Tupolev Tu-128

Tupolev Tu-128
Tupolev Tu-128
Type:	Long-range interceptors
Design country:	Soviet Union
Manufacturer:	OKB Tupolev
First flight:	March 18, 1961
Commissioning:	1963
Production time:	1963 to 1970
Number of pieces:	198

The Tupolev Tu-128 ( Russian Туполев Ту-128 , NATO code name : Fiddler ) was a Soviet long-range interceptor . It was commissioned from Tupolev in 1957 and was based on the Tu-102 designed as a long-range escort fighter. An early designation of the Tu-128 was also Tu-28 or Tu-28P. It is the largest series-produced fighter in the world.

history

The background to the development of the Tu-128 was the need for a long-range air defense against newly developed western aircraft and cruise missiles in the remote border areas of the Soviet Union, which in the early 1950s was neither used by interceptors at the time nor by the early anti-aircraft missiles such as the S-25 and S- 75 could be covered. This required all-weather interceptors with a long range and sophisticated positioning systems. Corresponding considerations already existed when designing the La-250 , which took off on its maiden flight in 1956. The construction of the Tu-128 began in 1958 based on an earlier bomber design called the Tu-98 . On June 4, 1959 and August 28, 1959, the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers issued directives ordering the development of an air interception complex called the Tu-28-80. According to these instructions, the OKB-156 should construct the aircraft with two engines Ljulka AL-7 F-2 or two WD-19s of OKB Dobrynin. The Smertsch radar system was to be developed by OKB Volkov and the K-80 missile from OKB Bisnowat. The prototype should be available for testing in the first quarter of 1960 and for government acceptance in the fourth quarter of 1960. During the construction phase of the Tu-28-80, orders for the development of remote-controlled target display aircraft based on the Il-28 and Jak-25 were given and work on remotely controlled Tu-16 was carried out . Tu-98LL and Tu-10LL were used to test the radar .

The main armament of the Tu-128 consisted of Bisnowat R-4 (K-80; NATO designation: AA-5 "Ash") air-to-air missiles with radar or infrared target detection . The two missiles with a radar seeker head should be used for attacks on oncoming aircraft and the two missiles with an infrared seeker head against aircraft when attacking from the rear hemisphere or during radio countermeasures. On the basis of theoretical considerations, it was assumed that there was a probability of destruction of around 76% in an attack with two missiles on an enemy aircraft. The missiles later ran under the designation R-4R and R-4T in different variants, depending on the version. The main area of ​​application was the interception of very high-flying targets such as long-range bombers, whereby the Tu-128 did not have to fly at the height of the attacking aircraft. The peculiarity was that there was no need for maneuver air combat and the aircraft was only designed for a load multiple of 2.0 to 2.5 g , the rocket for this up to 15 g. The hunter should pull up when attacking, which could reduce the maximum search angle of the radar upwards. Due to its relatively long range, the Tu-128 could patrol for 3 to 3½ hours.

In June 1959 the draft drawings were presented to the client. Construction of the prototype began in December 1959 and was completed in the summer of 1960. However, since the radar and the rocket prototypes were not yet ready, the prototype was only handed over for factory testing on January 23, 1961. The first taxi attempts took place on February 27, 1961 and on March 18, the pilots M. Koslow and K. Malchassjan took off for the first flight . On the eighth flight on April 20, the machine reached Mach 0.98 at an altitude of 11,000 m and Mach 1.06 on April 24, 1961. The prototype was shown to the public for the first time on July 9th at the Tuschino air parade. The prototype was called Tu-28, the production name was Isdelije (product) 1 . The first serial machine (0101) from Plant 24 in Voronezh had its maiden flight on May 13, 1961, and on March 20, 1962, joint state tests began with the five machines that were now in existence. In August 1962, interception tests began on a Tu-16 and on September 27, the first prototype shot down a remote-controlled Il-28M with an R-4R, which was grasped from about 30 km away. The factory and state tests were very extensive and ran over a period of forty months and 799 test flights. During this trial period, the state approval commission allowed the start of series production on November 10, 1962. The flight tests went smoothly except for one dangerous incident, so that only a few changes were necessary for the series machine. Unfortunately, the dangerous incident was not fully investigated and likely nine years later resulted in a tragic crash of a production machine under similar conditions. During the flight test, an asymmetric launch of the rockets caused a machine to spin at an altitude of 11,800 m and could only be intercepted again at 2000 m by the test pilot Yuri Rogachev. On December 12, 1963, the aircraft was given the designation Tu-128, the air force complex around the aircraft with the missiles was designated as Tu-128S-4 (resolution 00134). By this time the AL-7F-1 of the prototypes had already been replaced by the more powerful AL-7F-2 and extensive minor changes were made to the structure and equipment. Smaller improvements were also made steadily during series production. On April 30, 1965, the aircraft was officially taken into the armament of the Soviet air defense . The first series variant had two stabilizing fins under the stern to compensate for the negative effects of the large, removable fuselage tub that contained the flight data recorder. The stabilizing fins were later removed after it was determined that they could be dispensed with. At the air parade in 1967 a series machine without a fuselage pan and stabilizing fins was shown, which was called the Tu-128P in the west.

The second stage of field testing of the machine was completed in 1968. It turned out that it was very difficult for the Tu-128 to intercept fast-flying aircraft from the rear. In addition, it was found that the Tu-128 could not fight low-flying targets, which became the standard attack tactic of the USA and NATO countries in the late 1960s. Therefore, on December 26, 1968, the instruction to modernize the Tu-128M was given, which should include a new Smertsch-M radar and new R-4RM and R-4TM missiles. The modernization plans of OKB Tupolew for the Tu-128M were available in November 1969 and the conversion of two machines (4201 and 4202) began. On August 5, 1970, the first of the two machines was delivered for testing. The test program in Zhukovsky ran until July 24, 1974, the troop trials began in the summer of 1977 at the Sary-Schagal firing range, but the Tu-128S-4M air force complex was not officially taken into armament until June 28, 1979 after various deficiencies had been rectified and the existing machines were then brought up to date by the service and repair workshop in Semipalatinsk. The conversion was very slow and lasted until 1984. Externally, the Tu-128M could only be recognized by additional air intakes for an improved cooling system below the cockpit, which was necessary because the Tu-128M was usually deeper (500 to 1,500 instead of 8,000 to 10,000 m with the Tu-128) should fly.

Around the same time as the instructions for the development of the Tu-128M were issued, the development of the Tu-128UT trainer also began in OKB Tupolev. The instruction to do so was formally given in September 1966, but initially this was not considered necessary because of the machine's good flight characteristics. At the end of the development phase, on August 4, 1970, the decision was made to convert four existing series machines to Tu-128UT. Instead of the radar, the seat for the instructor was installed in these. After the flight tests in early 1971, this variant was officially approved on September 14, 1971. All 14 trainers built were converted from existing Tu-128s for lack of funds for the construction of new machines, whereby the ten machines built in 1971 corresponded to the Tu-128M stand. Production of the Tu-128 also ended that year. In addition to the Tu-128UT, three highly developed KTS-128 flight simulators were built in Leningrad in 1968, which were able to simulate various malfunctions in addition to normal flight situations such as take-off, landing and interception.

However, long before the Tu-128M, efforts were made to further develop the machine. So the AL-7F-4 and modified control flaps were built into the first series machine 0101 at the beginning of 1963, with 11,100 kp more thrust but somewhat heavier. A little later the again improved AL-7F-4G engine was used, with which the Tu-128 could reach Mach 1.6 (according to other sources Mach 1.96) with full armament. However, series production was not approved due to the necessary changes. A similar fate befell the proposal to replace the AL-7F with a more powerful WD-19, an improved radar (Smertsch-A or Groza-100) and new missiles (K-80M or K-100). This engine was only installed in a Tu-128LL engine test machine in 1965, which showed that the maximum speed only increased by about 100 km / h, which resulted in the termination of the tests for the Tu-28A-80- and Tu-28A-100 -Projects led. Other projects such as the installation of a Kolessow RD 36-41 engine remained such as the Tu-138-60 (WD-19 engine, Smersch-A-Radar and K-60 rocket), the Tu-138-100 (WD -19 engine, Groza-100 radar and K-100 missile), the Tu-148-100 (swivel-wing, RD-19-R2 engine, Smersch-100 radar and K-100 missile) and the Tu-148 -33 (Zaslon radar, R-33 missile) pure development studies. The project of the Tu-148-33, supported by the then Air Force chief Anatoly L. Kadomzew, which was supposed to reach a range of more than 4,500 km and also fight low and very high-flying targets, came to a standstill after Kadomzew crashed one in May 1968 MiG-25P had died and the new command relied on the MiG-31 . The 1969 proposed further development of a Tu-128B into a tactical bomber with a range of 2345 km, a payload of 1.5 t and 1770 km / h never came to a conclusion, as the Jak-28 and Su-24 project were better suited for this purpose. The proposal to build a Tu-128R reconnaissance plane was also rejected by the Soviet government.

The last documented flights of a Tu-128 took place in autumn 1988 when the remaining planes were transferred to Rzhev . Today four machines are still preserved, one in Monino , one in Sawasleika and two in Rzhev.

variants

A total of 198 pieces of this machine were built between 1962 and 1971.

Tu-28 ("Fiddler-A")
Two prototypes were built for testing. These had two stabilizing fins under the stern and only two guided missile launch rails.

Tu-128 ("Fiddler-B")
The Tu-128 was delivered in its original form in two known modifications. The basic variant was taken into service in 1964. It has four guided missile launch rails and was named the Tu-128S-4 complete weapon complex. In the west it was also named as Tu-28P or Tu-128P.

Tu-128UT ("Fiddler")

Tu-128UT at the Rzhev military airfield

The Tu-128UT was designed as a training machine with an additional cockpit at the front instead of a radar. This variant thus had three seats, although the use of this training version for the on-board operator was limited due to the lack of radar. Of this variant, only ten newly built Tu-128s were immediately converted and four existing Tu-128 machines were converted. The Soviet Air Force often called these machines "Pelican" because of their appearance.

Tu-128M ("Fiddler")
From 1971 tests were carried out on the old machine to make the machine more flexible. It should be able to be used for close combat in areas 500–1500 meters above ground and at the same time the service ceiling should be improved and the speed increased. The main points of this modification were the installation of a new radar of the type RP-SM "Smertsch-M", an improvement of the RP-SA "Smertsch-A" used in the MiG-25 , and devices for receiving improved missiles of the type R-4RM and R-4TM. This variant was named Tu-128M. All the remaining machines were converted by 1984 and were in service until 1990. The successor to the Tu-128M was the MiG-31 in most units .

construction

The Tu-128 is a low- wing aircraft manufactured in half-shell construction , the fuselage of which was composed of four parts. The tip of the fuselage extends to frame 11 and contains the radome , the forward equipment room and the pressurized cabin for the two crew members accommodated on KT-1 ejection seats. The ejection seats allowed the rescue at a speed in level flight between 130 and 1150 km / h and at any altitude. The air pressure in the cockpit was kept at a pressure at an altitude of 7000 m, which corresponded to that at 2000 m, at higher altitudes the pressure in the cabin fell continuously and at the service peak corresponded to that at 6000 m. To protect the crew in the event of a system failure or when the ejection seats were used, the crew was equipped with oxygen masks or, alternatively, with full pressure suits (e.g. for flight over water). The cockpit was equipped with a heating and cooling system, the latter of which turned out to be inadequate when flying at low altitude and especially when preparing the aircraft in summer. In the Tu-128M, the cooling system was improved by additional extendable air inlets, at least in flight. The front part of the fuselage with nose wheel and air intake duct with a movable cone goes to frame 25. The middle section extends from frame 25 to 32 and contains the wing mounts and the air intake flaps for additional air for the engines. The rear part of the fuselage up to frame 57 contains the engines, the afterburners , the rudder with a 54 ° sweep and the container for the braking parachute with a 50 m² dome surface. The wings with a 56 ° sweep consist of five parts, whereby the pressure-tight middle parts are designed as fuel tanks and contain the attachment points for the main landing gear and the weapon carrier. The machine carries a total of 15,500 liters of TS-1 fuel in ten fuselage tanks and two wing tanks. The landing gear consists of a nose landing gear with double tires with wheels measuring 600 × 155W and a main landing gear with two double wheels 800 × 225W. In evaluating the problems with the Tu-98, the track width was widened from 2.5 m to 6.85 m in order to improve the stability during take-off and landing. The engines used are Ljulka AL-7F-2 with 10,100 kp thrust with afterburner and a target operating time of 300 hours. The avionics allows the use at any time day or night and in all weather conditions. Two rockets with an infrared seeker head on the inner supports on the wings and two rockets with a semi-active radar seeker head on the outer supports were used as armament. These could be fired safely up to a speed of Mach 1.38. The aircraft could be brought to a destination with the help of the ground-based automatic guidance systems Wosduch-1 and Kaskad-M, the data of which was received by the Lasur-M data link system on board and displayed accordingly. This could record the airspace situation in a radius of up to 1000 km and pass targets on to the Tu-128. The line to the land airfield was also possible with this system. The Smertsch radar of the Tu-128 could detect aircraft the size of a Tu-16 at least 50 km (60% detection probability) and aircraft the size of a MiG-19 at 30 to 45 km. The search angle was 60 ° horizontally and 14 ° vertically, with the area being scanned every 3.5 seconds. The rockets could be activated from a distance of up to 45 km on a Tu-16 and up to 32 km on a MiG-19. The built-in IFF system SRZO-2M could identify aircraft up to a distance of 40 km. The avionics consisted of the Route-4P navigation system and the RSNB-2 IFR system, the NWU-B navigation computer, the KS-6W course computer, the AP-7P autopilot, which was not fully operational until 1969, and the TsSW-1M-1W altimeter, speed and direction meters , DISS-2, KUSI-2500, ZWS, ARK-10, WDI-30 and RW-UM, the ILS receiver MRP-56P, the radio system 1RSB-70-US-8, RSIU-5W and SPU with a range of up to up to 3000 km to the ground station and up to 500 km to other aircraft. The KZA flight data recorder was housed in a removable container under the fuselage. There was a standard variant and a "full" variant of this. The standard variant filmed the pilot's instrument panel and the screen of the Smertsch radar in the navigator's cockpit. The extended variant weighed 500 kg and could also record the data from the missiles, radar, data link and some other data. Some Tu-128 were equipped with Sirena-3 radar warning sensors in the late 1970s. At the time, the aircraft was considered easy to produce because it was designed for simple production and the materials and technologies used - with the exception of the integrated wing tanks - had already been used before. The wing structure was made of the aluminum alloys D-16, W-93 and W-95, and magnesium alloys such as MI25-74 were also used for some molded parts such as the steering wheels . Steel alloys such as 30ChGSNA and EI-643 were used for bolts and structural parts .

Technical specifications

Tu-128

Three-sided tear

Parameter	Data
crew	2
length	30.06 m
span	17.53 m
Tail rudder wingspan	8.00 m
height	7.15 m
Wing area	96.94 m²
Empty mass	25,960 kg (with standard flight data recorder)
Takeoff mass	maximum 43,000 kg
Engine	two TL Ljulka AL-7 F-2 (100 kN each with afterburner, 67.6 kN without afterburner)
Top speed	1,665 m / h in 11,000 m with four rockets and 32 t AUW 1,910 km / h in 12,000 m without rockets, each with a full afterburner
Operating speed	1,300 km / h optimal supersonic speed for interception from maximum distance patrol speed 910 km / h
Rate of climb	3.5 / 14 min at 10,000 m with / without afterburner and 43 t take-off weight
Service ceiling	15,400 m with maximum afterburner and 32 t mass 12,800 m with maximum thrust without afterburner lighter machines also reached 20,000 m
maximum load factor	1.8 g at all altitudes with a mass of more than 37 t 2 g over 10 km altitude and 2.2–2.5 g otherwise
Range	normal 2,510 km at 910 km / h and 43.4 t take-off mass before rolling
Interception range	580 km with a full afterburner 930 km combined 1230 km at 910 km / h
Take-off run	1,350 m with a full afterburner and 43 t take-off weight and flaps at 30 °
Landing runway	830 m with braking parachute, flaps at 30 °, spoilers and full braking power
Landing speed	290 km / h

Armament

Weapon loading of approx. 2500 kg at four external load stations air-to-air guided missiles

• 4 × suspension points for 1 × * Bisnowat R-4 R (K-80 or AA-5 "Ash") - semi-active, radar-controlled for short distances (only Tu-128)
• 4 × suspension points for 1 × * Bisnowat R-4T (K-80 or AA-5 "Ash"): infrared controlled for short distances (only Tu-128)
• 4 × suspension points for 1 × * Bisnowat R-4MR (K-80 or AA-5 "Ash"): semi-active, radar-controlled for short distances (only Tu-128M)
• 4 × suspension points for 1 × * Bisnowat R-4MT (K-80 or AA-5 "Ash"): infrared controlled for short distances (only Tu-128M)

commitment

At the end of the 1960s, it was actually planned to equip more than 25 fighter squadrons along the borders with Tu-128. In reality, however, only six squadrons, each with three squadrons of nine to twelve aircraft each, were set up. The first to receive the machine was the 445th Fighter Squadron in Kotlas . This was followed by the 356th IAP in Semipalatinsk , the 64th IAP in Omsk , and the 350th IAP in Belaja . The machines were used at the border in part from upstream airfields and also operated there with Tu-126 reconnaissance vehicles and were thus able to intercept aircraft up to 1100 km from the state border. The only combat missions of the Tu-128 were the shooting down of some American reconnaissance balloons over the Soviet Union between 1972 and 1985. In addition, the machines accompanied reconnaissance aircraft of the USA such as the RC-135 and SR-71 .

Incidents

1960s

In 1966, a pilot error caused a Tu-128 to come to a halt behind the runway and was thus irreparably damaged. The crew was unharmed.

In the summer of 1967 a machine crashed due to a total electrical failure, with the crew using the ejection seats to save themselves.

On October 4, 1967, the navigator of a Tu-128 died after the engines failed due to a fault in the fuel system and his ejector seat did not work.

On March 7, 1968, a machine was destroyed while landing in a snow storm after it had slipped off the runway.

On July 10, 1968, a machine burned out after it slipped while standing on the runway with the engines running, which was perceived by the pilot as releasing the brake. However, because of the movement was that by high summer temperatures used to seal the concrete slabs of the runway asphalt melted and the tires were start to slide on the asphalt. The pilot, who had given full take-off thrust including the afterburner, did not notice this. After a short distance, the left main landing gear came on unpolluted concrete and the machine first began to turn to the left, then the tires of the left main landing gear burst due to the overheating caused by the friction on the concrete. The pilot was unable to compensate for the turn and the machine went off the runway. In the soft earth, first the right, then the left main landing gear collapsed, whereupon the wings and fuselage hit the earth and the resulting damage caused the machine to catch fire. The crew could leave the machine without outside help.

On August 4, 1968, a machine crashed due to the failure of the engines due to a fault in the fuel supply. The crew was able to save themselves with the help of the ejection seats.

On May 28, 1969, a Tu-128 exploded - probably as a result of an engine fire - in the air, killing the crew. This had received a fire alarm in one of the engines, but could not observe the engines from the cockpit. So she called an accompanying aircraft to inspect the engine instead of leaving the aircraft using an ejector seat. A periscope was installed in later machines to observe the engines .

On September 14, 1969, a main landing gear leg broke during landing due to a manufacturing defect. The machine slipped off the runway and collided with a waiting An-12 . The crew was able to leave the machine with the ejection seats, but the pilot's parachute did not unfold due to the low speed. Only the navigator survived with severe burns, while the pilot as well as the crew and passengers of the An-12 perished.

1970s

On December 24, 1970, a machine crashed due to a manufacturing defect in a stabilizer and the controller blocked as a result. The crew saved themselves with the ejection seats. On April 6, 1971, a machine collided with a mountain in bad weather conditions due to incorrect flight planning and the flight area unknown to the crew. On May 25, 1971, after launching rockets at a training target, a machine went into a tailspin while diving away from the target with the afterburner switched on. When trying to intercept the machine from a spin, the pilot exceeded the load limits of the aircraft, causing the wings to break off at 7 g . Something similar had happened nine years earlier when the aircraft was being tested, but the test pilot was able to intercept the machine with a slightly lower load. This became the standard training program for the pilots after the accident was cleared up. At the beginning of 1972, a pilot's mistake caused a machine to be set up in front of the actual runway and so damaged that it had to be written off. On May 12, 1972, the crew of a machine was killed after the failure of the afterburner in one of the engines hit the runway again during take-off, came off the runway and caught fire. On June 9, 1972, a machine was lost due to an operating error by the pilot during take-off. The crew saved themselves with the ejection seats. On July 18, 1971, a machine went into a tailspin during a test flight for the asymmetrical launch of two rockets at supersonic speeds and high altitude. The pilot died after operating the ejection seat as a result of a collision with a seat part; the navigator did not operate the ejection seat for unknown reasons and was also killed. On December 14, 1972, an aircraft was destroyed when the crew missed the runway in poor visibility and collided with a vehicle on the ground. The crews of the aircraft and the vehicle were killed. On March 30, 1973 a machine was lost due to a mistake by the pilot. This wanted to abort the landing and take off and switched on the afterburner. However, this led to a short-term loss of thrust in this type of engine, as a result of which the machine touched down, shot over the end of the runway and was destroyed. The only slightly injured navigator was able to save the more seriously injured pilot. On May 21, 1973, fire broke out in an engine during take-off. The machine crashed after the crew had saved themselves with the ejection seats. In the winter of 1974, a machine was damaged on landing by touching down in front of the runway. The regimental commander decided to park the machine on the ice surface of a lake due to lack of space, where it collapsed and sank when the temperature rose unexpectedly. After being recovered, it had to be scrapped. On May 21, 1974, a pilot's mistake caused a machine to come off the runway in a crosswind, collided with a building and exploded. The pilot was killed, the navigator saved himself with the ejection seat. On March 25, 1975 an engine of a Tu-128 caught fire, whereupon the crew tried to save themselves with the help of the ejection seats. Due to a fault in the locking mechanism of the two ejection seats, both ignited practically at the same time and collided, killing the navigator.

On September 2, 1975, an aircraft had to be scrapped after the pilot touched down at too high a speed and the braking parachute failed. She did not stop until the end of the runway after the nose landing gear broke off in a snowdrift. In the same month another machine was lost under similar circumstances, although the pilot forgot to activate the braking parachute. On June 21, 1976, a Tu-128 was lost during take-off due to a hydraulic failure. The crew saved themselves with the ejection seats. On December 1, 1976 and May 4, 1977, the respective crews left their machines after a fire in an engine, after which they crashed and were destroyed. On May 24, 1977, the navigator of a machine was killed by a malfunction of the ejector seat after the pilot had sunk too steeply on the landing approach, could no longer intercept the machine and had actuated the ejector seat. At the beginning of 1978 a machine was badly damaged in an accident and was later written off. On July 17, 1978, two Tu-128s collided in flight after one of the aircraft in the pair had been steered under the other aircraft due to the pilot's inattention. The upper machine was only slightly damaged and was able to land. The lower machine crashed. The crew saved themselves with an ejector seat, but could not be rescued alive from the icy Arctic Ocean until hours later.

1980s

On March 11, 1980, the pilot of a machine was killed in an accident and the machine was destroyed. On August 14, 1980, a machine crashed when starting due to an error in the control system. The crew remained unharmed by using the ejection seats. During the investigation of the accident, it turned out that a safety lever in the cockpit had not engaged, which was not visible to the pilot due to a design flaw. In February 1981, when landing at night, in bad weather and in fog, a Tu-128 came to a standstill behind the runway with the main landing gear broken and badly damaged. In March a Tu-128 was lost due to an engine failure (a blade in the compressor came loose). The crew saved themselves through the ejection seats. On February 18, 1982 a Tu-128M got into the exhaust jet of a target Tu-16 during a training flight due to a pilot's error, whereupon the machine spun and broke apart. The crew could not release the ejection seats due to the high forces and were killed. On August 12, 1982, a Tu-128M shot over the end of the runway and was irreparably damaged after the pilot aborted the take-off because the navigator forgot to close his cockpit canopy properly. On August 18, 1982, the pilot of a machine was killed by the failure of the afterburner at take-off, because the machine took off too late, did not climb, brushed a building behind the end of the runway and hit the ground about 650 m behind the runway. The navigator was able to save himself with the ejection seat. On September 16, 1982, a Tu-128M crashed after take-off due to a fire in the engine. The crew saved themselves with the ejection seats. On April 7, 1983, a pilot tried to touch down at the end of the runway due to inattention and bad weather. When he realized his mistake, he pulled the plane up so steeply that the tail touched the ground and touched down again 3.8 km after the runway. The crew remaining in the machine got away with the horror despite the complete destruction of the machine. On February 1, 1984, a Tu-128M crashed due to a failure in the control system. The crew saved themselves with the ejection seats. In the winter of 1984 a plane was irreparably damaged by a pilot mistake while landing in bad weather. On June 6, 1985, the hydraulic control system of a machine failed and the aircraft went into an uncontrollable attitude. The pilot broke his neck when exiting the aircraft with the ejector seat because he had opened the visor of the helmet upwards. The navigator got away with minor injuries. On August 6, 1985, the crew was killed and the aircraft destroyed because the pilot forgot to extend the landing flaps, touched down at far too high speed and rammed a building behind the runway. In July 1986 a Tu-128M crashed after an error in the control system; the crew survived. On January 15, 1987, a Tu-128M was irreparably damaged in a failed landing in a snow storm. The uninjured crew left their aircraft on March 16, 1987 after a fire broke out in an engine due to a compressor blade breaking.

At the end of her service life in the mid-1980s, problems with various components due to corrosion became more common. This was favored by the alloys used (especially the magnesium alloys) and the use under severe weather conditions. The braking parachutes also frequently failed due to aging at the end of their service life.

literature

• Dieter Stammer: Tupolew Tu-128 - the heaviest hunter of all time . In: FLiEGERREVUE X . No. 59 . PPV Medien, Bergkirchen 2016, p. 64-74 .

Web links

Commons : Tupolev Tu-128  - collection of images

• Some Rare Tu-128 Interceptor Jets of Rzhevsk. English Russia, accessed January 1, 2015 (English, close-ups of a Tu-128 in Rzhev ). 

Individual evidence

1. ^ Nikolai Jakubowitsch: Tupolev's excursion into the hunter compartment - rocket carrier. In: Classics of Aviation No. 1/2013, p. 46
2. ↑ [1]
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} FliegerRevueX issue 59, pp. 64–74, Tupolew Tu-128 - the heaviest fighter of all time .
4. ^ ^{A b c d} Paul Duffy, AI Kandalov: Tupolev The Man and his Aircraft . SAE, 1996, ISBN 978-1-56091-899-8 , pp. 138 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} Alan Dawes, Sergey Burdin, Nikolai Popov: Tupolev Tu-128 "Fiddler" . Fonthill Media, 2014, ISBN 978-1-78155-404-3 (English).
6. ↑ Christopher Chant: A Compendium of Armaments and Military Hardware (Routledge Revivals) . Routledge, 2014, ISBN 978-1-134-64668-5 , pp. 475 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
7. ↑ Николай Якубович: Все боевые самолеты Туполева. Коллекционное издание . Litres, 2014, ISBN 5-457-39552-9 , pp. 216 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
8. ↑ Jefim Gordon : Soviet Heavy Interceptors (=  Red Star . No. 19 ). Midland, ISBN 1-85780-191-1 .
9. ↑ AB Shirokorad : Wooruschenie Sowjetskoj Awiazij 1941–1991. 2004, ISBN 985-13-2049-8 , p. 625.