[camera | topia] komz s-13 aircraft gun...

Spennemann, Dirk HR (2015) History, Description and Technical Details of the Soviet Aircraft machine gun camera KOMZ S-13 (фотопулемет C-13). vers. 1.0. [CAMERA | TOPIA] (Albury, NSW) All Rights Reserved © Dirk HR Spennemann 2015 <www.cameratopia.net>

[CAMERA | TOPIA] KOMZ S-13 Aircraft Gun Camera

C AMERA Camera Type: Aircraft machine gun camera

Film Type: 35mm Manufacturer: KOMZ Year(s) made: 1950–present

D IMENSIONS Length:1 203mm2

Width: 127 mm Height: 121 mm Weight:

Serial nº: various Shutter: rotary, focal plane

L ENS T YPE Manufacturer: KOMZ

Type: variious Aperture: 4.5, 5.6, 8, 11, 16

Focus Settings : fixed focus Picture Angle: 8º

Serial nº: varied Year(s) made: 1950–present

Fighter pilots tended to make exaggerated claims of suc-cessful shoot downs of enemy aircraft, both due to misin-terpretation of the actual action and due to overinflated egos. To record the pilot’s actual success (or lack thereof) in shooting down a target, cameras were installed. These machine gun cameras were synchronised with the nose-mounted machine gun.3 The Soviet Aircraft machine gun camera S-13 was designed for use by the first Soviet jet fighter, the Mikoyan MiG-15. It is an electrically operated 35mm film camera capable of taking several frames per second.

While a number of Soviet-designed gun cameras had been used during World War II, a new design with a greater number of frames per second was required to ac-commodate the greater speed of the first Soviet jet fight-ers, such as the Mig-15. The basic design of the machine gun camera remained more or less unchanged from 1949 until the present day, with the only major modifications being additional lens options.4 The S-13 is still being made by KOMZ (Kazan Optical-Mechanical Factory), in Kazan, Republic Tatarstan, Russia.5 KOMZ manufac-tured most of the Soviet Aerial Camera equipment.6

Over time, the camera was installed as a gun fire re-cording camera in a wide range of Soviet and Warsaw Pact aircraft: • Mig-15 (1949–), 100mm unit installed;7 • Mig-15UTI – Training (1949–late 1970s),8 • Mig-17 (1951–)9 • Yak-17 (1947– )10 • Yak-17 UTI (1947–)11 • Su-17 experimental (1949)12 • Aero L-29R Delfin (1959–1974)13

Since then, the camera has seen a number of minor modifications for mounting and use in other aircraft and helicopters, including the • Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter14 • Mi-35 Hind E attack helicopter15 • Mig-2116 • Mig-2317 • Su-1518 • TS-11 Iskra19

In addition, the units were externally mounted in camera pods. The camera was still in use in 2001 as it is listed as one of skills required of “Repairman Arms.”20

According to the website of CDB Photon, a subsidi-ary of KOMZ, the camera system is still in production as Фотоконтрольный С-13А (‘Fotokontrolny S-13A’).21

INSTALLATION The gun camera was normally mounted in the body of the aircraft, usually right in the top of the nose above the air intake (Figure 3). In more recent aircraft units, the long-lensed S-13 could be fitted into a camera pod that could be mounted externally.22

As the camera did not have to be removed to change the film, harmonisation of the alignment of the camera with the alignment of the aircraft's machine gun or can-non was required only during standard maintenance. In the case of installation in a Mi-24 'Hind' attack helicop-ter, the S-13 tracked the trajectory of rockets carried in weapons pods underneath the port and starboard stub-wings (instead of gunfire).

{: CAMERA | TOPIA :} KOMZ S-13 Aircraft Gun Camera 2


Description

The lens side of the camera has three bolts that allow for the camera to be mounted into the airframe. The entire left side is taken up by a hinged door allowing access to the camera magazine.

While the older models were painted black or khaki with chromed lens barrels, the more recent copies of cam-era and magazine have a grey hammer metal finish.

TECHNICAL DATA The KOMZ aircraft machine gun camera S-1323 is a me-dium-speed cine camera with a rotary shutter. It uses standard 35mm film. The film pressure plate is a sheet of glass with an etched cross-hair, ensuring that the resulting image shows the target accurately. The camera is powered by 27V DC drawn from the aircraft power supply.

Documented are the following versions: • S-13 50mm f/3.524 • S-13 100mm f/6.325 • S-13 BXN 50mm f/3.526 • S-13 BZN 50mm f/3.527 • S-13 BZN 100mm f/6.328 • S-13-100-OS 100mm f/6.329 • S-13A-100-OS 100mm f/6.330 • S-13-300-100-OS31 fitted with a Triplet (TPИПЛЭT)

78mm. • S-13-300-100-OS 32 with FEL-100 (ФЭЛ -100)

100mm. • S-13-300-100-OS33 fitted with a FS-2 (фс-2) 300mm.

As the S-13 is board-mounted, the camera uses ex-changeable film cassettes; each holding 5.2 m of fast (~1000ASA) 35 mm aerial black and white film of type A1000. The magazines are uniquely numbered with the camera serial number and a magazine subset number sepa-rated by a hyphen (eg. N 820509-1).

LENS OPTIONS The camera S-13 is a fixed focus design that could be fit-ted with a number of lenses. The choice of lens depended on the speed of aircraft and the range of the installed wea-ponry that was being recorded. While the 50mm and 100mm versions suited gun cameras that recorded ma-chine gun fire, the 300mm and 400mm versions were re-quired to document the successful strikes of rockets.

On record from observations and printed documen-tation are the following lens options (see Table 1):

• Индустар I-10 (И-10) 50mm f/3.5 with aperture stops 3.5, 5.6 and 11 (marked off as ‘overcast’ ‘cloudy’ and ‘clear’).34

• Triplet (TPИПЛЭT) 78mm f/2.8.35 • FEL-100 (ФЭЛ -100) 100mm f/6.3

with aperture stops 6.3, 9, 12.5 (marked off as ‘over-cast’ ‘cloudy’ and ‘clear’).36

• FS-2 (фс-2) 300mm f/4.5 with aperture stops (firm, audible clicks): 4.5, 5.6, 8, 11, 16.37

• F-3 (ф-3Д) 100mm f/6.5 with aperture stops: 6.3, 9, 12.5.38

• F-3 (ф-3) 400mm f/4.5 with aperture stops: 4.5, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32, 45.39

For ease of use, the aperture stops of the older lenses, such as the И-10 and the ФЭЛ -100 are marked off as marked off as ‘overcast’ ‘cloudy’ and ‘clear’. For the S-13 cameras installed in Warsaw Pact aircraft, the lenses are marked off in the relevant language (¶¶).

Figure 1. View of the S-13 gun camera showing the rotary

shutter as well as the film plane with the cross hairs.

Figure 2. View of the S-13 gun camera with cabling for on-

board power and manual shutter release.



Table 1. Lens Option Details

Type:

I-10 (И-10)

Triplet (TPИПЛЭT)

FEL-100 (ФЭЛ -100)

FS-2 (ФС-2)

F-3 (Ф-3)

Focal length 50 mm 78mm 100mm 300mm 400mm Aperture f/3.5 f/2.8 f.6.3 f/4.5 f/4.5

Aperture stops 3.5, 5.6, 11 2.8 6.3, 9, 12.5 4.5, 5.6, 8, 11, 16 4.5, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32, 45

Focus fixed focus fixed focus fixed focus fixed focus fixed focus Angle 46º 53º ? 22º 8º 31º

Manu-facturer KOMZ? BELOMO KOMZ? KOMZ KOMZ Total Production unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown

Period:40 1949 > 1971 > < 1970> <1970– 2010 < 1970>

Figure 3. The S-13 gun camera as installed in Soviet fighters. Left and middle Mikoyan MIG-17. Right: Mikoyan MIG-15

(March Field Museum, Riverside, California, USA).

Figure 4. The S-13 gun camera as installed in the nose of a TS-11 Iskra jet trainer.41



Figure 5. Lens diagram and technical drawing for the I-10 (50mm f/3.5)42

Figure 6. Lens diagram and technical drawing for the FEL-1002 (100mm f/4.5)43

Figure 7. Lens diagram and technical drawing for the FS-2 (300mm f/4.5)44

Figure 8. Lens diagram and technical drawing for the F-3 (400mm f/4.5)45



Figure 9. GOMZ S-13 with И-10 50mm f/3.5 (serial nº ČíS 05-544285 )46



Figure 10. KOMZ S-13 with FS-2 300mm (sn # 820509)47



Russian.48 Czech.49

Figure 11. Aperture markings of the 50mm f/3.5 ИНДУСТАР –10 lens

Acknowledgments

The S-13 camera with the FS-2 300mm lens was kindly provided to me by Siim Vahur (Tallinn, Estonia) who sourced it from surplus sold off from a former Soviet air-base in Estonia.—The S-13 with the I-10 lens was sourced via eBay from the Ukraine as was the Czech S-13 kit. Vladislav Kern (USSR Photo) provided additional infor-mation and images, which gratefully acknowledged.

Preferred Citation

Spennemann, Dirk HR (2015) History, Description and Technical Details of the Soviet Aircraft machine gun camera KOMZ S-13 (фотопулемет C-13). vers. 1.0. [CAMERA | TOPIA] (Albury, NSW).

Endnotes This report forms part of a broader assessment of spe-cialised cameras of the World War II and Cold War eras. These studies are comprised of technical assessments (Spennemann, 2015a, 2015b, 2015c, 2015d) and photo-graphic documentation (Spennemann, 2015e, 2015f, 2015g, 2015h, 2015i, 2015j, 2015k, 2015l, 2015m, 2015n, 2015o, 2015p, 2015q, 2015r, 2015s, 2015t, 2015u, 2015v, 2015w, 2015x, 2015y).

1 Length is measured from front of lens to back of film door. 2 Measuremets are for the standrad model with a 50mm lens. 3 See Spennemann (2015g, 2015j, 2015n) for U.S. machine gun

cameras. 4 Незнайка (2011) depicts a manual for a S-13 with a date of 25

August 1953. The manual relates to a camera sn# 03-533544. It refers to the Индустар-10 with a lens sn #04-533585 and a ФЭЛ -100 with a lens sn# 04-533537.

5 КОМЗ, Казанский оптико-механический завод; Kazanskii Optiko-Mekhanicheskii Zavod.

6 Such as the A-39 daylight photo-reconnaissance and bombing-damage recording camera (Spennemann, 2015t).

7 http://hobbyport.ru/avia/mig_15.htm. 8 technical drawing of Mig-15 item #1

(http://hobbyport.ru/avia/mig_15.htm). 9 http://www.kummolovo.ru/aircraft/mig_17.htm. 10 http://www.airwar.ru/enc/fighter/yak17.html. 11 http://www.airwar.ru/enc/other/yak17uti.html. 12 http://www.airwar.ru/enc/fighter/su17_1.html. 13 http://www.fedka.com/My_collection/s13.htm.—many are still

operational. 14 http://warfare.ru/rus/?lang=rus&linkid=1638&catid=260 15 http://warfare.ru/rus/?lang=rus&linkid=1638&catid=260 16 Kern (2007). 17 Kern (2007). 18 Kern (2007). 19 See Figure 4. 20 see § 138 of Постановление Министерства труда Республики

Беларусь от 29.03.2001 N 37 "Об утверждении выпуска 66-го Единого тарифно-квалификационного справочника работ и профессий рабочих</a> (Decree of the Ministry of Labour of the Republic of Belarus of 29.03.2001 N 37 "On Approval of issue 66 of the Uniform tariff schedule of works and trades workers) <http://newsby.org/documents/razn/pos11/postn11498/page11.htm>.

21 http://www.ckb-photon.ru/aviation/index.htm. 22 Kern (2007). 23 фотокинопулемет / фотопулемет C-13-300-100-OC)

(‘fotokinopulemet’ / fotopulemet S-13-300-100-OS).— 24 body serial nº 7242646 with lens 50mm f/3.5, serial nº 52006837

(Spennemann, 2015q). 25 body serial 210540

(http://collectiblend.com/Cameras/mycamprofile.php?uid=988). body serial nº 7340959 lens 100mm f/36.3, sn # 53007143 (https://reibert.info/threads/aviacionnaja-fotokamera-s-13.343835).



26 body serial nº 14-578269 (owned by Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (A20010592000) see http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A20010592000.

27 body serial nº ČíS 05-544285 lens 50mm f/3.5, sn # S-13 xbk-05-534175 (Spennemann, 2015r).

28 body serial nº ČíS 06-544986, lens 100mm sn # S-13 xbk-04-532948 (http://ussrphoto.com/WIKI/ default.asp?WikiCatID=17&ParentID=1&ContentID=2).

29 Body serial 410198 (Forum Частные обьявления. Детали интерьера самолета продам в Москве http://forum.guns.ru/forum_light_message/9/527134.html).

30 body serial nº 43283 with lens serial nº 1222E3 (eBay 231616776580 July 2015).

31 body serial nº 430205 with lens serial nº 215313 (Photographica Collection Vladislav Kern).

32 body serial nº 121247 with lens serial nº 06-544986 (Kern, 2007). 33 body serial nº 820509 with lens serial nº 811508 (Spennemann,

2015s). 34 Also used for the OS-12 and the жS-16. For technical details see:

Yakovlev (1970, pp. 28-30).—Examples: serial nº 52006837 (Spennemann, 2015q).—sn # S-13 xbk-05-534175 (Spennemann, 2015r); sn # 49060311 (https://reibert.info/threads/aviacionnaja-fotokamera-s-13.343835/).——Незнайка (2011) depicts a manual for a S-13 with a date of 25 August 1953. The manual refers to a Индустар-10 with a lens sn #04-533585.

35 with sn #215313; Based on images provided by Vladislav Kern—The Triplet 78mm f2.8 is not listed in Yakovlev, who only lists a Triplet 20mm f/5.6 (Yakovlev, 1970, pp. 16-19) and range of Triplets all with f/2.8 but with focal lengths of 75mm (Yakovlev, 1971, pp. 299-301 ) 80mm (Yakovlev, 1971, pp. 305–307), 100mm (Yakovlev, 1971, pp. 308–310), 150mm (Yakovlev, 1971, pp. 311–313). Unlike the other lenses, none of the triplets have been specifically identified as being destined for the S-13 gun camera and the technical drawings do not indicate such use either.—Given the

comprehensiveness of Yakovlev’s listing, we might infer that the Triplet 78mm f2.8 did not exist at the time.

36 Fedka <http://www.fedka.com/My_collection/s13.htm>and Kern (2007).>.—See also body serial nº 43283Д with lens serial nº 1222E3 (eBay 231616776580 July 2015.—See also lens serial 620394 (http://meshok.ru/pic.php?id=26366880).—For technical details see Yakovlev (1970, pp. 34-36).—Незнайка (2011) depicts a manual for a S-13 with a date of 25 August 1953. The manual refers to a ФЭЛ -100 with a lens sn# 04-533537.

37 sn #811508 example shown in this study.—also on record is sn #121247 (Kern, 2007).For technical details see Yakovlev (1970, pp. 31–33).—Also used for the OS-12 and the жS-16.

38 body serial nº 43283Д with lens serial nº 1222E3 (eBay 231616776580 July 2015).

39 For technical details see Yakovlev (1970, pp. 37–39).—Also used for the OS-12 and the жS-16.

40 The information on the production period is at present very limited. Indicated are the years for which evidence can be found. The pointed brackets incate that the production period is likely to extend in the direction indicated.

41 Image source: Photo Grzegorz Skowronski, (http://www.airwar.ru/enc/attack/ts11.html).

42 Source: Yakovlev (1970, pp. 28–29). 43 Source: Yakovlev (1970, pp. 34–35). 44 Source: Yakovlev (1970, pp. 31–33). 45 Source: Yakovlev (1970, pp. 37–39). 46 Spennemann (2015r). 47 Photographica Collection Dirk HR Spennemann.—The magazine

has the matching serial number N 820509-1. 48 The markings are ПАСМ[УРНЫ] (overcast), ОБЛ[АЧНЫЙ]

(cloudy), ЯСНО (clear) (Spennemann, 2015q). 49 The markings are Zamrač (overcast), Oblač (cloudy), Jasno (clear)

(Spennemann, 2015r).

References

Kern, Vladislav. (2007). S-13 Photo Machine Gun Camera Czech Export. Retrieved Jul 10, 2015, from http://www.ussrphoto.com/wiki/default.asp?WikiCatID=17&ParentID=1&ContentID=228

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015a). History, Description and Technical Details of the Fairchild camera transit F227 Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015b). History, Description and Technical Details of the Fairchild F-8 aerial camera Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015c). History, Description and Technical Details of the Soviet Aircraft Machine Gun Camera GOMZ S-13 (фотопулемет C-13) Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015d). History, Description and Technical Details of the WREROC missile cameras Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015e). Photographic Walk-Around of a Calibration Kit for a Gun Sight Aiming Point (GSAP) 16mm Camera Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015f). Photographic Walk-Around of an Abrams Erector Assembly for a Gun Sight Aiming Point camera Type AN N6 Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015g). Photographic Walk-Around of the Bell and Howell Gun Sight Aiming Point camera Type AN N-6A Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015h). Photographic Walk-Around of the Cossor 1428 Oscillograph Camera Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015i). Photographic Walk-Around of the Fairchild F-213 Development Tank for 70mm aerial negatives Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015j). Photographic Walk-Around of the Fairchild Gun Sight Aiming Point camera Type



AN-N6 Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015k). Photographic Walk-Around of the Fairchild K-22 Aerial Camera Replacement LensCone Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015l). Photographic Walk-Around of the Fairchild Night Unit for K-19 Aerial Camera Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015m). Photographic Walk-Around of the General Electric Lens Heater Unit for K-21 & K-24 Aerial Cameras Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015n). Photographic Walk-Around of the Kodak 16mm Strike Camera KB9A Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015o). Photographic Walk-Around of the MP Gun Camera Bore Sight Type A–2 Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015p). Photographic Walk-Around of the Simmon Brothers Combat Camera PH-501 Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015q). Photographic Walk-Around of the Soviet Aircraft Machine Gun Camera KOMZ S-13 Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015r). Photographic Walk-Around of the Soviet Aircraft Machine Gun Camera KOMZ S-13 (Czech Airforce Set) Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015s). Photographic Walk-Around of the Soviet Aircraft Machine Gun Camera KOMZ S-

13 with 300mm Tele-lens Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015t). Photographic Walk-Around of the Soviet daylight photo-reconnaissance and bombing-damage recording camera KOMZ A-39. Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015u). Photographic Walk-Around of the Target Aircraft Camera Dekko GW1 Mk 1A Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015v). Photographic Walk-Around of the Target Aircraft Camera Dekko GW1 Mk 1C Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015w). Photographic Walk-Around of the Target Aircraft Camera R & J Beck GW2 Mk2 Model 2 Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015x). Photographic Walk-Around of the Vought-Solar Aircraft Torpedo Camera Type 1 Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Spennemann, Dirk HR. (2015y). Photographic Walk-Around of the WREROC Missile Camera Cameratopia. Albury NSW: Institute for Land Water and Society.

Yakovlev, AF (1970). Catalog “The objectives photographic, movie, projection, reproduction, for the magnifying apparatuses" (Vol. 1). s.l.: s.n.

Yakovlev, AF (1971). Catalog “The objectives photographic, movie, projection, reproduction, for the magnifying apparatuses" (Vol. 2). s.l.: s.n.

Незнайка. (2011). Фотопулемет С-13. до 14-06-11 по Киеву 22-00+15 мин. Retrieved Jul 10, 2015, from http://forum.violity.com/viewtopic.php?t=474108&sid=776cf4a6ce38d292f03cd7fcaac40f41

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