The Polikarpov R-5 () was a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

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

Soviet Air Force The Soviet Air Forces (, VVS SSSR; literally "Military Air Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics"; initialism VVS, sometimes referred to as the "Red Air Force") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Sovie ...

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(an unlicensed version of the DH.9A built in Russia) 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, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

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 ...

V-12 engine. It was an unequal-span

single-bay A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...

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 continue ...

, 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 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 as well as th ...

, 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 (, ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; , , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. Aeroflot is headquartered in the Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow, with its hub being Sheremetyevo Interna ...

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 The Mongolian Air Force () is the air force service branch of the Mongolian Armed Forces . History Early years and WWII On 25 May 1925, a Junkers F.13 piloted by Lieutenant Colonel D. Shatarragchaa entered service as the first aircraft in Mon ...

during the 1939

Battle of Khalkhin Gol The Battles of Khalkhin Gol (; ) were the decisive engagements of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese border conflicts involving the Soviet Union, Mongolia, Japan and Manchukuo in 1939. The conflict was named after the river Khalkhin Gol, which p ...

against the

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese They took active part in the

Soviet invasion of Poland (1939) The Soviet invasion of Poland was a military conflict by the Soviet Union without a formal declaration of war. On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Second Polish Republic, Poland from the east, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Polan ...

, and in the 1939-40

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

against

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, 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 romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...

received a number of R-5s in 1933, and when a rebellion 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, , is the capital of the Xinjiang, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwestern China. With a census population of 4 million in 2020, Ürümqi is the second-largest city in China's northwestern interior after Xi'an, also the ...

. 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 () and Naval Aeron ...

in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, 31 being sold to Spain. These arrived in November 1936, and were quickly deployed on combat operations. But they 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 carried up to 400 kg (882 lb) of freight. Many were fitted with an enlarged rear cockpit to carry two passengers. Other aircraft were fitted with enclosed cabins for passengers. P-5s could also carry underwing containers (or ''Kasseta'') for freight or passengers. One P-5 could carrying 16 adults, including seven in each ''Kasseta''. Ski-equipped P-5s with ''Kasseta''s played 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

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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 gun PV-1 (''Pulemet Vozdushny'', airborne machine gun) is a Soviet air-cooled version of the Russian M1910 Maxim for mounting on aircraft. It was designed between 1926 and 1927. The first prototypes were produced and accepted into service in 1928.Ши ...

s. These were used in the

Battles of Khalkhin Gol The Battles of Khalkhin Gol (; ) were the decisive engagements of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese border conflicts involving the Soviet Union, Mongolian People's Republic, Mongolia, Empire of Japan, Japan and Manchukuo in 1939. The conflict wa ...

. ;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 tech ...

. 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 Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

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 is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

. 30 ordered.

Operators

; *

Imperial Iranian Air Force The history of the Iranian Air Force, currently known as the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, can be divided into two phases—before the Islamic Revolution, and after it. Imperial era The Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) was a branch ...

; Spanish Republic *

; *

Spanish Air Force The Spanish Air and Space Force () is the aerial and space warfare branch of the Spanish Armed Forces. History Early stages Hot air balloons have been used with military purposes in Spain as far back as 1896. In 1905, with the help of Al ...

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

Turkish Air Force The Turkish Air Force () is the Air force, air and space force of the Turkish Armed Forces. It traces its origins to 1 June 1911 when it was founded as the Ottoman Aviation Squadrons, Aviation Squadrons by the Ottoman Empire. It was composed ...

Development and design

Operational history

Variants

Operators

Specifications (1930 production)

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading