The Polikarpov R-5 (russian: Р-5) was a

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, ...

reconnaissance bomber aircraft of the 1930s. It was the standard light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft of the

Soviet Air Force The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...

for much of the 1930s, while also being used heavily as a civilian light transport, some 7,000 being built in total.

Development and design

The R-5 was developed by the design bureau led by Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov А. С. Яковлев. О жизни и о себе (записки авиаконструктора). 2-е изд., доп. М., 1968. стр.159 as a replacement for the R-1 which served as the standard reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft with the

. The prototype first flew in autumn 1928, powered by an imported

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

BMW VI The BMW VI was a water-cooled V-12 aircraft engine built in Germany in the 1920s. It was one of the most important German aero engines in the years leading up to World War II, with thousands built. It was further developed as the BMW VII and B ...

V-12 engine. It was an unequal-span single-bay biplane of mainly wooden construction. After extensive evaluation, the R-5 entered production in 1930, powered by the

Mikulin M-17 The Mikulin M-17 was a Soviet-licensed copy of the German BMW VI V-12 liquid-cooled aircraft piston engine, further developed by Alexander Mikulin and used by Soviet aircraft and tanks during World War II. Production began in 1930 and continued ...

, a licence-built copy of the BMW-VI, as a reconnaissance bomber. Further modified versions were produced to serve as floatplanes, ground-attack aircraft and civil transports. The R-5SSS, an improved reconnaissance bomber with improved streamlining, served as the basis for the

Polikarpov R-Z The Polikarpov R-Z was a Soviet Union, Soviet reconnaissance bomber aircraft of the 1930s. It was a revised version of the Polikarpov R-5 which was built in large numbers between 1935 and 1937. It was used in combat during the Spanish Civil War a ...

, which succeeded the R-5 in production.

Operational history

The aircraft R-5 was designed by Nikolai Polikarpov in 1928. The aircraft was taken into the Soviet Air Force's use in 1931. They operated 5,000 aircraft R-5. Over 1,000 aircraft simplified for civilian needs were manufactured for

Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (russian: ПАО "Аэрофло́т — Росси́йские авиали́нии", ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; russian: Аэрофлот, , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. The ...

under the designation P-5 (Russian: П-5). The R-5 became the standard reconnaissance and attack aircraft with the Soviet Air Force, being used in large numbers, with over 100 regiments equipped with the R-5. R-5s served with the Soviet Air Force and Mongolian People's Air Force during the 1939 Battle of Khalkhin Gol fought against the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese and, took active part in the

Soviet invasion of Poland (1939) The Soviet invasion of Poland was a military operation by the Soviet Union without a formal declaration of war. On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west. Subse ...

, and the 1939-40

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

against

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, where they were known as the ''hermosaha'' ("nerve saw"). The Finns downed and captured several R-5s, but none were taken into operational service. They remained in service during the war against Germany in 1941-45, where they were mainly used as night bombers and liaison aircraft, serving until 1944."Polikarpov Nikolai Nikolaevich."
''aviation.ru,'' 24 March 2004. Retrieved: 3 July 2011. The Chinese province of

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

received a number of R-5s in 1933, and when a

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

threatened to overthrow the pro-Moscow governor of Xinjiang, Sheng Shicai, the Soviet Union intervened, with Soviet-flown R-5s bombing rebels near

Ürümqi Ürümqi ( ; also spelled Ürümchi or without umlauts), formerly known as Dihua (also spelled Tihwa), is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the far northwest of the People's Republic of China. Ürümqi developed its ...

. R-5s remained in use for training purposes in Xinjiang in 1938. R-5s were also used by the

Spanish Republican Air Force The Spanish Republican Air Force was the air arm of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939. Initially divided into two branches: Military Aeronautics ('' Aeronáutica M ...

in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

, 31 being sold to Spain. These arrived in November 1936, and were quickly deployed on combat operations, but were found to be slow and were relegated to night bombing. Seven R-5s remained in good condition in March 1939. The aircraft was known as the "''Rasante''" (roughly translated as "Low flying") in the Spanish Republican Air Force. Civil versions of the R-5 were used in large numbers, mainly by Aeroflot. They were used to carry up to 400 kg (882 lb) of freight, with many being fitted with an enlarged rear cockpit to carry two passengers. Other aircraft were fitted with enclosed cabins for passengers. P-5s could also be used to carry underwing containers (or ''Kasseta'') for freight or passengers with one P-5 carrying 16 adults, including seven in each ''Kasseta''. Ski-equipped P-5s carrying Kasseta paid a key role in the rescue of the crew of the icebound Soviet steamship ''Chelyuskin'' in 1934. Civil R-5s remained in service until after the end of the

Second World War 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 ...

Variants

;R-5 : Main production reconnaissance bomber. Initial production powered by M-17B engine, M-17F from 1933. 4,914 produced. ;R-5Sh :''Shturmovik'' ("ground-attack"). Ground attack variant. Additional gun armament consisting of four wing-mounted PV-1 machine guns. These were used in the

Battles of Khalkhin Gol The Battles of Khalkhin Gol (russian: Бои на Халхин-Голе; mn, Халхын голын байлдаан) were the decisive engagements of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese border conflicts involving the Soviet Union, Mongolia, Jap ...

. ;R-5a : Twin-float, reconnaissance

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

. Also known as MR-5, MR-5bis or Samolet 10. 111 built 1934-35. ;R-5D :Long-range version. One built. ;R-5 Jumo :Experimental engine testbed, fitted with an enlarged rear cockpit to accommodate two observers. Also known as the ED-1. ;R-5M-34 :This experimental version was fitted with a M-34 engine. ;R-5T :Single-seat torpedo bomber with divided undercarriage to allow a torpedo or 250-500 kg bomb to be carried under fuselage. Flown in 1934, a series of 50 built by 1935. Two-men crew for reconnaissance tasks.Kotelnikov, Vladimir. ''"Nyet spasyeniya lubomu vrazheskomu korablu". Torpedonosec R-5T'' No salvation for any enemy ship". Torpedo bomber R-5T "FlotoMaster" Nr. 4/2003, p. 29-31, ;R5-SSS :Improved version with reduced drag and increased gun armament. Also known simply as SSS. Increased performance. Over 100 built 1935-36.Donald 1997, p. 755. ;P-5 :Light transport version for

.M-17B engine. Approximately 1000 produced by 1940. ;P-5a :Twin-float version of P-5 - built in small numbers. ;R-5L :''Limuzin'' ("limousine"). Passenger version with cabin for two passengers. Built in small numbers in 1931. ;P-5L :Revised passenger transport. Several built in 1933. ;Rafaelyants PR-5 :Final modernised transport version. New semi- monocoque fuselage with enclosed cabin for four passengers. 210 converted for use by Aeroflot. ;Rafaelyants PR-12 :Passenger monoplane based on PR-5. One built in 1938. ;ARK-5 :Arctic exploration version with enclosed, heated cockpit and streamlined containers for payload faired into lower wing and sides of fuselage. Two built. ;LSh :''Legkii Shturmovik'' ("light ground attack"). Light armoured attack aircraft - Modified design by Grigorovich. One built 1930. ;TSh-1 :''Tyazheli Shturmovik'' ("heavy ground attack"). Heavily armoured ground attack aircraft (6 mm armour) based on R-5, again by Grigorovich. Three prototypes. ;TSh-2 :Refined derivative of Tsh-1 with new lower wings. Ten aircraft built. ;ShON :Light attack version with folding wings built for counter insurgency operations against Basmachi rebels in

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

. 30 ordered.

Operators

; * Imperial Iranian Air Force ;

Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 A ...

; *

Spanish Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = Spanish Air and Space Force Anthem , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 December , equipment ...

- Post civil war. ; * Mongolian People's Army Aviation ; * Turkish Air Force ; *

Specifications (1930 production)

References

Bibliography

* *