Slesarev Svyatogor

The Slesarev Svyatogor, built by Taganrog Aviation in the early 1920s, was one of the most ambitious Russian heavy‑lift aircraft ever attempted. Designed by engineer Vladimir Slesarev, the biplane first flew in September 1924 and was intended to carry up to 10,000 kg of cargo or a small troop contingent across the USSR’s vast distances. Its most striking feature was a twin‑engine configuration: two massive 450 hp V‑12 Napier Lion engines mounted on a reinforced nacelle above the upper wing, driving four wooden propellers through a complex gearbox. The airframe employed a mixed construction of steel‑tube fuselage, wooden ribs and fabric covering, giving it a robust yet relatively lightweight structure. With a wingspan of 38 meters and a loaded weight of 15 tonnes, the Svyatogor set several Soviet payload records and demonstrated the feasibility of strategic air transport long before dedicated cargo planes appeared. Although only one prototype was completed and the program was halted due to funding cuts and the rapid development of more efficient monoplane designs, the aircraft’s daring scale and engineering solutions influenced later Soviet transport projects such as the TB‑3 and reinforced the reputation of Taganrog Aviation as a centre of experimental aeronautical work.

Taganrog aviation

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