Bisnovat 5
OKB-293 Bisnovat · Soviet Union · first flew 1948 · reconnaissance aircraft
The Bisnovat 5 was a Soviet transonic research aircraft designed to explore swept-wing handling at high Mach numbers, air-launched from a Petlyakov Pe-8 mothership. It completed 16 gliding flights reaching approximately Mach 0.775 before the programme was cancelled.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × rocket, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Rocket motor in rear fuselage, cruciform tail with ventral fin |
| T — Tail | Cruciform |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Sharply swept mid-wing glider dropped from a Pe-8 mothership
- Rocket motor in rear fuselage, cruciform tail with ventral fin
- Needle-nosed research airframe with no undercarriage
A diminutive swept-wing glider with a pointed nose, cruciform tail with added ventral fin, and no fixed undercarriage — recognisable only in the air-launched research context.
Specifications
- The Bisnovat 5 has a length of 9.92 m (33 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 6.4 m (21 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 1200 km/h (746 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Developed by OKB-293 under Matus Bisnovat from 1945, the aircraft was intended to demonstrate powered transonic flight using a Dushkin-Glushko rocket motor, but no powered flight was ever achieved due to engine reliability issues. The 16 glide flights conducted between 1948 and 1949 nonetheless provided useful swept-wing aerodynamic data that informed later Soviet jet designs.
Variants
Only one aircraft was built; the intended powered variant was never completed.
Where you'll see it
Strictly a research programme; the aircraft never entered service or operational evaluation.
Related aircraft
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 5,024 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.