Sukhoi S-21
| Sukhoi S-21 | |
|---|---|
 3D model of the S-21 |
|
| Type: | Supersonic - business jet |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| Commissioning: |
Development aborted |
The Sukhoi S-21 ( Russian Сухой С-21 ) was a project to develop a supersonic business jet.
history
The project of a ten- to twelve-seat supersonic business jet (SSBJ) can be traced back to separate design studies carried out by Sukhoi in 1987 and by Gulfstream in 1988. After a meeting between the two companies on June 13, 1989, the plan for a joint venture was born, which, after further meetings, ultimately led to the design of a twin -engine , tailless aircraft . After initial redesigns, a conventionally designed three-jet study was presented at the Farnborough Air Show in 1990, but then returned to the twin-jet, albeit enlarged, design and from then on used the designation "S-21G" instead of "SSBJ".
Sukhoi decided to develop a supersonic business jet, as this market segment had not yet been served and it was believed that experience from military aircraft construction could best be incorporated there. The cooperation with Gulfstream was entered into in order to reduce development risks and to be able to draw on Gulfstream's experience in the business jet sector. The engine development should take place in cooperation between Rolls-Royce and Ljulka, whereby no afterburner should be used for environmental reasons. In order not to delay the project, it was even planned to use the Ljulka AL-31 engines of the Suchoi Su-27 Flanker in the initial test operation .
The division of the entire development was planned in such a way that Sukhoi would take over the development, manufacture of the airframe and certification in the former Soviet Union, while Gulfstream would be responsible for the control system, avionics, cabin equipment and certification in the west. Suchoi has already carried out wind tunnel examinations, so that the plans were to start the first prototype around 1995. The main buyers for the jet should be government agencies and companies that already operate high-priced corporate jets. According to Gulfsteam Chairman Alan Paulson, any company that could operate a Gulfstream IV at the time should also be able to afford an SSBJ. The purchase price announced at the Paris Air Show in 1991 was US $ 40 to 50 million.
At the end of the 1990s, Gulfstream left the cooperation again, as the project's prospects for success were presumably too low. It is unclear whether Sukhoi continued to pursue the program alone.
construction
From a technical point of view, the S-21 was a relatively ambitious project: The aim was to achieve a maximum speed of Mach 2+, for which two or three engines were to be used. Since all of the following projects for supersonic business jets provide for a lower maximum speed, it can be assumed that the speeds were either not profitable or were even associated with technical difficulties. This would be suggested by the fact that 20 years after the development of the S-21 began, still no such model has been built or put on the market.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 |
| Passengers | 6-12 |
| length | 37.86 m |
| span | 19.93 m |
| height | 8.26 m |
| Empty mass | 24,570 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 51,800 kg |
| Fuel capacity | 26.519 kg |
| Top speed | Do 2+ |
| Range | 4,369 km at Mach 1.4 7,403 km at Mach 0.95 |
| Service ceiling | 19,477 m |
| Engine | three Awiadwigatel D-21A1 turbofan engines with 73.55 kN each |
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ First draft of SSBJ (FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, October 21, 1989, at the bottom of the page)
- ↑ Paris 91, Airdata file in AIR International, August 1991, pp 107
- ^ Paris Air Scene , in AIR International, July 1991, p. 3