The TU-160 strategic bomber, the so-called "White Swan" or Blackjack (baton) in NATO terminology, is a unique aircraft.
TU-160 has excellent specifications: This is the most formidable bomber that can also carry cruise missiles. This is the largest supersonic and graceful aircraft in the world. Developed in the 1970-1980s at the Tupolev Design Bureau and has a variable sweep wing. It has been in service since 1987.
The TU-160 bomber was the "response" to the US AMSA ("Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft") program, under which the notorious B-1 Lancer was created. The TU-160 missile carrier, in almost all characteristics, was significantly ahead of its main competitors Lancers. The speed of the Tu 160 is 1.5 times higher, the maximum flight range and combat radius are just as much greater. And the thrust of the engines is almost twice as powerful. At the same time, the "invisible" B-2 Spirit cannot stand any comparison, in which, for the sake of stealth, literally everything was sacrificed, including distance, flight stability and payload. 
Quantity and cost of TU-160
Each TU-160 long-range missile carrier is a one-piece and rather expensive product, it has unique technical characteristics. Since their inception, only 35 of these aircraft have been built, while an order of magnitude fewer of them have remained intact. This aircraft is the only product that has received its name. Each of the built aircraft has its own name, they were assigned in honor of champions ("Ivan Yarygin"), designers ("Vitaly Kopylov"), famous heroes ("Ilya Muromets") and, of course, pilots ("Pavel Taran", "Valery Chkalov " and others).
Before the collapse of the USSR, 34 aircraft were built, with 19 bombers remaining in Ukraine, at a base in Priluki. However, these vehicles were too expensive to operate, and the small Ukrainian army simply did not need them. Ukraine offered to give 19 TU-160s to Russia in exchange for Il-76 aircraft (1 to 2) or for writing off the gas debt. But for Russia it was unacceptable. In addition, the United States influenced Ukraine, which actually forced the destruction of 11 TU-160s. 8 aircraft were handed over to Russia for the cancellation of the gas debt.
As of 2013, the Air Force had 16 Tu-160s. There were prohibitively few of these aircraft in Russia, but their construction would have cost a huge amount. Therefore, it was decided to upgrade 10 bombers out of the 16 available to the Tu-160M standard. Long-range aviation in 2015 should receive 6 modernized TU-160s. However, in modern conditions even the modernization of the existing TU-160 cannot solve the assigned military tasks. Therefore, there were plans to build new missile carriers.
In 2015, Kazan decided to consider the possibility of starting production of the new TU-160 at the facilities of KAZ. These plans have taken shape as a result of the formation of the present international situation. However, this is a difficult but solvable task. Some technologies and personnel were lost, but, nevertheless, the task is quite feasible, especially since there is a backlog - two unfinished aircraft. The cost of one missile carrier is about 250 million dollars.
The history of the creation of the TU-160
The design task was formulated back in 1967 by the Council of Ministers of the USSR. The design bureaus of Myasishchev and Sukhoi were involved in the work, which offered their own options a few years later. These were bombers capable of developing supersonic speed and overcoming air defense systems on it. The Tupolev Design Bureau, which had experience in developing the Tu-22 and Tu-95 bombers, as well as the Tu-144 supersonic aircraft, did not participate in the competition. As a result, the Myasishchev Design Bureau project was recognized as the winner, but the designers did not have time to celebrate the victory: after some time, the government decided to close the Myasishchev Design Bureau project. All documentation for the M-18 was transferred to the Tupolev Design Bureau, which joined the competition with the "Product-70" (future TU-160 aircraft).
The following requirements were imposed on the future bomber:
flight range at an altitude of 18,000 meters at a speed of 2300-2500 km / h within 13 thousand km;
flight range near the ground in 13 thousand km and at an altitude of 18 km in subsonic mode;
the aircraft must approach the target at subsonic cruising speed, overcome enemy air defenses - at cruising speed near the ground and in supersonic high-altitude mode.
the total mass of the combat load should be 45 tons.
The first flight of the prototype (Product "70-01") was carried out at the airfield "Ramenskoye" in December 1981. The product "70-01" was piloted by test pilot Boris Veremeev with his crew. The second copy (product "70-02") did not fly, it was used for static tests. Later, a second aircraft (product "70-03") joined the tests. The supersonic missile carrier TU-160 was launched in mass production 1984 at the Kazan Aviation Plant. In October 1984, the first serial machine took off, in March 1985 - the second serial, in December 1985 - the third, in August 1986 - the fourth.
In 1992, Boris Yeltsin decided to suspend the ongoing serial production of the Tu-160 if the US stopped mass production of the B-2. By that time, 35 aircraft had been produced. KAPO by 1994, KAPO handed over six bombers to the Russian Air Force. They were stationed in the Saratov region at the Engels airfield.
The new missile carrier TU-160 ("Alexander Molodchiy") in May 2000 became part of the Air Force. The TU-160 complex was put into service in 2005. In April 2006, it was announced that tests of the upgraded NK-32 engines, designed for the TU-160, were completed. New engines are characterized by increased reliability and significantly increased resource. In December 2007, the first flight of the new production aircraft TU-160. Colonel-General Alexander Zelin, Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, announced in April 2008 that another Russian bomber would enter service with the Air Force in 2008. The new aircraft was named "Vitaly Kopylov". It was planned that three more combatant TU-160s would be upgraded in 2008.
Specifications
TU-160 has the following specifications:Crew: 4 people.
The length is 54.1 m.
The wingspan is 55.7 / 50.7 / 35.6 m.
The height is 13.1 m.
The wing area is 232 m².
The weight of the empty aircraft is 110,000 kg.
The normal takeoff weight is 267,600 kg.
The maximum takeoff weight is 275,000 kg.
Type engines 4×TRDDF NK-32.
The maximum thrust is 4 × 18,000 kgf.
Afterburner thrust is 4 × 25,000 kgf.
The mass of fuel is 148,000 kg.
The top speed at altitude is 2230 km/h.
The cruising speed is 917 km/h.
The maximum range without refueling is 13,950 km.
The practical range without refueling is 12,300 km.
The combat radius is 6000 km.
The flight duration is 25 hours.
The practical ceiling is 21,000 m.
The rate of climb is 4400 m/min.
The length of the run / run is 900/2000 m.
Wing load at normal takeoff weight is 1150 kg/m².
Wing load at maximum takeoff weight is 1185 kg/m².
The thrust-to-weight ratio at normal takeoff weight is 0.36.
The thrust-to-weight ratio at maximum takeoff weight is 0.37.
Design features
The White Swan aircraft was created with the wide use of proven solutions for the machines already built in the design bureau: Tu-142MS, Tu-22M and Tu-144, and some components, assemblies and part of the systems were transferred to the aircraft without changes. "White Swan" has a design in which composites, stainless steel, aluminum alloys V-95 and AK-4, titanium alloys VT-6 and OT-4 are widely used. keel and stabilizer, tricycle landing gear. The mechanization of the wing includes double-slotted flaps, slats, flaperons and spoilers are used for roll control. Four NK-32 engines are mounted in the lower part of the fuselage in pairs in engine nacelles. APU TA-12 is used as an autonomous power unit. The airframe has an integrated circuit. Technologically, it consists of six main parts, from F-1 to F-6. A radar antenna is installed in the leaky bow in a radio-transparent fairing, behind it is a leaky radio equipment compartment. The one-piece central part of the bomber with a length of 47.368 m includes the fuselage, which includes the cockpit and two cargo compartments. Between them is the fixed part of the wing and the caisson compartment of the center section, the tail section of the fuselage and engine nacelles. The cabin is a single pressurized compartment, where, in addition to crew jobs, there is electronic equipment airplane. Wing on a variable-sweep bomber. The wing with a minimum sweep has a span of 57.7 m. The control system and the rotary assembly are generally similar to the Tu-22M, but they have been recalculated and strengthened. Wing caisson structure, mainly made of aluminum alloys. The turning part of the wing moves from 20 to 65 degrees along the leading edge. Three-section double-slotted flaps are installed along the trailing edge, and four-section slats are installed along the leading edge. For roll control, there are six-section spoilers, as well as flapperons. The inner cavity of the wing is used as fuel tanks. The aircraft has an automatic electrical remote control system with redundant mechanical wiring and fourfold redundancy. Management is dual, handles are installed, not handwheels. The aircraft is controlled in pitch with the help of an all-moving stabilizer, in the course - with an all-moving keel, in roll - by spoilers and flaperons. The navigation system is a two-channel K-042K. The White Swan is one of the most comfortable combat aircraft. During the 14-hour flight, pilots have the opportunity to get up and warm up. Also on board there is a kitchen with a cabinet that allows you to heat up food. There is also a toilet, which was previously strategic bombers did not have. It was around the bathroom during the transfer of the aircraft to the military that a real war took place: they did not want to accept the car, since the design of the bathroom was imperfect.
Armament
Initially, the TU-160 was built as a missile carrier - a carrier of cruise missiles with long-range nuclear warheads, designed to deliver massive strikes on areas. In the future, it was planned to expand and modernize the range of transportable ammunition, as evidenced by the stencils on the doors of the cargo compartments with suspension options for a huge range of cargo.
The TU-160 is armed with Kh-55SM strategic cruise missiles, which are used to destroy stationary targets with given coordinates, their input is carried out before the bomber takes off in the missile's memory. The missiles are located in six pieces on two MKU-6-5U drum launchers, in the cargo compartments of the aircraft. Short-range hypersonic aeroballistic missiles Kh-15S (12 for each MKU) can be included in the armament for short-range engagement.
After appropriate re-equipment, the bomber can also be equipped with free-fall bombs of various calibers (up to 40,000 kg), including single bomb clusters, nuclear bombs, sea mines and other weapons. In the future, the composition of the bomber's armament is planned to be significantly strengthened through the use of high-precision cruise missiles. newest generation Kh-101 and Kh-555, which have an increased range, and are also designed to destroy both tactical sea and land, and strategic targets of almost all classes.
The latest best military aircraft of the Air Force of Russia and the world photos, pictures, videos about the value of a fighter aircraft as weapon capable of providing "air supremacy", was recognized by the military circles of all states by the spring of 1916. This required the creation of a special combat aircraft that surpasses all others in speed, maneuverability, altitude and the use of offensive small arms. In November 1915, Nieuport II Webe biplanes arrived at the front. This is the first aircraft built in France, which was intended for air combat.
The most modern domestic military aircraft in Russia and the world owe their appearance to the popularization and development of aviation in Russia, which was facilitated by the flights of Russian pilots M. Efimov, N. Popov, G. Alekhnovich, A. Shiukov, B. Rossiysky, S. Utochkin. The first domestic machines of designers J. Gakkel, I. Sikorsky, D. Grigorovich, V. Slesarev, I. Steglau began to appear. In 1913, the heavy aircraft "Russian Knight" made its first flight. But one cannot fail to recall the first aircraft creator in the world - Captain 1st Rank Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky.
Soviet military aircraft of the USSR of the Great Patriotic War sought to hit the enemy troops, his communications and other objects in the rear with air strikes, which led to the creation of bomber aircraft capable of carrying a large bomb load over considerable distances. The variety of combat missions to bombard enemy forces in the tactical and operational depth of the fronts led to the understanding of the fact that their performance should be commensurate with the tactical and technical capabilities of a particular aircraft. Therefore, the design teams had to resolve the issue of specialization of bomber aircraft, which led to the emergence of several classes of these machines.
Types and classification, the latest models of military aircraft in Russia and the world. It was obvious that it would take time to create a specialized fighter aircraft, so the first step in this direction was to try to equip existing aircraft with small arms offensive weapons. Mobile machine-gun mounts, which began to equip the aircraft, required excessive efforts from the pilots, since the control of the machine in a maneuverable battle and the simultaneous firing of an unstable weapon reduced the effectiveness of fire. The use of a two-seat aircraft as a fighter, where one of the crew members played the role of a gunner, also created certain problems, because an increase in the weight and drag of the machine led to a decrease in its flight qualities.
What are the planes. In our years, aviation has made a big qualitative leap, expressed in a significant increase in flight speed. This was facilitated by progress in the field of aerodynamics, the creation of new more powerful engines, constructive materials, radio-electronic equipment. computerization of calculation methods, etc. Supersonic speeds have become the main modes of fighter flight. However, the race for speed also had its negative sides - the takeoff and landing characteristics and the maneuverability of aircraft deteriorated sharply. During these years, the level of aircraft construction reached such a level that it was possible to start creating aircraft with a variable sweep wing.
In order to further increase the flight speeds of jet fighters exceeding the speed of sound, Russian combat aircraft required an increase in their power-to-weight ratio, an increase in the specific characteristics of turbojet engines, and also an improvement in the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft. To this end, engines have been developed with axial compressor, which had smaller frontal dimensions, higher efficiency and better weight characteristics. For a significant increase in thrust, and hence the flight speed, afterburners were introduced into the engine design. The improvement of the aerodynamic forms of aircraft consisted in the use of wings and empennage with large sweep angles (in the transition to thin delta wings), as well as supersonic air intakes.
The largest supersonic aircraft in the world. The most formidable bomber capable of carrying cruise missiles. And the most graceful weapon. We examine the Tu-160 from all sides.
Edition PM
The first prototype of the future "swan" takes off
The largest "swan": length 54 m; curb weight 267 tons, maximum takeoff weight - 275 tons
Wingspan at minimum sweep (20 degrees) - 57.7 m, at intermediate (35 degrees) - 50.7 m, at maximum (65 degrees) - 35.6 m
Official poster of the Tupolev Design Bureau
Flock: "White Swan" Tu-160 with another Tupolev bomber - Tu-95
According to NATO classification, these strategic bombers are called "Black Jack" (and in American slang - "baton"). However, our pilots dubbed them "White Swans" - and this is more like the truth. Despite the formidable armament and amazing power, the supersonic Tu-160s are strikingly elegant.
Each of them is a piece and very expensive product. In the entire history, only 35 of these aircraft were built, and even fewer of them remained intact. But they are the real pride of Russia and the storm of its enemies. They are the only aircraft, each of which, like a ship, has its own name - in honor of the epic heroes ("Ilya Muromets") and designers ("Vitaly Kopylov"), champions ("Ivan Yarygin") and, of course, pilots ("Valery Chkalov", "Pavel Taran" and others).
The bomber became “our answer” to the American AMSA program (Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft - “Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft”), in which the notorious B-1 Lancer was developed, and the answer is wonderful. In almost all characteristics, the Tu-160s are significantly ahead of their main competitors - the American Lancers. The speed of the "swans" is 1.5 times higher, the combat radius and maximum flight range are also greater. Engine thrust is almost twice as powerful. And the much less successful "stealth" B-2 Spirit, in the design of which, for the sake of stealth, everything that was possible was brought, it seems, including carrying capacity, flight stability and its distance.
The development task was formulated by the Council of Ministers of the USSR back in 1967, and the Sukhoi and Myasishchev design bureaus were involved in the work, which a few years later offered their own versions of a bomber capable of overcoming air defense systems at supersonic speed. However, the honor of creating the "swans" belongs to the designers from the Tupolev Design Bureau, who joined the project later. The Swan made its first flight on December 18, 1981. Since then, it has been mass-produced by the Kazan KAPO named after Gorbunov - despite the fact that in 1992 Boris Yeltsin announced the curtailment of the construction of such bombers, work resumed in the early 2000s.
The main "feature" of the bomber design can be considered a variable sweep of the wing (this structural element, by the way, is also used in American counterparts - B-1). This solution allows, on the one hand, to achieve minimum takeoff and landing speeds. During these maneuvers, the sweep is minimal - the wings of the aircraft are spread apart - and, for all its mass, it does not require too long runways (it only needs "only" 2.2 km for takeoff and 1.8 km for landing ). On the other hand, an increase in sweep - the wings are pressed against the fuselage - reduces aerodynamic drag and allows you to achieve maximum speed and perform supersonic flight.
Of course, all these conveniences come at a price: the wings of variable-swept aircraft are becoming heavier, they have to be equipped with complex turning mechanisms, so this solution is rarely used in modern aircraft. It can be said that the Tu-160 and V-1 are an exception. The low wings of the "swans" can change the sweep from 20 to 65 degrees. This made it possible to make the Tu-160 a "multi-mode" bomber, that is, capable of sub- and supersonic flight: the simplest calculation shows that the plane will fly to Washington from Moscow in 4 hours and without refueling.
From nose to tail
The forward part of the fuselage only for our eyes looks the same with the main body: it is transparent in radio waves, because behind its fairing there is an airborne radar, behind which electronic equipment is placed.
Next are the sealed compartments, which accommodates a crew of 4 people. Each crew member can sit in a fairly comfortable seat with their own ejection mechanism (by the way, Russian developers have no equal in this area - read about “Pilot’s Last Chance”). Nearby are various technical compartments, where there is on-board radio-electronic equipment, a weapons control system, as well as resting places, toilets, compartments for heating food - in a word, everything you need for long flights.
The chassis provides three supports for movement, the front of which is with steerable wheels. Under the wings, in twin nacelles, four turbojet engines with a thrust of 14 thousand kg in normal and 25 thousand kg in forced mode are installed. Each of them is completely autonomous and does not depend on the other. Weapon compartments and fuel tanks are located in the front of the bomber, just behind the cockpit, and in the tail, under the vertical keel. And the tail compartment ends with a container with a braking parachute.
Structurally, the Tu-160 fuselage is a semi-monocoque, that is, the loads in it are distributed between reinforcing internal "ribs" (stringers, frames and beams, which account for the bulk of the loads) and the hull itself. The body of the bomber is made mainly of aluminum and titanium alloys (we talked about the advantages and disadvantages of these materials in the article “Rocket Metals”), with fiberglass inserts. Separate parts of the structure are fastened with rivets and bolts.
Interestingly, in this case, the inner fixed part of the wing is a single unit with the fuselage, which not only reduces the number of structural joints and makes the sweep change mechanism more reliable, but also expands the internal space for cargo and fuel. in the nasal cavities and tail parts wing installed thrust, mechanisms and assemblies of control systems.
What's in the beak?
Few things in the world are more formidable than these graceful "white swans". According to the former head of long-range aviation Russian Air Force Igor Khvorov, "one Tu-160 can take on board as many bombs as a Tu-22M3 squadron." With a total complexity, each bomber can take on board up to 40 tons of weapons, including cruise missiles, conventional and adjustable bombs, and so on.
Perhaps their most "serious" weapon can be called the Kh-55 strategic cruise missiles (in the NATO classification - Kent); each Tu-160 can carry up to 12 units. Such missiles, carrying a 200-kilogram nuclear charge, fly, although at subsonic speeds (up to Mach 0.77), but at extremely low altitudes and go around the terrain, which makes the task of neutralizing them extremely difficult. The turbojet engine allows these missiles to deliver a deadly load to a distance of up to 3 thousand km.
The "swans" are also armed with short-range missiles - the supersonic X-15 (there are already 24 of them on board), effective at distances up to several hundred kilometers. They approach the target along an aeroballistic trajectory, that is, when moving, they exit into the stratosphere, to a height of up to 40 km, from where they inflict a fatal blow at speeds up to Mach 5. These missiles are very effective for suppressing radars and other enemy air defense systems.
Bombs can also be carried in the Tu-160 weapons bays - both unguided and adjustable, for example, the one and a half ton KAB-1500, designed to destroy especially durable and underground objects - fortification systems, command and headquarters posts, and so on.
In the future, it is planned to increase the combat capabilities of the "swans" by an order of magnitude, adapting them to deliver a new generation of cruise missiles with an increased range and suitable for destroying almost any land and sea targets. First of all, these are Kh-101 low-observable cruise missiles (in the nuclear version - Kh-102). Each missile-carrying bomber will be able to carry 12 of these missiles capable of flying at altitudes of 6,000 meters and 30-70 meters close to the ground, hitting targets from a distance of 5,000 km and with an accuracy of ten meters. Another promising option is the deeply modernized Kh-55 missile, which also received the code name Kh-555, which has increased accuracy and increased ammunition capacity (350 kg).
What about today?
After the collapse of the USSR, the available Tu-160s were divided among the republics. 19 of them, based at the air base of the 84th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment in Priluki, went to Ukraine. Eight of them were handed over to Russia on account of debts for gas, and the rest were simply sawn up (the last Ukrainian “swan” has been turned into a museum and can be visited in Poltava).
Of the planes that ended up in Russia, one died: in 2003, the Mikhail Gromov plane (tail number 01) crashed while landing along with the entire crew. The rest of the "swans" are alive to this day. By the beginning of 2001, in accordance with the SALT-2 agreement, 15 Tu-160 aircraft remained in service in Russia, 6 of which were armed with strategic cruise missiles. Since then, several more Tu-160s have entered service, and the existing ones have been modernized, receiving, among other things, more economical engines, which made it possible to further increase the flight range.
In general, the modernization included many improvements, including the transition to a fully digital system avionics, protected from radiation and other factors of destruction of a nuclear explosion; support for the GLONASS navigation system; work with the latest high-precision weapons. In addition, there are reports of the use of some new coating, which significantly reduces the visibility of the aircraft on radar. In any case, in 2006, the then commander of Russian long-range aviation, Igor Khvorov, said that during the exercises, a Tu-160 group undetected entered the airspace of the United States and Canada over the Arctic.
They are based in the Saratov region, at the airfields of the 121st Guards Aviation Regiment in Engels. The "youngest" of the "swans" - the Tu-160 "Vitaly Kopylov" - entered service in April 2008. In the summer of 2007, Russia resumed strategic aviation flights over remote regions, and on September 10 this year, a pair of these aircraft landed for the first time on a military Libertador airfield in Venezuela: they took part in joint military exercises and returned home again, in the Moscow region. The skies of distant lands again saw the flight of "white swans".
Tu-160(according to NATO classification Blackjack) - supersonic bomber, which has a variable sweep wing, was 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 aircraft with variable geometry wing in the history of military aviation, as well as the heaviest among all combat aircraft in the world. Tu-160 has the largest maximum take-off weight among all existing bombers. Among Russian pilots, the aircraft has the nickname "White Swan".
Work on the creation of a new generation strategic bomber was started in the Design Bureau of A.N. Tupolev in 1968. In 1972, the project of a multi-mode bomber with a variable sweep wing was ready; Kuznetsov began work on the creation of engines for the new aircraft.
Initially, it was going to be armed with Kh-45 high-speed missiles, but later this idea was abandoned, giving preference to small-sized Kh-55 subsonic cruise missiles, as well as Kh-15 aeroballistic hypersonic missiles, which were placed on multi-position launchers inside the hull.
The full-scale layout of the new bomber was approved in 1977. In the same year, at the experimental production of MMZ "Experience" in Moscow, they began to assemble a batch of 3 experimental machines. The wing and stabilizers for them were manufactured in Novosibirsk, the fuselage was manufactured in Kazan, and the landing gear was manufactured in Gorky.
The final assembly of the first prototype was made 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.
The first flight of the aircraft with serial number "70-01" took place on December 18, 1981(the crew commander was B.I. Veremey), and on October 6, 1984, a car with serial number “70-03” took off, which already had a complete set of equipment for a serial bomber. After another 2 years, 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 the performance of flight tests.
During the state tests, which were completed in mid-1989, 4 successful launches of X-55 cruise missiles, which were the main weapon of the vehicle, were carried out from the bomber-missile carrier. The maximum horizontal flight speed was also achieved, amounting to almost 2200 km / h. At the same time, during the operation, it was decided to limit the speed threshold to a speed of 2000 km / h, which was mainly due to the preservation of the resource of the propulsion system and airframe.
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 the production vehicles available at that time (19 bombers) remained on the territory of Ukraine, at the air base in the city of Pryluky. 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 the Ilya Muromets aircraft (this was the name of the world's first heavy bomber, which was built in Russia in 1913), Mikhail Gromov, Ivan Yarygin, Vasily Reshetnikov.
The high performance of the Russian strategic bomber was confirmed by setting 44 world records. In particular, with a payload of 30 tons, the aircraft flew along a closed route of 1,000 km at a speed of 1,720 km/h. And in flight at a distance of 2000 km, having takeoff weight at 275 tons, the aircraft was able to reach an average speed of 1678 km / h, as well as a flight altitude of 11250 m.
During serial production, the bomber was subjected to a number of improvements, which were determined by the experience of its operation. For example, the number of valves for feeding aircraft engines was increased, which made it possible to increase the stability of the turbojet engine with an afterburner and simplify their controllability. The replacement of a number of structural elements from metal to carbon fiber allowed to some extent to reduce the weight of the aircraft. The hatches of the operator and navigator were equipped with rear-view periscopes, it was also finalized software and changes were made to the hydraulic system.
As part of the implementation of a multi-stage program to reduce radar visibility, a special graphite radar-absorbing coating was applied to the channels of the air intakes 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 cockpit glazing made it possible to eliminate the re-reflection of radar radiation from its internal surfaces.
To date, the Tu-160 strategic bomber-missile carrier is the most powerful combat vehicle in the world. In terms of the composition of weapons and its main characteristics, it significantly exceeds American equivalent- multi-mode strategic bomber B-1B "Lancer". It is assumed that further work to improve the Tu-160, in particular, the expansion and renewal of the armament, as well as the installation of a new avionics, will further increase its potential.
Design features
The Tu-160 bomber is made according to the normal aerodynamic configuration with variable wing geometry. The design feature of the airframe of the aircraft is an integrated circuit aerodynamic layout, according to which the fixed part of the wing forms a single whole with the fuselage. This decision made it possible to make the best use of the internal volumes of the airframe for accommodating fuel, cargo, various equipment, as well as to reduce the number of structural joints, which led to a decrease in the weight of the structure.
The bomber airframe is made mainly from aluminum alloys (B-95 and AK-4, heat-treated to increase the resource). The wing consoles are made of titanium and high-strength aluminum alloys and are attached to hinges that allow changing the wing sweep in the range from 20 to 65 degrees. The proportion of titanium alloys in the mass of the bomber airframe is 20%, fiberglass is also used, glued three-layer structures are widely used.
The crew of the bomber, consisting of 4 people, is located in a single spacious pressurized cabin. In front of it, there are seats for the first and second pilots, as well as for the navigator-operator and navigator. All crew members are placed in K-36DM ejection seats. To increase the efficiency of operators and pilots during a long flight, the seatbacks are equipped with pillows with pulsating air for massage. At the rear of the cockpit is a small-sized kitchen, a folding bunk for rest and a toilet. Aircraft of late production models were equipped with a built-in gangway.
The aircraft landing gear is tricycle, with 2 steerable wheels of the front support. The main landing gear has an oscillating suspension strut and is behind the bomber's center of gravity. 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. Shields and aerodynamic deflectors, designed to press air against the runway, are responsible for protecting the engine air intakes from dirt and precipitation.
The power plant Tu-160 includes 4 bypass turbojet engines with an afterburner NK-32(created by OKB N.D. Kuznetsov). 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 mass-produced engines, during the design of which measures were taken to reduce infrared and radar visibility.
The aircraft engines are located in pairs in the engine nacelles and are separated from each other by special fireproof partitions. The motors operate independently of each other. To implement an autonomous power supply, a separate auxiliary gas turbine power plant was also installed on the Tu-160.
The Tu-160 bomber is equipped with a PRNA sighting and navigation system, consisting of an optoelectronic bomber sight, a surveillance and sighting radar, an INS, a SNS, an astrocorrector and the Baikal airborne defense system (containers with dipole reflectors and IR traps, a heat direction finder). There is also a multi-channel digital communication complex, which is associated with satellite systems. More than 100 special computers are involved in the bomber's avionics.
The strategic bomber's onboard defense system guarantees the detection and classification of enemy air defense radars, determination of their coordinates and their subsequent disorientation by decoys or suppression by powerful active jamming. For bombing, the Thunderstorm sight is used, which ensures the defeat of various targets with high precision in daylight and low light conditions. The direction finder for detecting missiles and enemy aircraft from the rear hemisphere is located in the rearmost part of the fuselage.
In the tail cone there are containers with chaff and IR traps. In the cockpit there are standard electromechanical devices, which are generally similar to those installed on the Tu-22M3. The heavy machine is controlled using the control stick (joystick), as on fighter jets.
The armament of the aircraft is located in 2 in-fuselage cargo compartments, which can contain a variety of target load with a total weight of up to 40 tons. The armament can consist of 12 X-55 subsonic cruise missiles on 2 drum-type multi-position launchers, as well as up to 24 X-15 hypersonic missiles on 4 launchers. To destroy small-sized tactical targets, the aircraft can use corrected aerial bombs (KAB) weighing up to 1500 kg. Also, the aircraft can carry up to 40 tons of conventional free-fall bombs.
In the future, the weapon system of a strategic bomber can be significantly enhanced 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.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the Tu-160:
Dimensions:
- maximum wing span - 55.7 m, minimum - 35.6 m;
- length - 54.1 m;
- height - 13.2 m;
Wing area - 360.0 sq. m.
Aircraft weight:
– empty – 110.000 kg
- normal takeoff - 267.600 kg
- maximum takeoff - 275.000 kg
Engine type - 4 turbofans NK-32;
- non-afterburning thrust -4x137.2 kN;
- afterburner thrust - 4x247.5 kN.
Maximum speed at altitude - 2230 km / h;
Cruising speed - 917 km / h;
Practical flight range without refueling: 12.300 km;
Combat radius: 6.000 km;
Practical ceiling - 15.000 m;
Crew - 4 people
Armament: in two ventral compartments there is a different target load with a total mass of 22,500 kg, maximum - up to 40,000 kg. The armament includes X-55 and X-55M tactical and strategic cruise missiles, as well as X-15 short-range aeroballistic hypersonic missiles (M = 5) with nuclear and non-nuclear warheads, as well as KAB corrected aerial bombs various types up to KAB-1500, conventional types of bombs, as well as mines.
On planet Earth, only two countries - Russia and the United States - have the so-called "nuclear triad" in the armed forces - strategic aviation, intercontinental missiles and nuclear submarines. Such a distribution of nuclear ammunition among various carriers is necessary so that in the event of a surprise attack and the destruction of some types of weapons, a retaliatory strike is guaranteed to be carried out by other means.
During the reign Nikita Khrushchev the main emphasis was placed on the development of rocket technology, and therefore, by the beginning of the 1970s, the USSR had only Tu-95 "Bear" and M-4 "Bizon" bombers, which could not be guaranteed to overcome the NATO air defense zone due to their low speed. At the same time, the US began developing the B-1 supersonic strategic bomber to replace the aging B-52. After the backlog of the USSR in this area became obvious, a competition was announced for the creation of such an aircraft in our country.
Undercover games with airplanes
A mysterious story is connected with the creation of the Tu-160. In those days, several design bureaus worked in our country, which could “pull” such a complex project. It was the Sukhoi Design Bureau, which was working on the T-4 project - a bomber that could become the fastest aircraft in the world with a maximum speed of 3200 km / h, the Myasishchev Design Bureau, which was developing the M-18 project with a variable sweep of the wing. The oldest design bureau of Tupolev, which already had experience in developing the Tu-144 supersonic passenger aircraft and Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers, did not participate in the competition.
The project of the Myasishchev Design Bureau was recognized as the winner, but the designers did not have time to celebrate the victory: after some time, the government decided to close the project in the Myasishchev Design Bureau and transfer all the documentation for the M-18 to ... Tupolev Design Bureau, which joined the competition with its "Product- 70" (future Tu-160).
There are several opinions as to why such a decision was made. According to one version, the government considered that the Myasishchev Design Bureau did not have enough capacity to carry out such complex project. On the other hand, that the Air Force command did not like the plane. There is an opinion that Andrey Tupolev at a personal meeting with Leonid Brezhnev persuaded him to transfer the project and documentation to his design bureau. It is worth noting that the Tu-160 is indeed somewhat similar to the M-18, but, of course, there is no talk of a direct “rip-off”.
Photo: RIA Novosti / Skrynnikov
Swan song of the USSR
In fact, the Tu-160 is the last large-scale project in the USSR, which was carried out before its collapse. Between the beginning of the design of the aircraft in 1972 and the first flight of the car, 9 years passed: on December 18, 1981, the car was lifted into the air from the Ramenskoye airfield test pilot Boris Veremey. The bomber entered service in 1987.
It is worth noting that this period for the creation of such a project was minimal and shows how powerful the aviation industry was at the decline of the USSR: today the creation of such an aircraft in Russia, if possible, is with the consolidation of all surviving enterprises.
The experience of creating the Tu-22 and Tu-144 allowed the Tupolev team to quickly develop a car: many elements of these aircraft were transferred to the Tu-160 without changes. However, much had to be created from scratch. The main problem was to ensure the flight range, which was supposed to be more than 12,000 km without refueling in the air (for example, the length of the Earth's equator is 40,000 km), and a maximum flight speed of more than 2,000 kilometers per hour. This problem was solved by using a variable sweep wing: most of the flight, to the enemy air defense zone, the Tu-160 passes at subsonic speed (about 900 km / h) with almost straight wings, and overcomes it at supersonic speed, "folding" them.
Interestingly, the Tu-160 is one of the most comfortable combat aircraft. During the 14-hour flight, pilots can get up and warm up. On board there is a kitchen with a cabinet for warming up food and a toilet, which was not previously on strategic bombers. It was around the bathroom that a real war broke out during the transfer of the aircraft to the military: they did not want to accept the car because of the imperfection of its design.
The Tu-160 is armed with 12 X-55 cruise missiles, which have a range of up to 2,500 km. Target coordinates are programmed into missiles before the bomber takes off, and after launch, it goes towards it, bending around the terrain, and it is almost impossible to shoot it down. Thus, the Tu-160 can launch missiles without entering the enemy air defense zone. However, if necessary, he is able to break through it: high speed makes it a very difficult target for both anti-aircraft missiles and fighters. The yield of each of the nuclear warheads is 200 kilotons (15 times more than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima).
Photo: RIA Novosti / Vitaly Belousov
Tragedy in Ukraine
By the time of the collapse of the USSR, 34 aircraft had been produced, and most of them (19 bombers) were based in Prilupki in Ukraine. It soon became clear that these vehicles were too expensive to operate and were not needed for a small Ukrainian army. V. Zakharchenko, who then served as the military attache of Ukraine in Russia, said: “Before armed forces Ukraine is not faced with tasks that require such aircraft.” In 1995, negotiations began between Russia and Ukraine on the sale of the Tu-160, but strange demands followed from the Ukrainian side.
Ukraine offered to transfer 19 Tu-160s to Russia for writing off the debt for gas (which Gazprom categorically refused) or in exchange for Il-76 transport aircraft at a rate of 1 to 2. It was impossible to fulfill the second paragraph for the reason that, having exchanged the Tu-160 on their Il-76, Russia would actually lose transport aviation, and their production in the USSR was carried out at a plant in Uzbekistan, which practically ceased to function after the collapse of the USSR.
However, it soon became clear why Kyiv did not make concessions regarding the Tu-160. In 1998, the Ukrainian and US defense ministries signed an agreement to destroy 44 bombers, including 19 Tu-160s, as well as thousands of X-55 missiles. On November 16, two "White Swans" in the presence of representatives of the US Department of Defense were destroyed using an excavator and a special guillotine. The cost of destroying the vehicles was paid for with American money: $1 million per aircraft (with the cost of one Tu-160 being about $250 million). In total, 11 Tu-160s were rendered non-flying, and the remaining 8 were transferred to Russia on account of the debt for gas. IN this moment there is no strategic aviation in Ukraine.
Photo: RIA Novosti / Skrynnikov
Tu-160 as a means of influence
Russia has 16 Tu-160s in service, each with its own name. Planes have names Air Chief Marshal of the USSR Alexander Novikov, aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky, Russian hero Ilya Muromets and other historical figures of Russia.
Aircraft often fly along the air defense line different countries, which causes hype in the press and irritation of politicians. But in fact, this is not so much a way to show the power of Russian aviation as an opportunity to understand how quickly interceptors react to such flights: they always “accompany” the Tu-160.
The missile carrier, developed back in the USSR, is still one of the most modern in the world, and with the advent of the US B-2 bombers, the situation has not changed much. Combat clashes in Yugoslavia showed that Stealth technology does not always save when an air defense line is broken: an inconspicuous F-117 fighter was still shot down anti-aircraft missile system S-125 "Neva".
The weak point of the Tu-160 today is its outdated on-board equipment, but next year it is planned to modernize it on all 19 machines. In addition, in 2009, work began on the Advanced Long-Range Aviation Complex (PAK DA), an aircraft that should replace the Tu-95. The first flight is scheduled for 2019, and the start of operation - for 2025.
