The Tysbin Ts-25 (USAF/DoD designation: Type 25;[2] NATO reporting name: Mist[3]) was a military glider designed by Pavel Tsybin for use by the Soviet Air Forces as a transport aircraft. Built in significant numbers, it saw service with the Soviet Airborne Forces in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
| Ts-25 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Military transport glider |
| Manufacturer | Tsybin OKB-256 |
| Designer | P. V. Tsybin |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | Soviet Air Forces |
| Number built | 480[1] |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1948-1954 |
| Introduction date | 1948 |
Design and development
editDesigned by Pavel Tsybin to a 1944 specification,[3] the Ts-25 was of a high-wing design, with a box-shaped fuselage featuring a hinged nose for ease of loading the aircraft's cargo.[1] The aircraft had a fixed tricycle landing gear, with skids to aid in landing, and was of steel-tube-braced wooden construction with the nose covered in fabric.[1] The fuselage was otherwise covered in plywood; the wing was tapered, with its spar being steel-tube strut braced.[3] The intended load of the aircraft consisted of a jeep-type vehicle and a 57 mm (2.2 in) anti-tank gun.[1][4]
Operational history
editFollowing flight tests that completed in 1948, the Ts-25 was accepted for production;[1] it is regarded as the first domestically produced glider to be built in significant quantities for the Soviet Airborne Forces (VDV).[5] It was first publicly displayed at the 1948 Tushino Air Display.[6] Eventually up to 480 of the aircraft were built at the Chkalovsk manufacturing plant between 1948 and 1954.[1] Some were used by the VDV in training maneuvers. One was modified with 25 passenger seats for evaluation for potential civilian use on routes including Moscow, Gorki, and Novosibirsk.[3] Two were supplied to the Czechoslovak Air Force in 1952 and given the desigation NK-25; the Yakovlev Yak-14 was preferred by the Czechs.[3]
In 1950 two Ts-25s, towed by Ilyushin Il-12 transports, were used to resupply Polar Station SP-2.[7]
Variants
edit- Ts-25
- Main production version, 480 built.[1]
- Ts-25M
- Powered version; one built.[3] Powered by two Shvetsov M-11FR-1 radial engines each producing 165 hp (123 kW).[8]
- NK-25
- Czech designation for Ts-25.[3]
Operators
edit
Specifications (Ts-25)
editData from [3]
General characteristics
- Crew: two pilots
- Capacity: 25 troops or 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) cargo
- Length: 16.15 m (52 ft 11.8 in)
- Wingspan: 24.38 m (79 ft 11.875 in)
- Height: 5 m (16 ft 5 in)
- Wing area: 75.0 m2 (807 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 1,787 kg (3,940 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 4,200 kg (9,259 lb)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 230 km/h (140 mph, 120 kn) in tow
- Landing speed: 90 km/h (56 mph; 49 kn)
See also
editAircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
editCitations
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Dancey, Peter G. (2015). Soviet Aircraft Industry. Oxford: Fonthill Media. ISBN 9781781552896. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- ^ Parsch, Andreas; Aleksey V. Martynov (2008). "Designations of Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft and Missiles". Designation-Systems. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Gunston, Bill (1995). The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875-1995. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. p. 375. ISBN 978-0760300275. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ Zaloga, Steven J. (1995). Inside the Blue Berets: A Combat History of Soviet and Russian Airborne Forces, 1930-1995. Novato, CA: Presido. p. 122. ISBN 978-0891413998.
- ^ Weeks, John (1976). Airborne Equipment: A History of Its Development. New York: Hippocrene Books. p. 135. ISBN 978-0882544014. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ Mrazek, James E. (1981). Kampfsegler im Zweiten Weltkrieg. Suttgart: Motorbuch. p. 180. ISBN 3-87943-829-3.
- ^ Kasakow, Wladimir Borissowitch (1958). "Der Flug zum Pol". Fliegerrevue. 383 (1): 18–22.
- ^ Wood, Allen (1993). "Soviet Military Gliders". The Bulletin of The Military Historical Society. Retrieved 8 December 2024.