Myasishev M-17

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Myasishev M-17 / M-55
Myasishchev M-17 in Monino
Myasishchev M-17 in Monino
Type: Altitude reconnaissance
Design country:

Soviet UnionSoviet Union Soviet Union

Manufacturer:

OKB Myasishchev

First flight:

May 26, 1982

Production time:

1978 to 1994

The Mjasishchev M-17 Stratosfera ( Russian Мясищев М-17 Стратосфера , NATO code name "Mystic" ) is a Soviet high-altitude aircraft that first flew in 1982. It was designed as an altitude reconnaissance aircraft and is considered to be the counterpart of the American Lockheed U-2 . After the end of the Cold War M-17 were used for scientific purposes under the name M-55 "Geofisika" (M-55 Геофизика ).

development

As of the mid-1950s, over 4,000 balloons of foreign origin were registered over the territory of the USSR . Therefore, in 1970 , the Soviet air forces requested a pattern to intercept western spy balloons and a replacement pattern for the outdated Jak-25RW high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft . The construction office Myasishchev received the order to develop the M-17.

The M-17 is a shoulder-wing aircraft and has a double-T horizontal stabilizer, the two stabilizer beams of which are attached to the wings. The fuselage nacelle is attached under the wing and carries the engine , a type RD-36-51W jet engine from RKBM Rybinsk, the two air inlets of which are arranged next to the cockpit.

To test the engine and aerodynamics, an M-17 fuselage was hung under a Tupolev Tu-16 during the design phase . Another Tu-16 carried the bow of the M-17 to test the sensors.

The first flight took place on November 16, 1982 with Vladimir Archipenko at the controls. In the same year, the new Soviet high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, the size of the American Lockheed U-2 / TR-1, was reported in the West for the first time. At the Soviet flight test center Zhukovsky near Moscow , then still called Ramenskoye, a new aircraft was identified, which was given the provisional designation Ramenskoye Ram-M by the Ministry of Defense . It was assumed that the new pattern was a construction from OKB Jakowlew. The OKB Myasishchev was also named as the design office, which later proved to be correct.

In early 1990, a photo of the Ram-M was published for the first time, showing a machine with the civil registration number СССР-17401 . At the end of 1989 the Ram-M was assigned the NATO code name “Mystic”. A short time later, an M-17 ( СССР-17103 ) was exhibited in the Monino Aviation Museum near Moscow, and another M-17 was presented to the public at a Moscow airport. The machine, presented as a flying laboratory “aeromonitoring”, was intended to serve as a research aircraft, among other things, for exploring the ozone hole .

Originally a production of 17 machines was planned, but only a small series of the M-17 and four M-55 were built at the Smolensk aircraft plant.

The M-17 / M-55 was never used for the originally intended balloon defense. The changed task definition means that scientific tasks can now be carried out worldwide.

Versions

M-17RM and M-55 "Geofisika"

M-55 Geofisika

As a version intended exclusively for civilian tasks, the M-17RM (Raswedtschik Modifikirowanni - modified reconnaissance aircraft) was developed from the M-17 under the direction of chief developer L. Sokolow, also known as the M-55 Geofisika for a different purpose . She has an elongated fuselage in front of the air inlets with a modified bow. In contrast to the single-jet M-17, the M-55 has two 49 kN D-30-W12 turbofan engines (later also referred to as PS-30-W12) from OKB Solowjow (manufactured in Rybinsk and Perm). The wing has also been redesigned.

With the M-55 it is possible to have scientific equipment weighing up to 2000 kg work for several hours at heights of 19,000 to 21,000 m.

The first flight of the M-55 took place on August 16, 1988, it was given the NATO code name “Mystic-B” and was flown with RF license plate at the Mosaeroshow '92. The first presentation and flight demonstration in the West took place during the 1994 International Aerospace Exhibition in Berlin. On this occasion, scientific flights of fancy were made and the highest altitude ever flown over Germany was reached.

On March 28th and 30th, 1990, the test pilot of the experimental factory for mechanical engineering W. M. Mjassishchev (Eksperimentalny maschinostroitelny zavod imeni W. M. Myasishcheva , Russian Экспериментальный машиностроительмenko on Arch . A total of 16 world records were flown for altitude and climb time.

The M-55 is used today by the Gromow Flight Test Institute as a test carrier for various tests.

M-55RTR

Another military development is the high-flying ELINT version M-55RTR, which was to emerge as a military-technical cooperation with India . The development costs of around 150 million US dollars were to be partly borne by India.

M-55X

At the MAKS 2001, the construction office (OKB) Myasishchev and the company Space Adventures presented the combination of the projects M-55X and the Space Adventure Explorer (S-XXI). The M-55X is a converted M-55 and designed as a carrier aircraft for the small space glider S-XXI: The M-55X equipped with boosters brings the S-XXI to an altitude of 17,000 to 19,000 meters. Here their boosters are ignited, which accelerate the space glider to the desired satellite orbit .

Technical data (M-17)

Parameter Data
crew 1
span 40.32 m
length 22.27 m
height 4.70 m
Wing area 137.7 m²
Empty mass 11,900 kg
Payload 6,500 kg
Takeoff mass Max. 24,500 kg
Engine 2 Awiadwigatel PS-30-W12
thrust 49 kN each
Top speed 750 km / h
Service ceiling 21,550 m at max. Takeoff mass
Range 1,315 km at an altitude of 20,000 m

literature

  • Horst Materna: Myasishchev M-17 . In: FLiEGERREVUE X . No. 67 . PPVMedien, 2017, ISSN  2195-1233 , p. 94-105 .

Web links

Commons : M-17  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Commons : M-55  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files