Tupolev ANT-7
Called The Tupolev R-6 (Russian Туполев Р -6), also known as ANT -7 ( АНТ -7), was a twin-engine aircraft from the 1930s. It was used as a reconnaissance, bomber and heavy fighter escort in the Soviet air forces.
History
In October 1926, work began on this model, which is based on the likewise derived from the OKB Tupolev TB -1. Of this type, the M -17 engines were adopted, however, the machine as a whole was kept smaller and somewhat lighter construction. On September 11, 1929, the first flight of the only built prototypes with BMW VI engines and the summer of 1930 was ran the serial production of several task variants in Moscow plant # 22 on. The state testing of the first production version began on October 5, 1931., Which revealed oscillations were observed on the tail, which could be eliminated by attaching rigid profiled flaps on the rear of the wing center piece, however. After 45 copies, the production of the first lot of series set in 1932 and continued in the factory No.31 in Taganrog to the float version MR -6 (R- 6 ) until 1934.
Starting in 1936, the R -6 was considered obsolete and retired from the first line. Now served until 1938 as a large aircraft - school machines. Others came in Aeroflot and the " Glavsevmorput " ( Headquarters Northern sea) as a civilian transport aircraft under the designation PS- 7-2 M- 17 and MP -6-2 M -17 used. In a small series was built from 1934 to 1935 in the Moscow plant of the three-seat heavy fighter escort Kr -6 and its civil version PS- seventh
International attention of a five -man crew under commander Pavel G. Golovin with a PS -7 ( identifier SSSR N -166 ) on 5 May 1937 conducted initial flight of a Soviet aircraft over the North Pole. The last R-6 served until 1944, the Soviet Air Force as a transporter. Overall, it produced 435 pieces of this type.
An improved version was developed under the direction of Vladimir Mjassischtschew, however, exist in only one copy. The R -6 structure was adopted for the following models ANT and ANT -8 -9.