The Beriev R-1 (known in-house as 'product R')
[Gordon, Sal'nikov and Zablotskiy 2006, p. 5.] was the first
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
turbojet
The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, and ...
-powered
flying boat
A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...
.
Design and development
At the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, design work began on a request from the Soviet Navy for a jet-powered flying boat. Starting with the wing design of the
Be-6, Beriev began in-house design work in May 1947, even before the official specifications were issued in June 1948. The specifications called for a radar-equipped aircraft with a three-man crew, capable of a speed of 800 km/h, and with a range of 2000-2500 kilometers. The aircraft was to be armed with 2,000 kg of bombs and four 20 mm cannons.
Beriev completed a mock-up by 10 June 1950, using
Klimov VK-1
The Klimov VK-1 was the first Soviet jet engine to see significant production. It was developed by and first produced by the GAZ 116 works. Derived from the Rolls-Royce Nene, the engine was also built under licence in China as the Wopen WP-5.
...
engines instead of the originally planned
Rolls-Royce Nene
The Rolls-Royce RB.41 Nene is a 1940s British centrifugal compressor turbojet engine. The Nene was a complete redesign, rather than a scaled-up Rolls-Royce Derwent"Rolls-Royce Aero Engines" Bill Gunston, Patrick Stephens Limited 1989, , p.111 w ...
engines. The first prototype was completed in November 1951. However, the prototype experienced severe vibrations and hydrodynamic instability at 165 km/hr and was nearly destroyed in testing. After much modification, flight testing began at the end of 1951. The prototype crash landed on 3 October 1953 and was again repaired.
Extensive testing continued to 1956, however, the development of land-based long-range reconnaissance aircraft put the project into jeopardy. After another crash in February 1956, the R-1 was never repaired and subsequently scrapped. The R designation is believed to have stood for ''Reaktivnyy'' (jet-propelled).
Experience gained during the test programme with the R-1 was used in the development of the
Beriev Be-10
The Beriev Be-10, also known as Izdelye M, (NATO reporting name: Mallow) was a twin engined, turbojet powered, flying-boat, patrol bomber built by the Soviet Union from 1955. The Be-10 is sometimes referred to as the M-10, though this designatio ...
.
[Gordon, Sal'nikov and Zablotskiy 2006, p. 21.]
Specifications (R-1)
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Yefim Gordon, Andrey Sal'nikov and Aleksandr Zablotskiy (2006) ''Beriev's Jet Flying Boats''. Hinckley, UK: Midland Publishing.
{{Beriev aircraft
R-1
Flying boats
1950s Soviet experimental aircraft
Jet seaplanes and flying boats
High-wing aircraft
Gull-wing aircraft
Twinjets
Aircraft first flown in 1952