The Sikorsky ''Ilya Muromets'' (russian: Сикорский Илья Муромец) (Sikorsky S-22, S-23, S-24, S-25, S-26 and S-27) were a class of Russian pre-
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
large four-engine commercial airliners and military
heavy bomber
Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually bombs) and longest range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the larges ...
s used during World War I by the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
. The aircraft series was named after
Ilya Muromets
Ilya Muromets (russian: Илья Муромец), or Ilya of Murom, sometimes Ilya Murometz, is one of the ''bogatyrs'' (epic knights) in Bylinas of Kievan Rus.
He is often featured alongside fellow bogatyrs Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Pop ...
, a hero from
Slavic mythology
Slavic mythology or Slavic religion is the religious beliefs, myths, and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and the 13th century. The South Slavs, who likely settled in the B ...
.
[Lake 2002, p. 31.] The series was based on the
Russky Vityaz
The Sikorsky Russky Vityaz (russian: link=no, Русский витязь), or Russian Knight (S-21), previously known as the Bolshoi Baltisky (russian: link=no, Большой Балтийский) ''(The Great Baltic)'' in its first four-eng ...
or Le Grand, the world's first four-engined aircraft, designed by
Igor Sikorsky
Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (russian: И́горь Ива́нович Сико́рский, p=ˈiɡərʲ ɪˈvanəvitʃ sʲɪˈkorskʲɪj, a=Ru-Igor Sikorsky.ogg, tr. ''Ígor' Ivánovich Sikórskiy''; May 25, 1889 – October 26, 1972)Fortie ...
. The Ilya Muromets aircraft as it appeared in 1913 was a revolutionary design, intended for commercial service with its spacious fuselage incorporating a passenger saloon and washroom on board. The Ilya Muromets was the world's first multi-engine aircraft in production and at least sixty were built.
[Sikorsky 1938, p. 96.] During World War I, it became the first four-engine
bomber
A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped ...
to equip a dedicated
strategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in total war with the goal of defeating the enemy by destroying its morale, its economic ability to produce and transport materiel to the theatres of military operations, or both. It is a systematica ...
unit.
[Massenkov et al. 1994, p. 23.] This heavy bomber was unrivaled in the early stages of the war, as the
Central Powers
The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...
had no aircraft capable enough to rival it until much later.
Design and development
![Sikorsky Russky Vityaz (Le Grand)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Sikorsky_Russky_Vityaz_%28Le_Grand%29.jpg)
The Ilya Muromets (Sikorsky S-22) was designed and constructed by
Igor Sikorsky
Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (russian: И́горь Ива́нович Сико́рский, p=ˈiɡərʲ ɪˈvanəvitʃ sʲɪˈkorskʲɪj, a=Ru-Igor Sikorsky.ogg, tr. ''Ígor' Ivánovich Sikórskiy''; May 25, 1889 – October 26, 1972)Fortie ...
at the
Russo-Baltic Carriage Factory (RBVZ) in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
in 1913.
It was based on his earlier S-21 ''
Russky Vityaz
The Sikorsky Russky Vityaz (russian: link=no, Русский витязь), or Russian Knight (S-21), previously known as the Bolshoi Baltisky (russian: link=no, Большой Балтийский) ''(The Great Baltic)'' in its first four-eng ...
'', which started out as the twin-engined ''Le Grand'', then as the twin tandem-engined ''Bolshoi Baltisky'' before placing all four of the ''Baltisky's'' engines in a
tractor configuration
In aviation, the term tractor configuration refers to an aircraft constructed in the standard configuration with its engine mounted with the propeller in front of it so that the aircraft is "pulled" through the air. Oppositely, the pusher c ...
along the lower wing's leading edge to create the Russky Vityaz — which had played an important role in the development of Russian
aviation
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...
and the multi-engine aircraft industries of the world.
The Ilya Muromets was first conceived and built as a luxurious aircraft. For the first time in aviation history, it had an insulated passenger
saloon, comfortable wicker chairs, a bedroom, a lounge and even the first airborne toilet. The aircraft also had heating and
electrical lighting. The S-22 cockpit had sufficient space allowing several persons to observe the pilot. Openings on both sides of the fuselage permitted mechanics to climb out onto the lower wings to service the engines during flight. A hatch on the left side provided an entry to the main cabin, behind the cockpit. The main cabin featured two large windows on each side. Further back was a private cabin which included a berth, small table and a cabinet. Lighting was provided by a wind-driven generator and heating was supplied by two long engine exhaust pipes which passed through the corners of the cabin.
Despite many advancements, the flight instruments on the Ilya Muromets were primitive. They included four
tachometer
A tachometer (revolution-counter, tach, rev-counter, RPM gauge) is an instrument measuring the rotation speed of a shaft or disk, as in a motor or other machine. The device usually displays the revolutions per minute (RPM) on a calibrated anal ...
s, one per engine, a
compass
A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...
, a crude
altimeter
An altimeter or an altitude meter is an instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. The measurement of altitude is called altimetry, which is related to the term bathymetry, the measurement of depth under water. The m ...
and airspeed indicator, two glass U-shaped tubes and a ball for bank indication, and a series of horizontal bars situated vertically on the nose of the fuselage for measuring climbs and descents.
Later, in the bomber variants, a drift indicator and elementary bombsight was added to aid bombing.
In 1913 the Ilya Muromets No. 107 flew for the first time, and on 11 February 1914, the second prototype (factory airframe 128) took off for its first demonstration flight with 16 passengers aboard, marking a record for number of passengers carried.
[Sikorsky 1938, p. 98.] From 30 June to 12 July 1914, it set a world record by making a trip from
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
to
Kiev
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
, a distance of some 1200 km, and back. The first leg took 14 hours and 38 minutes, with one landing for fuel at
Orsha
Orsha ( be, О́рша, Во́рша, Orša, Vorša; russian: О́рша ; lt, Orša, pl, Orsza) is a city in Belarus in the Vitebsk Region, on the fork of the Dnieper and Arshytsa rivers.
History
Orsha was first mentioned in 1067 as Rsha ...
, and the return one, with a fuel stop at
Novosokolniki
Novosokolniki (russian: Новосоко́льники) is a town and the administrative center of Novosokolnichesky District in Pskov Oblast, Russia, located on the Maly Udray River at the junction of the St. Petersburg–Kyiv and Moscow– ...
, took even less time, about 13 hours. According to Sikorsky, "The flight proved conclusively the value of large multi-motored airplanes. The Army placed an order for ten four-engined airplanes of the ''Ilia Mourometz'' type and the factory personnel was overjoyed by this final approval of the results of two years of hard work."
The acclaim received by Sikorsky included
Tsar Nicholas II
Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Polan ...
presenting him with the
Order of St. Vladimir
The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir (russian: орден Святого Владимира) was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptize ...
, Fourth Degree, arranging for an exemption from the wartime draft to allow him to continue his design work, and a promise of a grant worth 100,000 rubles from the State Duma. During an Imperial military review at
Krasnoye Selo
Krasnoye Selo (russian: Кра́сное Село́, lit. ''Red village''). Г. П. Смолицкая. "Топонимический словарь Центральной России". "Армада-Пресс", 2002 is a munic ...
in July, Nicholas II decorated and christened the Ilya Muromets Type B Military Prototype, No. 128, the "Kievsky."
During testing, the Ilya Muromets were fitted with both skis and pontoons in anticipation of new variants being produced. If it had not been for World War I, the Ilya Muromets would probably have started passenger flights that same year.
With the beginning of World War I, Sikorsky was encouraged by the results of the proving flights to redesign the aircraft to become the "Military Ilia Mourometz, Type V, the world's first purpose-designed heavier than air bomber. The new heavy bomber was slightly smaller and lighter than the Type A. Internal racks carried up to 800 kg of bombs, and positions for up to nine machine guns were added for self-defense in various locations, including the extreme tail. The Muromets (in its S-25 Geh-2 variant, March 1916) was the first aircraft in history to incorporate a
tail gunner position.
[Sergei I. Sikorsky with the Igor I. Sikorsky Historical Archives, ]
Images of Aviation: The Sikorsky Legacy
', Arcadia Publishing, 2007, Charleston SC, Chicago IL, Portsmouth NH, San Francisco CA, 128 p., The engines were protected with 5 mm-thick armor.
The military version was designed expressly for long-range flying in both bombing and reconnaissance roles.
Operational history
![14082007-Bashko](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/14082007-Bashko.jpg)
When WWI broke out, only two Ilya Muromets bombers were completed out of an initial production run of ten aircraft. In August 1914, the Ilya Muromets was introduced to the
Imperial Russian Air Service
The Imperial Russian Air Service (russian: Императорскій военно-воздушный флотъ, , Emperor's Military Air Fleet) was an air force founded in 1912 for Imperial Russia."''12 августа 1912 года прик ...
and on 10 December 1914, the Russians formed their first ten-bomber
squadron
Squadron may refer to:
* Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies
* Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
, slowly increasing the number to 20 by mid-1916. Operations with the heavy bombers began on 12 February 1915 with a raid on German frontline positions.
[Winchester 2004, p. 224.]
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 ...
Fighter Pilots often were reluctant to attack Ilya Muromets in the air due to their defensive firepower including the unique tail gun position, and the difficulty in bringing down such a large aircraft.
Once engaged, small fighters also found that they were buffeted by propeller wash of the four large engines.
On 12 September 1916 (
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...
), the Russians lost their first Ilya Muromets in a fight with four German
Albatros, three of which it managed to shoot down. This was also the only loss to enemy action during the war; three others were damaged in combat, but managed to return to base to be repaired.
83 Ilya Muromets bombers were built for the Russian forces between 1913 and 1918. They recorded a number of firsts in the history of military aviation, like bombing from heavy bombers, performing bomber group
raids on enemy targets,
night bombing
A night bomber is a bomber aircraft intended specifically for carrying out bombing missions at night. The term is now mostly of historical significance. Night bombing began in World War I and was widespread during World War II. A number of moder ...
, and
photographic
Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed i ...
bomb damage assessment. They were also the first to develop defensive
tactics
Tactic(s) or Tactical may refer to:
* Tactic (method), a conceptual action implemented as one or more specific tasks
** Military tactics, the disposition and maneuver of units on a particular sea or battlefield
** Chess tactics
** Political tact ...
for a single bomber engaged in an air combat with several enemy fighters. Due to systematic weapon upgrades, the effectiveness of bomb-dropping reached 90%.
The Ilya Muromets performed more than 400 sorties and dropped 65 tons of bombs during the war. By 1917, attrition from constant flying had reduced the bombing fleet substantially and only four bombers remained at the front line; the other Ilya Muromets were relegated to trainer duties.
The heavy bombers of other participants appeared in 1916, all resembling the Russian pioneer to a certain degree.
The Russian government and Sikorsky himself sold the design and production license to the British and French governments. The
Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
tried to copy its design, using the fragments of the Ilya Muromets they had shot down over their territory in September 1916. By the end of 1916, the design was generally believed to be at the end of its development cycle, with ensuing modifications to individual aircraft, such as additional armor and weapons, making the aircraft too heavy and not suitable for operational use. Continual changes in the field as well as the factory led to many aircraft being redesignated as a new variant.
Further designs based on the original Ilya Muromets bombers included a more dedicated attack version.
Russian Revolution and aftermath
Following the
February Revolution of 1917
The February Revolution ( rus, Февра́льская револю́ция, r=Fevral'skaya revolyutsiya, p=fʲɪvˈralʲskəjə rʲɪvɐˈlʲutsɨjə), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and somet ...
, the Ilya Muromets bombers continued to fly with the Russian Imperial Army but others were seized by the
provisional government
A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or f ...
with pilots also defecting to the Ukrainian squadron of
Hetman
( uk, гетьман, translit=het'man) is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders.
Used by the Czechs in Bohemia since the 15th century. It was the title of the second-highest military co ...
and General
Pavlo Skoropadsky
Pavlo Petrovych Skoropadskyi ( uk, Павло Петрович Скоропадський, Pavlo Petrovych Skoropadskyi; – 26 April 1945) was a Ukrainian aristocrat, military and state leader, decorated Imperial Russian Army and Ukrainian Arm ...
, with at least one Ilya Muromets being flown by Polish forces. The remainder of the aircraft flew with the Red Army until mid-1919.
The Ilya Muromets continued in production after the war, with only a handful being finished. From May–October 1921, the aircraft was utilized in its originally intended role of passenger transport on the Moscow-Kharkov line; six saw service as a civilian passenger airliner and mail plane. After carrying 60 passengers and two tons of freight, the Ilya Muromets were considered too difficult to maintain as engines and airframes were worn out and on 10 October 1922, the airliners were retired. The last flight of an Ilya Muromets bomber took place in 1922 at the Air Shooting and Bomb-dropping School in
Serpukhov
Serpukhov ( rus, Серпухов, p=ˈsʲɛrpʊxəf) is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Oka and the Nara Rivers, south from Moscow ( from Moscow Ring Road) on the Moscow—Simferopol highway. The Moscow— T ...
.
Variants
![14082007-Illya-Muromec-1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/14082007-Illya-Muromec-1.jpg)
; Ilya Muromets No. 107
: Experimental airliner, 1913; fitted with four
Argus As I
The Argus As I was a four-cylinder, water-cooled, aircraft engine produced in Germany by Argus Motoren from 1911 until about 1913.
The engine saw widespread use in aircraft in pre-war Germany and initially was also sold under the brand name 'Avi ...
engines, later refitted with two
Salmson 2M7
The Salmson water-cooled aero-engines, produced in France by Société des Moteurs Salmson from 1908 until 1920, were a series of pioneering aero-engines: unusually combining water-cooling with the radial arrangement of their cylinders.
Histor ...
and two
Argus 115 hp engines.
[Khajrulin 2018, p. 21-45]
; Ilya Muromets No. 107 Hydroplane
: Hydroplane modification of airframe No. 107, fitted with two
Salmson 2M7
The Salmson water-cooled aero-engines, produced in France by Société des Moteurs Salmson from 1908 until 1920, were a series of pioneering aero-engines: unusually combining water-cooling with the radial arrangement of their cylinders.
Histor ...
and two
Argus 115 hp engines.
; Ilya Muromets Kievsky No. 128
: Experimental airliner, 1914; fitted with two
Argus 140 hp engines and two
Argus 125 hp engines.
; Ilya Muromets S-22 Type A
: Unarmed trainer, one built 1913, used in Gachina Air School in 1914
; Ilya Muromets S-23 Type B(eh) Bomber
: Bomber. First flight: 1914, in service August 1914, original armament: one 37mm cannon, one 8 mm machine gun; six built (heavily modified).
::Type B No 135, 1914; fitted with four Argus engines of 130 hp each.
::Type B No 136, 1914; fitted with two
Salmson engines of 200 hp each and two Salmson engines of 136 hp each.
::Type B No 137, 1914; fitted with two Salmson engines of 200 hp each and two Salmson engines of 136 hp each.
::Type B No 138, 1914; fitted with two Salmson engines of 200 hp each and two Salmson engines of 136 hp each.
::Type B No 139, 1914; fitted with two Salmson engines of 200 hp each and two Salmson engines of 136 hp each.
; Ilya Muromets S-23 V(eh) Series
: Bomber, First flight 1914, fitted with four
Sunbeam Crusader
The Sunbeam Crusader, originally known as the Sunbeam 150 hp, Sunbeam 110 hp or Sunbeam 100 hp (variations on the engine may also have been referred to as Sunbeam 120 hp or Sunbeam 135 hp), was an early British, side-va ...
V-8 engines of 148 hp each
::Type V No 151, 1915; fitted with four Argus engines of 140 hp each.
::Type V No 159 Trainer aircraft, 1915; fitted with two
Sunbeam 225 hpV-8 engines.
::Type V No 167, 1915; fitted with four
RBVZ-6 engines of 150 hp each.
; Ilya Muromets S-24 G-1 Series
:Bomber, First flight 1914; 18 built.
; Ilya Muromets S-25 Series
: Bomber, First flight 1915; 55 built.
; Ilya Muromets S-25 G-2 "Russobalt"
: Bomber, fitted with four RBVZ-6 engines of 150 hp, 170 kg bombload, five MG.
; Ilya Muromets S-25 G-3 "Renobalt" Series
: Bomber, fitted with two
Renault engines
Engines used by French automaker Renault SA have historically been referenced in technical specifications along two distinct systems:
* a purely numeric system used from the origins of the company until the mid-1980s
* an alphanumeric system in ...
of 220 hp each and two RBVZ-6 engines of 150 hp, 190 kg bombload, six MG
; Ilya Muromets S-26 D-1 DIM Series
: Bomber, First flight 1916, fitted with four Sunbeam engines of 150 hp; three built.
; Ilya Muromets S-27 E (Yeh-2) Series
: Bomber, First flight 1916, fitted with four Renault engines of 220 hp each; two built.
[Sikorsky 2007, p. 10.]
Operators
Military
;/
*
Imperial Russian Air Service
The Imperial Russian Air Service (russian: Императорскій военно-воздушный флотъ, , Emperor's Military Air Fleet) was an air force founded in 1912 for Imperial Russia."''12 августа 1912 года прик ...
;
*
Soviet Air Forces
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 ...
;
*
Polish Air Force
The Polish Air Force ( pl, Siły Powietrzne, , Air Forces) is the aerial warfare branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 16,425 mil ...
;
Ukrainian State
The Ukrainian State ( uk, Українська Держава, translit=Ukrainska Derzhava), sometimes also called the Second Hetmanate ( uk, Другий Гетьманат, translit=Druhyi Hetmanat, link=no), was an anti-Bolshevik government ...
*
Ukrainian Air Force
The Ukrainian Air Force ( uk, Пові́тряні си́ли Збро́йних сил Украї́ни) is the air force of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Its headquarters are in the city of Vinnytsia. W ...
Civilian
*
Soviet Union Civil Air Fleet
Replica
One Ilya Muromets S-22 replica exists
in the
Monino Air Force Museum near Moscow built in 1970.
Specifications (Ilya Muromets Type S-23 V)
See also
*
List of Russian inventions
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
* Angelucci, Enzo. ''The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft, 1914–1980''. San Diego, California: The Military Press, 1983. .
* Cochrane, Dorothy and Von Hardesty. ''The Aviation Careers of Igor Sikorsky.'' Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press, 1989. .
* Darcey, Alan, Thomas Kulikov and Victor Durkots. ''The Imperial Russian Air Service: Famous Pilots and Aircraft of World War I.'' Mountain View, California: Flying Machine Press, 1995. .
* Delear, Frank J. ''Igor Sikorsky: Three Careers in Aviation'' (Air & Space Series, No 24). New York: Bantam, 1992.
* Durkota, Alan E., T. Darcey and V. Kulikov. ''The Imperial Russian Air Service: Famous Pilots and Aircraft of World War I''. Boulder, Colorado: Flying Machines Press, 1995. .
* Finne, K. N. ''Igor Sikorsky: The Russian Years.'' Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books, 1987. .
* Finne, K. N. ''Русские воздушные богатыри И. Сикорского (Russian Air Warriors: I. Sikorsky) (Russian).'' Moscow: AST, Harvest, 2005.
* Lake, Jon. ''The Great Book of Bombers: The World's Most Important Bombers from World War I to the Present Day.'' St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing Company, 2002. .
* Mackworth-Praed, Ben. ''Aviation: The Pioneer Years.'' London: Studio Editions, 1996. .
* Massenkov, Vladamir I., Boris Urinovski and Vadim I. Suvorov. ''Russia in ICAO to the 50th Anniversary of ICAO''. Moscow: 1994. No ISBN.
* Miller, Russell. ''The Soviet Air Force at War.'' Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life books, 1983. .
* Pember, Harry. ''Sikorsky Aircraft: From a Vision to Reality and Beyond.'' Stratford, Connecticut: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, 1999. No ISBN.
* Roustam-Bek-Tageev, LCol Boris
''Aerial Russia: The Romance of The Giant Aeroplane.''Austin, Texas: Alexander Palace Time Machine (Bob Atchison), 2011, Internet reprint of original 1917 edition.
* Sikorsky, Igor. ''Story of the Winged-S: An Autobiography by Igor Sikorsky.'' New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1938. No ISBN.
* Sikorsky, Sergei I. ''The Sikorsky Legacy'' (Images of Aviation). Charleston, South Carolina: Acadia Publishing, 2007. .
* Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War I''. London: Studio Editions, Reprint 2001. .
* Winchester, Jim. "Sikorsky Ilya Muromets." ''Biplanes, Triplanes and Seaplanes (Aviation Factfile)''. London: Grange Books plc, 2004. .
* Woodman, Harry. ''Sikorsky Ilya Muromets Type Veh,'' (Windsock Datafile Special No.3 – Classics of WW1 Aviation Volume 3). Berkhamsted, Herts, UK: Albatros Productions Limited, 2000. .
*
External links
Image of a scale modelSikorsky Ilya Muromets (Series) Bomber/Reconnaissance Aircraft*
*
*
{{Authority control
1910s Russian bomber aircraft
Ilya Muromets
Ilya Muromets (russian: Илья Муромец), or Ilya of Murom, sometimes Ilya Murometz, is one of the ''bogatyrs'' (epic knights) in Bylinas of Kievan Rus.
He is often featured alongside fellow bogatyrs Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Pop ...
Military aircraft of World War I
Russian inventions
RBVZ aircraft
Four-engined tractor aircraft
Biplanes
Aircraft first flown in 1914
Four-engined piston aircraft