The Real Flying Fortress
By: Andrei Tapalaga
Tags: Guns, Technology, Aircraft, History, WIB History

The Real Flying Fortress

Kalinin K-7

The biggest every aircraft by 1933, this soviet experimental aircraft was really showing the full potential as well as the real meaning of the Soviet Union which was big guns and even bigger machines. Not only being a Flying Fortress it was also able to hold 9500kg bombs however, but this would also cut away from the fly time. Not only this but we are also looking at 8 250mm cannons that were meant for warships and never for an aircraft. This was a mean and scary thing that has actually started a small arms race between America, this thing scared the world however, many did not believe that it could actually take off as it looked nothing near aerodynamic or having enough powerful engines to take off.

It is imperative to remember that this plane was never meant to be fast as speed would not help to aim those big guns. At the same time the plane was not meant for high altitudes as (again) it would make it difficult to hit any ground targets. Believe it or not, the problem of this plane was not taking off (as you would assume) but, it was actually landing the plane. The sheer size, weight and shape made it very difficult to land and it required along as well as wide enough runway to actually land it safely. This plane weighted 24 tones (to be precise 24,400 kilograms) empty, whilst loaded it weighed almost 39 tones (38,800 kilograms).

The plane formatted for passenger transportation

The plane was built with 8 Mikulin AM-34F V-12 piston engines, 560 kW (750 hp) each, this was enough power to rise such a beast and with so much weight we are looking at a maximum speed of 225 KM per hour or 150 miles per hour. The plane was meant to destroy heavy bunkers or piler boxes. The huge 250mm rounds were going to make any heavy structure a thing of the past. Many were seeing this as a flying battleship because of the cannons that are meant to be on a battleship rather than on a plane. The other armament it beholds was 8 20mm cannons and 8 more 7.62 machineguns. The guns, as well as 20mm cannons, were scattered onto every side of the plane to make sure that if an air attack is immentnet they would be able to cover and protect the plane no matter what angle.

Many would go on to say that its slow speed was a disadvantage as enemy fighters would just boom and zoom in order to go for the kill, however, the slow speed was what made the fast enemy target such an easy target. The slower the plane the more stable the shot.

The plane had its first flight on 11th of August 1933 which was a success however there was room for improvement when it came to the handling of the plane. On 21st of November, the aircraft crashed due to structural failure of one of the tail booms. The crashed has caused the death of 14 on flight crew members and 1 person on the ground. The plane has taken almost 3 years to be produced and has seen the sky for only 4 months. After the crash, with what has been remained the plane was reassembled as a passenger transportation plane which was able to carry 400 passengers at once.

The Soviets had a huge ambition when it came to military warfare since World War 1 and this was going to be proven in the second period of Wolrd War 2. To this date, this plane still remains as the most heavily armed aircraft in human history.