- Source: Moscow Aviation Institute BB-MAI
The Moscow Aviation Institute BB-MAI (Russian: ББ-МАИ) was a Soviet light bomber/attack plane prototype aircraft. Designed in 1939 by Peter Grushin of the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI, hence the designation), it was delayed by problems with the new Klimov M-105 engine and eventually only a single prototype was built. While the design was not accepted for serial production, it was the first Soviet aircraft to use a tricycle landing gear and one of the first to feature a supercharger and leading-edge slats.
Design and development
The work on the design was started in 1938, but was delayed by the fact that the intended powerplant, the modern Klimov M-105 engine, was still under development. In early 1939 work commenced on the first prototype, but proceeded at a very slow pace. The construction team was led by A.A. Lebedinski and A.A. Manucharov. It was not until late 1940 that the prototype was completed and flight-tested by MAI's own test pilot A.N. Grinchik. By that time the Soviet Air Forces lost interest in the design and focused on the more advanced Ilyushin Il-2 instead. As neither this design nor the even more revolutionary Sh-MAI were accepted, the Design Bureau of the Moscow Aviation Institute was disbanded and its head Pyotr Grushin was sent to Kharkov as the new head of a local Aircraft Factory No. 135.
The two-spar wings of BB-MAI were of mixed construction typical to other Soviet experimental designs of the era. Each wing was equipped with leading-edge slats and was composed of three crescent-shaped caisson sections, each formed of fanera – layers of plywood strengthened with glue and bakelite. The fuselage was a typical wooden monocoque reinforced with fanera. The materials used in the BB-MAI were designed at the VIAM Institute. The relatively small wings resulted in relatively high wing loading to maximise the aircraft's cruising speed.
The engine was equipped with a new experimental TsIAM supercharger powered by exhaust fumes. The aircraft was equipped with a modern tricycle landing gear, with the front wheel retracting into a bay in front of the engine's radiator, while main gears retracted into wing bays close to the fuselage.
Specifications (BB-MAI)
Data from Volkov, op. cit.General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Wingspan: 10.00 m (32 ft 10 in)
Wing area: 15.20 m2 (163.6 sq ft)
Empty weight: 2,965 kg (6,537 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 3,490 kg (7,694 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Klimov M-105 V12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 780 kW (1,050 hp)
Performance
Maximum speed: 550 km/h (340 mph, 300 kn)
Range: 500 km (310 mi, 270 nmi)
Service ceiling: 9,000 m (30,000 ft)
Wing loading: 210 kg/m2 (43 lb/sq ft)
References
= Notes
== Bibliography
=Andersson, Lennart (1997). Soviet Aircraft and Aviation 1917–1941. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-859-3.
Gunston, Bill (1995). The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995. London: Osprey. ISBN 1-85532-405-9.
Nĕmeček, Václav (1989). "Grušin BB-MAI". Letectví a Kosmonautika (in Czech). Vol. LXV, no. 4. p. 29. ISSN 0024-1156.
Dale Volkov (ed.). ББ-МАИ [BB-MAI]. Ugolok neba (in Russian). Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
External links
Pictures of the prototype
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- Moscow Aviation Institute BB-MAI
- List of cancelled military projects
- Pyotr Grushin
- List of airline codes
- May 1937
- 2010s
- April 1904
- 2017 in spaceflight
