Bombers are military aircraft used to bomb ground or water targets from the air, and are the main types of aircraft used by aviation units to carry out long-range air assaults. Bombers can carry bombs, missiles, torpedoes or nuclear weapons to bomb enemy military bases, command centers, transportation hubs, economic and political centers, etc. Bombers are often used to carry out long-range air raid missions. It is large and has a long range. With strong firepower, it can be called the "big brother" in the aircraft family.

During World War I, Germany used the "Zepbling" airships to bomb Belgium, Warsaw, Paris, France, and the United Kingdom, thus kicking off strategic bombing.

After the birth of the aircraft, it was initially used for military reconnaissance, and then it was put into combat for bombing enemy targets. Therefore, the bomber can be regarded as one of the earliest aircraft types to appear. The bomber, another new member of the aircraft family, has since gradually stepped onto the stage of the air battlefield.

Although it is now accepted that airplanes are more suitable for bombing than airships, at that time there was a disagreement between countries on the question of whether to use airships or airplanes for bombing. Due to the differences in understanding among various countries, some have made progress earlier and some late, and some have made rapid progress and some have made slow progress in the development of bombers.

The Russians recognized long before the First World War that airplanes would eventually replace airships. As a result, Russia became the most advanced country in the world at that time in the development of bombers. The Russians were the first to begin the development of bombers and achieved remarkable achievements. One of the most notable achievements was the development of the world's first 4-engine heavy bomber.

In November 1912, the Baltic Vehicle Factory in St. Boudeberg, Russia, succeeded in building a giant aircraft. The giant was designed by Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky. The aircraft weighs 4,545 kilograms, has a wingspan of 28 meters, and is equipped with four 74 kW four-cylinder water-cooled "100-eyed giant" engines. People gave it the resounding name "The Great Trumpet". On May 13, 1913, Sikorski personally flew the plane for a test flight, which was a complete success. The aircraft was later officially named the "Russian Warrior".

Sikorski was not satisfied. His goal was to turn the aircraft into a real offensive weapon, and to this end he made constant improvements to the Russian Warrior. At the end of 1913, Sikorsky finally built the world's first heavy bomber. The Russians gave it a very meaningful name - "Ilya Muromets". This is the name of the hero of the Russian warrior song, the defender of the Russian land.

At that time, many aircraft designers were skeptical about the possibility of creating a multi-engine aircraft, so the success of the development of "Ilya Muromets" was undoubtedly a pioneering achievement. In February 1914, Sikorski set a record with 15 passengers on board. In June 1916, "Ilya Muromets" made another brilliant achievement: it took off from Kiev, landed only once, and flew safely to Petersburg, 1,000 kilometers away, in 14 hours and 38 minutes.

"Ilya Muromets" is a biplane with a power of 162 kilowatts per engine, a length of 15.5~22 meters, a wingspan of 24.9~35.5 meters, a flight weight of 6.1~7.5 tons, a flight speed of 137 kilometers per hour, a maximum ceiling of 4,000 meters, a maximum range of 540 kilometers, and a crew of 4~8 people. The maximum number of machine guns installed on the aircraft reached 8, and tests were carried out to install 76-mm machine guns on the aircraft. Aerial bombs could be hung in the fuselage, and for the first time, an electric bomb dropper was used. The bomb load of the aircraft is 400 kg, and it can reach 700~800 kg when overloaded. The aircraft was equipped with pilot and pilot instruments, as well as bombing sights. Historiography recognizes that "Ilya Muromets" was the largest aircraft of its time. Because during the First World War, neither enemy nor allied countries ever built a heavy bomber comparable to it.

Russian Tsar Nicholas II and the Russian War Ministry admired the "Ilya Muromets" very much, so they put all four "Ilya Muromets" that were the only four "Ilya Muromets" at the outbreak of World War I into combat use. On December 10, 1914, the Russian highest authorities decided to form a "flying boat brigade" (i.e., an aircraft brigade), and at the same time appointed M.B. Sidlovsky, director of the Baltic Vehicle Plant, as an active major general in charge of the work of the "flying boat brigade". The "Ship Brigade" was also the world's first heavy bomber unit.

On February 15, 1915, a bomber "Ilya Muromets" bombed Germany for the first time, dropping 272 kg of bombs, which opened the prelude to the entry of heavy bombers into the war. Due to the strong self-defense capability of the "Ilya Muromets" and the successful use of the defensive tactics of air formations by the "Flying Boat Group", only one "Ilya Muromets" piloted by P. Maksheev was shot down by German fighters during the entire war.

From 1914 to 1918, a total of 73 "Ilya Muromets" were built in Russia, some of which had twin engines. There was also a part of the aircraft with pontoons installed, which became heavy bombers on the water.

Between the end of the Civil War and 1924, the Soviet Union converted part of the "Ilya Muromets" into transport aircraft, which flew the Moscow-Kharkov route. The successful development of the "Ilya Muromets" aircraft has had a considerable impact on the development of the world's aviation industry.