| Bratukhin B-5 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Bratukhin B-5 conducting a test flight | |
| Role | Transport helicopter |
| National origin | Soviet Union |
| Manufacturer | Bratukhin |
| First flight | 1947 |
| Number built | 1 (B-5) 1 (B-9) 1 (B-10) |
| Variants | Bratukhin B-11 |
The Bratukhin B-5 was a prototype Soviet twin-rotor transport helicopter designed by the Bratukhin aircraft design bureau.[1]
The B-5 was an improved and larger design based on the bureau's earlier G-4, a twin-rotor helicopter, with each rotor driven by an Ivchenko AI-26 radial engine.[1] Each engine was housed in a pod on an outrigger with the related rotor above.[1] The programme was delayed waiting for appropriate engines and the B-5 was not completed until 1947, it only made a few short hops before the programme was abandoned due to vibration and structural flexing.[1][2]
An air ambulance variant, the Bratukhin B-9 was built but was abandoned without being flown.[2][3] Another variant was the Bratukhin B-10 which had uprated 575 hp (429 kW) engines and was modified for use in the artillery observation role with the military designation VNP (Vosdushnii Nabludatelnii Punk - Aerial Observation Point).[2] The B-10 had three-seat for the crew, the cabin could hold three passengers or equipment. The B-10 flew in 1947 but although it did not have the wing stiffness problems of the B-54, demonstrating adequate handling like the B-5 and B-9 was also abandoned.[2][3] A variant with an improved performance was built as the Bratukhin B-11.[2]
Data from [4]
General characteristics
Performance