WesWorld

For various reasons, I have a stockpile of unposted specs for various Russian aircraft. Since I have a bit of time to catch up and make sure my encyclopedia is complete, I'm going to go ahead and post them here - even though some of the designs have been in service (per the news) for up to two or three years. I'm willing to make modest changes to the aircraft specs based on feedback, but I'll only make sweeping changes if absolutely required. :)

Design Work During 1947
A quick overview of all major design projects that were going on during 1947. This covers aircraft that are just entering production or testing, existing designs that are being improved, and aircraft that won't even fly for several more years.

Alekseyev
-- I-21 naval jet fighter

Antonov
-- Antonov An-2 light transport
-- Antonov An-4 heavy transport

Beriev
-- Beriev Be-4
-- Beriev Be-6

Ilyushin
-- Ilyushin Il-14 twin-engine airliner
-- Ilyushin Il-28 "Beagle" jet bomber

Lavochkin
-- I-174 (La-15) jet fighter (with Germany)

Mikoyan-Gurevich
-- MiG-9 jet fighter
-- MiG-15 jet fighter

Myasishchev
-- M-2 heavy strategic bomber

Sukhoi
-- Sukhoi Su-7 naval jet fighter

Tupolev
-- Tu-4 naval attack aircraft

Yakovlev
-- Yak-11 trainer
-- Yak-12 light airliner
-- Yak-14 Otmennyi utility aircraft
-- Yak-16 medium airliner
-- Yak-18 basic trainer
-- Yak-25 jet fighter (failed MiG-15 competitor)

Myasishchev M-2
The Myasishchev M-2 heavy bomber was developed for the Russian VVS's Aviatsiya dal'nego deystviya ("Long Range Aviation" or ADD) force during the second half of the 1940s. During the 1930s, Long-Range Aviation had been a key part of Russian aviation strategy, being equipped with four-engined ANT-28, ANT-31, ANT-31bis, and eventually ANT-35 heavy bombers. During the first half of the 1940s, the Air Forces staff evaluated several potential designs to update the aircraft of the Long Range Aviation force, but none of these designs ultimately made it off the drawing boards. By 1944, attrition and the declining readiness of the aging bomber fleet became a serious concern to the VVS, which resulted in heavy bombers receiving a development priority equivalent to new jet aircraft.

The first M-2 prototype flew in great secrecy in March 1945. Despite a crash druing its seventh flight, the project was not slowed, and by spring of 1946, the Russian Air Forces approved series production at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur and Novosibirsk aircraft plants. Only three heavy bomber regiments converted to the new M-2s before 1947, but a dedicated manufacturing effort resulted in the majority of Long Range Aviation receiving their new heavy bombers by the end of the year.

General characteristics
Crew: 9 (pilot, copilot/flight engineer, navigator, bombardier, 5 gunners)
Length: 29.20 m
Wingspan: 42.90 m
Height: 5.10 m
Wing area: 130 m²
Empty weight: 23,100 kg
Loaded weight: 34,000 kg
Max takeoff weight: 40,000 kg
Powerplant: 4 × Shvetsov ASh-73TK radial engines, 2,650 hp

Performance
Never exceed speed: Mach 0.80
Maximum speed: 660 km/h (356 knots, 410 mph) at 7,000 meters
Cruise speed: 595 km/h (321 knots, 370 mph) at 7,000 meters
Combat radius: 4,700 km
Ferry range: 5,500 km
Service ceiling: 12,000 m
Rate of climb: 9.2 m/s ( ft/min)

Armament
- Two ventral turrets with twin 12.7mm MGs
- Two dorsal turrets with twin 12.7mm MGs
- Tail turret with twin 23mm cannon
- 10,000 kg bombs in single bay

Variants
- M-2: Initial production variant.
- M-2bis: Improved production variant built from late 1947 onward with Kuznetzov NK-4 engines and other modifications.
- M-2MR: Maritime reconnaissance aircraft equipped with surface-search radar

Antonov An-4
The Antonov An-4 was a military strategic transport aircraft, designed to help replace the Russian VVS's antiquated ANT-28T transports - in fact, converted bombers - for use in cargo, paratroop, and general-purpose roles. Although doctrine initially demanded a single transport aircraft design to accomplish all military roles, this was quickly determined to be infeasable. The Military Air Forces decided instead to provide a mix of medium cargo aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il-12 and its successors, supported by a modest force of "strategic long-range transports".

While the option of license-producing the French Breguet-Nord N.1510 Normandie received serious consideration, the decision was eventually made to pursue a fully domestic design. The Antonov OKB design bureau undertook the development project, and considered a number of alternatives to meet the Russian military's specifications before settling on a final product, which soon became the largest aircraft that had flown in Russia up to that point.

Due to its convergent evolution, the An-4 shared a number of visual similarities with the Normandie, including heavy tricycle landing gear, a high wing and a rear cargo ramp capable of disembarking wheeled or light tracked vehicles; however, the An-4 was significantly larger, with a maximum take-off weight of just over seventy metric tons. In order to achieve sufficient power for such a large aircraft, Antonov used four turboprop engines designed by the Kuznetzov OKB. The slow production of these turbine engines held up both the start of manufacturing, which began at the Antonov Serial Production Plant in Kiev in December of 1946, and the delivery rate of completed aircraft, with only eight units delivered during 1947, and thirty-nine in 1948.

Although Antonov hoped the An-4 could serve as a heavy tactical airlifter, in much the same fashion as the French Normandie, the An-4's great wingspan and heavy weight limited its capability to land in unprepared zones. The power provided by the turboprop engines allowed for a shorter take-off roll, but the Russian Air Forces did not feel it was entirely safe to operate such a large aircraft from improvised landing strips.

General characteristics
Crew: 5 (pilot, copilot, navigator, radio operator, flight engineer)
Capacity: 110 troops, or 18,000kg of cargo
Length: 34 m
Wingspan: 47.5 m
Height: 10.7 m
Wing Area: 209 m² (2,250 ft²)
Empty weight: 36,200 kg (79,807 lbs)
Loaded weight: 62,950 kg (138,781 lbs)
Max takeoff weight: 70,590 kg (155,624 lbs)
Powerplant: 4 × Kuznetsov NK-04 turboprop, 2,400 kW

Performance
Max Speed: 528 km/h (328 mph)
Cruise Speed: 400 km/h (248.5 mph)
Range: 4,950 km
Service ceiling: 6,500 m
Rate of climb: 13.1 m/s ( ft/min)

Quoted

Beriev Be-4 Flying Boat
The Beriev Design Bureau developed the Be-4 design as a light airliner and maritime patrol / search and rescue aircraft. Beriev's original design specified a pair of V-12 inline engines mounted in push-pull configuration in a sponson. However, Tumansky proposed incorporating a pair of 555hp turboprop engines, developed in collaboration with Turbomeca of France, which provided better power at altitude. The first prototype first flew (with inline engines) in February of 1945, and entered service with Aeroflot in April of 1946.

General characteristics:
Crew: 2 (pilot + spotter/radioman)
Passengers: 7-9
Length: 13 m (42.6 ft)
Wingspan: 18 m (59 ft)
Height: 5.25m (17.2 ft)
Wing area: 31m² (333.7 ft²)
Empty weight: 2700 kg (5,952 lbs)
Loaded weight: 4,989 kg (11,000 lbs)
Powerplant: 2x Tumansky turboprop engines, 555 shp each

Performance:
Maximum speed: 340 kph \ 211 mph (183.5 knots)
Max Range: 1,480 km (920 mi)
Service ceiling: 5,500 m (18,044 ft)
Rate of climb: 11 ft/s (3.35 m/s)

Notes:
Engines mounted in push-pull configuration in sponson above wing

Yakovlev Yak-14 Otmennyi Utility Aircraft
During the latter half of the 1940s, the Yakovlev OKB released a number of light aircraft designs for the Russian civil aviation market, including civilian versions of the Yak-11 and Yak-18 trainer aircraft. Most of the designs also had military applications, particularly for utility or liaison. The Yakovlev Yak-12 light sport plane was a very popular seller in Russia and Eastern Europe, with many thousands of aircraft sold, while the twin-engine Yak-16, which first flew in 1944, saw a degree of service as a light airliner with Aeroflot. However, the Yak-16 struggled with competition from the Antonov An-2 airliner. The Yak-14 was an intermediate design between the 3-passenger Yak-12 and the ten-passenger Yak-16. It was adopted in 1946 by the Russian military as a utility aircraft, and between 1948 and 1957, was produced under license in Poland and Latvia.

The Yak-14's combination of pleasant handling characteristics and easy maintenance requirements earned it the nickname "Otmennyi" (tr. "Alpha Plus"),

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Capacity: 6 passengers
Length: 10.1 m
Wingspan: 14.5 m
Height: 3.255 m
Wing area: 25.66 m²
Empty weight: 1,495 kg
Max. takeoff weight: 2573 kg
Powerplant: 450hp 9-cylinder radial engine

Performance
Maximum speed: 280 km/h
Cruise speed: 215 km/h
Stall speed: 83.5 km/h
Range: 1180 km
Service ceiling: 5000 m
Rate of climb: 4.75 m/s

Pretty sure I've posted this before.

Quoted

Antonov An-2 Utility Aircraft
The An-2 came as a response to a request by Aeroflot and the Russian Air Force for a twin-engine airliner and light cargo aircraft for use from small or undeveloped airfields. The Antonov OKB designed a high-winged aircraft with special flaps designed to maximize performance at low speeds and altitudes. The An-2 was the first Russian aircraft designed from the start to use turboprops, with twin Tumansky engines of 555 horsepower each mounted on the wings. The An-2 proved to be incredibly versatile and popular, and upgraded aircraft were still manufactured in Russia as late as 1995.

General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Passengers: 14-16, depending upon configuration
- Length: 15.25 m (52 feet)
- Wingspan: 19.8 m (64.9 feet)
- Height: 5.3 m (17.4 feet)
- Wing area: 39 m² (422 ft²)
- Empty weight: 2,880 kg (6,350 lbs)
- Loaded weight: 5,100 kg (11,244 lbs)
- Powerplant: 2 × 555hp (414 kW) Tumansky turboprop engines

Performance:
- Maximum speed: 325 km/h (175 knots / 202 mph)
- Cruise speed: 275 km/h (148 knots / 171 mph)
- Stall speed: 100 km/h ( knots / 62 mph)
- Max Range: 1,410 km (876 miles)
- Service ceiling: 7,500 meters (24,600 feet)
- Rate of climb: 7.5 ft/s (2.29 m/s)

Ilyushin Il-12 Airliner
The Ilyushin Il-12 was designed and built as a replacement for the Lisunov Li-2 airliner, itself a license-built variant of the American DC-3. Although it maintained a strong visual similarity with its ancestors and used many similar parts, the aircraft was a new design. The largest change was a switch to tricycle landing gear, although this caused some center of balance issues on the ground when the aircraft was improperly loaded. This proved the greatest obstacle to the Il-12's longevity and sales potential outside the Russian Federation, since the planes could often not be loaded to their design capacity.

The largest user of Il-12 aircraft was the Russian military, which used the aircraft for general cargo, troop transport and paratroop operations through the 1940s and early 1950s. Aeroflot also purchased and operated Il-12s, although the loading restrictions prevented the aircraft from becoming a dominant part of the Russian civil aviation scene.

Shortly after the introduction of the Il-12, the Ilyushin design bureau began work on an improved variant which became the Il-14. When this aircraft entered production in late 1947, manufacture of the Il-12 ended.

General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Passengers: 21 - 32
- Length: 21.31m (69 ft 11 in)
- Wingspan: 31.7m (104 ft)
- Height: 8.07m (26 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 103 m² (1,109 ft²)
- Empty weight: 11,045 kg (24,350 lbs)
- Loaded weight: 17,250 kg (138,029 lbs)
- Powerplant: 2 × Shvetsov ASh-82 14-cylinder radial engines of 1,850hp (1,380 kW)

Performance:
- Maximum speed: 407 km/h (220 knots / 253 mph)
- Max Range: 1,500 km (932 miles)
- Service ceiling: 6,500 meters (21,325 feet)
- Rate of climb: 15 minutes to 5,000 m altitude

Yakovlev Yak-11
An advanced trainer. (OTL design.)

Specifications
Crew: Two - student and instructor
Length: 8.20 m (26 ft 10½ in)
Wingspan: 9.4 m (30 ft 10 in)
Height: 3.28 m (10 ft 5 in)
Wing area: 15.40 m² (166 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,900 kg (4,189 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 2,440 kg (5,379 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Shvetsov ASh-21 air-cooled radial piston engine, 521 kW (700 hp)

Performance
Maximum speed: 460 km/h (289 mph)
Cruise speed: 370 km/h (230 mph)
Range: 1250 km (795 miles)
Service ceiling: 7,100 m (23,295 ft)
Rate of climb: 8.1 m/s (1,600 ft/min)
Wing loading: 161 kg/m² (32.9 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.17 kW/kg (0.10 hp/lb)

Armament
- 1x nose-mounted machine gun, either 12.7 mm UBS or 7.62 mm ShKAS
- 200 kg (440 lb) of bombs on two underwing racks