Shchetinin M-9

Shchetinin · Russia · first flew 1915 · light aircraft

The Shchetinin M-9 was a Russian single-engine flying boat biplane of World War I, used for maritime patrol and reconnaissance over the Baltic and Black Seas. Its pusher engine configuration gave the crew an unobstructed forward field of fire.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsHigh-mounted, straight
E — Engines1 × piston, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage9 m fuselage
T — TailConventional

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Spot it by:

Biplane flying boat with a wooden boat hull, twin stabilising floats under the lower wings, a pusher engine above and behind the upper wing, and an open bow cockpit for the observer/gunner.

Specifications

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Designed by Dmitry Grigorovich and produced by the Shchetinin firm from 1916, the M-9 became the most widely produced Russian flying boat of the war. It was used by the Imperial Russian Naval Air Service for maritime patrol, reconnaissance, and light bombing missions, and the design influenced subsequent Soviet flying boats.

Variants

The M-9 was preceded by the M-5 and M-7; the series continued with the M-11 and M-15 in subsequent years.

Where you'll see it

Used extensively by the Imperial Russian Naval Air Service in the Baltic and Black Sea theatres; also operated briefly by early Soviet naval aviation after 1917.

Related aircraft

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