Military Aviation and the Aviation Industry of the Russian Empire in the First World War: Potential, Economic and Technological Solutions (according to Archival Documents); [Военная авиация и авиапром Российской империи в Первую мировую войну: потенциал, хозяйственные и технологические решения (по архивным документам)]

The article deals with the problem of technological solutions during the First World War related to the production of aviation equipment. It is proved that there is in certain technological segments of the aviation industry Russia kept pace with the West. The nature of the war on the Eastern Front and the mistakes of the High Command largely determined the vector of technological development of the Armed Forces of the Russian Empire in the First World War and their air force formations in particular. The authors believe that the tasks of modernizing the Russian Air Force were solved by the spring-summer of 1917, but the policy made its own adjustments, the aviation industry and other segments of the industry fell into decline quite quickly, soon the industrialization of the period of the First World War was completely forgotten. Nevertheless, the experience in the technological sphere remained, which contributed to the continuation of the technological modernization of the aviation industry in Russia after March 1917. The First World War set Russia tasks that its society could not imagine until August 1914. However, Russia managed to create 21 enterprises of the aviation industry by the autumn of 1917, and valuable experience was also gained in the economic and technological development of this industry. The authors aim to show in the article the significant success of the Russian aviation industry during the First World War, as well as achievements in the development of the potential of Russian military aviation as a whole during this period. But the authors also reflect in their work the main shortcomings of the aviation industry of the Russian Empire, which occurred in general from the nature of government and its armed forces. © 2023 International Network Center for Fundamental and Applied Research. All rights reserved.