- Yes
- No
TL;DR:
Interceptor, has a recoilless rifle, epik.
Overview:
During the early 1930s, innovations in recoilless rifles by Leonid Kurchevsky led to interest in using them for bomber interceptors, as interceptors of the time were limited to only machine guns. While early designs were single-shot guns, Kurchevsky developed tubular magazine-fed recoilless rifles for aircraft that were presented to the engineers at TsAGI. The various design teams at TsAGI were then ordered to start development on aircraft equipped with the new guns.
Under Aleksandr Arkhangelsky’s department (which included the soon to be famous Pavel Sukhoi), the ANT-29 was developed, which compared to the inspired designs of his colleagues, was a simple bomber-style airframe, similar to the earlier MI-3 heavy fighter. It was built around the 4m long 102mm APK-8 recoilless rifle, the largest of Kurchevsky’s aviation recoilless rifles, which went through the lower fuselage (though some sources state there were 2 APK-8s, with the magazine tubes to the side of each gun). It was powered by the newly imported Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs engines, later locally produced as the Klimov M-100, which also required the import of compatible French propellers, and was constructed from duralumin. The placement of the recoilless rifle allowed for the rear gunner to reload the rifle magazine mid-flight, a feature unique among the recoilless rifle fighters. Additionally 2 ShKAS machine guns were installed in the wing roots, and another in a defensive turret.
Work on the ANT-29 was started in 1932, but development of the SB-2 (ANT-40) bomber was considered a priority and work was delayed, with the prototype only being completed in 1935. The air force designated the ANT-29 as the “DIP” (two-seat cannon fighter), and in test flights was found to have decent performance, reaching a top speed of 352 km/h, though the fighter was also shown to have some stability issues and weak controls. While the design team attempted to fix these issues, the DIP was also supplemented by the more advanced DI-8, based on the SB bomber. But in 1936, due to the terrible reliability of his recoilless rifles, Kurchevsky was arrested and later executed, and recoilless rifle development was abandoned. As such all work on recoilless rifle-armed aircraft was stopped, and development and testing of the DIP ended too, though not before a final proposal to redesign the plane with 20mm autocannons was made. The role of bomber interception would then be filled using new autocannons and rockets.
Specifications:
Weight:
Empty: 3876kg
Take-off: 5300kgDimensions:
Length: 11.1m (11.65m including the recoilless rifle)
Wing Span: 19.19m
Wing Area: 56.86m²
Height: 5.5mEngine:
2x Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs inline V-12 engines
760 hp
Fuel: 1072 litres
Liquid cooledPerformance:
Max Speed:
296km/h at sea level
352km/h at 4000m
Ceiling: 9170m
Range: 300km
Rate of Climb: 526m/minuteCrew: 2
Armament:
1x1 (or 1x2) 102mm APK-8 (16 rpg, 6 in a magazine)
2x1 7.62mm ShKAS (1000 rpg)
1x1 7.62mm ShKAS in TUR-9 turret (1000 rpg)
Images:
Sources:
Gordon, Y., and Gunston, B. (2000). Soviet X-Planes (pp. 195-196). Midland.
Gordon, Y., and Rigmand, V. (2005). OKB Tupolev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft (pp. 60-61). Midland.
Gunston, B. (2006). Tupolev Aircraft Since 1922 (pp. 79-81). Putnam.
Nemecek, V. (1986). The History of Soviet Aircraft from 1918 (pp. 26, 408). Collins Willow.
https://www.airwar.ru/enc/fww1/dip.html