Development of Military Aviation in Russia Prior to World War I

From OnAirpower.org

[edit] Late 19th Century Developments

On December 6, 1869 Russian Military Minister D. A. Milyutin ordered the formation of a "Commission to Study the Question of Military Uses of Aerostation". The Commission's investigations included construction of a balloon, which was used for the first ever flight by Russian military aviators on July 7, 1870, piloted by Col. L. L. Lobko and Warrant Officer I. V. Tserpitskii^[1].

[edit] Sources

• Air Blitz of 1812

• Foundation of the First Aeronautics School for Officers in Russia

• Sikorsky S-16 and Russian Aviation During the Great War

• The First Military Airfield  at militera.lib.ru (in Russian)

• Dirigibles at War the first section of the book describes early development of airships in Russia (in Russian)

[edit] References

1. ↑ Uniforms of the Russian Air Forces, Vol. 1, pg. 14