Tupolev ANT-1

ANT-1
300px
Role	Experimental aircraft
Manufacturer	Tupolev
First flight	20 October 1923
Number built	1

The Tupolev ANT-1 was Tupolev OKB's first aircraft, designed by Andrei Tupolev based on his work with aerosleighs and boats. It was expected to be used only as a way for him to examine his ideas and to help the Soviets understand the use of metal in aircraft manufacturing.

Design and development

The ANT-1 was Tupolev's first aircraft and was built out of metal, wood, and aluminum. Aluminum was used in the wing partitions and ribs, the vertical and horizontal tailplanes, and a few other smaller areas. The other areas carrying weight were made of wood, with linen fabric covering the fuselage and wings.

Operational history

The ANT-1 was first flown on Ekaterininskaya Square, now Krasnokazarmenaya Street. It was flown frequently over the next two years for tests. It was then stored in the assembly workshop – in the late 1930s and early 1940s, it was hung from the ceiling. However, with the disruptions to the bureau caused by the war, it had disappeared by the time the war ended. It is not known what had happened, though it is likely that it was destroyed by the Germans in their advance to Moscow in the summer of 1941, along with other Tupolev aircraft. Since it was the only one built, there are no remaining ANT-1's today.

Operators

Soviet Union

• Tupolev factory.

Specifications

Data from Tupolev: The Man and His Aircraft

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Length: 5.4 m (17 ft 8½ in)
• Wingspan: 7.2 m (23 ft 7⅜ in)
• Height: 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)
• Wing area: 10.0 m² (108 ft²)
• Empty weight: 229 kg (504 lb)
• Gross weight: 360 kg (792 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Anzani radial, 26 kW (35 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 135 km/h (84 mph)
• Range: 540 km (335 miles)
• Service ceiling: 400 m (1,300 ft)

See also

• Tupolev
• Andrei Tupolev

References

• Duffy, Paul and Andrei Kandalov. (1996) Tupolev The Man and His aircraft. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers.
• Shavrov, V.B. (1985) History of aircraft construction in the USSR. Vol 1. p. 363.
• Krylia Rodini. January 1992.