Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Mikulin started designing engines in 1916.

-The M-11D that gave 125 CV was one of his first known engines. It was a five-cylinder radial, which we can see below in a side view.

“Mikulin M-11D”

-The M-11FR, also 5-cylinder radial, along with the above mentioned, and other series have survived until today, as on the Yak 18 for example.

“Mikulin M-11FR”

-These engines were made under license in Poland.

-The Mikulin M-17s were a family of V12 engines derived from the BMW VI. Some powers of these engines are available, the M-17B delivered 680 CV and the M-17R gave 730 CV.

-The M-18 was a double-row, radial, Mikulin engine with 18 cylinders. It was based on the 9-cylinder Bristol Jupiter. There were constant difficulties with valve trains.

-The V-12 type AM-13 may refer to what was later known as GM-13, based on Wright's Tornado. It gave 880 CV.

-But the transcendent M-13 is the one that Mikulin designed being Head of Design at the NAMI. The engine was derived from the M-12 and both radials.

-In 1930, with the experience of the AM-13, he began a new series of V12s that would be essential in the Great Patriotic War for the defense and rejection of the German invasion, since his AM-38 propelled the Sturmovik IL-2, the real buster of tanks and armored vehicles.

-The AM-30 is the first of this new family, with the intention of obtaining the best V12 of the moment. Mikulin made a “mélange” of the most outstanding engines that existed then: based on the cylinder blocks of the BMW VI, he put the accessory box of the Hispano Suiza V12, the supercharger of an Allison and the reducer of the Rolls Royce Buzzard. It gave 660 CV at 2,000 rpm.

“AM-34RN”

-In 1933, the AM-34 (M-34) appears, which started with 690 CV and ended with 1,275 CV, after different versions such as the -RN shown, by the way, with a double overhead valve in the above illustration and with a gearbox patented by André Citroën in the photo below.

“AM-34RN”

-An inline engine is mentioned, the M-33 for which we have no more information. Although it is related to the development of the M-52 six-cylinder in line and it gives about 400 CV.

-The M-35 was an experiment of two coupled M-34s to obtain about 1,600 CV.

-In the typical confusion of Russian engines another Mikulin M-35 appears that would be a development of the M-34 but with the intervention of another designer, Flisskiy.

-From the M-35 with the V12 formula, several derived models were made such as -NV, -ANV, -A, -TK and -TR. There also was a marine version, the GM-35FN.

-The AM-35 was from the year 1939, it gave 1,200 CV reaching 1,350 CV with the AM-35A.

-The AM-36 was the "Y" engine (see chapter M). The AM-37 was developed from the M-35 and appeared in various versions as well.

“AM-38”

-The AM-37 is from the year 1940 and gave already 1,400 CV, with the same V12 arrangement.

-At GAZ 24 a design was made for an M-38, an engine to give 3,000 CV, which also confuses us with Mikulin's one that has normally been known as M-38.

-The AM-38Fs were armored engines just like the IL-2 aircraft. The pilot is said to have been sitting in a metal “bathtub”, since the plane was engaged in ground attacks within reach of gunfire.

-In 1941 it started with a power of 1,500 CV and eventually it reached 1,770 CV. As they built more than 41,000 Sturmovik aircraft (the most built aircraft in history) and considering that they were single-engine, and adding the spare engines, it is possible to think of the great success of this Mikulin engine.

“AM-40”

-The AM-39 gave from 1,870 to 1,900 CV. The AM-40 was based on an AM-39FN2 and the AM-41 was an AM-39UV.

“AM-42”

-The AM-42, 43, 44, 45, 46 and 47 engines were also from Mikulin.

“Another AM-42”

-The M-42 gave about 2,000 CV while the M-43 increased its power to 2,200 CV. Finally the M-47 reached 3,100 CV with its AM-47F version. See M-45 in chapter M.

-After WWII, Mikulin begins the construction of turbojets with his new OKB, due to the great recognition he received for his contribution to the war. He has Tumanskiy in his office who later became his follower.

-The first turbines were the AM2, 3, 5 and 9.

-In 1953 the AM-2 with 4,600 kgf of thrust was built, although it did not prosper. Another designer and collaborator, Zubets, who would be important later, developed the AM-3.

“AM-3”

-This engine would later be known as RD-3 and M-029 as an official designation.

-The RD-3M (AM-3M) version was installed on the T-016 and M-4 aircraft.

-Later the RD-3M-500 powered the famous Tu-104 transport aircraft.

-The AM-3Ms have been built in China as WP-8.

-The AM-5 with 2,700 Kgf of thrust and 3,000 Kgf with afterburner were not adopted for service.

-The M-205 was the AM-9 (WP-6 in China) with a 9-stage axial compressor, annular combustion chamber, and a two-stage turbine.

-Likewise, the M-206 was Mikulin's as well. Later the AM-9 was named RD-9.

“RD-9BF”

-Mikulin was supported by Stalin's regime for his undoubted merits.

-It seems that he made excessive use of this privilege against others. Upon Stalin's death, he loses his status and his engines are renamed RD.

-Also as from 1956, OKB Mikulin passed into the hands of Tumanskiy (sometimes Tumanskii). Lately, since 2002, Mikulin became Soyuz (see).

-The important Russian designer made the M209, which we found recently in an old English Flight magazine in the form of a highly descriptive cutaway.

“Mikulin's M209 engine”

-This engine appears uncovered, without accessories, controls, ducts, electrical wiring, etc.

-But that allows us to appreciate its basic architecture.

From Appendix 6: We located two prototypes from OKB Mikulin (AM) where eminent engineers such as Tumanskii, Stechkin, Sorokin, Zhukovskii or Dubinsky were active. They were experts on supercharging and turbocharging (see TK turbochargers on Russian engines).

-They had previously intervened in Mikulin's famous V-12 engines.

-The first prototype was the AMTKRD-01, with axial compressor and reverse flow combustion chamber. These details are maintained in its successor, the AMTKRD-02.

"Photos of the AMTKRD-01"

-The -01 design occurred in 1947 while the -02 was designed around 1949.

“Mikulin AMTKRD-02”

-These engines would give rise to the AM-2 and AM-3, see main text.

-At the Krakow Museum in Poland a Mikulin M-38F is exhibited that we show below.

"Magnificent M-38F"

From Appendix 9: To include a detail of the Mikulin M-42 gearbox, an addendum to this engine is added here.

“Mikulin M-42 cutaway”

“Gear details”

-They are superimposed herringbone gears, the well-known symbol of "Citroën" the inventor of this type of gear.

-In the main text the illustration of an AM-35N is missing (An AM-34 variant).

Mikulin AM-35N, exposed in a Museum