Tu 160 m2 characteristics maximum speed. Airplane "White Swan": technical characteristics and photos

Having broken many records at the beginning of the century, the Tu-160 White Swan remains the fastest bomber in the world, capable of carrying the largest payload. Flying twice the speed of sound, it is capable of crossing multiple continents and completing missions anywhere in the world. NATO dubbed it Blackjack.

The birth of the "White Swan"

It is believed that the impetus for starting work on the Tu-160 was the US decision to create a new strategic bomber, the B-1, in the 1960s, and it was impossible to lag behind the States in this regard. In 1967, the USSR Council of Ministers decided to begin work on a new multi-mode aircraft that could carry up to 45 tons of payload over continental distances, approach the target at subsonic speed, and pass through enemy air defenses at supersonic speed. The maximum flight range according to the requirements was to be 11-13 thousand km at supersonic speed and 16-18 thousand km at subsonic speed.

It is interesting that at first the Tupolev Design Bureau had nothing to do with the work on the new project due to the high employment of the passenger Tu-144, but the Myasishchev Design Bureau and the Sukhoi Design Bureau were involved in this. In the 1970s, they presented their own versions - both four-engine, with variable wing geometry. Although they were similar, they used different design solutions. The Tupolev Design Bureau began working on the aircraft only in 1969, when new tactical and technical requirements were presented. Unlike others, they already had considerable experience in solving various problems associated with overcoming supersonic speeds by heavy aircraft. The supersonic passenger Tu-144 passed all tests and made its first flight in 1968, and all developments on it began to be actively used to create the strategic Tu-160. Including the fixed wing. It was believed that the weight of the rotating structure would negate all the advantages of a variable geometry wing.

In 1972, the M-18 models from the Myasishchev Design Bureau and the “product 200” from the Sukhoi Design Bureau were considered, and additionally a version from the Tupolev Design Bureau out of competition. The M-18 best met the objectives and had ample capabilities, becoming the favorite of the competition. However, having weighed the rich experience of Tupolev in the development of heavy supersonic aircraft (Tu-144 and Tu-22M), the commission ultimately gave preference to the Tupolev Design Bureau. It was decided to transfer all the materials developed by other design bureaus to them. But the chief designer of the Tu-160, Valentin Ivanovich Bliznyuk, and others did not have confidence in the development of the Myasishchev Design Bureau, and they decided to start work from scratch. In 1976, a sketch of the project was defended, and a year later the Kuznetsov Design Bureau was already developing engines for the future Tu-160. The prototype, codenamed 70-01, made its first flight from Ramenskoye airfield in 1981. It was later joined by prototypes 70-02 and 70-03. All three were assembled at MMZ "Experience".

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Long-term testing

The first and third prototypes were used for flight tests, and 70-02 for static tests. In 1986, the fourth bomber left the workshop gates and became a combat aircraft. Initially, they wanted to install high-speed cruise missiles X-45 on the plane, but in the end they settled on subsonic small-sized X-55, as well as aeroballistic hypersonic X-15. The latter could be placed on launchers inside the hull. In 1989, four X-55s were successfully launched from a Tu-160 aircraft, and the aircraft itself was accelerated in horizontal flight to almost 2200 km/h, after which it was decided to lower the operating speed threshold to 2000 km/h in order to preserve its service life for a long time engines and airframe. As a result, the world's best performance was confirmed by 44 different records.

The tests took place at the Lower Volga test sites, where there was more than enough space for Kh-55 cruise missiles with a flight range of more than three thousand kilometers, and the number of clear days was close to 320 per year. The missile launch was accompanied by the flight of the Il-76, which received telemetry data from the aircraft and controlled the flight of the X-55. When launched over long distances, the missiles reached the target even after the Tu-160 landed. Several times we had to detonate them in the air when the missiles lost control and approached the borders of the test site. As a result, it was possible to bring the accuracy of their hits to an average of 22 meters in circular deviation. Many hours were spent setting up the electronic systems, especially the new Baikal airborne defense system installed in place of the small arms. “Baikal” detected enemy air defenses, determined their location and jammed them with interference, or created false targets behind the aircraft. In total, during the testing of the Tu-160, 150 sorties were made, and the simultaneous release of missiles from both cargo compartments was even practiced.

In service

The first Tu-160 aircraft entered service with the air regiment in Priluki, Chernihiv region, in 1987. The pilots began mastering the new machine without waiting for the end of state tests, which were already dragging on. They immediately liked the Tu-160, which was very easy to control, went up like a drill and had no problems landing. Once they even managed to lift it into the air with the spoilers deployed - the hundred-ton thrust of the engines could not be compared with anything. The plane was highly respected and in the first months they even removed all debris, stones and branches from the runway to avoid them being sucked into the air intakes. A peculiarity was quickly discovered in which the plane landed on its “fifth point” when parked, and returning it to its normal position was problematic. This happened due to the folded wings, which moved the center of gravity back. I had to sacrifice space and leave them at a minimal angle.

As new aircraft arrived, the tested Tu-160s were transferred to other air regiments, and some were disposed of locally so that the total number of aircraft was within the framework of the Conventional Arms Reduction Treaty. We flew from Priluki to Baikal and back, or north to Graham Bem Island. The longest flight was made by Gorgol's crew - 12 hours 50 minutes. At the time of the collapse of the USSR, there were 19 Tu-160s in Priluki, and now there are 16 of them in service with the Russian Air Force. The aircraft's baptism of fire occurred during the conflict in Syria in 2015, during a Russian military operation. Then the Kh-555 and Kh-101 cruise missiles were launched against the targets of the Islamic State (a group banned in Russia).

Specifications

• Length - 54100
• Height - 13100
• Wingspan - 55.7/50.7/35.6 m
• Wing area - 232 sq.m.
• Weight - 110 tons
• Crew - 4 people
• Maximum fuel capacity - 148 tons
• Maximum take-off weight - 275 tons
• Thrust - 4 × 18,000 kgf (afterburner 4x25,000)
• Rate of climb - 4400 m/min
• Maximum speed - 2200 km/h
• Cruising speed - 850 km/h
• Practical range - 12,300 km (maximum 18,950 km)
• Practical/Strategic ceiling - 22,000 m

Those who are destined to crawl cannot fly (c). That is OK. However, the planes are amazing, especially the combat ones. They combine charm and a desire for weapons and an endless misunderstanding in the soul of how such a mass can fly so gracefully! I suggest you look at interesting photographs and learn something new about the pride of Soviet/Russian aviation.

Tu-160 (according to NATO classification Blackjack) is a supersonic missile-carrying bomber with a variable-sweep wing, created by the Tupolev Design Bureau in the 1980s. It has been in service since 1987. The Russian Air Force currently has 16 Tu-160 strategic missile carriers. This aircraft is the largest supersonic aircraft and variable-geometry wing aircraft in the history of military aviation, as well as the heaviest among all combat aircraft in the world. The Tu-160 has the largest maximum take-off weight among all existing bombers. Among Russian pilots, the plane is nicknamed "White Swan".

Work on the creation of a new generation strategic bomber began at the A. N. Tupolev Design Bureau in 1968. In 1972, the project of a multi-mode bomber with a variable sweep wing was ready, in 1976 the preliminary design of the Tu-160 project was completed, and already in 1977, the Design Bureau named after. Kuznetsov began work on creating engines for a new aircraft. Initially, it was going to be armed with high-speed Kh-45 missiles, but later this idea was abandoned, giving preference to small-sized subsonic cruise missiles of the Kh-55 type, as well as aeroballistic hypersonic missiles Kh-15, which were placed on multi-position launchers inside the hull.

First plane.

The impetus for the development of a project for a new strategic bomber was the start of work in the United States on the project of the future B-1. Two aviation design bureaus began designing the aircraft: the P.O. Sukhoi Design Bureau (Moscow Machine-Building Plant "Kulon") and the newly restored V.M. Design Bureau .Myasishchev (EMZ - Experimental Machine-Building Plant, located in Zhukovsky). The A.N. Tupolev Design Bureau (Moscow Machine-Building Plant "Experience") was loaded with other topics and, most likely, for this reason, was not involved in the work on the new strategic bomber at this stage.

A competition was announced. By the beginning of the 70s, both teams, based on the requirements of the received assignment and the preliminary tactical and technical requirements of the Air Force, prepared their projects. Both design bureaus proposed four-engine aircraft with variable sweep wings, but with completely different designs. The Myasishchev Design Bureau's M-18 was recognized as the winner in the 1972 competition.

However, this design bureau (just revived) did not have its own production base and there was nowhere to turn the aircraft into metal. The Suhoga Design Bureau specialized in fighters and front-line bombers. After a series of intrigues at the government level, Tupolev was assigned to build a strategic bomber, whose design bureau was given design documentation from the Myasishchev and Sukhoi Design Bureaus

The specifications for the aircraft were also changed, because At that time, negotiations on SALT (strategic arms limitation) were intensively underway. In the seventies, new weapons appeared - low-altitude, long-range cruise missiles (over 2500 km), flying around the terrain. This radically changed the strategy for using strategic bombers.

The full-scale model of the new bomber was approved in 1977. In the same year, at the pilot production of the MMZ “Experience” in Moscow, they began assembling a batch of 3 experimental machines. The wing and stabilizers for them were produced in Novosibirsk, the fuselage was manufactured in Kazan, and the landing gear - in Gorky. The final assembly of the first prototype was carried out in January 1981, the Tu-160 aircraft with the numbers “70-1” and “70-3” were intended for flight tests, and the aircraft with the number “70-02” for static tests.

On December 18, 1981, the first flight of the multi-mode strategic bomber TU-160 took place.

The first flight of the aircraft with the serial number “70-01” took place on December 18, 1981 (the crew commander was B.I. Veremey), and on October 6, 1984, the aircraft with the serial number “70-03” took off, which already had a complete set serial bomber equipment. Another 2 years later, on August 15, 1986, the 4th serial bomber left the gates of the assembly shop in Kazan, which became the first combatant. In total, 8 aircraft of two experimental series were involved in flight tests.

During state tests, which were completed in mid-1989, 4 successful launches of X-55 cruise missiles were made from the missile-carrying bomber, which were the main weapon of the vehicle. The maximum speed of horizontal flight was also achieved, amounting to almost 2200 km/h. At the same time, during operation, they decided to limit the speed threshold to a speed of 2000 km/h, which was mainly due to preserving the service life of the propulsion system and the airframe.

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The first 2 experimental Tu-160 strategic bombers were included in the Air Force combat unit on April 17, 1987. After the collapse of the USSR, almost all production vehicles available at that time (19 bombers) remained on the territory of Ukraine, at the air base in the city of Priluki. In 1992, bombers of this type began to enter service with the 1st TBAP of the Russian Air Force, which was based in Engels. By the end of 1999, there were 6 Tu-160 aircraft at this airbase, another part of the aircraft was in Kazan (under assembly) and at the airfield in Zhukovsky. Currently, most of the Russian Tu-160s have individual names. For example, the Air Force has aircraft “Ilya Muromets” (this was the name of the world’s first heavy bomber, which was built in Russia in 1913), “Mikhail Gromov”, “Ivan Yarygin”, “Vasily Reshetnikov”.

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The high performance of the Russian strategic bomber was confirmed by the establishment of 44 world records. In particular, with a payload of 30 tons, the aircraft flew along a closed route with a length of 1000 km. at a speed of 1720 km/h. And in a flight over a distance of 2000 km, with a take-off weight of 275 tons, the aircraft was able to reach an average speed of 1678 km/h, as well as a flight altitude of 11,250 m.

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During serial production, the bomber underwent a number of improvements, which were determined by the experience of its operation. For example, the number of shutters for feeding the aircraft engines was increased, which made it possible to increase the stability of the turbojet engine (a two-circuit turbojet engine with an afterburner) and simplify their controllability. Replacing a number of structural elements from metal to carbon fiber made it possible to reduce the weight of the aircraft to some extent. The operator's and navigator's hatches were equipped with rear-view periscopes, the software was also improved and changes were made to the hydraulic system.

As part of the implementation of a multi-stage program to reduce radar signature, a special graphite radar-absorbing coating was applied to the air intake ducts and shells, and the nose of the aircraft was also covered with radar-absorbing paint. It was possible to implement measures to shield the engines. The introduction of mesh filters into the cabin glazing made it possible to eliminate the re-reflection of radar radiation from its internal surfaces.

Today, the strategic missile-carrying bomber Tu-160 is the most powerful combat vehicle in the world. In terms of armament and its main characteristics, it is significantly superior to its American counterpart - the B-1B Lancer multi-mode strategic bomber. It is assumed that further work to improve the Tu-160, in particular the expansion and updating of weapons, as well as the installation of new avionics, will be able to further increase its potential.

The Tu-160 bomber is made according to a normal aerodynamic design with variable wing geometry. A special feature of the aircraft airframe design is the integrated aerodynamic layout, according to which the fixed part of the wing forms a single whole with the fuselage. This solution made it possible to make the best use of the internal volumes of the airframe to accommodate fuel, cargo, and various equipment, as well as to reduce the number of structural joints, which led to a reduction in the weight of the structure.

The bomber's airframe is made primarily from aluminum alloys (B-95 and AK-4, heat-treated to increase service life). The wing consoles are made of titanium and high-strength aluminum alloys and are docked to hinges that allow you to change the wing sweep in the range from 20 to 65 degrees. The share of titanium alloys in the mass of a bomber airframe is 20%; fiberglass is also used; glued three-layer structures are widely used.

The bomber's crew, consisting of 4 people, is located in a single spacious sealed cabin. In its front part there are seats for the first and second pilots, as well as for the navigator-operator and navigator. All crew members are seated in K-36DM ejection seats. To improve the performance of operators and pilots during long flights, the seat backs are equipped with pulsating air cushions for massage. At the rear of the cockpit there is a small kitchen, a folding berth for rest and a toilet. Late model aircraft were equipped with a built-in stairway.

The aircraft landing gear is tricycle with 2 steered front wheels. The main landing gear has an oscillating shock strut and is located behind the bomber's center of mass. They have pneumatic shock absorbers and three-axle bogies with 6 wheels. The landing gear retracts into small niches in the fuselage back along the bomber's flight path. Shields and aerodynamic deflectors, designed to press air against the runway, are responsible for protecting engine air intakes from dirt and precipitation entering them.

The Tu-160 power plant includes 4 bypass turbojet engines with an NK-32 afterburner (created by the N.D. Kuznetsov Design Bureau). The engines have been mass-produced in Samara since 1986; until the mid-1990s they had no analogues in the world. NK-32 is one of the world's first serial engines, during the design of which measures were taken to reduce IR and radar signature. The aircraft's engines are located in pairs in engine nacelles and separated from each other by special fire partitions. The engines operate independently of each other. To implement autonomous power supply, a separate auxiliary gas turbine power unit was also installed on the Tu-160.

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The Tu-160 bomber is equipped with a PRNA sighting and navigation system, consisting of an optoelectronic bomber sight, a surveillance radar, an INS, a SNS, an astro-corrector and an on-board defense complex “Baikal” (containers with dipole reflectors and IR traps, a heat direction finder). There is also a multi-channel digital communications complex that is interfaced with satellite systems. More than 100 special computers are used in the bomber's avionics.

The onboard defense system of a strategic bomber guarantees the detection and classification of enemy air defense system radars, determination of their coordinates and their subsequent disorientation by false targets, or suppression by powerful active jamming. For bombing, the “Groza” sight is used, which ensures the destruction of various targets with high accuracy in daytime conditions and in low light levels. The direction finder for detecting enemy missiles and aircraft from the rear hemisphere is located at the extreme rear of the fuselage. The tail cone contains containers with dipole reflectors and IR traps. The cockpit contains standard electromechanical instruments, which are generally similar to those installed on the Tu-22M3. The heavy vehicle is controlled using a control stick (joystick), as on fighter aircraft.

The aircraft's armament is located in 2 intra-fuselage cargo compartments, which can contain a variety of target loads with a total weight of up to 40 tons. The armament may consist of 12 X-55 subsonic cruise missiles on 2 multi-position drum-type launchers, as well as up to 24 X-15 hypersonic missiles on 4 launchers. To destroy small tactical targets, the aircraft can use adjustable aerial bombs (CAB) weighing up to 1500 kg. The aircraft can also carry up to 40 tons of conventional free-fall bombs. In the future, the armament complex of a strategic bomber can be significantly strengthened by including new high-precision cruise missiles, for example, the X-555, designed to destroy both tactical and strategic ground and sea targets of almost all possible classes.

Already in February 2018, the aircraft will take to the skies, marking a new stage in the development of Russian strategic aviation. It is with this aircraft that the path to creating the promising PAK DA long-range aviation complex will begin. . In total, VKS plans to purchase at least 50 such aircraft. As the designers say, “new items” are inside. More than 60 percent of the bomber's systems and equipment are new. This includes a “glass” cockpit, in which instead of analog instruments there will be liquid crystal panels on which all the necessary information will be displayed, and new computer systems with increased performance, and an electronic jamming system, and much more that was not on the Tu-160. But the main thing is that the aircraft will receive a new NK-32 engine, series 02, produced by the Samara PJSC Kuznetsov (part of the United Engine Corporation, UEC). Production of the original NK-32 ceased in 1993. So without the new Tu-160M2 engine you won’t be able to take to the skies. Based on the modified NK-32 engines of the second series, the PAK DA.NK-32 engine will be created - an aircraft engine unique in its characteristics. It is not only the most powerful in the world, but also allows the aircraft to fly both in the atmosphere and in the stratosphere. The maximum flight altitude of the Tu-160 with the NK-32 is 18,000 meters. The bomber can use this capability to break through enemy air defenses. The Tu-160 rises to the boundaries of space and at speeds close to 2 thousand km per hour, easily breaks away from fighters. Before such flights, the crew puts on special spacesuits, very similar to those worn by astronauts.
The NK-32 concept allows it to be developed, creating a larger vehicle with greater thrust. This is one of the main reasons for the resumption of its production. It is known that the modified NK-32 will receive a new gas generator and a FADEC digital control system. This will not only ensure optimal operating conditions, but also significant fuel savings. So we can already assume that the new engine of the Tu-160M2 will allow it not only to perform ultra-long flights and rise to the boundaries of space, but also to have a higher speed than its predecessor Tu-160.
Already today, a new sighting system has been installed on the Tu-160, allowing the bomber to use not only the X-55 long-range nuclear cruise missiles, but also the new X-555 with conventional warheads, as well as the entire range of high-precision bomb weapons. As a result, the machine can be used, among other things, to destroy terrorist bases around the globe, which, in fact, our long-range aviation has repeatedly demonstrated during the Syrian campaign to destroy the infrastructure of the terrorist organization ISIS (banned in Russia).
The Russian Aerospace Forces demonstrated the possibility of launching the most modern non-nuclear Kh-101 strategic cruise missiles from a bomber. Their flight range is 4 thousand kilometers. The Tu-160M2 will also have this capability, so it will be used not only as part of the nuclear deterrence system, but also to solve current problems in the interests of state security. This is exactly what Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov had in mind when, at the last meeting of the military department, he said that “the momentum in the development of high-precision weapons and the ongoing development of hypersonic missiles will make it possible to transfer the bulk of the tasks of strategic deterrence from the nuclear to the non-nuclear sphere.” The United Aircraft Corporation emphasizes that Tu-160M2 production will proceed in stages. The price of the issue is too high. Only 500 million rubles were spent on modernizing production at the Kazan plant. At the same time, the industry is faced with the requirement to reuse equipment and technological approaches so that it can be used to produce PAK DA. All this suggests that the Tu-160M2 will become exactly the training ground where the testing of future bomber technologies will begin today.

Immediately after the end of World War II, a radical redistribution of spheres of influence occurred in the world. In the 50s of the last century, two military blocs were formed: NATO and the Warsaw Pact countries, which in all subsequent years were in a state of constant confrontation. The Cold War that was unfolding at that time could at any moment escalate into an open conflict, which would certainly end in a nuclear war.

Decline of the industry

Of course, in such conditions an arms race could not help but begin, when none of the rivals could afford to fall behind. In the early 60s, the Soviet Union managed to take the lead in the field of strategic missile weapons, while the United States was clearly in the lead in the quantity and quality of aircraft. Military parity arose.

The arrival of Khrushchev further aggravated the situation. He was so keen on rocket technology that he killed many promising ideas in the field of cannon artillery and strategic bombers. Khrushchev believed that the USSR did not really need them. As a result, by the 70s a situation developed where we only had old T-95s and some other vehicles. These aircraft, even hypothetically, could not overcome the developed air defense system of a potential enemy.

Why are strategic missile carriers needed?

Of course, the presence of a powerful nuclear arsenal in the missile version was a sufficient guarantee of peace, but it was impossible to launch a warning strike or simply “hint” to the enemy about the undesirability of subsequent actions with its help.

The situation was so serious that the country's leadership finally realized the need to develop a new strategic bomber. This is how the story of the famous TU-160 began, the technical characteristics of which are described in this article.

Developers

Initially, all work was assigned to the Sukhoi Design Bureau and the Myasishchev Design Bureau. Why is the legendary Tupolev not on this short list? It's simple: the management of the enterprise was not happy with Khrushchev, who had already managed to ruin several promising projects. Accordingly, Nikita Sergeevich himself also did not treat the “willful” designer very well. In a word, Tupolev Design Bureau turned out to be “out of business.”

By the beginning of the 70s of the last century, all competitors presented their projects. Sukhoi put the M-4 on display. The car was impressive, amazing with its characteristics. The only drawback was the cost: after all, an all-titanium case cannot be made cheap no matter how much you try. The Myasishchev Design Bureau presented its M-18. For unknown reasons, Tupolev’s bureau with “Project 70” got involved.

Winner of competition

As a result, they chose the Sukhoi option. Myasishchev’s project was somehow unsightly, and Tupolev’s design seemed like a slightly modified civilian aircraft. And how then did the characteristics appear whose characteristics still make a potential enemy tremble? This is where the fun begins.

Since the Sukhoi Design Bureau simply had no time to deal with a new project (the Su-27 was being created there), and the Myasishchev Design Bureau was removed for some reason (there are a lot of ambiguities here), the papers on the M-4 were handed over to Tupolev. But they also didn’t appreciate the titanium case and turned their attention to an outsider - the M-18 project. It was this that formed the basis for the design of the “White Swan”. By the way, the supersonic strategic missile-carrying bomber with a variable-sweep wing, according to NATO codification, has a completely different name - Blackjack.

Main technical characteristics

And yet, why is the TU-160 so famous? The technical characteristics of this aircraft are so amazing that even today the car does not look “antique” in the slightest degree. We have provided all the main data in the table, so you can see for yourself.

It is not surprising that the very appearance of the characteristics described in the article became a very unpleasant surprise for many Western powers. This aircraft (subject to refueling) will be able to “delight” almost any country with its appearance. By the way, some foreign publishing houses call the car D-160. Technical characteristics are good, but what exactly is the White Swan armed with? After all, it wasn’t created for pleasure walks?!

Information about missile and bomb weapons

The standard weight of weapons that can be placed in compartments inside the fuselage is 22,500 kilograms. In exceptional cases, it is allowed to increase these figures to 40 tons (this is the figure indicated in the table). The weapons include two launchers (launchers of the type that can contain continental and strategic missiles KR Kh-55 and Kh-55M. The other two drum launchers have 12 aeroballistic missiles Kh-15 (M = 5.0).

Thus, the tactical and technical characteristics of the TU-160 aircraft suggest that after modernization, these machines will be in service with our army for many more decades.

It is allowed to load missiles with nuclear and non-nuclear warheads, KAB of all kinds (up to KAB-1500). Bomb bays can accommodate conventional and nuclear bombs, as well as various types of mines. Important! A Burlak launch vehicle can be installed under the fuselage, which is used to launch light satellites into orbit. Thus, the TU-160 aircraft is a real “flying fortress”, armed in such a way that it can destroy a couple of medium-sized countries in one flight.

Power point

Now let’s remember what distances this car can cover. In this regard, the question immediately arises about the engines, thanks to which the characteristics of the TU-160 are known throughout the world. The strategic bomber became a unique phenomenon in this regard, since the development of its power plant was carried out by a completely different design bureau, which was responsible for the design of the aircraft.

Initially, it was planned to use NK-25 as engines, almost completely identical to those that they wanted to install on the Tu-22MZ. Their traction performance characteristics were quite satisfactory, but something had to be done with fuel consumption, since one could not even dream of any intercontinental flights with such an “appetite.” How were the high technical characteristics of the TU-160 missile carrier achieved, thanks to which it is still considered one of the best combat vehicles in the world?

Where did the new engine come from?

Just at that time, the Design Bureau, headed by N.D. Kuznetsov, began designing a fundamentally new NK-32 (it was created on the basis of the already well-proven models HK-144, HK-144A). In contrast, the new power plant was supposed to consume significantly less fuel. In addition, it was planned that some of the important structural components would be taken from the NK-25 engine, which would reduce the cost of production.

Here it is necessary to especially note the fact that the plane itself is not cheap. Currently, the cost of one unit is estimated at 7.5 billion rubles. Accordingly, at the time when this promising car was just being created, it cost even more. That is why only 32 aircraft were built, and each of them had its own name, and not just a tail number.

Tupolev specialists immediately jumped at this opportunity, as it saved them from many problems that arose in many cases when trying to modify the engine from the old Tu-144. Thus, the situation was resolved to everyone’s benefit: the TU-160 aircraft received an excellent power plant, and the Kuznetsov Design Bureau received valuable experience. Tupolev himself received more time, which could have been spent on developing other important systems.

Fuselage base

Unlike many other structural parts, the White Swan wing came from the Tu-22M. Almost all parts are absolutely similar in design, the only difference is more powerful drives. Let's consider special cases that distinguish the TU-160 aircraft. The technical characteristics of the spars are unique in that they were assembled from seven monolithic panels at once, which were then hung on the nodes of the center section beam. Actually, the entire remaining fuselage was “built up” around this entire structure.

The central beam is made of pure titanium, since only this material can withstand the loads that a unique aircraft is subjected to during flight. By the way, for its production, the technology of electron beam welding in a neutral gas environment was specially developed, which is still an extremely complex and expensive process even without taking into account the titanium used.

Wings

Developing a wing with variable geometry for a vehicle of this size and weight turned out to be a very non-trivial task. The difficulties began with the fact that to create it it was necessary to radically change almost the entire production technology. The state program launched specifically for this purpose was led by P. V. Dementyev.

In order for sufficient lift to be developed at any position of the wing, a rather ingenious design was used. The main element was the so-called “combs”. This was the name for the parts of the flaps that could be deflected, if necessary, helping the aircraft acquire full sweep. In addition, if the wing geometry changed, it was the “ridges” that formed smooth transitions between the fuselage elements, reducing air resistance.

So the TU-160 aircraft, whose tactical and technical characteristics continue to amaze to this day, largely owes its speed to these very details.

Tail stabilizers

As for the tail stabilizers, in the final version the designers decided to use a design with a two-section fin. The base is the lower, stationary part, to which the stabilizer is attached directly. The peculiarity of this design is that its top is made completely motionless. Why was this done? And in order to somehow mark out electric hydraulic boosters, as well as drives for deflectable parts of the tail unit, in an extremely limited space.

This is how the Tu-160 (Blackjack) appeared. The description and technical characteristics give a pretty good idea of ​​this unique machine, which was actually several years ahead of its time. Today, these aircraft are being modernized according to a special program: most of the outdated electronic equipment, navigation systems and weapons are being replaced. In addition, it increases

The Russian Ministry of Defense plans to resume production of the strategic missile-carrying bomber in the Tu-160M2 version, which will be a practically new aircraft, 2.5 times more efficient than its predecessor, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov told reporters on Wednesday.

“In terms of the composition of the on-board radio-electronic equipment, the composition of the weapons that it will carry, this will be a fundamentally new aircraft, and its combat effectiveness will increase by no less than 2.5 times compared to the current one.”

“The plans of the Ministry of Defense include restoring the production of the Tu-160 strategic bomber. This is not about restoring one to one, because the Tu-160, which we have in service today, is an aircraft developed in the 80s, which, fortunately, "It has surpassed its time in its flight performance characteristics. It has the best characteristics today. The aircraft we are talking about, it will probably be called Tu-160M2, will be practically a new aircraft," said Yu. Borisov.

Yuri Borisov / Photo: cdn.static1.rtr-vesti.ru

Earlier, Borisov said that production of the Tu-160M2 is planned to begin, most likely, after 2023. In turn, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Colonel General Viktor Bondarev, said that the Russian Ministry of Defense will purchase at least 50 new strategic missile-carrying bombers Tu-160 "White Swan" when their production is resumed, RIA Novosti reports.

Technical information

The aircraft is designed according to the integral low-wing design with a variable-sweep wing, a tricycle landing gear, an all-moving stabilizer and a fin. The wing mechanization includes slats, double-slotted flaps, and spoilers and flaperons are used for roll control. Four engines are installed in pairs in engine nacelles at the bottom of the fuselage. The TA-12 APU is used as an autonomous power unit.

Two payload compartments are located in tandem (one behind the other). The main airframe materials are titanium, heat-treated aluminum alloys, steel alloys and composite materials. The plane is equipped with a toilet, kitchen, and sleeping area. The aircraft is equipped with a hose-cone type refueling system receiving device. In serial production, airframe components were produced - wings and engine compartments - Voronezh Aircraft Plant, tail and air intakes - Irkutsk Aircraft Plant, chassis - Kuibyshev Module Plant, fuselage. center section and wing rotation units - Kazan Aviation Plant.

Monoblock caissons assembled from monolithic panels and profiles 20 m long were widely used in the wing design. The fuselage was assembled from large-sized sheets, profiles and stampings using special riveting. Control units and wing mechanization (stabilizer, fin, flaperons, flaps, etc.) were manufactured with extensive use of composite and metal glued panels with honeycomb core.

Photo: www.airwar.ru

Flight performance