Bombers are military aircraft used to bomb ground or water targets from the air. They are the main aircraft for aviation to carry out long-range air assaults. Bombers can carry bombs, missiles, torpedoes or nuclear weapons, etc., and bomb enemy military bases, command centers, transportation hubs, economic and political centers. Bombers are usually used to carry out long-range air strike missions. They are large in size, long range, and have strong firepower, and can be called the "big brother" in the aircraft family.

During World War I, Germany used the "Ziperlin" airship to bomb Belgium, Warsaw, France and Britain respectively, thus opening the prelude to strategic bombing.

After the birth of the aircraft, it was initially used for military reconnaissance and then put into combat to bomb enemy targets. Therefore, bombers can be regarded as one of the earliest aircraft types. Another new member of the aircraft family, the bomber, gradually entered the aerial battlefield stage.

Although everyone now believes that aircraft are more suitable for bombing than airships, at that time, countries had different understandings about the use of airships or bombing. Due to the inconsistent understanding of various countries, some were early, some were late, some were fast, and some were slow in developing bombers.

The Russians had already realized that aircraft would eventually replace airships before World War I. Therefore, Russia became the most advanced country in the world at that time in developing bombers. The Russians took the lead in developing bombers and achieved remarkable achievements. The most significant achievement was the development of the world's first 4-engine heavy bomber.

In November 1912, a giant aircraft was successfully manufactured at the Baltic Vehicle Factory in Saint-Podsburg, Russia. The giant designer was Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky. The aircraft weighed 4,545 kilograms, had a wingspan of 28 meters, and was equipped with 4 74-kilowatt four-cylinder water-cooled "Hundred-eyed Giant" engines. People gave it a loud name "Great". On May 13, 1913, Sikorsky personally flew the aircraft for a test flight and achieved a complete success. The aircraft was later officially named "Russian Warrior".

Sikorsky was not satisfied with this. His goal was to turn the aircraft into a real offensive weapon and to make continuous improvements to the "Russian Warrior". At the end of 1913, Sikorsky finally built the world's first heavy bomber. The Russians gave it a very meaningful name - "Iriya-Murometz". This is the name of the protagonist in the Russian Warriors' song, the Russian Earth Guardian.

At that time, many aircraft designers expressed doubts about whether they could build multi-engine aircraft. Therefore, the successful development of "Iriya-Murometz" was undoubtedly a pioneering move. In February 1914, Sikorsky flew the aircraft to create a record of carrying 15 passengers one by one for a successful flight. In June 1916, "Iriya-Murometz" made another brilliant: he took off from Kiev, landed only once in the middle, and flew safely to Petersburg 1,000 kilometers away in 14 hours and 38 minutes.

"Iriya-Murometz" is a biplane with a power of 162 kilowatts per engine, a length of 15.5 to 22 meters, a wingspan of 24.9 to 35.5 meters, a flight weight of 6.1 to 7.5 tons, a flight speed of 137 kilometers per hour, a maximum ceiling of 4,000 meters, a maximum range of 540 kilometers, and a crew member of 4 to 8 people. The maximum machine gun installed on the aircraft is 8, and it has been installed on the aircraft for 76 millimeters.

Testing of the meter machine gun. Aviation bombs can be hung in the fuselage, and electric bomb droppers are used for the first time. The aircraft has a bomb load of 400 kilograms and can reach 700 to 800 kilograms when overloaded. The aircraft is equipped with pilot and pilot instruments and bombing sights. Historical community recognizes that "Iriya-Murometz" is the most important of large aircraft at that time. Because during World War I, neither enemy nor allies had ever built heavy bombers comparable to it.

Russian Tsar Nicholas II and the Russian Army Department admired the "Iriya-Murometz", so they put all the only four "Iriya-Murometz" at the outbreak of World War I into combat. On December 10, 1914, the Russian Supreme Authority decided to form a "Spacecraft Brigade" (i.e., the Aircraft Brigade) and appointed M.B. Shidlowsky, the director of the Baltic Vehicle Factory, as the active major general, in charge of the various work of the "Spacecraft Brigade". The "Spacecraft Brigade" is also the world's first heavy bomber unit.

On February 15, 1915, an Iriya-Murometz bomber bombed Germany for the first time, dropping 272 kilograms of bombs, which kicked off the heavy bomber's participation in the war. Due to the strong self-defense ability of the "Iriya-Murometz" and the successful use of air formation defense tactics, only one Iriya-Murometz piloted by Markseyev was shot down by the German fighter jet during the entire war.

From 1914 to 1918, Russia built a total of 73 "Iriya-Muromets", some of which were twin engines, and some aircraft were equipped with floats, becoming heavy water bombers.
Chapter completed!