whirling into war - a7 soviet autogyro

7/23/2019 Whirling into war - A7 Soviet autogyro

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As the Red Army sought to defend Moscow, the TsAGI

research institute’s Kamov-designed A-7 autogyro supportedground forces as an observation post

WORDS: MIKHAIL MASLOV

Whirlinginto war


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Develo ment of a two-seat autogyro forreconnaissance andartillery spotting duties was

started by Nikolay Ilyich Kamov inthe second half of 1931, following his transfer to TsAGI (the Tsentralniy

Aerogidrodinamicheskiy Institut, orCentral Aerohydrodynamic Institute).It proved a tough, and lengthy,

challenge. Kamov came up with threevariants in parallel, the final one,manufacturing of which started in1933, being a two-seater with a 480hpair-cooled M-22 engine and a tractorpropeller.

From the outset, the A-7 wasintended for military use. It wastherefore designed with a forward-firing, synchronised PV-1 machine gunand two DA defensive machine guns inthe TUR-6 turret positioned in therear cockpit.

Building of the first prototype was completed in the rotary-wing aircraft workshop of the TsAGIFactory of Experimental Designs in

April 1934. On 3 May, the autogyro was transported to Moscow Centralairfield, where preparation for testing began. e first taxi runs took place

on 17 Ma , followed b a short hointo the air. Subsequent inspectionrevealed deformation of the trailing edges of all the rotor blades. ey

were strengthened with additionalduralumin plates.

Test pilot S. A. Korzinshchikov made another short hop on 22 May,after which there appeared somedistortion of the wing centre section

and supporting struts. It was returnedto the factory for refinement and repair,not least replacement of the all-metalrotor blades with examples using steelchrome-molybdenum tubes, on which

wooden ribs were mounted and coveredby plywood and fabric.

After completion of thesemodifications, the A-7 made its maidenflight on 20 September 1934, again inthe hands of Korzinshchikov. Much

work was necessary to eliminate certainabnormal phenomena: vibration of therotor and tail fin, shaking of the controlstick and engine overheating.

From 7-11 September 1935 the firstprototype underwent service testing

with the 108th Artillery Regiment

near Fruktova a railwa station in theMoscow region. For the first time, theautogyro was used for directing artillery fire, during which it maintained radiocommunication with ground forces.

e A-7 was handed over to the NIIVVS (Air Force Scientific ResearchInstitute) for state testing that autumn.

As shortcomings were registered anoverly long take-off run and landing

roll (in both cases 60-70m, or 200-230ft, instead of the estimated 35-40mor 115-130ft), a poor field of view from the cockpit, vibration in thetail unit, and the fact that the rotorpylon support struts made it difficultfor the pilot to use a parachute in anemergency. Nevertheless, the overallassessment of the A-7 was positive, andthe series manufacturing of 10 aircraft

was recommended.e second prototype, designated

as the A-7bis, incorporated many improvements when it entered testing during the autumn of 1936. e rotorpylon and head were re-designed, thetail area reduced and small vertical finsfitted under the horizontal stabiliserin order to increase longitudinalstability. e centre of gravity wasmoved forward, the cabin enlarged,

ABOVE:

TsAGI A-7 3A Re 51st AutogyroArtillery Spo tingAircraft Squadron,Soviet Air Force



SPRAYING THE APPLE ORCHARDSIn spring 1941, the natural orchards in Kirghizia on the spursof the Tien Shan mountain range were affected by an appleermine moth. The use of conventional aircraft to spray chemicalsover these areas, shaped like deep troughs, was considered

dangerous. The choice fell on the A-7 autogyro, deployed as partof an expedition organised by Aeroflot and the USSR people’scommissariat of forestry.

Operational tests from Dzhalal-Abad airfield began in May1941, and the prototype autogyro duly completed 49 flights inthe course of spraying the orchards. On the whole, it was feltthat the performance of the autogyros had justified their use.Nevertheless, the war with Germany had started, and the A-7’smilitary function had to be given priority.

LEFT:A-7CCCP-N338during itsdetachment to Kirgizia for thespraying role.

BELOW: ThefirstprototypeA-7during factory

testing in summer1935.

engine cooling improved and so forth.

It passed state testing in the summerof 1938, whereupon the A-7bis wasrecommended for further use.

Both of the first two A-7s saw practical employment. At the start of the Soviet-Finnish war, it was decidedto send both prototypes to the front. Asordered on 19 December 1939 by thehead of the Air Force directorate,

A. D. Loktionov, an experimental groupof autogyros was established in order to“carry out testing on their application inartillery with the front-line units.”

In the event, only the A-7bis endedup being deployed. It was based with

the 1st Detached Artillery Spotting Air Unit ( AO, Korrektirovochniy Aviaotryad) near Kauk-Yarvi lake.Before March 1940’s ceasefire theautogyro managed to fly 20 combatmissions. Of these, five were carriedout in order to check and fine-tunethe RSR-3 radio sets. Te other six

were made to adjust artillery fire. Poor

radio communication was noticed

throughout, and there were otherproblems. On 8 March, the ski-equipped autogyro was unable to liftoff from sticky snow, which slowed itdown and reduced the rate of rotorrevolution. As a whole, operations incombat conditions were consideredsatisfactory; however, the A-7 wasnot seen to off er any advantages overconventional aircraft.

At the end of 1938, a decision was taken to manufacture fiveautogyros. Te first three were tobe delivered in July and August1940. Series production machines,

mainly corresponding to the A-7bisconfiguration, were given thedesignation A-7 3A. Service testing,

which began at the end of summer1940, passed successfully. Now theautogyro was ready for combat.

Upon the outbreak of war withGermany in June 1941, the NII

VS inaugurated training courses for

aircrew and ground support sta ff on

the A-7. Te Red Army General Sta ff issued a directive on 5 July establishing an autogyro combat group with fiveaircraft and posting it to the front.However, almost two months passeduntil it was ready.

Te pilots had to familiarisethemselves with a new type of flying machine, getting used to its peculiaritiesand the complexity of controlling it atlow speeds close to the ground. Only at the end of August had they becomesufficiently proficient on the A-7 that it

was possible to deploy them.Te 1st Autogyro Artillery Spotting

Aircraft Squadron (AKE, Avtozhirnaya Korrektirovochnaya Eskadrilya) wasformed in August 1941. It was placedon the strength of the 24th Army of the

VS, active in the area around Elnya.On 29 August, all the unit’s A-7s

took off and headed west. Te ferry flight did not pass without incident —two autogyros returned to the factory because of technical failures, and only three aircraft made it to Gzhatsk.Te machines and their crews wereaccommodated at the airfield nearthe village of Podobkhay. Te 163rdFighter Air Regiment from the 47thCombined Air Division, flying Yak-1

and I-153 fighters, was also based

A U T O G Y R O S A T W A R

‘A German officer was overheard saying,“Well, we have had it — the Bolsheviks

have sent combines after us”’



ABOVE: Participantsin thecoursesorganisedby theNIIVVS in June1941to trainmilitarypersonnel in flyingandmaintaining theA-7 (includingpilotA. A. Ivanovskiyon the far left) witha group of TsAGIspecialists.M. L. Mil is standingfirst fromthe left,and N. I. Kamovsecondfrom right.GENNADY PETROVCOLLECTION

LEFT: Thenavigator/observerof an in-serviceA-7aiming theautogyro’sAFA-27Acamerausing a mechanicalviewfinder.

GENNADY PETROVCOLLECTION

there. From an operational perspectivethe autogyro squadron was under thatregiment’s command.

e first artillery spotting task in support of the 573rd Artillery Regiment was set for 31 August, butthe two units had not yet reached a satisfactory level of co-ordination,

and it was cancelled. Only on thenight of 1 September did two A-7s,flown by pilots Shubich and Nikolaev,make the squadron’s inaugural combatsortie when they dropped lea flets overGerman positions.

ese early missions were risky exercises because of the lack of nightflying instrumentation on the A-7.ere was, however, no choice. eairfield was 20km (12 miles) from thefront line, was known to the Germans,and had come under regular air strikes.

With the arrival of the slow autogyros,the regiment’s commanders justifiably feared another attack. As soon as an

autogyro taxied out of its shelter andstarted to spin up its rotor before take-off , according to Kamov’s recollections,“the noise and swearing started— takeoff straight away! Don’t waste time!”

On the morning of 2 September,an autogyro departed with an escortof four fighters for an artillery spotting sortie, but soon it returnedto base because of a low overcast. efollowing day, once again a single

A-7 set out. It flew up to the Dneprriver without contacting the artillery.In an eff ort to resolve the difficulty,on 4 September the pilots drove to

visit the regiment, where they foundthat the radios fitted to the autogyroscould not communicate with theartillery positions. A radio set had to beremoved from an unserviceable A-7 andhanded over to the ground troops. ethree available autogyros took off thenext night to drop lea flets.

e enemy had noticed the arrival of autogyros on the front line. A capturedGerman officer said he had overheardone of his colleagues saying, “ Well,

we have had it— the Bolsheviks havesent combines after us”. e unusualappearance of these machines was of interest in the Soviet trenches, too.

Mikhail Mil, one of Kamov’s assistantsat TsAGI who had spent time at theartillery regiment command post,learned that Soviet soldiers called theautogyro the ‘spider’.

All three autogyros were able todepart for a mission on 7 September,but pilot Nikolaev and pilot-observerNikolaenko did not return to base,

while another remained airborne fortwo-and-a-half hours. Nikolaev cameback a day later, explaining that he hadmade an emergency landing 80km (50miles) away near Yukhnov.

No sorties took place over the next10 days due to a lack of fighter cover.One of the autogyros, meanwhile, puta wheel into a hole while taxiing andsuff ered rotor damage. e rotor blades

were changed at the field under Mil’ssupervision, but the consequences

turned out to be more serious. On a check flight, a strange sound was heardemanating from the gearbox, and afterlanding a crack was discovered in its

casing. It was decided no longer to fly this machine.

Of two autogyros sent out on 17September, that flown by Shubich andKutsevalov got back successfully, whileTrofimov and Kondrashkin made anemergency landing. Chief designerKamov arrived at the airfield thatday following a visit to the artillery unit. ere he heard many favourablecomments on the autogyros’ use.Moving slowly along the front line atan altitude of 300m (985ft), the A-7

was an exceptional observation post. At the same time, its low speed allowedGerman anti-aircraft artillery to aim itsfire quickly

—on one occasion, pilot-

observer Kondrashkin was wounded.Enemy fighters did not appear in this

area, so there was no chance to judgethe eff ectiveness of the A-7’s defensive

armament. Even so, it was quite clearthat in the case of an attack from abovethe autogyro would be in a difficultposition, as the observer could not fire

through the rotor, and the diff erence inspeed would allow the fighter pilot timeto choose the direction of his attack and the range at which to open fire.

Following a short break, co-operation with the artillery regimentand fighter cover were re-established.On 23 September, a spotting sortieby a lone autogyro was supported by a flight of I-153 fighters. Two more

A-7s arrived on 24 September, having undergone repairs at Factory No 290.is meant that three machines wereagain available.

However, the presence of the 1st AKE on the front line soon came to anend. e enemy increased its pressureon Soviet forces, having movedadditional troops into the area outsideElnya. e autogyro squadron had tobe moved in early October.

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Two A-7s left for Moscow, while thethird, flown by squadron commanderTrofimov, flew to Gzhatsk withan urgent report about a Germanbreakthrough. Trofimov reached hisdestination, where, in radio silence andtotal darkness, he landed in a forest.e autogyro was damaged, although

the pilot was unhurt and the message was delivered on time. e stricken A-7 was dismantled under Mil’s guidance,loaded onto a truck and transportedaway from the battlefront.

e 1st AKE was engaged incombat from 30 August to 5 October

1941. Sorties were made from theairfields at Strizhanovo, Vyshniy Volochek, Dorokhovo and Podobkhay

(the primary base). e autogyroscompleted 19 combat missions, andnot one was destroyed by the enemy.Nor were any crew members lost. Six incidents occurred, as a result of whichtwo A-7s were written off .

e autogyros were returnedto Moscow for repairs. However,

work was interrupted in October,as German forces approached theSoviet capital. Factory No 290 wasevacuated from Ukhtomskaya to thevillage of Bilimbay, 50km (31 miles)from Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg) in the

Urals. e only production facility inthe village was an old foundry dating from the beginning of the century,already occupied by Factory No 293and V. F. Bolkhovitinov’s designteam. is collective was developing and building the BI-1 rocket fighter,

which, if successful, would be in high wartime demand. erefore the lathesand equipment from Ukhtomskaya

had to be accommodated inside thelocal church, its annexes serving as

workshops.e Main Artillery Directorate

had not assessed the results of the1st AKE’s combat deployment very

highly, and the A-7 was consideredobsolete. at said, the artillery units were in no hurry to reject therotary-wing aircraft completely. edeputy people’s commissar of defence,Gen-Col Nikolay Voronov, wrote inMarch 1942 to the people’s commissarof the aviation industry, Aleksei

Shakhurin, about the need for thesemachines in the armed forces. Being able to fly from small airstrips, they

were especially useful for supporting artillery in mountainous, forested andmarshy areas, particularly when soggy front-line airfields made operations by conventional aircraft impossible.

Voronov knew about Kamov’sdevelopment of a new AK autogyroand had some hopes for it. He askedShakhurin to bolster Factory No 290,concentrating all rotary-wing aircraftspecialists there.

Repairs to three A-7s that had beentransported to Bilimbay were now

complete, and around 250 test flightshad been made by the end of June. Oneof the autogyros suff ered an incidentand was not repaired. at April, the

Air Force command had issued an orderto disband the 1st AKE and establish a flight of two autogyros within the 36th

Artillery Spotting Air Squadron on theKalinin front. e aircraft were movedto Ukhtomskaya outside Moscow,

where training flights resumed. Another autogyro experienced a

mishap on 20 July, repairs taking six days. e two remaining aircraft weresubject to additional check flights,

as a result of which pilot D. Koshitsdeclared that only one was suitablefor operational duties. On 30 July, AirForce command issued a decision todisband the autogyro flight due to a lack of serviceable machines. us cameto an end the combat career of the A-7.

is practically coincided with a letter from Voronov to the deputy people’s commissar of the aviationindustry, Alexander Sergeyevich

Yakovlev. Voronov accused chief designer Kamov of producing poor-quality aircraft and demanded that hebe prosecuted. It was evident that theallegations contradicted the objective

facts. Yakovlev stood up for Kamov,and assessed the charge as being

without substance. Kamov’s reputation was saved, but work on autogyros inthe Soviet Union came to an endfor good.

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A U TOGY R OS A T W A R

ABOVE: This A-73A, serial number

10434, made anemergency landing

ontheroofof afactory hangar atUkhtomskaya on

26 June 1942. Thecrew ofCapt N.G

Trofimov and JuniorLt I. F. Litvinov wasunscathed, but

the autogyro waswri ten off.

GENNADY PETROVCOLLECTION

BELOW: TheA-7 autogyros

deployed to thefront during 1941.

‘The autogyros were especially useful inmountainous, forested and marshy areas’

whirling into war - a7 soviet autogyro

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