The Sikorsky ''Ilya Muromets'' (; versions S-22, S-23, S-24, S-25, S-26 and S-27) was a class of Russian pre-

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

large four-engine commercial airliners and military

heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually Aerial bomb, bombs) and longest range (aeronautics), range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy ...

s used during World War I by the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. The aircraft series was named after Ilya Muromets, a hero in Russian folklore. The series was based on the Russky Vityaz or Le Grand, the world's first four-engined aircraft, designed by

Igor Sikorsky Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky, (25 May 1889 – 26 October 1972) was a Russian-American aviation pioneer in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. His first success came with the Sikorsky S-2, the second aircraft of his design and construc ...

. 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 that utilizes air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles. There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strateg ...

to equip a dedicated

strategic bombing Strategic bombing is a systematically organized and executed military attack from the air which can utilize strategic bombers, long- or medium-range missiles, or nuclear-armed fighter-bomber aircraft to attack targets deemed vital to the enemy' ...

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,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...

had no aircraft capable enough to rival it until much later.

Design and development

The Ilya Muromets (Sikorsky S-22) was designed and constructed by

at the Russo-Baltic Carriage Factory (RBVZ) in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

in 1913. It was based on his earlier S-21 '' Russky Vityaz'', 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, a tractor configuration is a propeller-driven fixed-wing aircraft with its engine mounted with the propeller in front, so that the aircraft is "pulled" through the air. This is the usual configuration; the pusher configuration ...

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'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...

and the multi-engine aircraft industries of the world. The Ilya Muromets was first conceived and built as a luxurious aircraft. It was the first aircraft to have an insulated passenger saloon, containing wicker chairs, a bedroom, a lounge, as well as 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 that included a berth, a small table, and a cabinet. Lighting was provided by a wind-driven generator and heating was supplied by two long engine exhaust pipes that 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 axle, shaft or disk, as in a motor or other machine. The device usually displays the revolutions per minute (RPM) on a calibrat ...

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 No ...

, 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. Ty ...

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 were 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

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, 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 (; , ; ) is a city in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the fork of the Dnieper, Dnieper River and Arshytsa River, and it serves as the administrative center of Orsha District. As of 2025, it has a population of 101,662. History ...

, and the return one, with a fuel stop at Novosokolniki, 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 presenting him with the Order of St. Vladimir, 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 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

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 () was an air force founded in 1912 for Russian Empire, Imperial Russia."''12 августа 1912 года приказом по военному ведомству вопросы воздухоплавания ...

and on 10 December 1914, the Russians formed their first ten-bomber squadron, 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, 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 ...

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 is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception). The Julian calendar is still used as a religious calendar in parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church and in parts ...

), 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, and photographic 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 In chess, a tac ...

for a single bomber engaged in an air combat with several enemy fighters. 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 Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

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.

Russian Revolution and aftermath

After the

armistice between Russia and the Central Powers On , an armistice was signed between the Russian Republic led by the Bolsheviks on the one side, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Kingdom of Bulgaria, the German Empire and the Ottoman Empire—the Central Powers—on the other. The armistice ...

about 30 Ilya Muromets were captured and destroyed. One Ilya Muromets S-26 D-1 was taken by Polish forces in the city of

Babruysk Babruysk (, ) or Bobruysk (, ; , ) is a city in Mogilev Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Babruysk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. It is situated on the Berezina, Berezina River. Bab ...

. In October of 1917, Ukrainian forces acquired 16 Ilya Muromets aircraft near the city of

Vinnytsia Vinnytsia ( ; , ) is a city in west-central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Bug. It serves as the administrative centre, administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast. It is the largest city in the historic region of Podillia. It also s ...

however only six of these were serviceable. During summer of 1918 the

Ukrainian State The Ukrainian State (), sometimes also called the Second Cossack Hetmanate, Hetmanate (), was an Anti-communism, anti-Bolshevik government that existed on most of the modern territory of Ukraine (except for Western Ukraine) from 29 April to 14 ...

counted four Ilya Murmomets aircraft in its inventory. A few remaining aircraft were used by the newly formed

Soviet Air Forces 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 ...

during the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

as trainers and transports. Some sources claim that Ilya Muromets aircraft were also used by the

White Army The White Army, also known as the White Guard, the White Guardsmen, or simply the Whites, was a common collective name for the armed formations of the White movement and Anti-Sovietism, anti-Bolshevik governments during the Russian Civil War. T ...

during the conflict. From 1921 Ilya Muromets were used as civil airliners on routes from

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

(via

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

) and from Sarapul to

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg (, ; ), alternatively Romanization of Russian, romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( ; 1924–1991), is a city and the administrative centre of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the Ural Federal District, Russia. The ci ...

. The last airworthy Ilya Muromets was a G-series aircraft, powered by four domestically built RBVZ-6 engines, which crash-landed into a cabbage field in July 1922.

Variants

; 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 'Av ...

engines, later refitted with two Salmson 2M7 and two Argus 115 hp engines. ; Ilya Muromets No. 107 Hydroplane : Hydroplane modification of airframe No. 107, fitted with two Salmson 2M7 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 hp V-8 engines. ::Type V No 167, 1915; fitted with four RBVZ-6 engines of 150 hp each. ::Type V No 182; fitted with four

Beardmore 160 hp The Beardmore 160 hp is a British six-cylinder, water-cooled aero engine that first ran in 1916. It was built by Arrol-Johnston and Crossley Motors for William Beardmore and Company as a development of the Beardmore 120 hp, itself a li ...

engines. Aircraft later rebuilt as a G-1. ; 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 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

;/ *

; *

Polish Air Force The Polish Air Force () is the aerial warfare Military branch, 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 26,000 military personnel an ...

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-27 E-2)

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Angelucci, Enzo. ''The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft, 1914–1980''. San Diego, California: The Military Press, 1983. . * Belcarz, Bartlomiej and Peczkowski, Robert. ''White Eagles: The Aircraft, Men and Operations of the Polish Air Force 1918-1939''. Hikoki, 2001. . * 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. * * Kharuk, Andriĭ. ''Вiйськово-повiтрянi сили Украi:ни,1917-1920'' (Wings of Ukraine: Ukrainian Air Force 1917 - 1920) (Ukrainian). Tempora, 2009. . * 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 model

Sikorsky Ilya Muromets (Series) Bomber/Reconnaissance Aircraft
* * * {{Authority control 1910s Russian bomber aircraft Ilya Muromets Russian inventions RBVZ aircraft Four-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1913 Four-engined piston aircraft Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear