Tsybin Ts-25
The Tsybin Ts-25 was a military glider designed by Pavel Tsybin for use by the Soviet Air Forces as a transport aircraft. Built in significant numbers, it saw service with the Soviet Airborne Forces in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Design and development
Designed by Pavel Tsybin to a 1944 specification, the Ts-25 was of a high-wing design, with a box-shaped fuselage featuring a hinged nose for ease of loading the aircraft's cargo. The aircraft had a fixed tricycle landing gear, with skids to aid in landing, and was of steel-tube-braced wooden construction with the nose covered in fabric. The fuselage was otherwise covered in plywood; the wing was tapered, with its spar being steel-tube strut braced. The intended load of the aircraft consisted of a jeep-type vehicle and a anti-tank gun.Operational history
Following flight tests that completed in 1948, the Ts-25 was accepted for production; it is regarded as the first domestically produced glider to be built in significant quantities for the Soviet Airborne Forces. It was first publicly displayed at the 1948 Tushino Air Display. Eventually up to 480 of the aircraft were built at the Chkalovsk manufacturing plant between 1948 and 1954. Some were used by the VDV in training maneuvers. One was modified with 25 passenger seats for evaluation for potential civilian use on routes including Moscow, Gorki, and Novosibirsk. Two were supplied to the Czechoslovak Air Force in 1952 and given the designation NK-25; the Yakovlev Yak-14 was preferred by the Czechs.In 1950 two Ts-25s, towed by Ilyushin Il-12 transports, were used to resupply Polar Station SP-2.
Variants
;Ts-25: Main production version, 480 built.;Ts-25M: Powered version; one built. Powered by two Shvetsov M-11FR-1 radial engines each producing.
;NK-25: Czech designation for Ts-25.
Operators
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