draw the German fighters into a dogfight before the main group of bombers arrived. The latter were approaching on a different course, waiting for an advantageous situation and attacking at the most favorable moment for themselves. Tactics of this kind, however, were used relatively rarely.

In 1944-1945 harassing night bombing and attacks on tactical targets in the army's zone of operations played a major role, but in addition, in accordance with Western standards, two new significant features appeared: attacks on pseudo-strategic targets and attacks in large groups. There was no progress in planning and executing night harassing attacks. They remained the most popular method used in night operations by Soviet aviation in stable front areas. Most often, such harassing attacks were carried out by U-2 aircraft. In addition to some destabilization of the supply system, night attacks, and this is the main thing, exerted continuous moral pressure on the German soldiers, who were under this psychological pressure even during daylight hours. Until the end of the war, no effective remedy was found against this type of operation.

Night bombing attacks against tactical targets increased significantly and were directed against transport, troop and defensive installations, bridges and temporary crossings, airfields and headquarters. For example, the Russians attacked the headquarters of the Provisional Army Group "Heinrich" in Northern Hungary in mid-December 1944, or in early 1945 the headquarters of the 1st Air Corps, Logistics Command "Hungary" in Veszprem, Pape, Odenburg (Sopron) and Steinmangen (Schombathel). And at the same time, the accuracy of the hits was low, so the results of the attacks were insignificant, which is confirmed by the author himself, who was in Steinmangen at that time.

In support of ground operations, Soviet bombers flew numerous raids to cities such as Sevastopol, Lvov, Riga, Dvina, Libau (Liepaja) and later Konigsberg (Kaliningrad) and Danzig (Gdansk). At the same time, the intensity and scale of attacks on German airfields, both in the front line and in the German rear, increased. For example, in September 1944, about 3,200 aircraft took part in 17 bombing raids, in addition, approximately 200 aircraft took part in 12 partisan supply operations. And all this excludes actions in the front line. The results of these operations varied, but in general they became more and more effective.

Some of these flights were carried out by single aircraft, while others, in order to increase the effectiveness of the strike, were carried out as part of units. Single aircraft usually attacked targets close to the front line, and deep in the German rear the bombers operated as part of a group, but sometimes there were exceptions to this rule. At the end of the war, attacks by single aircraft were increasingly replaced by raids as part of groups.

An increase in the intensity of night bombing operations aimed at pseudo-strategic targets was first noted in 1944-1945. In the spring of 1944, such raids took place against Finnish cities. Their goal is to break the morale of the Finnish people. Later, Koenigsberg, Budapest and other large cities were subjected to similar raids. These raids were carried out, as a rule, as part of units and exclusively by long-range bomber aircraft. Compared to the night bomber attacks of the Western Allies, the results achieved by the Russians were not so impressive. On the one hand, these operations demonstrated a significant improvement in tactics compared to previous years, but at the same time, until the end of the war, the Russians were unable to overcome shortcomings in organization, pilot training and combat practice.

The tactics of night bombing operations within units largely corresponded to Western standards and, in general, were of the following nature. Individual units participating in the operation took off from different bases located along the front line. Their guidance to the target was carried out by radio direction finding, dead reckoning and orientation according to the terrain, so that the aircraft could take a combat course as close to the target as possible. Typically, maneuvers that would make it difficult for the enemy to determine the true route of the aircraft were not used.

The planes of each wave approached the target in close formation. The direction and altitude of the flight were determined in the order for each individual unit. As a rule, the attack was carried out from an altitude of 4000-5000 m, and the withdrawal was carried out at an altitude of up to 2000 m. The duration of an air division attack, according to the regulations, was approximately 20 minutes, but usually the attack lasted longer. The guidance planes were supposed to designate the target with flares a minute before the start time of dropping bombs and fire missiles again every three to four minutes. The use of guidance aircraft equipped with special equipment of the Rotterdam type (on-board navigation equipment and equipment for “blind” flight) was not observed.

The type of bombs used depended on the nature of the target being hit, but preference was given to 50- and 100-kg bombs; the use of bombs weighing 250 and 500 kg was relatively rare. Typically, bombs were dropped in a series: for example, if a plane was carrying ten 100-kg bombs on board, then dropped at intervals of one or two seconds they could cover a strip 300 m wide and 1000 m long.

Heavy barrage fire from anti-aircraft artillery often led to the premature release of bombs. To evade fire from the ground, Soviet bombers either dived, losing up to 1000 m of altitude, or made turns while maintaining their flight altitude. Before 1944, night fighters did not escort long-range bombers, but provided cover to base areas to ensure the safe landing of returning bombers.

Depending on the nature of the target and the distance to it, attacks were sometimes repeated, but not as part of a unit, but by single aircraft. The attacks were repeated after refueling and replenishing the bomb load. In such cases, the flight sometimes lasted from eight to twelve hours. This type of flight took place on both light and dark nights, but not when the weather conditions were really bad. Apart from a few isolated torpedo bombing strikes and mine-laying missions, Soviet bombers were not seen operating over the sea at night.

Based on available data on the actions of Soviet night bomber aircraft in 1944-1945. can be are assessed as follows.

1. Basically, harassing raids, attacks on tactical targets were carried out, and, unlike previous years, pseudo-strategic operations were carried out.
2. The tactics used during night harassing strikes and attacks on tactical targets remained the same, but unlike previous years, they were carried out with the involvement of larger forces and became more effective. These attacks constituted the majority of the night operations carried out by the bombers.
3. Since the spring of 1944, Soviet night bombers began to carry out raids against pseudo-strategic targets, but the scale of such operations was insignificant. Despite the good organization of the raids, they were not effective enough.
4. Raids were carried out not only by single aircraft, but also by units in accordance with Western tactics, especially during pseudo-strategic operations.
5. Poor training of flight personnel and insufficient combat practice, as well as unproven tactics for using night bombers, led to the fact that the results obtained did not correspond to the efforts made.

The few data we have show that even in 1944-1945. The Russians tried not to use their bomber aircraft in difficult weather conditions. A clear preference was given to flying on not very dark nights. Almost all harassing raids in the front line were carried out in almost all weather conditions.

During the last years of the war cooperation between bomber aviation and other branches of aviation has improved markedly and was characterized by the following features. When interacting with daytime fighters, Soviet bombers always received adequate protection in the form of direct or indirect escorts. Bomber units maintained formation even when attacked by German fighters. The night bombers were covered by fighter aircraft over their bases during takeoff and landing. Towards the end of the war, night fighters operated in the target area and also made attacks on German anti-aircraft artillery and searchlight positions. Joint operations with attack aircraft and fighter-bombers increased in intensity, concentration and effectiveness.

As before, the U-2 was most often used for night harassing bombing strikes. It was perfect for this purpose, since the aircraft was easy to fly and required a minimum of training and maintenance. In addition, its ability to take off and land on small unprepared sites allowed it to make multiple flights during the night.

The following types of aircraft were used to carry out standard bombing operations: Li-2, Il-4, Pe-2, TB-3, TB-7 (Pe-8), Mitchell B-25, Douglas A-20 (Boston III), as well as the only Soviet bomber put into mass production during the war years. Of these types, the TB-3 and TB-7, being obsolete, were used only at night, and the Boston was also used as a night fighter. The most widespread were Il-4, Li-2, Pe-2 and Douglas "Boston". The above types of aircraft could be used primarily to perform tactical missions. But they turned out to be too light for strategic operations.

The new Tu-2 had higher speed and ceiling than the Il-4. This bomber met the requirements of the Eastern Front, but being built in insufficiently large quantities, it could not have a significant impact on the course of the air war. The opinion of Soviet ace pilots regarding this aircraft was ambiguous. In the last two years of the war, Soviet bomber aviation did not reach the level that was expected of it. This can be explained, first of all, by the use of aircraft that did not fully meet the conditions of modern warfare.

Used in 1944-1945. bombs and the tactics of their use have not undergone significant changes. In some cases, the use of German captured bombs weighing 1000 kg for night bombing was noted. For this purpose, Li-2 aircraft were equipped with special bomb locks. Permitted bomb loads were often exceeded. It could be assumed that the quality of the fuses had improved, since the number of bombs that failed to explode had decreased.

Soviet long-range bombers often used bomb containers. These containers (known as PAVs) were filled with small caliber bombs, which were released some time after being dropped. Another innovation was a projectile similar to a jet: it was fired at night from U-2 aircraft at an altitude of 500-600 meters. In flight, this projectile did not leave any traces of fire behind it and was practically silent.

1. Bomber aviation made some progress in carrying out combat missions, but was never able to catch up with fighter and attack aircraft.
2. The bomber crews had some shortcomings, but overall their morale, aggressiveness and self-confidence increased.
3. The organization of bomber aviation changed little, the number of units was constantly increasing; the distribution of forces, including long-range bomber aircraft, was determined by the direction of the main attack of the ground offensive and was based on the principle of concentration.
4. The main task of Soviet bomber aviation remained to support the actions of ground troops both near the front line and in the German rear. The tactical principles that had proven themselves in previous years were continued to be used. The interaction of bombers with ground troops has reached a high level.
5. The use of bombers against the German naval and merchant fleets in the Baltic and northern seas intensified, and at the end of the war their effect proved fatal to the weakly protected German transport ships in the Baltic Sea.
6. The attacks of Soviet bombers on airfields significantly reduced the activity of German aviation and became one of the factors that caused the “paralysis” of the German Air Force in the spring of 1945.
7. Soviet bombers rarely carried out pseudo-strategic raids during the day. At night, however, they performed such tasks with increasing intensity and power, but achieved no noticeable success. Most often, such raids were directed against large cities, which were considered important targets, both because of their size and administrative functions.
8. The capabilities and effectiveness of night harassing raids and attacks against tactical targets have increased.
9. Interaction with other branches of aviation of the Red Army Air Force has improved. Fighter escorts were constantly organized, and joint strikes, in which bombers, attack aircraft and fighter-bombers took part, were carried out with increasing intensity and with great effect.

No progress was made in the development of aviation technology, weapons and equipment. This was one of the reasons why the results of Soviet bomber aviation were limited. During 1944-1945. Soviet bomber aviation made some progress in both day and night operations. Among the reasons why the Russians were unable to achieve as impressive results in this field as their Western allies was that the Soviet High Command had neglected the development of bomber aircraft for many years.

The article was written based on materials from the book “Stalin’s Falcons” by V. Schwabedissen. Analysis of the actions of Soviet aviation 1941-1945", Minsk, "Harvest", 2001, p. 309-322.

Russia became the birthplace of bomber aircraft thanks to designer Igor Sikorsky, who created the first aircraft of this type in 1913. The USSR also created the world's most massive bomber. And on January 20, 1952, the first intercontinental jet bomber M-4, created by V.M., made its first flight. Myasishchev. Today is a review of bomber aircraft created by domestic designers.

Ilya Muromets - the world's first bomber

The world's first bomber was created in Russia in 1913 by Igor Sikorsky and was named in honor of the epic hero. “Ilya Muromets” was the name given to various modifications of this aircraft that were produced in Russia from 1913 to 1917. The main parts of the aircraft were wooden. The lower and upper wings were assembled from separate parts and connected via connectors. The wingspan of the first bomber was 32 meters. Since aircraft engines were not produced in Russia in those years, German-made Argus engines were installed on the Ilya Muromets. The domestic R-BV3 engine was installed on the bomber in 1915.

“Ilya Muromets” had 4 engines, and even stopping two engines could not force the plane to land. During the flight, people could walk on the wings of the plane, and this did not affect the balance of the plane. Sikorsky himself went out on the wing during testing of the aircraft to make sure that, if necessary, the pilot could repair the engine right in the air.

At the end of December 1914, Emperor Nicholas II approved the resolution of the Military Council on the creation of the “Airship Squadron”, which became the world’s first bomber formation. The planes of the Russian squadron took off for the first combat mission on February 27, 1915. The first flight was unsuccessful, because the pilots got lost and did not find the target. The next day, the mission was completed successfully: the pilots dropped 5 bombs on the railway station, and the bombs fell right among the rolling stock. The result of the bomber raid was captured in the photo. In addition to bombs, the Ilya Muromets bomber was armed with a machine gun.

In total, during the First World War, Russian bombers made 400 sorties, dropping 65 tons of bombs and destroying 12 enemy fighters. Combat losses amounted to only one aircraft.

TB-1 - the world's first heavy bomber

In the early 1920s, a debate broke out among Soviet aircraft builders about what to build aircraft from. The majority was of the opinion that Soviet aircraft should be made of wood, while there were also those who insisted that the USSR should create all-metal aircraft. Among the latter was the young engineer Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev, who was able to insist on his opinion.

The TB-1, which after much testing and modifications finally rolled off the assembly line in 1931, became the first domestic monoplane bomber, the first domestic all-metal bomber and the first Soviet-designed bomber to enter mass production. It was with the TB-1 that the formation of strategic aviation began in the USSR. These machines roamed the skies for more than two decades.

It was on the TB-1 that many innovations were tested that were subsequently used in aviation, in particular the “autopilot” system, radio control systems, ejection systems, etc. The aircraft could carry a 1030 kg bomb load and small arms (three twin installations). The aircraft crew is 5-6 people.

The TB-1 and its modifications set several world aviation records. Thus, it was on this bomber that the first ever flight by plane from the USSR to the USA was made. In 1934, on TB-1, pilot A.V. Lyapidevsky saved the Chelyuskinites and took all the women and children from the camp. TB-1 bombers were in service in the USSR until 1936, and some until the start of the Great Patriotic War.

Pe-2 - the most popular bomber

In 1938, the famous Tupolev “sharazhka” began developing the Pe-2 dive bomber, which later became the most popular Soviet bomber of the Great Patriotic War.

The Pe-2 was very compact and had an all-metal construction with good aerodynamic shape. The bomber was equipped with 2 liquid-cooled M-105R engines of 1100 hp each, which allowed the aircraft to reach speeds of up to 540 km/h (only 30 km/h less than the Me-109E fighter, which was in service with the Nazi army ).

In 1940, 2 serial bombers were produced, and at the beginning of 1941, 258 Pe-2 bombers rolled off the production line. On May 1, 1941, the new bomber, which received the 95th Air Regiment under Colonel Pestov, flew during a parade over Red Square. Pe-2s took part in hostilities literally in the first days of the war. By 1943, Pe-2 bombers ranked first in number in bomber aviation. Thanks to their high bombing accuracy, they were very effective weapons. It is a known fact that on July 16, 1943, the pilots of the 3rd Bomber Air Corps, in their 115 aircraft, destroyed 229 vehicles, 55 tanks, 12 machine gun and mortar points, 11 anti-aircraft and 3 field guns, 7 fuel and ammunition depots.

And although in 1944 Tu-2s began to arrive at the front, which were superior to the Pe-2 in their main parameters, the “pawn” remained the main Soviet bomber until the end of the war and, along with it, became a legend of Soviet aviation.

At the beginning of 1945, 4 American B-29 aircraft accidentally ended up at the Far Eastern airfields of the USSR, which took part in the bombing of Japan and the territories it occupied. When the Communist Party and the Soviet government gave the designers the task of creating a modern long-range bomber, MAI professor and aircraft designer Vladimir Myasishchev proposed copying American bombers, but installing domestic ASh-72 engines on the new aircraft, and replacing American machine guns with B-20 cannons.

The Tu-4, flight tests of which took place already in 1947, is an all-metal cantilever monoplane. The length of the bomber was 30.8 meters, and the wingspan was 43.05 meters. Four ASh-73TK engines with a power of 2400 hp. With. allowed the plane to accelerate to a speed of 558 km/h at an altitude of 10 km. Maximum bomb load is 8 tons. The efficiency of the aircraft was increased through the use of automation. For example, an onboard locator with an autopilot made it possible to find targets and hit them even at night.

The Tu-4 became the first Soviet carrier of nuclear weapons when a bomber regiment armed with atomic bombs was formed in the USSR in 1951. In 1956, during the Hungarian events, the regiment flew a bombing mission to Budapest, which was interrupted at the last moment by order of the Soviet command.

A total of 847 aircraft were built, 25 of which were transferred to China.

In the late 1940s, with the advent of nuclear weapons, a need arose for means of their delivery. Bombers were needed that were approximately 2 times superior in technical characteristics to existing ones. The Americans were the first to begin developing the concept of such an aircraft. This is how the B-60 and B-52 appeared, which took to the air in the spring of 1953. In the USSR, work on a bomber of this class began with a significant delay. Stalin entrusted the development of the aircraft to MAI professor V. Myasishchev, who submitted to the government a scientifically based proposal to create a strategic aircraft with a flight range of 11,000 - 12,000 km, but very strict deadlines were set for the implementation of the project. By December 1952, a prototype of the aircraft was built, and in January 1953, the M-4 bomber - an eight-seat cantilever all-metal mid-wing, equipped with 4 engines and a retractable bicycle-type landing gear - made its first flight.

As a result of changes and modifications, an aircraft was created whose flight range, in comparison with earlier models, increased by 40% and exceeded 15 thousand km. The flight duration with one refueling was 20 hours, which made it possible to use the M-4 as an intercontinental strategic bomber. Another innovation - the new bomber could be used as a long-range sea torpedo bomber.

The tactics for using the M-4 included flying these aircraft in formation as part of a squadron or regiment at an altitude of 8-11 km. Approaching the target, the planes broke formation and each bomber carried out an attack on its own target. Thanks to the cannon armament system, the bomber could effectively counter interceptor aircraft. The aircraft were officially withdrawn from service in 1994.

The design of the Il-28 bomber began with the tail. The fact is that the creation of this aircraft became possible thanks to the launch into mass production of a reliable English turbojet engine with a Nin centrifugal compressor, which used a defensive mobile installation, which determined the main layout features of the Il-28.

The main advantage of the aircraft was the fact that the Il-28 was stable over the entire speed range. It easily performed any maneuvers necessary for bombers, performing turns with a roll of up to 80 degrees. During a combat turn, the altitude gain reached 2 km.

Il-28 was produced under license in China under the name H-5. The aircraft was widely used in more than 20 countries. In total, about 6 thousand units were produced.

Su-34 - generation 4+ bomber

The Russian 4+ generation bomber was the Su-34 bomber, designed to carry out high-precision strikes against surface and ground targets at any time of the day. Its design ended in the early 1990s.

Some elements of the Su-34 are made using Stealth technology. Thus, the aircraft has a reduced degree of reflection of enemy radar radiation while maintaining consistently good aerodynamics. Radar-absorbing materials and coatings made the Su-34 less visible on radar screens than aircraft such as the Su-24, F-111 and F-15E. Another element of the Su-34’s combat survivability is the presence of a second control for the navigator-operator.

Su-34 front-line bombers, according to experts, are many times superior to their predecessors. The aircraft, whose combat radius exceeds 1000 km, can carry 12 tons of various weapons on board. The bombing accuracy is 5-7 meters. And experts claim that the Su-34 has not yet used up its resource.

The Tu-95 bomber was the first Soviet intercontinental bomber and the last aircraft created on the instructions of Stalin. The first flight of the Tu-95 prototype, created at OKB-156 under the leadership of A.N. Tupolev, took place on November 12, 1952, and mass production began in 1955 and continues today.
a world record for a non-stop flight for aircraft of this class - the bombers flew about 30 thousand km over three oceans in 43 hours, making 4 refuelings in the air. And in February 2013, two Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers with cruise missiles with nuclear warheads on board flew over the Western Pacific island of Guam a few hours before American President Barack Obama addressed the nation. The Washington Free Beacon called this fact " a sign of Moscow's growing self-confident strategic assertiveness towards the United States».

It is worth noting that bombers created in the UK, USA, Italy, Poland, Japan and other countries also left a significant mark on the history of aviation. Previously, we published a review about the Second World War.

B-17 bomber prototype

Progress in aircraft construction has made it possible to build heavy four-engine aircraft that are not inferior in speed to “high-speed” twin-engine bombers. This was achieved by installing powerful and lightweight supercharged engines; introduction of variable pitch propellers; increasing the load on the wing due to the use of wing landing mechanization; reducing the drag coefficient and improving the aerodynamic quality of the aircraft through the use of smooth skin, smooth fuselage contours and a “thin” wing. The first heavy bomber of the new generation was the four-engine Boeing B-17. The prototype aircraft took off on July 28, 1935.

Simultaneously with the improvement of the “classic” bomber, a new type of aircraft appeared in the 1930s - the “dive bomber”. The most famous dive bombers are the German Ju-87 and the Soviet Pe-2.

In combat operations, single-engine bombers were also used to support ground forces: Battle, Su-2, Ju-87, etc. As practice has shown, they operated effectively only in conditions of air supremacy of their aircraft, as well as when striking weakly protected anti-aircraft artillery objects. As a result, by the end of the war, production of light single-engine bombers was generally discontinued.

Unlike Germany and the USSR, where front-line aviation was primarily developed, in the USA and Great Britain much attention was paid to the development of heavy four-engine bombers capable of destroying the enemy’s economic centers and disorganizing their industry with massive strikes. With the outbreak of war in Great Britain, the Avro Lancaster was adopted, which became the main heavy aircraft of Bomber Command.

B-29 "Superfortress"

The basis of American heavy bomber aircraft was the B-17, the fastest and highest altitude bomber in the world at the beginning of the war, and the B-24. Despite the fact that it was inferior to the B-17 in speed and ceiling, the manufacturability of its design made it possible to organize the production of individual aircraft components at non-aviation factories. Thus, the Ford Corporation automobile factories produced the fuselages of this bomber.

The pinnacle in the development of heavy piston bombers was the Boeing B-29, created in 1942 under the leadership of designer A. Jordanov. Powerful engines and perfect aerodynamics provided the aircraft with a speed of up to 575 km/h, a ceiling of 9,700 m and a range of 5,000 km with 4,000 kg of bombs. It became the first carrier of nuclear weapons: on August 6, 1945, a bomber with its own name “Enola Gay” dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, and on August 9, the city of Nagasaki, Japan, was subjected to nuclear bombing.

The first Ar-234B jet bomber

Since 1944, jet bomber aircraft have taken part in hostilities. The first jet fighter-bomber was the Me-262A2, a bomber modification of the first jet fighter created in 1942 in Germany. Me-262A2 carried two 500 kg bombs on an external sling. The first Ar-234 jet bomber was also built in Germany. Its speed was 742 km/h, range of 800 km, ceiling 10,000 m. The Ar-234 could use bombs weighing up to 1,400 kg. The first carriers of guided weapons were German Do-217 K bombers, which destroyed the Italian battleship Roma in 1943 with guided glide bombs. The He-111 bomber, obsolete by the end of the war, became the first strategic missile carrier: it launched V-1 cruise missiles at targets in the British Isles.

In connection with the increase in flight range, the classification of bombers has changed slightly: machines with an intercontinental range of about 10-15 thousand km began to be called strategic, bombers with a range of up to 10,000 km became long-range, sometimes called medium, and machines that operate in the tactical rear of the enemy and in the front line began to be called front lines. However, countries that never became owners of bombers with an intercontinental range continued to call their long-range bombers strategic, for example, the Chinese H-6 bomber; Also, the classification of bombers was seriously influenced by the management’s views on their use and construction, for example, the F-111 front-line bomber received the “fighter” name.

The first bomber with an intercontinental range was the Conver B-36, built in 1946 in the USA, which at the same time became the last strategic bomber with piston engines. It had an unusual appearance due to its combined power plant: 6 piston engines with pusher propellers and 4 jet engines mounted in pairs under the wing. But even with jet engines, the piston machine could not reach a speed of more than 680 km/h, which made it very vulnerable in connection with the adoption of high-speed jet fighters. Despite the fact that by the standards of modern aviation, the B-36 did not serve long (the last bomber was withdrawn from service in 1959), machines of this type were widely used as flying laboratories.

Unlike the United States, the Soviet leadership did not lower the altitude of the bombers in service, but focused its efforts on developing new multi-mode aircraft. On August 30, 1969, the Soviet multi-mode long-range bomber with a variable-sweep wing Tu-22M made its first flight. Initially, this aircraft was developed by the Tupolev Design Bureau on its own initiative as a deep modernization of the generally unsuccessful Tu-22 aircraft, but as a result, the new aircraft had practically nothing in common with it. The Tu-22M has a large bomb load of 24,000 kg, comparable only to the bomb load of the B-52.

B-1B over the Pacific Ocean.

American leadership initiated the development of a new multi-mode bomber to replace the B-52 only in 1969. The B-1A bomber made its first flight on December 23, 1974 in Palmdale (USA). The aircraft was a low-wing aircraft with a variable geometry wing and smooth articulation of the wing and fuselage. But in 1977, after a series of flight tests, the program was stopped: successes in the creation of cruise missiles, as well as successful research in the field of stealth technology (Stealth technology), once again called into question the need for low-altitude air defense breakthrough aircraft. The development of a multi-mode bomber was resumed only in 1981, but already as an intermediate aircraft, before the stealth strategic bomber entered service. The updated B-1B made its first flight on October 18, 1984, and production vehicles entered service only in 1986; Thus, the B-1 became the most “researched” aircraft, setting a kind of record: 16 years passed from the start of design in 1970 until it entered service.

At the end of 2007, the Russian Air Force formulated requirements for a new long-range aviation bomber (PAK DA project). The aircraft will be created on the basis of the Tu-160 using stealth technology. The first flight of the new aircraft is scheduled for 2015.

In 1990, the US Department of Defense developed a new program for creating the latest types of military equipment, which provided for the construction of a limited number of units of equipment (for example, to form one squadron). As a result, production of the B-2 was discontinued after 21 aircraft were built. As of March 2008, the US Air Force operated: 20 B-2A stealth bombers, 67 B-1B supersonic bombers, and 90 subsonic B-52Hs.

China, which is armed with 120 long-range H-6 (Tu-16) bombers, and France, which carries out strategic missions with 64 Mirage 2000N fighter-bombers, also have strategic aviation.

Tactical aviation

In modern tactical aviation, the difference between a tactical (front-line) bomber, a fighter-bomber and an attack aircraft is very blurred. Many combat aircraft designed for air strikes, although they look like fighters, have limited capabilities for air combat. It is obvious that the characteristics that allow an aircraft to effectively strike from low altitudes are not very suitable for a fighter to achieve air superiority. At the same time, many fighters, despite the fact that they were created for air combat, are used mainly as bombers. The main differences of the bomber still remain its long range and limited air combat capabilities.

In the air forces of developed countries, tactical bomber missions are typically performed by multi-role fighters (fighter-bombers). Thus, in the United States, the last specialized tactical bomber, the F-117, was withdrawn from service on April 22, 2008. Bombing missions in the US Air Force are carried out by F-15E and F-16 fighter-bombers, and in the Navy - by F/A-18 carrier-based fighter-bombers.

Russia stands apart in this series, in which Su-24 front-line bombers and long-range bombers are in service