Sukhoi T-4MS

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The Sukhoi T-4MS Dwuchsotka ( Russian Сухой Т-4МС Двухсотка , German  the two hundred / "product 200") was the project of a strategic bomber from the late 1960s, which was abandoned in favor of the Tu-160 . "MS" stands for "Modernized Strategic" Version. Despite the similarity in name to the Suchoi T-4 ("Product 100"), the projects only had engines, avionics and planned armament in common.

history

prehistory

In 1967, the Soviet Ministry of Defense launched a design competition for an intercontinental bomber to replace the Tu-95 and 3M and also to serve as a reconnaissance aircraft. This competition was partly based on the requirements of the American project AMSA (Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft), which became known in 1965, from which the Rockwell B-1 later emerged.

The aircraft should reach a cruising speed of Mach  3 at an altitude of 18,000 m with a range of 11,000 to 13,000 km. This range should also be possible at subsonic speed at low altitude , while it should be 16,000 to 18,000 km at high altitudes. The main armament was four Ch-45 Molnija hypersonic missiles . In the version for air defense suppression , 24 short-range missiles Ch-2000 were to be used.

In addition to Sukhoi , Myasishchev took part in the competition with the M-20 . Four different concepts have been developed for the M-20. Designs with a delta wing , canards and swivel wings were submitted, with take-off weights of 150 to 325 t. The variant M-20-IV served as the basis for the later M-18 .

The first Sukhoi draft T-4M used many components of the T-4, which was under construction at the same time. Only the delta structure of the T-4 was replaced by swiveling wings. This is how the T-4M entered the competition. The disadvantage of the T-4M was that drop weapons could only be carried at external load stations . In addition, there was the lack of rigidity of the slim, pivoting outer support surfaces. Although attempts were made to improve this by further developing the design, Sukhoi finally withdrew the T-4M from the competition at the end of 1969 in favor of the T-4MS.

On September 15, 1969, the project was approved by government decree. Further development was carried out by three design offices - Myasishchev, Tupolev and Sukhoi.

development

Three-sided view of the T-4MS

In 1970, the designer Leonid Bondarenko proposed a new concept with a flying wing with short pivoting wings . The design "200" with significantly higher loading capacity in the trunk than in the T-4M and low radar cross section showed in the wind tunnel , the glide ratio 17.5 at M = 0.9 and 7.3 at M = 3rd

Four RD-36-41 engines were planned for the test phase, while the Kuznetsov NK-101 was to be used for the series aircraft. The RD-36-41 engines corresponded to those of the T-4, the "200" could, however, reach Mach 3, since the armament with two Ch-45 rockets housed in the fuselage of the "200" reduced the air resistance compared to the "100" greatly decreased. The NK-101 intended for series production was never built, so that the Kuznetsov NK-32 was used instead for further planning. With the NK-101 a range of up to 14,000 km and a speed of 3500 km / h should be achieved.

The engines are mounted in two nacelles on the outside of the airframe. With a maximum sweep of 72 °, the swivel wings have a span of 27 meters. This sweep is used on high-speed and low-level flights to reduce drag and gust load. The minimum sweep is 30 °. The avionics , the main element of which was the “Ocean” radar, as well as the armament and engine of the “200” were identical to the “100”. The retractable landing gear should consist of two twelve-wheeled main landing gear and a nose landing gear with double tires and should be suitable for use on unpaved runways.

End of the project

In late 1970, the T-4MS project reached its final form and was judged to be a better design by the Air Forces than the M-20. However, no official end of the competition was declared. Further work and improvements continued until 1972, after which a second stage of the competition was started with significantly lower demands on the part of the armed forces. The maximum speed should only be Mach 2.2 and the intercontinental range should only be reached at subsonic speed. Sukhoi did not take part because of the utilization of the production of fighter planes , so Tupolev and Myasishchev remained as participants. The latter suggested the fourth variant of the M-20 as the M-18, which should now be made of aluminum instead of a titanium alloy because of the lower top speed . The concept of the M-18 was considered superior, but Tupolev's design of the Tu-160 was ultimately preferred, as Myasishev's design office was considered too small to be up to the task.

Armament

  • The project of the heavy hypersonic cruise missile Ch-45 Molnija ("Lightning") was developed by the Raduga design office to replace the Ch-22 . A single-chamber liquid fuel engine should accelerate the missile up to a speed of about Mach 7. Two trajectories were planned: an aeroballistic one with a range of 600 km to destroy aircraft carrier ships. The target approach took place autonomously with the help of the inertial navigation platform ; from 150 km to the target, the rocket used active self-steering. The second trajectory ("ricochet trajectory") began with the ascent into the stratosphere , after which the rocket should push itself off as it descends from denser air layers and rise again like the Silbervogel suborbital bomber project . This trajectory with a range of up to 1500 km should be used to destroy strategic land targets. The launch mass of the Ch-45 Molnija was 4500 kg, the warhead was either conventional with a shaped charge or thermonuclear. The T-4MS could carry two Ch-45s . The guided missile project ran until the mid-1970s and was abandoned in favor of the Ch-55 low-flying subsonic missile .
  • The " air defense suppression version" of the T-4MS should be able to carry 24 pieces of the light hypersonic rocket Ch-2000, the project of which was later modified to lead to the Ch-15 .
  • various bombs, including hydrogen bombs, up to 45 tons (with not full fuel capacity).

Technical specifications

Parameter Data (arithmetical) with NK-101
crew 3
length 41.2 m
Width between swivel blades 14.4 m
Span (swiveled out) 40.8 m
Swivel blade surface (at 30 °) 97.5 m²
height 8 m
Empty mass 62,300 kg
Fuel capacity 97,000 kg
Drop weapons 9,000-45,000 kg
Max. Takeoff mass 170,000 kg
Top speed 3200 km / h 3500 km / h
Service ceiling over 24 km
Range at supersonic speed 7500 km 9000 km
Subsonic range 11,000 km 14,000 km
Engines 4 × RD-36-41 4 × NK-101
Thrust 4 × 157 kN 4 × 195 kN

literature

  • Piotr Butowski: Steps towards 'Blackjack' . In: AIR Enthusiast No.73, January / February 1998, pp. 36-49

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