Arkhangelskiy BSh/M-V

Purpose: To destroy enemy armour.

Design Bureau: A A Arkhangelskiy (Tupolev aide), with G M Mozharovskiy and IV Venevidov, Factory No 32, Moscow.

The idea was that of Mozharovskiy-Venevi – dov, who called their project the Kombain (combine) because of its versatility. They were long-time specialists in aircraft arma­ment, among other things being responsible for all the early gun turrets in the Soviet Union. Arkhangelskiy increased their political power and got them a separate design office and factory for what became called the BSh (ar­moured assaulter, the same designation as the Ilyushin Stormovik) and also KABV (com­bined artillery-bomber weapon). The eskiz – nyi proekt (sketch project) was submitted on 29th December 1940, long-lead materials were sanctioned on 25th January 1941 and the project was confirmed at the NIl-WS by AIFilin on 12th March 1941. Despite being (on paper) superior, it was terminated in the evacuation of the designers from Moscow to Kirov later in 1941, all effort being put into the Ilyushin aircraft (which was built in greater numbers than any other aircraft in history).

The whole emphasis in the M-V project was giving the pilot (the only occupant) the best possible view ahead over the nose. Whereas
the engine of the IL-2 Sturmovik blocked off the view at a downwards angle of 8°, the M-V aircraft gave the pilot a downwards view of 30°. This is because the engine (the l,625hp AM-38, the same as the IL-2) was behind the cockpit. The tail was carried on twin booms and the landing gear was of the then-novel nosewheel type. Many armament schemes were planned, including one Taubin 23mm gun and four ShKAS, or four ShVAK, all mounted on pivots to fire diagonally down. Up to 500kg of bombs could also be carried, mainly to comprise AO-20 or AO-25 fragmen­tation bomblets.

On the basis of written evidence this air­craft would have been a better tank killer than the Ilyushin machine. The drawback was that

BSh-MV

when the Ilyushin suffered heavy attrition from German fighters a backseater was put in to defend it, and this would have been diffi­cult with the BSh/M-V.