Post WW2

Tupolev Tu-12 / Tu-77

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The Tu-12 was the last derivative of the Tu-2, better known as the Tu-77, really as a follow-on of the ANT numbering sequence. The VVS gave it the designation Tu-12. The Tu-12 was the Soviet Union’s first jet bomber. Tupolev intended it as an interim measure to develop later aircraft and to train crews in the handling of larger jet aircraft. Sergei Yeger, working under Tupolev’s supervision, led the programme. He took the basic Tu-2 fuselage, wings and tailplane, and adapted them only for the higher speeds of a jet. It was one of very few jets of the 1940s to feature a twin tail. The undercarriage was changed from a tailwheeler to a tricycle, and under the wings were fitted Rolls-Royce Derwent engines; for several years after the war, the British government allowed engines, and some other aviation components, to be sold to the USSR. Although Soviet designers were hurriedly developing jet engines, by the time of the Tu-12 in 1947 even MiG-15s were using either Rolls-Royce engines or licence-built copies of them. Only Lyulka’s jet engines were of Soviet design and manufacture, and these at that time had hardly half the power of the Nenes fitted on the Tu-12, which gave a static thrust of 2,270kp/5,0041b. The first Tu-12 was built at factory N156, the new title for the former KOSOS TsAGI works attached to the design offices. It was completed in May 1947, and after transfer to Zhukovski and reassembly, Aleksei Pereliot flew it on its first flight on 27 June. There were no major difficulties found in the test programme. For an interim aircraft its performance was reasonable: maximum speed was 783kph/487mph, range was 2,200km/l,367 miles, and its service ceiling was ll,300m/37,075feet. The VVS accepted the prototype Tu-12, and production began at factory N23 in Moscow with an order for five. However, only three were completed. These were completed by 1950, and were used by the Air Force in a training role for a short while. One was used as a flight test aircraft by the LII for experimental work with rocket engines, which were mounted on a pylon above the centre fuselage.

Engine: 2 x Rolls-Royce Nene I turbojets, 5000-lb (2272-kg)
Max take-off weight: 15720 kg / 34657 lb
Empty weight: 8993 kg / 19826 lb
Wingspan: 18.86 m / 62 ft 11 in
Length: 15.75 m / 52 ft 8 in
Height: 4.19 m / 14 ft 9 in
Wing area: 48.8 sq.m / 525.28 sq ft
Max. speed: 783 km/h / 487 mph
Ceiling: 11360 m / 37250 ft
Range: 2200 km / 1367 miles
Crew: 4

Tupolev 77 / Tu-12

Tupolev Tu-75

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Next in the extended B-29/Tu-4 family was a military transport, basically a version of the Tu-70. Its design was very similar to its civilian counterpart. Again Dmitri Markov had gone for a low-wing, four-engined transport, with the wings, undercarriage and tailplane virtually identical to those of the B-29/Tu-4; only the wing’s centre section had any major differences in order to fit a low- rather than a mid-wing arrangement. The fuselage was also almost a direct copy of the Tu-70 in length, cockpit and cross-section, but its military purpose resulted in some differences. These included the interior: rather than a luxury passenger cabin, the Tu-75 had a pressurised cargo hold with an underbody loading ramp which swung downwards on hinges to allow ramp access for its planned military cargoes. These could include vehicles such as jeeps or small tracked armoured personnel carriers. General cargo could be loaded or unloaded using a hoist which was mounted in the aircraft beside the loading ramp. Ahead of its time, even aero engines could be carried in the hold. Alternatively, 100 fully equipped paratroops could be carried, and could exit the aircraft while in flight.

Like the Tu-70, powerplants were those of the B-29, but this time Shvetsov’s copy, the ASh-73K, was used, with each engine giving 2,300hp. It was armed with three pairs of machine-guns, one on the upper fuselage, one below and one in the tail.

Work began on the Tu-75 in 1947, and the prototype was built at factory N 156. Its first flight was made on 22 January 1950. Although the aircraft was not put into production, it was another step on the road to the VVS building up its strategic transport and bomber capability.

Tupolev Tu-75

Tupolev Tu-72 / Tu-73

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Tu-73

The bureau developed the Tu-72 as a contender for the Soviet air force’s main light bomber requirement, which was ultimately met by the cheaper Il-28. It was to be a mid-winged, twin-engined aircraft without sweep, and the engines were due to be hung under the wings. Rolls-Royce Nenes were the chosen powerplants, but Air Force worries over the adequacy of two engines to power an aircraft of this size and weight led Tupolev to design a similar, but slightly larger aircraft, the Tu-73, with a third engine, this time a 3500-lb / 1600kg Rolls-Royce Derwent, fitted in the tail but with an S-shaped duct air intake noticeable at the front of the fin. While design work of both aircraft continued in parallel, it was the three-engined Tu-73 that was actually built.

Its first flight was made on 29 December 1947. It went well. During state tests, its performance was measured as top speed 870km/h, range 2,800km, and service ceiling 11,500m.

The Tu-74 (or Tu-73R) was a proposed photo-reconnaissance version which was not developed.

The Tu-78 and Tu-79 were essentially the Tu-73 but with Soviet licence-built Rolls-Royce engines.

Tu-73
Engines: 2 x 2270kg Rolls Royce Nene I and 1 x 1589kg Derwent V turbojet
Max take-off weight: 24200 kg / 53352 lb
Empty weight: 14340 kg / 31614 lb
Wingspan: 21.71 m / 71 ft 3 in
Length: 20.32 m / 67 ft 8 in
Wing area: 67.36 sq.m / 725.06 sq ft
Max. speed: 872 km/h / 542 mph
Range: 2810 km / 1746 miles
Armament: 6 x 23mm cannon
Bombload: 3000kg

Tupolev Tu-73

Tupolev Tu-70

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The Tu-70, NATO code name ‘Cart’, was a one-off long range airliner development from the Boeing B-29/Tupolev Tu-4. The prototype, incorporating a B-29 landing gear, tail unit and engines, first flew on 27 November 1946, designed for crew of eight and 48 VIP passengers, but used with crew of six and 72 passengers as staff transport for air force. A new nose with conventional cockpit/flight deck instead of low-drag Superfortress-style nose was built.

Engines: 4 x ASh-73TK, 1770hp
Max take-off weight: 51400 kg / 113318 lb
Empty weight: 38290 kg / 84415 lb
Wingspan: 43.05 m / 141 ft 3 in
Length: 35.61 m / 117 ft 10 in
Height: 9.75 m / 32 ft 0 in
Wing area: 161.7 sq.m / 1740.52 sq ft
Max. speed: 560 km/h / 348 mph
Range: 4900 km / 3045 miles
Crew: 6
Passengers: 48

Tupolev Tu-70

Tupolev Tu-85

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At the end of the 1940s, Vladimir Dobrynin’s engine design bureau had developed a new air-cooled, twenty-four cylinder in-line piston engine, the VD-4K, which offered a 4,300hp supercharged power output. Dmitri Markov set about designing a very long-range strategic bomber with these engines. Starting from the Tu-80 he began by designing a high-aspect wing with increased span – now it was 55.94m compared to the 43.83m of the Tu-75 and Tu-80, and wing area was 273.6sq.m, compared to 162.7sq.m. Wing aspect ratio was 11.4:1.

This allowed the new aircraft to carry forty-four tonnes of fuel which would give it a range of 12,000km. He streamlined the fuselage, and provided accommodation for a second crew which would be needed with the aircraft’s twenty-six hour endurance capability. Normal crew was eight so the Tu-85 carried sixteen in a pressurised cabin. The Tu-85 was fitted with large four-blade propellers, and it was armed with five turrets each fitted with a pair of NR-23 cannons which could be remotely controlled by a gunner, who had a screen to show the arc of fire from each position a development of the B-29/Tu-4 system.

The Tu-85 was constructed at factory N 156 in 1949 and 1950. When completed, it was brought to Zhukovski aerodrome, reassembled and readied for flight. On 9 January 1951, Aleksei Pereliot was in command as it took off for the first time.

In factory and state tests, it gave excellent results. Although its empty weight was 55.4 tonnes and its normal take-off weight seventy-five tonnes, it could take off at 107 tonnes when necessary, allowing it to carry the enormous fuel load needed to achieve its 12,300km range with a five-tonne payload, or to increase its normal five-tonne bomb load to twenty tonnes. Cruising speed for maximum range was established at 450km/h, but maximum speed was much higher. At low level, it was measured at 563km/h, and at a level of 10,000m it reached 665km/h.

By now, turbine engines were establishing themselves and offering higher speeds with lower fuel burns. The Tu-85 was the end of the line for Tupolev’s piston-engined, and also for Soviet aircraft. Limited flight trials were undertaken but further development was later cancelled. Only one Tu-85, the prototype was built. It was the last large Tupolev aircraft without swept wings.

Engines: 4 x VD-4K piston engines, 3160hp
Max take-off weight: 107000 kg / 235896 lb
Empty weight: 55400 kg / 122137 lb
Wingspan: 55.94 m / 184 ft 6 in
Length: 39.31 m / 129 ft 12 in
Height: 11.36 m / 37 ft 3 in
Wing area: 273.6 sq.m / 2945.00 sq ft
Max. speed: 665 km/h / 413 mph
Cruise speed: 563 km/h / 350 mph
Ceiling: 13000 m / 42650 ft
Range: 13000 km / 8078 miles
Crew: 11-16

Tupolev Tu-85

Tupolev Tu-80

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At the end of 1948, just as production Tu-4s were beginning to be delivered to the VVS, Tupolev and Markov began work on a replacement. In a sense, it was an improved B-29 design, with a major programme to trim weight and thus to improve performance.

A new wing with better aerodynamic qualities and with a lighter but stronger spar was developed with integral wing tankage. The fuselage was lightened and the round Tu-4 nose of the same chord as the fuselage was replaced with one in which the cockpit was raised above the nose for improved visibility. A new, more angular tail was also built, with a distinctive dorsal fin. Its engines were four of Shvetsov’s ASh-73TKFNs, a Soviet-built turbocharged version of the original B-29 engines.

All these changes resulted in the Tu-80 being substantially lighter than the Tu-4, and this allowed it to carry more fuel. Its first flight was made on 1 December 1949 from Zhukovski. In state tests, its maximum speed was established as 640km/h. But the Tu-80 was just another step on the way to the Soviet Union achieving a long-range strategic bomber. With the coming of age of turbines, it was not developed beyond its test programme.

Engines: 4 x ASh-73FN, 1770hp
Max take-off weight: 67200 kg / 148151 lb
Empty weight: 41030 kg / 90456 lb
Wingspan: 44.3 m / 145 ft 4 in
Length: 36.6 m / 120 ft 1 in
Height: 8.91 m / 29 ft 3 in
Wing area: 173.1 sq.m / 1863.23 sq ft
Max. speed: 650 km/h / 404 mph
Ceiling: 11180 m / 36700 ft
Range: 7000-8000 km / 4350 – 4971 miles
Crew: 11

Tupolev Tu-80

Tupolev Tu-10

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Another Tu-2 variant was the Tu-10. This was a four-crew aircraft fitted with inline Mikulin AM-39FNVs of 1850hp. Its first flight took place on 19 May 1945, and it proved to have perhaps the best performance of any Tu-2. At 8600m it attained a speed of 641km/h. Ceiling was 10,450m but range fell to 1,740km. A small batch was produced in Omsk between 1945 and 1947.

Tupolev Tu-4

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Three examples of the Boeing B-29 arrived in late 1944 (examples of which had made emergency landings in Russia during 1944 in the course of operations against Japan); one being dissected and analysed, and the other two used as crew trainers and evaluation.

The Soviet Union built the Tu-4 by copying them as a virtual exterior clone of the B-29 but with significant interior modifications. It was a heavier aircraft and did not possess either the pressurised tunnel linking the forward to midships crew locations or the integral fuel tankage of the B-29. The first of a 20-aircraft pre-production batch flew on 3 July 1947.

Placed in service in 1948, series production terminated after over 400 aircraft had been delivered in 1952, by which time the Tu-4 was in large scale service with the Soviet DA (Long-Range Aviation), being accorded the NATO reporting name ‘Bull’. Some were used as wingtip-to-wingtip inflight-refuelling tankers, others as conventional HDU-equipped tankers.

It is reported that about 1200 were built.

The type was exported to China where some were re-engined with Ivchenko AI-20 turboprops and were sporadically used into the 1990s as AEW and drone launching platforms.

Chinese Tu-4 with TVD AI-20

Gallery

Engines: 4 x ASh-90, 1705kW
Max take-off weight: 61300 kg / 135144 lb
Empty weight: 35000 kg / 77162 lb
Wingspan: 43.1 m / 141 ft 5 in
Length: 30.2 m / 99 ft 1 in
Height: 8.5 m / 28 ft 11 in
Wing area: 161.5 sq.m / 1738.37 sq ft
Max. speed: 570 km/h / 354 mph
Ceiling: 11000 m / 36100 ft
Range w/max.payload: 5000 km / 3107 miles
Crew: 11
Armament: 5 x 23mm cannons
Bombload: 5000kg

Tupolev Tu-4

Tupolev ANT-63P / Tu-1

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An attempt to produce a radar-equipped three-seat long-range night and all-weather fighter also suited for the escort mission, the ANT-63P, alias Tu-1, was one of a number of progressive developments of the ANT-61 (Tu-2S) bomber. Initially powered by two 1,900hp Mikulin AM-39F 12-cylinder liquid-cooled engines, the ANT-63P (the suffix letter indicating Perekhvatchik, or “Interceptor”) carried a fixed forward-firing armament of four 23mm cannon, two in the wing roots and two in the lower forward fuselage. The nose was intended to accommodate a PNB-1 Gneiss-1 airborne intercept radar based on the German FuG 220. First flown on 30 December 1946, the ANT-63P attained 680km/h and demonstrated a range of 2500km. Official interest in piston-engined fighters was waning by this time, and although the ANT-63P was re-engined with 1,950hp Mikulin AM-43V engines driving four-bladed propellers, being tested in this form in December 1947, no production was undertaken.

ANT-63P
Engines: 2 x AM-43V
Max take-off weight: 14460 kg / 31879 lb
Wingspan: 18.86 m / 62 ft 11 in
Length: 13.60 m / 45 ft 7 in
Wing area: 48.80 sq.m / 525.28 sq ft
Max. speed: 641 km/h / 398 mph
Range: 2250 km / 1398 miles

Tupolev ANT-63P (Tu-1)

Tupolev

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Born in 1888, Andrei N Tupolev was an early pupil, at the Moscow Technical High School, of the internationally famous aerodynamicist, Professor N E Zhukovski. His studies and early gliding experiments were, however, interrupted in 1911 when he was arrested for revolutionary activities. During part of the first World War, Tupolev worked in the Duks aircraft factory in Moscow, then the largest in Russia.

Andrei Tupolev Article

After the Bolshevik Revolution, Tupolev became one of Zhukovski’s leading assistants in setting up the Central Aero and Hydro dynamics Institute (TsAGI). This brought together pre war Russian research establishments with other, newly created bodies, and in 1920 Tupolev became head of its design department (AGO) and president of commission to design and build all-metal aircraft 1922.

Initially followed Junkers formula, using corrugated metal skins; first to appear were ANT-1 and ANT-2 (A. N. Tupolev) cantilever monoplanes. Became head of AGOS department of the Moscow TsAGI in 1922; during 1920- 1936 most designs bore ANT designations although some emanated from his design team leaders, chief deputy A. A. Archangelskii, W. M. Petlyakov and P. O Sukhoi (e.g. Sukhoi designed ANT-25 and 37).

Tupolev’s first major design was ANT-4 (TB-1) heavy bomber of 1925, forerunner of several very large machines including ANT-6 (TB-3) bomber; ANT-9 commercial passenger transport and huge ANT-20 Maxim Gorkii propaganda aircraft of 1934. Also designed ANT-40 (SB-2) twin-engined medium bomber.

The enormous creativity of the Tu¬polev group stemmed in part from this designer’s ability to train and direct others, such as Sukhoi and Petlyakov. Petlyakov, for example, was responsible for the PE 8, a four en¬gine bomber that was larger and more powerful than the B 17.

In 1936 Tupolev was arrested during Stalin’s purges and condemned to death, but sentence commuted and after some five years’ imprisonment was released and restored to favour (ostensibly in recognition of Tu-2 medium bomber, designed while in prison) and given his own design bureau. After Second World War continued to place emphasis on large aircraft; Tu-4 copy of Boeing B-29 Superfortress helped win him a Stalin Prize in 1948.

Main early post-war products included Tu-14 twin-jet naval medium bomber; Tu-16 intermediate-range twinjet bomber (first flown April 1952; also produced in China as the Xi’an H-6); and a quartet of four-turboprop swept-wing giants: the Tu-95 long-range strategic bomber (first flown November 1952 and built up to 1992), Tu-142 naval variant for long-range antisubmarine warfare and communications relay (first flown June 1968), Tu-114 200-passenger transport based on Tu-95 (first flown November 1957) and Tu-126 AWACS aircraft (first flown 1962).
Later military types included the twinjet Tu-22, the first Soviet supersonic bomber that first flew in 1959, and the Tu-128 very large all-weather interceptor (first flown March 1961), the variable-geometry wing Tu-22M Backfire intermediate- range Mach 1.8 bomber and missile launcher (first flown August 1969 and 514 built during 1971-90) and the variable-geometry wing Tu-160 Blackjack heavy missile bomber with a speed of Mach 2.05 and range of over 12,215km without in-flight refueling (first flown December 1981 and entered Soviet service from 1987), while projects include the Tu-204P maritime patrol derivative of the Tu-204 airliner, Tu-2000 hypersonic bomber, and a subsonic strealth bomber.

Early turbojet and turbofan powered transport aircraft included twin-jet Tu-104 (based on Tu-16 and first flown June 1955); Tu-124 (first flown March 1960); Tu-134 (first flown July 1963) and tri-jet Tu-154 (first flown October 1968). Tu-144 became, in December 1968, the first supersonic airliner in the world to fly. It exceeded Mach 2 for the first time in May 1970 and was the first of its type to enter regular service when, in December 1975, it began freighting for Aeroflot prior to initial passenger services in 1977. However, Tu-144 was not a success and services were terminated in June 1978; in November 1996 a converted Tu-144D flew again as the Tu-144LL, used thereafter for an international High-Speed Civil Transport research program to assist in the development of a nextgeneration supersonic transport.

Most recent Tupolev commercial transports, programs and projects include the convertible cargo/passenger Tu-130 (to fly on standard and liquid natural gas in the 21st century), Tu-136 projected light passenger/cargo transport with twin Pratt & Whitney turboprop engines, Tu- 155/Tu-156 conversions of Tu-154 to use cryogenic fuel engines (Tu-155 for research flew 1988), Tu-204 medium-range airliner for typically 214 passengers (first flown January 1989) and its projected Tu-206 cryogenic fuel derivative, Tu-214 and Tu-224 airliners based on Tu-204 but featuring increased take-off weights and longer range (first flight of Tu-214 March 1996), Tu-230 projected light/medium freighter, 166-passenger Tu-234 airliner as a short-length variant of Tu-204, Tu-244 projected supersonic airliner, Tu-304 and Tu-306 (cryogenic fuel variant) projected long-range airliners for up to 392 passengers, projected Tu-324 regional and business transport, Tu-330 and liquid-gas Tu-338 freighters, Tu- 334 medium-range airliner for typically 102 passengers (first flown February 1999) and its Tu-336 cryogenic fuel derivative, Tu-404 projected giant 850-seat airliner, and Tu-414 projected 70-passenger regional jet.
Tupolev general-aviation projects include Tu-34 pressurized five/seven-seat STOL transport with twin turboprop engines and pusher propellers, Tu-54 single-seat agricultural monoplane, Tu-400 eight/ten-seat business jet with regional airliner potential, and Tu 4X4 four/seven seat business jet as smallest aircraft in the Tu- 324/400/414 range.