Kalinin K-12

K-12
Role	Tailless bomber
National origin	Soviet Union
Manufacturer	OKB Kalinin
First flight	July 1936
Number built	1 (10 incomplete production aircraft)

The Kalinin K-12 was a proof-of-concept aircraft developed by the Kalinin Design Bureau in the 1930s.

Design and development

The K-12 was intended as a tailless bomber aircraft. Also called the Kalinin BS-2 or the Zhar-Ptitsa ("Firebird"), it featured welded steel-tube construction with fabric covering, as well as a dummy nose and tail turrets. The K-12 was painted in a garish colour scheme representing a bird. A subscale glider to test the K-12's features flew in 1934, piloted by V.O. Borisov. The K-12 flew in autumn 1936 and was demonstrated at Tushino in August 1937. The full-size K-12, however, was cancelled after Konstantin Kalinin was arrested and executed as an enemy of the state.[1][2][3]

Specifications

Data from Rose.[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: 3
• Length: 8 m (26 ft 3 in)
• Wingspan: 18 m (59 ft 1 in)
• Wing area: 72.75 m^2 (783.1 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 3,070 kg (6,768 lb)
• Gross weight: 4,200 kg (9,259 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × Shvetsov M-22 9-cylinder air cooled radial engine, 324 kW (435 hp) each
• Propellers: 2-bladed metal variable-pitch propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 240 km/h (150 mph, 130 kn) at 3,000 m (9,800 ft)
• Service ceiling: 7,170 m (23,520 ft)
  
• Take-off distance: 700 m (2,300 ft)
• Landing distance: 300 m (980 ft)

Armament

• Guns: 2 x 7.62 mm (0.300 in) ShKAS machine guns in nose and tail turrets.
• Bombs: 500 kg (1,100 lb) bomb load in a vertical rack

References

1. Rose, Bill (1 March 2010). Flying wings and tailless aircraft. Crecy Publishing. pp. 134–135. ISBN 978-1857803204.
2. "K-12 (VS-2), Kalinin". ram-home.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
3. Russ, Daniel (18 December 2010). "Kalinin K-12". Civilian Military Intelligence Group. Retrieved 1 March 2019.

Further reading

• В. Б. Шавров: История конструкций самолетов в СССР до 1938. S. 416.