Russian Federation Air Force Museum, Moscow

I stand corrected!

That ekranoplan is one seriously ugly beast. Reminds me of a tortoise poking its head out of a shell…

The Tu-4 was a reverse-engineered B-29.

It was such a slavish copy that it was lighter (they used metric measurements and materials), had a higher service ceiling, 23mm cannon armament and ASh-73TK engines.

At the 1947 Tushino air display flypast, western observers thought they were B-29’s, believing that the USSR was unable to copy and put into series production an aircraft as complicated as a B-29.

Whatever you think of the Soviets copying western equipment, it was a magnificent achievement to create the Tu-4 in less than 18 months.

The Tu144 BTW was NOT a copy of Concorde – any more than a Boeing 727 was a copy of a HS Trident.

Ken

Wow…just wow! Imagine getting inside some of those things! Speaking of copying, they even have Concorde-ski!

A great thread, thanks for posting. Wonderful stuff, these Soviet era aircraft, full of ground-breaking and imaginative designs. I echo the posts which mention the need to get the airframes under cover. Even when the Russians looked to the West for inspiration, they did a damn thorough job of copying. One of your photos features the TU-4, the Soviet copy of the B-29. Stalin ordered that the aircraft be reporduced in every detail (apart from items such as IFF and armament). Some of the materials on board were new to them, such as Bakelite. So they analysed them, reproduced them in laboratories, and remanufactured them. And of course development of that aircraft eventuially led to the Tu-95 Bear – still in service.

It is a VVA-14M1P ekranoplan

It started life as a VTOL ASW platform, the Bartini VVA-14 – with 12 lift engines + 2 flight engines on top of the fuselage – hence the ’14’ in the designation.

It had inflatable rubber floats – enabling it to takeoff and land vertically on any surface, water, snow, land.

It made a few successful conventional flights on the power of the two flight engines, but following the death of designer Roberto Bartini and the non-delivery of the lift engines, it was ‘converted’ into an ekranoplan.

The fuselage nose was lengthened and fitted with two engines exhausting under the wings, the rubber floats were replaced by fixed metal floats and it was re-designated as the 14M1P.

It never achieved ‘liftoff’ as an ekranoplan and the whole design was eventually abandoned.

The remains at Monino are in the 14M1P configuration – with the wings and engines removed…..

Here’s my model of what it looked like as the 14M1P……

Here’s what it looks like at Monino – hopefully they will get around to putting it back together….

There were apparently the remains of a second VVA-14 at Taganrog, but I don’t know if it is still there.

Ken

gosh with it’s wings and engines attached it looks like something out of Thunderbirds!

It is a VVA-14M1P ekranoplan

WHAT is that aircraft that looks like some sort of transformer that could just throw a punch at an enemy plane? I’m sure you know the one I mean, looks very experimental

I am going next Friday too-as part of a visit to the city for the MAKS2013 (Moscow air show).Cant wait now!!

I’ll be at MAKS – on Thursday and Friday……..

Ken

I am going next Friday too-as part of a visit to the city for the MAKS2013 (Moscow air show).Cant wait now!!

They are slowly repainting some of the exhibits (using volunteers and on a low budget) – and there is a new hangar housing the reception area.

Unfortunately, they aren’t always repainted in the correct colours – so historically important airframes are being changed.

Here’s the Mil V-12 as it was in 2008…….

Compare that with your photo – the blues have been replaced by green !!!

The T10M (Su-35) prototype used to have a unique 6-tone grey splinter scheme, but it has been repainted in totally fictitious colours

Last year, the Su-17 in your first photo was being resprayed…..

It’s still a great place to visit though – I’ll be there on Monday 2 September, in the meantime, my pics of my last visit in 2012 are here

Ken

Great point but I am amazed at how some of the peices are still on the wheels after the harsh weather they have faced over the years, I think this must be down to the way they built them!

Very lucky you. I’ll try and not disply my envy online. 😡 Okay. I failed at that.

However. If ever there was a museum that needed a roof this is the one!