R-5. Reconnaissance aircraft from the 1930s (1928). Designed by N. Polikarpov. Flight range – 1000 km, max. speed – 256 km/h
The Polikarpov R-5 (Russian: Р-5) was a Soviet reconnaissance bomber aircraft of the 1930s. It was the standard light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft of the Soviet Air Force for much of the 1930s, while also being used heavily as a civilian light transport, some 7,000 being built in total.
The R-5 was developed by the design bureau led by Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov as a replacement for the R-1 which served as the standard reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft with the Soviet Air Force.
The prototype first flew in autumn 1928, powered by an imported German BMW VI V-12 engine. It was an unequal-span single-bay biplane of mainly wooden construction.
After extensive evaluation, the R-5 entered production in 1930, powered by the Mikulin M-17, a licence-built copy of the BMW-VI, as a reconnaissance bomber. Further modified versions were produced to serve as floatplanes, ground-attack aircraft and civil transports.
The R-5SSS, an improved reconnaissance bomber with improved streamlining, served as the basis for the Polikarpov R-Z, which succeeded the R-5 in production.
The aircraft was taken into the Soviet Air Force’s use in 1931. They operated 5,000 aircraft R-5. Over 1,000 aircraft simplified for civilian needs were manufactured for Aeroflot under the designation P-5 (Russian: П-5).
