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Author Topic: The massive Soviet kalinin K-7 heavy bomber  (Read 19699 times)

Offline AVIATOR

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The massive Soviet kalinin K-7 heavy bomber
« on: August 31, 2009, 12:28:17 AM »
The Kalinin K-7

You've got to admit that those Russians thought big.

The K-7 was a heavy experimental aircraft designed and tested in the Soviet Union in the early 1930s. K-7 was of unusual configuration with twin booms and large underwing pods housing fixed landing gear and machine gun turrets. In the passenger version, seats were arranged inside the 2.3 meter (7 ft 7 in) thick wings. The airframe was welded from KhMA chrome-molybdenum steel. The original design called for six engines in the wing leading edge but when the projected loaded weight was exceeded, two more engines were added to the trailing edges of each wing, one right and one left of the central passenger pod. However V.Nemecek states in his book "The History of Soviet Aircraft from 1918" that there was only one further pusher engine added—this agrees with the specification supplied below.

K-7 first flew on 11 August 1933. Then on 21 November 1933 the aircraft crashed due to structural failure of one of the tail booms, killing 14 people aboard and one on the ground. Although two more prototypes were ordered in 1933, the project was canceled in 1935 before they could be completed.







General characteristics

    * Crew: minimum 11
    * Capacity: 120 passengers in civilian configuration
    * Length: 28 m (91 ft 10 in)
    * Wingspan: 53 m (173 ft 11 in)
    * Height: ()
    * Wing area: 454 m² (4,886.8 ft²)
    * Empty weight: 24,400 kg (53,793 lb)
    * Loaded weight: 38,000 kg (83,776 lb)
    * Powerplant: 7× Mikulin AM-34F V-12 piston engines, 560 kW (750 hp) each

Performance

    * Maximum speed: 225 km/h (121 knots, 140 mph)
    * Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,123 ft)
    * Wing loading: 84 kg/m² (17 lb/ft²)
    * Power/mass: 103 W/kg (0.06 hp/lb)

Bought to you by Aviator. You saw it first on Milavia.
« Last Edit: August 31, 2009, 10:27:41 AM by AVIATOR »

Offline F-111 C/C

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Re: The massive Soviet kalinin K-7 heavy bomber
« Reply #1 on: August 31, 2009, 01:39:46 AM »
Wow, that is wild. I can't believe that would actually fly!
Wars are won by carrying the 'heavy iron' downtown!

Offline Gripen

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Re: The massive Soviet kalinin K-7 heavy bomber
« Reply #2 on: August 31, 2009, 05:23:26 AM »
Looks like something out of a movie!


Offline AVIATOR

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Re: The massive Soviet kalinin K-7 heavy bomber
« Reply #3 on: August 31, 2009, 06:39:55 AM »
This isn't one of Aviator's hoaxes Gripe. Here is the site and more info.

http://www.aviastar.org/air/russia/kalinin_k-7.php

But pieces falling off Soviet aircraft resulting in crashes like we see about Su fighters every month lately isn't something new.

My thoughts on it are that if they had gotten rid of that massive undercarriage and put in a type of landing system like say the C-130 has today, it might have very well succeeded. After all, there were no prop tips to touch the ground.
« Last Edit: August 31, 2009, 10:28:49 AM by AVIATOR »

Offline Gripen

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Re: The massive Soviet kalinin K-7 heavy bomber
« Reply #4 on: August 31, 2009, 08:49:01 AM »
Are the pictures at the top real or CGI?

Offline AVIATOR

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Re: The massive Soviet kalinin K-7 heavy bomber
« Reply #5 on: August 31, 2009, 10:27:14 AM »
No not real but based on the real thing. Pretty well done I thought.

Offline Raptor

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Re: The massive Soviet kalinin K-7 heavy bomber
« Reply #6 on: September 02, 2009, 10:17:33 AM »
Hmm looks like another of the "oversized" projects.  ;D It's a good thing none of these came into fruition or Airbus wouldn't be so happy to have its "biggest passenger aircraft ever"  ::)
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Offline shawn a

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Re: The massive Soviet kalinin K-7 heavy bomber
« Reply #7 on: November 19, 2009, 06:34:39 AM »
I may have to rethink my admiration for the Caproni CA-60!

Offline Raptor

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Re: The massive Soviet kalinin K-7 heavy bomber
« Reply #8 on: March 25, 2010, 02:01:42 PM »
The CA-60 is a bit more well-known. =P I'm hoping we'll see another outsize project in the next few decades. xD
-JCLim

 



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