DAR

The DAR (Drevo Aerodinamicheskiy Razvedchik) was a pioneering experimental aircraft designed and built in the early 1930s by the visionary Soviet engineer Robert Ludvigovich Bartini. Conceived as a high‑altitude reconnaissance platform, the DAR embodied Bartini’s radical ideas about aerodynamics and structural efficiency. Its most striking feature was the streamlined, lenticular fuselage that merged wing and body into a single lifting surface, reducing drag and allowing a remarkable lift‑to‑drag ratio for its time. The airframe employed a lightweight aluminum alloy skeleton with stressed‑skin panels, while a compact, super‑charged radial engine supplied 560 horsepower, giving the aircraft a service ceiling of 12,000 meters. Flight trials in 1934 demonstrated exceptional stability in thin air and set several Soviet altitude records, proving the viability of Bartini’s “flying saucer” concepts. Although only a few prototypes were built and the project was halted in 1936 due to shifting military priorities, the DAR left a lasting imprint on aviation. Its innovative fuselage shape influenced later Soviet rocket‑plane studies and foreshadowed modern blended‑wing designs, cementing Bartini’s reputation as a forward‑thinking pioneer in aerospace engineering. Today, aviation historians regard the DAR as a bold step toward the sleek, high‑performance aircraft that dominate the skies.

Robert Ludvigovich Bartini

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Design & Classification