Neman R-10

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For other uses, see Neman.

The R-10 (KhAI-5) was a Soviet reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft, designed in the mid 1930s in the Kharkov Aviation Institute (KhAI, HAI - in Russian: ХАИ), under the direction of Iosif G. Neman.

KhAI-5 (R-10)

1 Development
2 Combat use
3 Description
4 Users
- 4.1 Military Operators
- 4.2 Civil Operators
5 Specifications
6 Related content

[edit] Development

The first prototype of the plane, with a factory designation KhAI-5 (ХАИ-5), flew in June 1936. Despite a lower performance, the aircraft won a contest against another reconnaissance plane design, the Kotcherigin R-9, and was accepted for a production with the military designation R-10 ('R' meant a purpose - razvyedchik - reconnaissance). It was quite a modern design at that time. 493 R-10s had been manufactured in Kharkov and Saratov aviation plants by early 1940. The first series showed some teething problems, and because of these I. Neman was arrested by the NKVD on December 11, 1938 under false accusation of sabotage and espionage.

In 1938, a variant KhAI-5bis was tested - fitted with M-25E engine, it developed a speed of 425 km/h. In 1938 the KhAI-52 ground attack aircraft, based on the R-10, was also developed . It was fited with an M-63 900 hp (670 kW) engine and armed with 7 machine guns and 400-kg bombs. A production run of an experimental series of 10 aircraft was prepared, but it was canceled after I. Neman had been arrested.

Some prduction R-10s were fitted with stronger M-88, M-62 and M-63 engines. Over 60 aircraft, withdrawn from the Air Force, were used from 1940 as mail carriers by Aeroflot, under the designation PS-5 (Russian: ПС-5), with 3 passenger seats.

[edit] Combat use

The aircraft entered service in the Soviet Air Force in 1937, replacing part of Polikarpov R-5s. R-10s were first used in combat in the Soviet-Japanese Battle of Halhin Gol in 1939. Then, they were used in the initial stage of the World War II, starting with use against Poland in the Invasion of Poland (without combat encounters) and against Finland in the Winter War (1939-1940). R-10s were next used in the first period of the German-Soviet war, following the German attack on June 22, 1941. By this time they were outdated and suffered heavy losses, as did the rest of the Soviet Air Force. Many planes were destroyed on airfields. They were used as close reconnaissance aircraft, and, in need also as light attack bombers. Later many were used as night bombers, to avoid losses in encounters with fighters. The remaining R-10s were withdrawn from combat service in 1943 (two Finnish pilots claimed shooting R-10 in 1944).

[edit] Description

The aircraft was conventional in layout, with low wings, of wooden construction, plywood covered. Fuselage of semi-monocoque construction. An undercarriage was retracted into the wings. The crew consisted of two: pilot and an observer-rear gunner in separate cabs; the observer was sitting in a turret with one machine gun. In the observer cab's floor there was a camera AFA-13 for reconnaissance duties. Between the crew cabs there were fuel tanks and a vertical bomb bay. The maximum bomb load was 300 kg (6 x 50 kg or 10 x 25 kg). The plane was powered initially by M-25A, later M-25V radial engine power: 730 hp (540 kW). A propeller was metal, two-blade.