Tupolev ANT-7

Tupolev

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1922
Founder	Andrei Tupolev
Headquarters	Moscow , Soviet Union
Products	Aircraft

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The Tupolev ANT-7, designated as the Tupolev R-6 by the VVS (with R standing for razvedchik, meaning reconnaissance), served as both a reconnaissance plane and an escort fighter within the Soviet Union. Its origins date back to early 1928 when the Soviet Air Force sought a versatile long-range aircraft capable of fulfilling multiple roles, including extended transport missions, defensive patrols, reconnaissance operations, light bombing, and torpedo attacks.

Design and development

Led by Ivan Pogosski under the supervision of Andrei Tupolev, TsAGI engineered the ANT-7 by reducing the size of the Tupolev TB-1 by approximately one third. The ANT-7 was intended to be powered by either two 388 kW (520 hp) – 455 kW (610 hp) Hispano Suiza engines or 313 kW (420 hp) Bristol Jupiter engines; however, the prototype utilized two 373 kW (500 hp) – 529 kW (709 hp) BMW VI engines.

Mikhail Gromov conducted the maiden flight of the ANT-7 on 11 September 1929. Flight testing was deferred until March 1930 to avoid winter conditions. During that summer, the NII-VVS (Nauchno-Issledovatel'skiy Institut Voyenno-Vozdooshnykh Seel – air force scientific test institute) carried out state evaluations that identified issues with tailplane buffeting. This problem was addressed by installing larger elevators. Subsequent flights encountered radiator damage and engine failure; nonetheless, the ANT-7 successfully passed state acceptance trials.

Operational history

Once in production, the aircraft was designated R-6 by the Soviet Air Force. The initial production model emerged from the GAZ-22 assembly line (GAZ meaning Gosudarstvenny Aviatsionnyy Zavod, or state aviation factory) in November 1931, approximately one year after manufacturing commenced. Over the next three years, an additional 410 units were produced: 385 at GAZ-22 in Moscow, including one R-6 Limuzin; five floatplane versions known as KR-6P at GAZ-31 in Taganrog; and 20 more at GAZ-12 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

The typical crew comprised a pilot, gunner, and observer. The aircraft could deliver up to 113.4 kg (250 lb) of bombs over distances reaching 965.6 km (600 mi). Some units were outfitted with floats and designated as MP-6 or KR-6P, serving maritime patrol roles. Another variant, the KR-6 (with KR standing for Kreiser Razveyedchik, cruiser reconnaissance), featured two PV-2 machine guns and an additional gunner but was later reassigned primarily for training purposes.

By 1935, as the R-6 grew outdated, many were transferred to civil operators such as Aeroflot and Avia Arktika. These organizations employed them for passenger and cargo transportation across Siberia prior to the onset of the Great Patriotic War. In these civilian roles, they were known as PS-7-2M17—the "2M17" indicating their Mikulin M-17 twin-engine configuration—or as MP-6-2M17 when equipped with floats.

Variants

ANT-7

The project's prototype, designated by OKB, equipped with a pair of 544.4 kW (730 hp) BMW VI V-12 powerplants.

R-6

(R – Razvyedchik meaning reconnaissance) variant designed for reconnaissance missions, powered by two 544.4 kW (730 hp) Mikulin M-17F V-12 engines. Initial flight occurred in 1929, with testing completed in 1930.

KR-6

(KR – Kreiser Razvyedchik or cruiser reconnaissance) escort fighter model introduced in 1934, utilizing two 507.1 kW (680 hp) Mikulin M-17 V-12 engines, armed with a pair of PV-2 machine guns and featuring a second gunner position.

KR-6P

An alternate designation referring to the MR-6 floatplane variant.

MP-6 2M-17

(Morskoj Paassazhirskii – maritime passenger transport) Civilian floatplane adaptation powered by two 507.1 kW (680 hp) Mikulin M-17 V-12 engines.

PS-7 2M-17

(Paassazhirskii – passenger transport) Civil transport version PS-7 2M-17, intended for cargo and passenger carriage, initially featuring open cockpits with a later enclosed cockpit variant.

MR-6

(Morskoj razvyedchik – naval reconnaissance) A torpedo bomber adaptation of the R-6, developed in 1932.

P-6

(Paassazhirskii – passenger transport) Version designed for civilian cargo and passenger transportation.

R-6 Limuzin

A civil transport accommodating nine seats with an enclosed cockpit and a seven-seat cabin fitted with glazed windows plus a luggage compartment. Powered by two 544.4 kW (730 hp) BMW VI V-12 engines. First flown in July 1933; the only R-6L was lost on 5 September 1933 due to maintenance failure.

ANT-18

Ground attack configuration equipped with dual Mikulin M-34 engines, armored protection, and two machine guns mounted dorsally.

Operators

Military users

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• Soviet Air Force
• Soviet Naval Aviation

Civil users

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• Aeroflot
• Avia Arktika

Bibliography

• Duffy, Paul & Kandalov, Andrei. (1996) Tupolev, The Man and His Aircraft. Warrendale, Pennsylvania: Society of Automotive Engineers. ISBN 1-56091-899-3
• Gordon, Yefim & Rigamant, Vladimir. OKB Tupolev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft. Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1-85780-214-4
• Gunston, Bill. The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995. London: Osprey, 1995a. ISBN 1-85532-405-9
• Gunston, Bill. Tupolev Aircraft since 1922. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1995b. ISBN 1-55750-882-8
• Kulikov, V. & Kotel'nikov, V. "Les Tupolev ANT-7 et dérivés: des avions victimes du 'mal de mer'." Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire, no. 94 (January 2001): 48–54. (French)
• Kulikov, V. & Kotel'nikov, V. "Un B.C.R. à la soviétique: le Tupolev R-6/KR-6 et ses dérivés." Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire, no. 95 (February 2001): 35–40. (French)
• Kulikov, V. & Kotel'nikov, V. "Les Tupolev R-6 et leurs dérivés durant la Seconde Guerre Mondiale." Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire, no. 94 (January 2001): 48–55. (French)

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