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Pe-8 Heavy Bomber
Pe-8 VIP which carried USSR Foreign Minister Vyacheslav M. Molotov from Moscow to Washington on RAF Leuchars airfield , near Dundee, Scotland, in May 1942.
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Petlyakov Pe-8 |
Designer - Vladamir Petlyakov |
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Manufacturer: |
State Industries |
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Role: |
Heavy Strategic Bomber |
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Year Adopted: |
1940 |
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Operational Status: |
Russia |
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Armament: |
2 x 20mm cannon |
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Engine: |
4 x Mikulin AM-35A, 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 1,350 hp engines |
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Crew: |
10 |
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Wingspan: |
131 feet |
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Length: |
73 feet, 9 inches |
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Height: |
20 feet |
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Maximum Speed: |
272 miles per hour at 24,930 feet altitude |
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Take-Off Weight: |
73,469 lbs (loaded) |
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Ceiling: |
22,965 feet |
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Range: |
3,383 miles |
The Petlyakov Pe-8 was the Soviet Union’s only modern four-engine bomber of World War II. Design of the aircraft was initiated in July 1934 by Vladimir. M. Petlyakov’s team headed by A.N. Tupolev. It was created to develop an aircraft to replace the TB-3 heavy bomber and meet a list of new requirements. Among these were the ability to reach 8000 meters (12,640 feet) in altitude, carry a two ton bomb load, and attain a speed of 273mph (440kph). A cantilever mid-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, except for fabric-covered control surfaces, the ANT-42 as it was then known had retractable tailwheel landing gear with only the main units retracting.
The first aircraft was made in the autumn of 1936. The ANT-42 was the nation’s first all-metal heavy bomber with smooth covering and retractable undercarriage. To increase the altitude tolerance of the AM-34FRN engines installed on the bomber, provision was made for a central supercharger whose functions were performed by the fifth engine.
The manufacture of five pre-production aircraft was authorised in April 1937, but there was a subsequent attempt to end the programme. The project was disrupted in October of 1937 when both Tupolev and Petlyakov were arrested. Stalin’s purges of the Red Air Force officer corps in 1938 also delayed the program. Even with these delays the first prototype flew on 27 December 1937 and performed very well in the early trials.
When first flown on 27 December 1936 the ATsN supercharger installation was not available and the ANT-42 was powered by four 820-kW (1,100-hp) Mikulin M-100 Vee engines. Although the aircraft was damaged subsequently in a heavy landing, official testing was completed during 1937, following which the ATsN supercharger, driven by a single M-100 engine, became available. The second prototype ANT-42 was flown on 26 July 1938, this having many improvements including an ATsN-2 supercharger driven by an M-100A engine. Petlyakov’s team soon ran into problems with the original engines which were not sufficiently powerful at altitudes over 5000 meters (11,025 feet). This problem was solved with the selection of four M-105 engines supercharged by a M-100 engine in the rear fuselage. It was also tested with skies for landings on ice and snow, but these were replaced with large tires which functioned better.
The aircraft demonstrated high flight performance. With a normal flight weight of about 24tonnes, the aeroaircraft could gain a speed of 403 km/h at an altitude of 8,000 m and climb to a height of 10,800 m. At high altitudes the ANT-42 was considered superior to all known heavy bombers and competitive with the best fighters.
In series production, the dimensions of the aircraft were not altered (span 39.01 m, wing area 188.68 m2, length 23.59 m) but different engines were used: AM-35A, ASh-82 and world’s first aviation diesel engine M-40 and its modified version ACh-30B. As a result, the aircraft flying range increased significantly with a slight reduction in other flight characteristics. The aeroaircraft could carry up to 4,000 kg of bombs and was equipped with powerful defensive armament.
In the spring of 1938 plant No. 124 in Kazan started production of the TB-7 and these five pre-series aircraft differed from the ANT-42 by having the ATsN central supercharger installation deleted and the main engines replaced by supercharged AM-35s. At the same time several airframe improvements were introduced and deliveries of these pre-production aircraft began in May 1940.
The completion of the first production batch of Pe-8s and the creation of a special unit for them–the 432nd BAP (ON) (Bombardirovachnyi Aviapolk Osobovo Naznacheniya, or special purpose bomber regiment) under Major Viktorin I. Lebedev–coincided with the 1941 German invasion. The bombers were promptly committed piecemeal in a series of short-range night attacks on railheads and staging areas that did little or nothing to slow the German advance. The surviving 18 operational aircraft were used to activate a regiment designated 412. The regiment started its combat activity by mounting an air raid to Berlin on the night of August 10 to 11.
Performance with the AM-35 powerplant was disappointing, leading to the evaluation of several different engines, but in October 1940 the 1044-kW (1,400-hp) ACh-40 diesel was selected as standard powerplant. This proved unreliable, bringing continued use of the 1007-kW (1,350-hp) AM-35A until those in service were re-engined with the 1119-kW (1,500-hp) ACh-30B diesel.
Pe-8 heavy bombers formed a part of the Soviet long range aviation forces. It was used alongside the IL-4 as a strategic bomber, which made up the bulk of the bomber fleet. The bomber was a versatile weapons platform with fairly heavy defensive armament. It could also carry a wide variety of high explosive bombs (as can be seen in the table to the right). It was also capable of carrying mines, target markers, or VAP-500 and VAP-1000 chemical weapon dispensers.
One aircraft with AM-35A engines made a remarkable staged flight from Moscow to Washington carrying Molotov (then Soviet Foreign minister) flight to Washington from Moscow (17,700km) with landings in Scotland, Iceland and Canada and then back during the period 19 May to 13 June 1942. Surviving aircraft were used extensively during 1942-43 for close-support bombing and, from February 1943, were used to deploy the FAB-5000NG 5000-kg (11,023-Ib) bomb for point attacks on special targets.
In 1942 the aircraft was re-designated the Pe-8 (Note 1), in honor of Petlyakov who had been killed earlier that year. Also during this time there were also attempts to improve the Pe-8′s engines, but these were not entirely successful. By the mid-1944 about 30 had been re-engined with the ASh-82FN.
Production ended in mid/late 1944 a total of 91(Note 2) had been built. The last four aircraft were converted into VIP transports. These had the bomb bay removed and additional passenger seats added. Cargo capacity was also increased and all military equipment was deleted. The range of the new aircraft was increased to 7000 kilometers (4,350 miles).
Post-war about 30 Pe-8s survived. In the years following the war most of the Pe-8 bombers were converted to the transport configuration. Many were operated by Aeroflot or used for polar scientific research expeditions. In 1952 two of them played a key role in establishing an Arctic station before returning the expedition to Moscow in a non-stop flight of 5000 km (3,107 miles). The remaining Pe-8′s were used to test aircraft engines, high speed research aircraft, and cruise missiles based on wartime German plans. Some of the research aircraft were used as late as 1957.
Pe-8 Notes:
1. TB-7 was re-designated Pe-8 in 1942. All the Russian sources give us that year. The most trusted is “History of Aircraft Construction in the USSR in 1938-1950″ written by V.B. Shavrov and published in 1994 (3rd print). Quote: “After the death of V.M. Petlyakov in 1942 the name of the aircraft was approved as Pe-8″. Petlyakov died in the air accident on January 12th, 1942 (the aircraft of Senior Lieutenant F. Ovechkin caught fire in the air and crashed near village Mameshevo). So, the TB-7 was re-designated Pe-8 early in 1942.
2. 93 TB-7 (Pe-8) were produced. 2 prototypes and 91 serial aircraft. The fates of these aircraft are highlighted in a previous post.
Petlyakov Pe-8 Specification
Designer – Vladamir Petlyakov
Role: Heavy Strategic Bomber
Year Adopted: 1940
Operational Status: USSR (Produced from 1940 to 1944)
Armament: 2 x 20mm cannon4 x 7.62mm ShKAS Machine Guns8818 lbs (4000 kg) of bombs
Engines: 4 x Mikulin AM-35A, 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 1,350 hp engines
Crew: 10
Wingspan: 131 feet(39.94 meters)
Length: 73 feet, 9 inches(22.49 meters)
Height: 20 feet(6.1 meters)
Maximum Speed: 272 miles per hour at 24,930 feet altitude(438 kilometers per hour at 7,600 meters altitude)
Take-Off Weight: 73,469 lbs (loaded)33,325 kg (loaded)
Ceiling: 22,965 feet(7,065 meters)
Range: 3,383 miles(5,445 km)
