Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Grigorovich TB 5

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Top speed
  
180 km/h

Length
  
22 m

Wingspan
  
31 m


Grigorovich TB-5 (Russian: Григорович ТБ-5) was an experimental heavy bomber designed and tested in the Soviet Union in the early 1930s. Designed as a competitor for TB-3, TB-5 was intended to be powered by two FED 24-cylinder X engines of 746 kW (1,000 hp) each. When these were canceled, the underwing pods were revised to each house a pair of Bristol Jupiter engines in a push-pull configuration. Despite projected performance inferior to TB-3, it was hoped that TB-5 would gain an advantage by using less metal (in short supply at the time) thanks to its mixed construction of fabric-covered metal frame.

Test flights began on 1 May 1931 with disappointing results, in part due to poor thrust of the rear-facing engines. The prototype TB-5 was wrecked in a crash landing following the in-flight detachment of an engine in Spring 1932, and with the entry into service of the superior TB-3 that year, the TB-5 project was abandoned.

Specifications (TB-5)

Data from Shavrov 1985

General characteristics

  • Crew: Six
  • Length: 22.1 m (72 ft 6 in)
  • Wingspan: 31 m (101 ft 8 in)
  • Height: ()
  • Wing area: 150 m² (1614.6 ft²)
  • Empty weight: 7,483 kg (16,497 lb)
  • Loaded weight: 12,535 kg (27,635 lb)
  • Powerplant: 4 × Bristol Jupiter V radial engine, 336 kW (450 hp) each
  • Performance

  • Maximum speed: 180 km/h (97 knots, 112 mph)
  • Service ceiling: 2,600 m (8,530 ft)
  • Wing loading: 84 kg/m² (17 lb/ft²)
  • Power/mass: 107 W/kg (0.07 hp/lb)
  • Armament

  • Guns: Two turrets, each with 2× 7.62 mm (0.3 in) PV-1 machine guns
  • Bombs: Up to 2,500 kg (5,512 lb) of bombs
  • References

    Grigorovich TB-5 Wikipedia