Tupolev Tu-160
| Tupolev Tu-160 | |
|---|---|
 Tupolev Tu-160 "Valentin Blisnjuk" at the MAKS 2007 |
|
| Type: | Strategic bomber |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
18th December 1981 |
| Commissioning: |
1987 |
| Production time: |
|
| Number of pieces: |
36 |
The Tupolev Tu-160 ( russian Туполев Ту-160 , NATO reporting name : Blackjack ) is a serious strategic swing wings - supersonic - bombers from Soviet production with intercontinental range. Nowadays (as of 2014) 16 bombers are in service with the Russian long-distance air forces .
history
Tender, development and introduction
In 1974 a competition began in the USSR for a contract for a new supersonic swing-wing bomber . The design of the Tupolev works, which was closely based on the Tupolev Tu-144 , competed against the Myasishchev M-18 and a Sukhoi construction (project “200” or T-4MS ). Although the Myasishchev plane performed best, Tupolev was more likely to carry out the complex job. The OKB Tupolev was therefore commissioned to develop an aircraft. However, it was supposed to take over elements of the actually superior Myasishchev draft.
The result was a similar to the American Rockwell B-1 , but larger swing-wing bomber with intercontinental range and strategic role. With a maximum take-off weight of 275 tons, it is the heaviest bomber in use in the world. For comparison: the maximum take-off weight of the heaviest B-52 version, the B-52H, is 221 tons.
The machine was introduced into service in 1987. All 16 Tu-160 are named after Soviet or Russian personalities. The Tu-160 is the largest fighter aircraft in the world and is also unofficially known as the White Swan ( Белый лебедь ).
Delivery of the aircraft remaining in Ukraine
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, 19 Tu-160s were on the Pryluky bomber base in Ukraine, which had been independent since August 1991 . Together with 15 Tu-95MS from Usin and 575 Ch-55 cruise missiles, they developed into a difficult item to negotiate between the two countries in the following years. In the 1990s, the 19 Tu-160s carried the Ukrainian national badge, but there was no question of regular use. Cut off from deliveries of spare parts, the flight hours worked fell rapidly. In addition, the Ukrainian staff did not have sufficient facilities to maintain the complex and fault-prone technology. Since the maintenance of a strategic bomber fleet was not planned anyway, Ukraine began scrapping the bombers in 1998. Only after ten machines had been scrapped did Russia react, as only six Tu-160s remained in Russia after the collapse of the USSR. In the winter of 1999/2000, Russia managed to deliver the three Tu-95MS, eight Tu-160s and the associated 575 cruise missiles that were still in existence in return for offsetting old debts from gas deliveries from Ukraine.
These eight Tu-160s were of particular interest to the Russian armed forces , as they still had 80 to 90 percent of their operating time at the time. In Ukraine, a single Tu-160 remained in a museum on the Poltava base. The Tu-160 has been home to the Engels base in Saratov Oblast on the east bank of the Volga since 1993, part of the 121st TBAP of the 22nd TBAD. With the takeover of the eight ex-Ukrainian Tu-160s, the number increased to 14 machines. Since then, the regiment has been exclusively equipped with Tu-160s and thus has Russia’s only supersonic bomber capacity with strategic range.
modernization
On July 5, 2006 a new Tu-160M was handed over according to the modernized standard. The aircraft bears the number Rote 19 and the name of the chief designer of the Tu-160, "Valentin Blisnjuk". Another machine was added in mid-2007, and a program to modernize the remaining machines began. On April 29, 2008 the first newly produced Tu-160 Witali Kopylow was put into service and in 2015 two more Tu-160s were modernized according to the Tu-160M standard. On November 15, 2017, another Tu-160M was rolled out, which will later serve as a prototype of the M2 version. It was created from existing parts of an unfinished Tu-160 from the 1990s. It was the aircraft with the serial number 804, which had some modifications, but had no new engines. The aircraft first flew in January 2018 under the name "Pjotr Dejnekin" and is intended to be used for tests in connection with the development of the Tu-160M2. Operation of the Tu-160 is considered to be assured until 2040, as the Russian military announced at the end of May 2015 that it would purchase 50 new Tu-160s. Externally, the aircraft hardly differs from the earlier versions, but the cockpit, controls, communication and weapon systems are being developed from scratch. Initially, 10 aircraft should be built, the first of which should be delivered in 2021.
construction
The Tu-160 is designed as a low - wing aircraft in all-metal construction with swivel blades. The tail unit is conventionally designed with a horizontal tail unit attached to the vertical tail unit. Above the horizontal stabilizer, the vertical stabilizer is designed as a completely swiveling control surface. The retractable landing gear consists of two six-wheeled main landing gear and a nose landing gear with double tires. The Tu-160 is powered by four Kuznetsov NK-321 turbofan engines with an afterburner . With Mach 2 it reaches twice the speed of sound .
The maximum fuel load is 148 tons, which allows a maximum flight time of 15 hours. During longer missions, the machine can also be refueled in the air using the Il-78 .
Avionics
The aircraft has a digital fly-by-wire flight control system. The Sopka radar system is responsible for automatic terrain tracking, "Obsor-K" radar (NATO code name: English Clam Pipe ) for target approach and combat. An electro-optical fire control system , inertial navigation system and electronic countermeasures complete the equipment.
Calls
On November 17, 2015, Tu-160s were used in an armed conflict for the first time. As part of the military operation in Syria , the strategic long-distance air forces attacked targets of the terrorist group “ Islamic State ” in eastern Syria with cruise missiles of the type Ch-101 .
In December 2018, two Tu-160s visited Venezuela and in October 2019 two planes landed in South Africa.
Incidents
On September 18, 2003, the "Michail Gromow" crashed, with the four-man crew under Yuri Dejneko was killed. After evaluating the telemetric data from the flight recorder, the course of the accident could be reconstructed. During a test flight after an engine was repaired, it caught fire. The crew was able to send another radio message. During the landing approach and the resulting drop in altitude from 2100 to 1200 meters, the fuel tanks exploded and the aircraft fell into fragments. Twelve seconds passed from fire to explosion. The explosion resulted in the immediate death of the crew. At an altitude of between 120 and 150 meters, the ejection seats were automatically triggered. The crew could ultimately only be recovered dead in their ejection seats on the ground.
Trivia
The engines of the Tu-160 were used in the 1990s in a Tu-144LL that was reactivated for research purposes together with NASA . In contrast to the engines of the production version, this resulted in the possibility of a safe super cruise without an afterburner.
User states
Current users
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Russia - As of February 5, 2019, a maximum of 9 Tu-160 and 7 Tu-160M are in service with the strategic bomber fleet.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 pilots, 1 flight engineer, 1 weapons officer |
| length | 54.10 m |
| span | 55.70 m at a 20 ° angle 35.60 m at a 68 ° angle |
| height | 13.10 m |
| Wing area | approx. 360 m² |
| Wing extension | 8.6 with a 20 ° sweep 3.5 with a 68 ° sweep |
| Wing loading | minimum (empty weight) 306 kg / m² nominal (normal takeoff mass) 743 kg / m² maximum (maximum takeoff mass) 764 kg / m² |
| Empty mass | 110,000 kg |
| Takeoff mass | normal 267,500 kg maximum 275,000 kg |
| Fuel capacity | approx. 148,000 kg (internal) |
| g limits: | +2.5 |
| Top speed | 2220 km / h at optimal altitude 1030 km / h at sea level |
| Marching speed | approx. 850 km / h at optimal altitude |
| Climb performance | 70 m / s |
| Service ceiling | 15,544 m |
| Use radius | 7300 km |
| Takeoff route | approx. 2000 m |
| Landing route | approx. 1600 m |
| Engines | 4 × Kuznetsov -NK-321- turbofan engines |
| Thrust | 4 × 245.70 kN with afterburner 4 × 137.20 kN without afterburner |
| Thrust-to-weight ratio | maximum (empty mass) 0.89 nominal (normal take-off mass) 0.37 minimum (maximum take-off mass): 0.36 |
Armament
Load of 40,000 kg weapons in two internal bomb bays. In the bomb bay, drop weapons can be carried in six positions on an internal MKU-6-5U revolver magazine (rotating launcher frame ).
Air-to-ground missile
- 24 × Ch-15 (AS-16 "Kickback") - 350 kT nuclear warhead
- 12 × Ch-55 / Ch-55M / Ch-55SM (AS-15A / B "Kent-A / B") - 200 kT nuclear warhead
- 12 × Ch-55 5SE / Ch-555SH / Ch-555SD (AS-22 "Kluge") - conventional 200-410 kg warhead
- 12 × Ch-101 (AS-23A "Kodiak-A") - strategic cruise missile with stealth capability, - conventional 400 kg warhead
- 12 × Ch-102 (AS-23B "Kodiak-B") - strategic cruise missile with stealth capability, - nuclear 250 kT warhead
The Ch-45 cruise missile originally intended for the Tu-160 was never fully developed.
- 12 × Ch-58 USchKB (AS-11 "Kilter") - anti-radar missile, range 80–245 km
- 12 × Ch-31 PM (AS-17 "Krypton") - anti-radar missile, range 70–160 km
- 12 × Ch-31 AM (AS-17 "Krypton") - anti-ship missile with active radar target search, range 150 km
Guided bombs
- 12 × BD-4 suspensions for 1 × region JSC KAB-1500 S-E (satellite navigation-guided 1500 kg bomb)
- 12 × BD-3U suspensions for 1 × region JSC KAB-500 S-E (satellite navigation-guided 500 kg bomb)
Unguided bombs
- 64 × FAB-250 (250 kg free fall bomb )
- 64 × RBK-250-275 (275 kg cluster bomb )
- 32 × FAB-500 (500 kg free fall bomb)
- 32 × OFAB-500 (500 kg free-fall bomb)
- 32 × OFZAB-500 (500 kg incendiary bomb )
- 32 × RBK-500 (500 kg cluster bomb)
- 16 × FAB-1000 (1000 kg free fall bomb)
- 8 × FAB-1500 (1500 kg free fall bomb)
- nuclear free fall bombs
Sources for this section
literature
- Tupolev Tu-160 "Blackjack" . In: de Agostini (ed.): Aircraft. The new encyclopedia of aviation . No. 198 . Topic, Munich-Karlsfeld 1996, p. 5523-5533 .
Web links
- Tu 160 "Blackjack" (English)
- RIAN photo series
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Stefan Büttner, Alexander Golz: The new blackjack - first modernized Tu-160 in service. In: Fliegerrevue November 2006, pp. 28–30.
- ↑ Военные отчитались о поставках современных вооружений в 2015 году. In: lenta.ru. December 11, 2015, accessed April 12, 2017 (Russian, Ministry of Defense announced deliveries in 2015, including 2 modernized Tu-160s).
- ↑ New Tu-160M bomber completed in Kazan. In: Flugrevue.de. November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2017 .
- ↑ a b TASS: Military & Defense - Russia's upgraded Tu-160 strategic bomber started flight trials last week - source. In: tass.com. January 24, 2018, accessed on December 6, 2018 (English): "" the new plane was not a modernized bomber prototype. "The plane underwent only small-scale upgrade while its airframe and the engines have remained the same, ..." "
- ↑ Британские истребители подняты на перехват российских бомбардировщиков Ту-160. In: vedomosti.ru. January 15, 2018, Retrieved December 6, 2018 (Russian).
- ↑ Patrick Hoeveler: Russia wants to build Tupolev Tu-160 again. FlugRevue, May 29, 2015, accessed on December 2, 2016 : “The Russian Air Force wants to procure at least 50 copies of the Tupolev Tu-160M Blackjack. The production of the strategic bomber was stopped in the 1990s for lack of money. "
- ↑ a b Russia to Receive Entire Fleet of Upgraded Supersonic Nuclear-Capable Bombers by 2030. In: thediplomat.com. March 21, 2018, accessed December 6, 2018 .
- ↑ Russia Is Testing a "New" Tu-160 Blackjack Supersonic Bomber , Nationalinterest, January 25, 2018
- ↑ Military aviation promised an early correction , Kommersant, January 31, 2019
- ↑ Illustration of the deflections of the pendulum elevator and rudder on the Tu-160
- ↑ a b Tu-160 BLACKJACK (TUPOLEV). In: globalsecurity.org. Retrieved August 21, 2018 .
- ↑ Tupolev Tu-160 'Blackjack'. In: milavia.net. Retrieved March 10, 2016 .
- ^ Overscan's guide to Russian Military Avionics. (No longer available online.) In: aerospace.boopidoo.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012 ; accessed on December 2, 2016 .
- ↑ Nicholas de Larrinaga: Russia launches long-range air sorties into Syria. In: janes.com. November 17, 2015, accessed November 19, 2015 .
- ^ Long-range bombers to fly anti-ISIS missions from Russia, Putin orders Navy to work with France. In: RT News. rt.com, November 17, 2015, accessed November 27, 2015 .
- ^ Massive air strikes by Russian long-range bombers on IS objects in Syria. In: de.sputniknews.com. November 17, 2015, accessed November 27, 2015 .
- ↑ Thielko meal: Russian state company Rosneft - What Moscow has to lose in Venezuela. In: deutschlandfunk.de. January 25, 2019, accessed May 23, 2019 .
- ↑ Kersten Knipp, Benita van Eyssen: Putin's African ambitions. In: DW. October 23, 2019, accessed May 7, 2020 .
- ↑ «Погибли, потому что боролись»: что случилось с Ту-160. In: ГАЗЕТА.RU. Рамблер - news.rambler.ru, September 18, 2018, accessed February 5, 2019 (Russian).
- ^ The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS): The Military Balance 2018 . 1st edition. Routledge, London 2018, ISBN 978-1-85743-955-7 , pp. 193 (English, January 2018, 10 Tu-160 and 6 Tu-160M).
- ↑ «Туполев» передал в эксплуатацию очередной Ту-160. In: ПАО «Tupolev». tupolev.ru, February 5, 2019, accessed on December 8, 2019 (English, 1 existing Tu-160 was modernized into the Tu-160M variant and delivered).
- ↑ David Donald: Tupolev Bombers. AIRtime Publishing, 2003, Westport, CT 06881, USA, ISBN 1-880588-62-5 .
- ^ Jefim Gordon : Soviet / Russian Aircraft Weapons Since World War II. Midland Publishing, 2005, ISBN 1-85780-188-1 .