Tupolev Tu-116
| Tupolev Tu-116 | |
|---|---|
 Tupolev Tu-116 |
|
| Type: | Turboprop - airliner |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
April 23, 1957 |
| Number of pieces: |
2 |
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The Tupolev Tu-116 ( Russian Туполев Ту-116 , NATO code name : Cleat ) was the most powerful and fastest turboprop airliner in the world until it was replaced by the Tu-114 in 1961 . It was developed from the Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bomber , which has a large payload, range and speed.
history
Like the Tu-114 developed in parallel, the Tu-116 was based on the Tu-95 strategic bomber. The task of the aircraft was to transport the top management of the state with security personnel and entourage. The development of the Tu-116, which was to be used for trips by General Secretary Nikita Khrushchev during the so-called thaw period , had a higher priority than the Tu-114, as it would not have been ready in time for a trip to the United States of America .
Although the airliner could be completed in just over a year due to the relatively simple modifications, the original commissioning was postponed from September 1956 to 1957, as the Tupolev design office was busy with military orders. The aircraft was given the internal designation Tu-114D ("Diplomatitscheski"), which later caused some confusion - Tu-114D (D for "Dalni", Russian for "long distance") was also the official name of the transatlantic variant of the Tu-114 64 passenger seats.
The plane was used to transport 24 passengers, a cook, a flight attendant, a navigator announcer who informed the passengers about the flight and ten to twelve armed guards in case of emergency. Technically, the Tu-116 differed from the original Tu-95 in the removal of all protective and bombing equipment, the conversion of the space behind the wings into two passenger cabins, a toilet, a luggage room and a kitchen with a total area of 70 square meters and the equipment of the fuselage with additional windows. The first passenger cabin had space for six to eight passengers, the second was designed for three VIP passengers and equipped with beds and sofas. The pressurized cabin led to a short hallway with a lowerable staircase that was used for entry and exit and also as an emergency exit. The flight crew consisted of two pilots, a navigator, a flight engineer, an on-board mechanic and a radio operator.
use
The Tu-116 were derived from two series Tu-95 (MSN 402 and 409). Neither aircraft was used for its intended purpose. After the flight tests, both commercial aircraft were handed over to the Soviet Air Force and served different purposes until the early 1990s.
A Tu-116 is on display in the Ulyanovsk Aircraft Museum. The second Tu-116 was scrapped, with components such as the engines being used as spare parts for Tu-95 bombers.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 7-8 |
| Passengers | 24 (max. 60) |
| length | 46.17 m |
| span | 54.1 m |
| height | 15.5 m |
| Wing area | 311.1 m² |
| Empty mass | 93,500 kg |
| payload | maximum 32,000 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 182,000 kg |
| drive | 4 × propeller turbines Kuznetsov NK-12 MW with 11,000 kW (15,000 PS) each |
| Top speed | 900 km / h |
| Cruising speed | 800 km / h |
| Range | 10,750 km |
| Service ceiling | 12,000 m |
| Wing loading | 421 kg / m² |
| Power load | 168 W / kg |
literature
- Jefim Gordon , Vladimir Rigmant: Tupolev Tu-114. Red Star Volume 31. Ian Allan Publishing, ISBN 1-85780-246-2 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Rudolf Höfling: Tupolew . Airplanes since 1922. Motorbuch, Stuttgart 2012, ISBN 978-3-613-03459-4 , p. 98 .
- ↑ http://www.airwar.ru/enc/aliner/tu116.html