TTX TU 160 white swan. Airplane "White Swan": technical characteristics and photos. Where did the new engine come from?

Full-scale development of the Tu160 supersonic strategic missile carrier-bomber was started at the Tupolev Design Bureau in 1975. Based on TsAGI's proposals and advice, an aerodynamic assembly of a multi-mode aircraft was developed, which actually combined within itself the capabilities of the Tu-95 aircraft with a swept wing of enormous aspect ratio, with the configuration of the sweep angle of the wing consoles in flight, tested on the distant Tu-22M bomb carrier, coupled with a central integral part of the aircraft, partly implemented on the SPS Tu-144.

The Tu-160 aircraft retained the corresponding features of a languid traditional bomb carrier - the design of a cantilever monoplane, a huge aspect ratio wing, four engines mounted on the wing (under its fixed part), a tricycle landing gear with a nose strut. All missile and bomb weapons are located inside in two similar weapons compartments. The crew of the strategic airship, consisting of 4 people, is located in a pressurized cabin located in the bow of the aircraft.

The first flight of the Tu-160 aircraft was carried out on December 18, 1981 by the crew of leading test pilot Boris Veremey. Flight tests confirmed that the required features were met, and in 1987 the aircraft began to enter service.

NATO gave the vehicle the preliminary designation “RAM-P”; later the aircraft was given a new code name - “Blackjack”.

Flight performance properties:

Dimensions. Wing span 55.7/35.6 m, aircraft length 54.1 m, height 13.1 m, wing area 360/400 sq. m.

Number of places. Crew - four people.

Engines. Four NK32 turbofan engines (4x14,000/25,000 kgf) are placed under the wing in two engine nacelles. The APU is located behind the niche of the left main landing gear support. The engine control system is electronic, with hydromechanical duplication. There is a retractable fuel receiver boom for the in-flight refueling system (Il78 or Il78M are used as refueling aircraft).

Weights and loads, kg: maximum take-off 275,000, normal take-off 267,600, empty aircraft 110,000, fuel 148,000, normal combat load 9000 kg, maximum combat load 40,000.

Flight data. The highest speed at high altitude is 2000 km/h, the highest speed at the ground is 1030 km/h, landing speed (with a landing weight of 140,000 - 155,000 kg) is 260-300 km/h, the highest rate of climb is 60-70 m/s, practical ceiling 16,000 m, practical flight range with normal load 13,200 km, with critical load 10,500 km, take-off length (at maximum take-off weight) 2,200 m, run length (landing weight 140,000 kg) 1,800 m.

Armament. In two intra-fuselage cargo compartments, different motivated loads with a total mass of up to 40,000 kg can be located. It includes strategic cruise missiles (12 units on 2 multi-position drum-type launchers) and Kh-15 aeroballistic hypersonic missiles (24 units on 4 launchers).

In the future, the bomb carrier's armament is planned to be significantly strengthened by introducing the latest generation of high-precision cruise missiles, which have an increased range and are designed to destroy both strategic and tactical ground and sea targets of virtually all classes.

The aircraft has the highest level of computerization of on-board equipment. The information system in the cabins is represented by electromechanical indicators and indicators on monitors. The classic steering wheels for huge machines have been changed to control sticks similar to those used on fighter planes.

There are currently 15 Tu-160s in service with the Russian Air Force. The Russian Air Force Directorate plans to increase the number of such aircraft to 30.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Announcements and open sources

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After the end of the 2nd World War, in which the USSR and the USA were allies, there was a redistribution of Europe according to spheres of influence. In the 50s, two main military-political blocs were formed - NATO and the Warsaw Contract, which for decades were in a state of constant confrontation. The “cool war” that began in the late 40s could at any moment develop into a “hot” third world war. The arms race, spurred on by politicians and the military, gave a strong impetus to the development of new technologies, especially in rocketry and aviation, but had a disastrous effect on the economic development of the USSR, which did not want to yield to the West in anything. Decisions in the field of weapons development made by Russian politicians and military officers were often not supported by economic ability. At the same time, the Russian design idea was in no way behind the Western one, often ahead of it and, in the main, restrained by the decisions of politicians. In the late 50s and early 60s, the Russian Alliance took the lead in the development of strategic missile weapons, while the Americans relied on strategic aviation. Military parity between the two countries and two military-political blocs was maintained virtually until the collapse of the USSR.

In the field of development of strategic aviation, the Russian design bureaus of A.N. Tupolev, V.M. Myasishchev, R.L. Bartini and P.O. Sukhoi developed countless projects that were often ahead of their time, but were never implemented “in metal." Projects of strike Russian strategic aviation systems, well-known and published in the open press in recent years, such as, for example, the Tupolev “125” and “135”, remained “on paper”. In the Russian Union, which became fascinated by the creation of strategic missile systems during the time of N.S. Khrushchev, strike aviation was “not held in high esteem.” Only a few languid, experienced aircraft were built, and even those were not fully tested (from time to time due to the fact that they were very

progressive). At the beginning of the 60s, for example, all work on the M-50 and M-52 strategic aviation systems was stopped. developed at the Design Bureau of V.M. Myasishchev (with all this, the design bureau itself was generally closed), and in the 70s - on the T-4 (“100”) aircraft, made by the Design Bureau of P.O. Sukhoi and which very successfully began the test cycle . Thus, by the mid-70s the USSR had a strong nuclear missile attack system, while at the same time the small strategic aviation had at its disposal only old subsonic bomb carriers Tu-95 and M-4, which were unable to overcome the strong and modern air defense system of a potential enemy. The Americans, in turn, constantly developed and improved their aviation component of a nuclear strike.

In the Russian Union, the military only in 1967, i.e. a couple of years after the “Khrushchev” lull, they remembered strategic aviation. The impetus was the US decision to develop the AMSA project (Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft, i.e., an advanced manned strategic aircraft) - the future B-1. A new competition was announced in the USSR for an intercontinental multi-mode strike aircraft, which resulted in the creation of the Tu-160 missile-carrying bomber, now recognizable throughout the world. which in the West received the nickname Blackjack. This book will tell you about the steps of creating the most advanced Russian aviation strike system, as well as about many of the intrigues that preceded this work. The reader will be able to find information about the design of the Tu-160 aircraft and its flight-tactical properties, information about the operation of the bomber in the Russian and Ukrainian Air Forces, and the usual color options for production vehicles.

On November 28, 1967, the Council of Ministers of the USSR issued Resolution No. 1098-378, which announced the start of work on a new multi-mode strategic intercontinental aircraft (CMC). The developers were required to design and build a carrier aircraft that possessed only the highest flight characteristics. For example, the cruising speed at an altitude of 18,000 m was set at 3,200-3,500 km/h, the flight range in this mode was determined within 11,000-13,000 km, the flight range in high-altitude flight at subsonic speed and near the ground was 16,000-18,000 km and 11,000, respectively. -13000 km. The strike weapons were supposed to be replaceable and included air-launched missiles (4 x X-45, 24 x X-2000, etc.), as well as free-falling and adjustable bombs of various types and purposes. The total mass of the combat load reached 45 tons.

Two aviation design bureaus began designing the aircraft: the P. O. Sukhoi Design Bureau (Capital Machine-Building Plant "Kulon") and the just restored V. M. Myasishchev Design Bureau (EMZ - Experimental Machine-Building Plant, located in Zhukovsky). OKB A.N. Tupolev (Capital 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 bomb carrier at this step. By the beginning of the 70s, both teams, based on the requirements of the acquired mission and the preparatory 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.

After the announcement of the competition, the Design Bureau, led by General Designer Pavel Osipovich Sukhoi, began developing a strategic dual-mode bomb carrier under the symbol T-4MS (or product “200”) - At the same time, increased attention was paid to the greatest continuity of its design with the design of the previously developed strategic aircraft T-4 (products “100”). Namely, it was planned to preserve the power plant, on-board systems and equipment, use already mastered materials, standard design and technological solutions, and proven technological processes.

While working on the preliminary design of the T-4MS aircraft, the Sukhoi Design Bureau studied several options for aerodynamic configurations. First, we analyzed the possibility of creating a strategic bomb carrier using the usual large-scale growth method of the previously developed T-4M aircraft (product “100I”) with a variable-sweep wing, but an attempt to implement the first option in the layout scheme of another did not produce the desired results, since it led to a sharp increase in dimensions and the weight of the aircraft, without ensuring the placement of the required weapons. The designers were obliged to find new principles for constructing the layout diagram of a strategic missile-carrying bomber that would satisfy the following main provisions:

obtaining very probable internal volumes with a small washed surface;

ensuring the placement of the required weapons in the cargo compartments;

obtaining very probable structural rigidity in order to ensure flights at enormous speeds near the ground;

exclusion of the propulsion system from the power circuit of the aircraft in order to ensure the ability to modify the aircraft according to the type of engines used;

the prospects of the assembly based on the conviction of the ability to continuously improve the flight-tactical and technical features of the aircraft.

Working on the latest variations of integrated layouts of the T-4M aircraft, the developers concluded that the option that satisfies the listed conditions corresponds to an aerodynamic assembly with an integrated circuit of the “flying wing” type, but at the same time, a part of the wing of a relatively small area must have a sweep that can be changed in flight ( i.e. rotary consoles).

This assembly (under the number “2B”) was developed in August 1970 by designer L.I. Bondarenko, approved by the head of the general design department of the P.O. Sukhoi Design Bureau O.S. Samoilovich, the Main Designer of the aircraft N.S. Chernyakov and the General Designer OKB P.O. Sukhim and served as the basis for the upcoming development of the preliminary design.

Blowing models of selected assemblies in TsAGI wind tunnels showed the possibility of obtaining large values ​​of the aerodynamic property coefficient at both subsonic and supersonic flight speeds.

An indescribably high calculated value of the aerodynamic property (17.5) was obtained at a speed corresponding to Mach number = 0.8, and at a speed corresponding to Mach number = 3.0, the coefficient was equal to 7.3. With the new “integral” assembly, the problem of elastic deformation of the wing was also resolved. The small area of ​​​​the rotating consoles, coupled with the rigid supporting body of the center section, ensured the ability to fly at enormous speeds near the ground.

Throughout 1971, the P.O. Sukhoi Design Bureau carried out work to refine the preliminary design of the “200” to a stage that allowed it to be submitted for competition. In the same year, purge models were made, and in the TsAGI wind tunnels, different versions of the center section, rotary wing consoles, vertical and horizontal tails were studied on models. When purging different configurations of the T-4MS, it was discovered that the aircraft was “not centered” and had a five percent instability. The chief designer of the theme, N.S. Chernyakov, decided to finalize the assembly. As a result, variants of the “200” appeared with a long nose and additional horizontal tail. One of them, scheme No. 8, had an unusual, needle-shaped nose. As a result, an assembly with an elongated nose and a slightly protruding canopy was adopted (everything else corresponded to the initial version of the aircraft assembly). Work on the T-4MS topic was completed in September 1971.

As mentioned above, another enterprise that began designing the CMC was the OKB of General Designer Vladimir Mikhailovich Myasishchev (EMZ), which was restored in the mid-60s, which at the end of 1968, by Order of the MAP, in accordance with the tactical and technical requirements of the Air Force, was entrusted with creating a preliminary design of the strategic multi-mode multi-purpose missile-carrying aircraft with the possibility of its use in 3 different versions.

The EMZ team began work on the so-called “20” theme (or the M-20 multi-mode missile-carrying bomber). The main strike and reconnaissance version of the aircraft was intended for launching nuclear missile and bomb attacks on remote strategic targets, as well as for conducting strategic reconnaissance. The second option was to ensure the fight against transoceanic air traffic (i.e., search for and eliminate transport aircraft and long-range radar detection aircraft). The 3rd option was a long-range anti-submarine aircraft designed to search for and eliminate cruising submarines at distances of up to 5000-5500 km. The overall maximum flight range of the aircraft at subsonic speed was supposed to be 16,000-18,000 km.

Having completed the preparatory part of the work, V.M. Myasishchev continued to consider the promising task of creating a high-speed heavy aircraft as the main goal of his own revived Design Bureau. Having research on the topic “20” behind him, the General Designer achieved the inclusion of the EMZ in the competition to create a supersonic multi-mode strategic carrier aircraft. The relevant MAP Orders were issued on September 15, 1969 (No. 285), September 17 and October 9, 1970 (No. 134 and No. 321, respectively). New work has begun on the topic “18” (or the M-18 aircraft).

The EMZ team, with great enthusiasm coming from its manager, took on another task. On February 15, 1971, V.M. Myasishchev made a report to representatives of various research institutes and design bureaus about the research work carried out by the EMZ team together with TsAGI, as well as various research institutes of the Ministries of Defense, Radio Industry and Defense Industry. Myasishchev noted in his report the main features of the technical specifications for the new aircraft, specifically:

increase in combat load at normal flight weight by 1.8 times;

the need to install special equipment to overcome the air defense of a potential enemy;

increasing the mass of the combat load and, as a result, the flight weight of the aircraft;

increase in thrust-to-weight ratio by at least 1.5-1.7 times due to the requirement for takeoff from 1st class unpaved airfields;

increasing cruising speed to 3000-3200 km/h.

All this, based on the beliefs of Myasishchev and EMZ professionals, led to a decrease in flight range by 28-30%. The General Designer also informed those present that a large amount of theoretical and practical research work had been carried out on the topic of multi-mode CMC on EMS, including:

parametric studies of the features of different configurations of the M-20 aircraft using a computer (up to 1200 hours), dynamics and maneuverability in different flight modes (many tests and research work were carried out together with TsAGI);

study of optimization of geometric and weight features of different CMC schemes for different flight masses (from 150 to 300 tons) and aircraft sizes;

study of heat transfer coefficients and heat loss on models

aircraft in the tube T-33 TsAGI;

study of strength and stiffness features and optimization of the main design modes for different schemes and different materials, including studies in SibNIA and TsAGI pipes (T-203);

research and selection of schemes for the main systems (control, equipment, chassis, weapons, power plants, etc.);

design work on the main components of the aircraft structure (wing, fuselage, landing gear, power plants).

In addition, at EMZ, on topics “18” and “20”, a number of different CMC layouts were studied at once. “Myasishchevtsy” began work with an analysis of aircraft layouts made according to a conventional aerodynamic configuration, after which they analyzed probable options for CMC layouts according to the “canard” configuration. Namely, the following CMC aerodynamic schemes were worked out:

conventional with a variable-sweep wing and two-fin or single-fin tail;

conventional with variable sweep wing and T-shaped tail;

“duck” design with a triangular wing and tail;

canard design with variable sweep wing;

“canard” design with a complex-shaped wing and downward deflecting consoles;

"tailless" scheme with a delta wing.

Ultimately, the developers also came to the conclusion that a multi-mode CMC must have a variable-sweep wing. The differences between the different variations of the CMC M-18 and M-20 were that for the main variants of the M-20, the designers used the “duck” design, and for the M-18, the classic aero design.

Options for multi-mode CMC were developed under the specific management of General Designer V.M. Myasishchev with the participation of many leading professionals of the recreated OKB: deputy chief designer G.I. Arkhangelsky, acting. deputy chief designer M.V. Gusarov, acting Deputy Chief Designer V.A. Fedotov, Head of the Aerodynamics Department A.D. Tokhunts and many others. K.P. Lyutikov was appointed lead designer for CMC. Tokhunts was responsible for the general views, assembly, aerodynamics and power plant, Fedotov supervised all work on strength, the introduction of new materials, as well as certain design developments (from individual components to the creation of frames for the designed aircraft), N.M. Glovatsky provided the production part of the projects, immediately performing the functions of the chief engineer of a massive production facility built next to the design bureau.

The assemblies were calculated for aircraft with a take-off weight of about 150 tons and the ability to refuel in flight, as well as for aircraft with a take-off weight of about 300-325 tons, not equipped with a refueling system. The type of engines depended on the take-off weight. With an aircraft take-off weight of 150 tons, the thrust of each engine should have been 12,000 kgf, with a weight of 300-325 tons - approximately 22,000-25,000 kgf. It was planned to use promising engines from the Design Bureau of N.D. Kuznetsov. The crew of the bomber consisted of three to four people. The wing area, depending on the take-off weight, ranged from 670 to 970 m2. The main weapons used were two large air-to-surface missiles. Defensive weapons were not provided.

The M-18 project, in its layout solutions, corresponded in almost every way to the layout scheme of the South American Rockwell B-1 bomb carrier and therefore was promoted as more promising (or maybe more harmless based on the principles of novelty?) for the upcoming development. At a faster pace, a more fundamental and important design element of a multi-mode CMC with variable wing sweep was being developed - a unique hinge for rotating the console (its model underwent strength and dynamic tests at TsAGI). Nine shields and two flying laboratories were deployed. As a result of the work carried out, the take-off weight of the Myasishchev aircraft was reduced by 10%.

It must be emphasized that in the multi-mode CMC projects being developed by the P.O. Sukhoi and V.M. Myasishchev OKB, as already mentioned, it was assumed that the aircraft would be introduced in the main version as a strategic bomber-missile carrier with the possibility of further modification into a high-altitude spy or anti-submarine aircraft.

After the Air Force identified new tactical and technical requirements for the promising multi-mode CMC in 1969, it was decided to develop the latter on a broader competitive basis, setting deadlines for the submission of preliminary designs by OKB competitors. Now, in addition to the design bureaus of P.O. Sukhoi and V.M. Myasishchev, the Design Bureau of A.N. Tupolev (MMZ “Experience”) has also been attracted to the work.

Indeed, the specialists of MMZ "Experience" in the process of research, testing and serial production of Tu-144 aircraft gained invaluable experience (as this corresponded to the open name of the company!) in solving the main problems of supersonic flight, including experience in designing structures with a huge service life in criteria for long supersonic flight. Effective thermal protection of the aircraft airframe structure, its systems and equipment under conditions of long-term kinetic heating, a set of structural heat-resistant materials with the highest physical and mechanical properties were developed, and the development of their production at serial plants was introduced. Massive turbofan engines and turbojet engines with take-off thrusts up to 20,000 kgf, with specific features applicable for long-range aircraft, were also mastered in production and operation; multi-mode air absorbers were designed and tested, etc. Here we must also add the experience in developing and fine-tuning complex weapons systems and flight and navigation equipment, acquired by the Tupolev team during the development of Tu-22M series aircraft and aircraft-missile systems based on them.

At MMZ "Experience" the start of work on CMC. which at the preparatory stage of work was designated differently - both as the “K” aircraft, and as the “60” product, and as the “160” aircraft (or Tu-160) - can be attributed to the 2nd half of 1969, when in The design bureau, within the framework of Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 1098-378 of November 28, 1967 and the tactical and technical requirements for the aircraft developed by the Air Force, began to consider possible options for solving the problem. Work on the latest topic was concentrated in department “K” under the general direction of A.A. Tupolev. Under the specific leadership of V.I. Bliznyuk, who previously participated in the development of the project for the strategic supersonic intercontinental system “108,” and A.A. Pukhov, several options for the probable layouts of the upcoming aircraft were worked out in the brigades of the “K” department. One of the very first to propose was a project for an aircraft with a variable sweep wing, but the analysis of this option at that stage gave a poor result: the rotation unit of the wing consoles led not only to a significant increase in the weight of the aircraft structure, but also to its complication, which generally made it difficult to obtain data on the flight tactical characteristics of the aircraft.

Indeed, the totality of the requirements in the 1967 decree posed a very complex and difficult task for the developers. At the first step of work on CMC, the Tupolev team decided to take supersonic and cruising speeds (with the latter, the greatest flight range was achieved) as the main features that determine the type of aircraft. It must be emphasized that immediately with the start of the design of a new strategic bomber, department “K” studied the probable ways of developing a supersonic passenger aircraft, which then began work on the new SPS-2 (or Tu-244), therefore the designers tried to use some of the existing developments when choosing aerodynamic assembly of the aircraft "160". Therefore, along with the CMC variant with variable wing sweep, at the first step the Tupolev team also considered a variant of the “tailless” layout scheme, which was used for the SPS-1 (Tu-144) and SPS-2 (Tu-244) projects. The developments of the OKB for the SPS-2 (Tu-244) project made it possible, at a theoretical level, to obtain an aerodynamic quality within the range of 7-9 units in supersonic cruising mode, and up to 15 units in subsonic flight mode, which, coupled with economical engines, made it possible to achieve a real a given flight range (according to the materials of the Tu-244 project, dated 1973, the flight range of an aircraft with turbojet engines, which had a specific fuel consumption of 1.23 kg/kgsch in supersonic cruising mode, reached 8000 km in supersonic mode). The design of a “tailless” aircraft, coupled with a power plant of appropriate power and efficiency, guaranteed high-speed and long-range characteristics. The main difficulties associated with this scheme were the use of new structural materials and technologies capable of ensuring long flights at high temperatures. In order to reduce the degree of technical risk for the new project, the Tupolev team decided, unlike their own rivals, to limit the cruising flight speed of the new CMC to M = 2.2-2.3.

One of the main requirements for the CMC was to ensure a long flight range, while the aircraft had to overcome the enemy’s air defense zone at high altitude at supersonic speed (or near the ground at subsonic speed), and make the main flight to the target at a good altitude with subsonic cruising speed. The least important requirement was the ability to operate the aircraft from runways of limited size. Fulfilling all the above conditions on one type of aircraft meant solving a complex technical problem. A compromise between the subsonic and supersonic features of the CMC could only be achieved by introducing a variable-sweep wing and engines of a combined design - single-circuit at supersonic speeds and double-circuit at subsonic speeds. When choosing a good CMC assembly, aerodynamicists conducted comparative studies of models with fixed and variable sweep wings, which showed that when flying at subsonic speeds, the aerodynamic quality of an aircraft with a variable sweep wing is approximately 1.2-1.5 times higher than that of an aircraft with fixed wing, and when flying at supersonic speeds, the aerodynamic quality of a CMC with a variable-sweep wing in the folded position (at maximum sweep) is virtually equal to that of an aircraft with a fixed wing. As mentioned above, a significant drawback of the CMC with a variable-sweep wing was the increase in flight weight due to the presence of an additional mechanism for rotating the wing consoles. Calculations have shown that when the mass of the hinge unit is more than 4% of the mass of the bomb carrier, all the advantages of an aircraft with a variable-sweep wing are completely lost. When using the same type of engines, the flight range at medium altitudes and subsonic speeds of a CMC with a variable-sweep wing was approximately 30-35% (and at low altitudes, 10%) higher than that of an aircraft with a fixed wing. Flight range at supersonic speeds and high altitudes with any of the two layout schemes it turned out to be approximately similar, and at low altitude - approximately 15% more for the CMC with a variable sweep wing, while the latter also had better takeoff and landing properties.

As previously mentioned, the fundamental point in the design of the heavy-duty CMC was the choice of the highest value for supersonic flight speed. In the process of theoretical research work, a comparative assessment of the range of an aircraft with a variable-sweep wing, designed for flight with 2 variations of cruising supersonic speed - at numbers M = 2.2 and M = 3 - was carried out. At a speed corresponding to the number M = 2.2, the flight range increased significantly due to the lowest specific fuel consumption of the power plant and the greater value of the aerodynamic property. In addition, the design of the CMC airframe, designed for a speed corresponding to M=3. implied, as already mentioned, the introduction of a significant (by weight) amount of titanium alloys, which led to an increase in the cost of aircraft production and to additional technological dilemmas.

With all these contradictory problems, the project developers came to General Designer A.N. Tupolev, who, quickly assessing the situation and weighing all the pros and cons, proposed developing the CMC according to the proven layout scheme of the Tu-144, refusing to use a variable wing sweep flight. It was on this basis that the designers tried to make their own first version of a strategic multi-mode carrier, which in its technical solutions was radically different from the T-4MS projects of the P.O. Sukhoi Design Bureau and the M-18/M-20 of the V.M. Myasishchev Design Bureau.

Thus, the initial project of the “Tupolev” strategic missile carrier, presented by the Design Bureau in the early 70s for a preliminary design competition, was developed according to the layout scheme of the Tu-144, in fact, as its upcoming development, taking into account a new motivated purpose. The aircraft design, in comparison with the Tu-144 passenger aircraft, was distinguished by greater integration of the central part of the airframe and the introduction of spacious weapons compartments into the fuselage.

In this project, developed along with another version of the aircraft with a variable-sweep wing (work on which was nevertheless continued in order to find ways to optimize the entire structure and its individual components), it was supposed to achieve the required flight-tactical features due to a higher level of weight return . But the fulfillment of the main requirement of the Air Force - ensuring the intercontinental operating radius of the aircraft, at the specific fuel consumption that the engine operators could actually obtain, was not ensured with this scheme.

At the initial stage of design, work at the MMZ “Experience” on the topic “K” (or “160”) was carried out in an active manner and without much publicity - a very limited circle of people in the design bureau itself and in the Ministry of Aviation Industry knew about them. From 1970 to 1972, several versions of the CMC layout diagrams were prepared. By 1972, the development of the preliminary design of the aircraft was completed and presented to the Air Force scientific and technical committee. The Air Force immediately accepted for consideration the projects of the T-4MS and M-18 aircraft, submitted to the competition by the Design Bureau of P.O. Sukhoi and V.M. Myasishchev, respectively (all three projects were considered as part of the competition to create the latest strategic airborne system, held by the Ministry of Aviation industry of the USSR in 1972).

The projects submitted for the competition turned out to be completely different, as one would expect. The different style and style of work of the “fighter” and “bomber” design bureaus could not but be reflected in the proposed designs. But what united them in common (especially the projects of the Design Bureau of P.O. Sukhoi and V.M. Myasishchev) was the desire to use the greatest number of justified design and technological innovations. In this regard, it is interesting to quote an excerpt from a book of memoirs posted in Russia by Colonel General V.V. Reshetnikov, who at that time held the post of commander of distant aviation.

“Since everything was clear with Tupolev, the commission paid its first visit to Pavel Osipovich. The project he proposed was striking in its unusual aerodynamic shapes, close to a flying wing, in the volume of which there was room for engines, ammunition, and fuel, but the thick profile of this huge load-bearing surface was very confusing: the powerful edge of the attack rib did not fit well with the idea of ​​a supersonic aircraft. Overcoming awkwardness, I carefully asked Pavel Osipovich about this, and he, it turns out, was expecting such a question, introduced me to the developments and showed the materials for blowing the model in the TsAGI supersonic wind tunnel. Doubts were gradually removed, the car seemed completely real and tempting. The thick-profile wing with smooth integral curves of the outlines of its edges was, apparently, Pavel Osipovich’s discovery, which he so desired to implement in the design of a huge supersonic ship.

A more exciting and equally deeply developed project was proposed by Vladimir Mikhailovich Myasishchev. It was a thin-body, fast-moving, luxurious “pike” that seemed even lighter than the weight contained in it. Eh, let her fly and fly! Vladimir Mikhailovich, an experienced and brilliant designer of languid warships, as usual, has now introduced many new, unique solutions into aircraft systems, without repeating what has already been achieved, and the combat capabilities promised to reach the level of the greatest in the world.”

In the fall of 1972, at the scientific and technical council at the Ministry of Aviation Industry, reports were heard on the above projects “160” of the A.N. Tupolev Design Bureau (with a girder wing based on the Tu-144), T-4MS (“200”) of the P.O Design Bureau Sukhoi and M-18 OKB V.M. Myasishchev.

The “160” aircraft project did not receive support due to its “non-compliance with these tactical and technical requirements.” Colonel General V.V. Reshetnikov said at a meeting of the Air Force scientific and technical committee regarding the project of the A.N. Tupolev Design Bureau that the Air Force is being offered practically a passenger aircraft! The situation was somewhat complicated by the incorrectly overestimated aerodynamic quality of the presented aircraft in the project. Reshetnikov himself, in the book already mentioned above, recalled the following on this matter:

“Sitting down in a small hall and peering at the posters hanging on the board, I was surprised to recognize the familiar features of the Tu-144 supersonic passenger aircraft. Is it really that one? Its technical and flight characteristics did not match the data, it suffered from a low level of reliability, was uneconomical and difficult to operate. There were also huge failures. Civilian aviation fenced itself off from him in every possible way......Alexey Andreevich (Tupolev - author's note), holding himself somewhat more constrained than usual, approached the shield with a pointer in his hand. The essence of his proposals boiled down to the fact that between the spread engine packages that occupied the lower part of the fuselage, bomb bays crashed into which missiles and bombs would be located. Without delving into subsequent discussions, it was clear that, having become a bomb carrier, this failed airliner would become heavier under the weight of its ammunition and defensive weapons, lose its last reserves of strength, and all its flight properties would fall down.

After about 5 minutes, or maybe 10, I stood up and, interrupting the report, said that we didn’t want to consider the proposed project further, since the passenger plane, designed at one time for the needs of Aeroflot, even in a brand new form, would not be able to get rid of it at first inherent parameters that are completely unnecessary in a combat version, and at the same time will not be able to implement within itself these requirements for a strategic bomber.

Alexey Andreevich, apparently, was ready for such a turn of events. Without a word of objection, he turned to the central, largest poster, took it by the neck and pulled it down with force. In complete silence, the crack of tearing Whatman paper was heard. Then, turning in my direction, he apologized and said that to consider a new preliminary project, he would invite us to his place again.”

Tu-160(according to NATO Blackjack classification) – supersonic missile-carrying 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 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.

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 was manufactured 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.

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 machine with serial number “70-03” took off, which already had a full set of equipment of a serial bomber. 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.

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”.

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 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 11250 m.

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.

Design Features

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 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 production 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.

The Tu-160 bomber is equipped with a PRNA sighting and navigation system, consisting of an optoelectronic bomber sight, surveillance radar, INS, SNS, astro-corrector and on-board defense complex “Baikal” (containers with dipole reflectors and IR traps, 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.

Performance characteristics of the Tu-160:

Dimensions:
— wingspan maximum – 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 take-off - 267.600 kg
- maximum take-off - 275,000 kg
Engine type – 4 TRDDF 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: two ventral compartments accommodate different target loads with a total mass of 22,500 kg, maximum - up to 40,000 kg. The armament includes tactical and strategic cruise missiles X-55 and X-55M, as well as short-range aeroballistic hypersonic missiles X-15 (M=5) with nuclear and non-nuclear warheads, as well as KAB adjustable aerial bombs of various types up to KAB-1500 , conventional types of bombs, as well as mines.

A unique aircraft is the Tu-160 strategic bomber. “White Swan” or Blackjack, according to the terminology invented by the American side, is often called this powerful model.

Currently, this particular model of air transport, developed in the mid-70s by Soviet design engineers, is the largest, most formidable and at the same time graceful military bomber, equipped with a variable glassy wing. The strategic White Swan aircraft replenished the stock of weapons of the Russian army back in 1987.

Airplane Tu-160

According to an order issued by the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union in 1967, domestic manufacturers began designing a new bomber. Employees of the Myasishchev and Sukhoi enterprises took part in the development of the project, making various proposals for the project being created over the course of several years.

For some reason, representatives of the airline named after Tupolev did not take part in the competition, despite the fact that earlier the engineers of this particular bureau were able to develop and put into operation a project to create several models of bombers, as well as the Tu-144 supersonic aircraft . The air force in question is the backbone of Russia's nuclear power. And this fact is confirmed by the excellent technical characteristics of the Tu-160.

Based on the results of the qualifying competition, the project created by Myasishchev employees was recognized as the winner. However, literally a few days later, by order of the government, all documentation was confiscated from the winner and transferred to the disposal of the Tupolev bureau. This is how the Tu-160 aircraft was created.

The design engineers were given specific goals regarding the creation of the future military vehicle:

• the flight range of air transport should be equal to 13 thousand km at an approximate altitude of 18 thousand km at a speed of 2450 km/h;
• military air transport must be able to approach the designated target in high-speed subsonic cruising mode;
• the weight of the load relative to the total mass should be equal to 45 tons.

The first test flight of a military vehicle was carried out at the end of 1981 on the territory of the Ramenskoye military airfield. The tests were successful, which was confirmed by experienced pilot B. Veremeev, who piloted the first model.

Tu-160 cockpit

The supersonic Russian missile carrier was put into serial production 3 years after the successful test flight. New models of airborne military equipment were manufactured by specialists working at the aviation enterprise in Kazan. The first serial production model was able to take to the skies at the end of 1984, subsequently the aircraft manufacturer annually produced one unit of popular military aircraft.

By order of B. Yeltsin, at the beginning of 1992, it was decided to stop serial production of Tu-160 models. The then-current president made this decision in response to the US decision to suspend production of the equally powerful American B-2 military bombers.

New aircraft models

In the spring of 2000, an updated model of the Tu-160 missile carrier joined the Russian Air Force. After 5 years, the complex was put into service. In the spring of 2006, the last test tour of modernization to improve the characteristics of the NK-32 power unit came to an end. Thanks to the changes made, the design engineers managed to increase the reliability of the power unit and increase its service life several times.

An updated serial bomber flew into the sky at the end of 2007. According to previously approved plans, the designers were supposed to modernize 3 more models of military aircraft over the next 12 months. By looking at photos of the Tu-160 early and updated models, you can independently understand what a tremendous job the design engineers had to do.

According to analytical data, in 2013 there were 16 Tu-160 models in the Russian Air Force.

Sergei Shoigu made a statement in 2015, which emphasized the importance of resuming the most powerful bombers. The application was reviewed and approved, which allowed Russian aircraft designers to begin resuming the production process. According to preliminary data, the updated models of the Tu-160 M and Tu-160 M2 bombers will be put into mass production at the beginning of 2023.

Features of a military vehicle

In order to create a truly unique model of a military aircraft that meets the set goals, the designers were forced to introduce certain features into the standard assembly rules, thanks to which the Tu-160 aircraft truly turned out to be unique of its kind:

1. Composite alloys, stainless and titanium high-quality steel were used to assemble the structure.
2. The maximum speed of the Tu-160 at altitude reaches 2200 km/h.
3. The bomber, manufactured by the Russian aircraft manufacturer, is an integral low-wing aircraft equipped with a variable swept wing, an all-moving stabilizer, and technical landing gear.
4. The White Swan's cabin was recognized as one of the most spacious and comfortable, given that pilots can easily walk around their compartment and even warm up if they wish.
5. The bomber is equipped with a kitchen in which you can heat up food, as well as a toilet room, which was not previously included in the design of military aircraft.

The Russian bomber is armed with cruise missiles of the X-55-SM class.

I'll continue the topic.

The Tu-160 is one of the few, if not the only, combat aircraft of the USSR, information about which was leaked to the press several years before its construction. Back in the 70s, during the SALT-2 (strategic arms limitation) negotiations, L.I. Brezhnev mentioned that the Soviet Union was designing a new heavy bomber as a counterweight to the American B-1. No other details were reported, except that it will be produced by an aircraft plant in Kazan, specially reconstructed for this purpose.

Several years have passed. November 25, 1981 the aircraft was preparing for testing at the LII airfield in the town of Zhukovsky (Ramenskoye) near Moscow. The car was parked on the gas platform next to two Tu-144s. It was in this environment that she was captured in the first photo published in the West. The press speculated that the plane was deliberately, for propaganda purposes, displayed under the lenses of American reconnaissance satellites (it was assumed that the picture was taken from space). The reality turned out to be much more prosaic: the photo was taken by one of the passengers on the plane landing at the nearby Bykovo airfield. Since its publication, the bomber has received the code name Ram-P (Ram - from the name Ramenskoye) and the NATO code - Blakjack. Under these names, the heaviest bomber of all time was presented to the world.

Valentin Bliznyuk - chief designer of the Tu-160

Creation

The history of the Tu-160 dates back to 1967. During the competition for a strategic bomber, which was supervised by the Commander-in-Chief of Long-Range Aviation (DA), Colonel General V.V. Reshetnikov, the first projects to appear were the Sukhoi Design Bureau (T-4MS) and V.M. Myasishcheva (M-20). However, the Sukhoi Design Bureau, not without pressure from Air Force Commander-in-Chief P.S. Kutakhov, soon concentrated its efforts on its traditional products - fighters and tactical strike aircraft.
At the second stage, the A.N. Tupolev Design Bureau joined the competition with the Tu-160 project. Myasishchev’s “firm” came up with a new development - the M-18, but once again the revived team did not have the real strength to implement such a large-scale program. Therefore, despite V.V. Reshetnikov’s sympathy for the M-18, Tupolev’s team became the winner of the competition.

M-18 bomber model

Its success was largely predetermined by the previous developments of the Tupolev team in heavy bomber aircraft and the presence of a suitable production base that its rivals did not have, so the competition for projects itself was largely conditional. However, the decision was completely justified: despite all the courage, Myasishchev’s projects were not sufficiently developed, and the “company” itself had very limited capabilities. The experimental machine-building plant was formed on the basis of the flight development base in Zhukovsky, which had previously only been involved in supporting tests, and later even testing the strength of the Atlant cargo ship had to be carried out in Novosibirsk. By decision of the MAP, the materials on the M-18/20 projects were transferred to the Tupolev Design Bureau for use in work on the Tu-160 (by the way, the Tu-160 in the final version and the M-18 at first glance differ only in the number of main landing gear - in the M-18 there were three of them).

At the beginning of 1975, the Design Bureau, headed by Alexei Andreevich Tupolev, began developing a preliminary design of the aircraft. At this phase, the bomber was assigned the code “product 70” and the internal designation “K”. The first version of the Tu-160 had a “tailless” aerodynamic design with a smooth coupling of the wing and fuselage and was an attempt to “cheaply and cheerfully” adapt the backlog of previous projects for new tasks: the Tu-135 bomber (unrealized) and the passenger Tu-144. But this approach led to the creation of a single-mode aircraft, that is, optimized for specific flight speeds and altitudes. This did not meet the requirements of the Air Force, which stipulated a wide range of capabilities of the future vehicle - from high-speed flight near the ground when breaking through to a target to long-term cruising at altitude. Therefore, work began on a variant of the Tu-160M ​​(later the letter M was removed) with a variable geometry wing. At this stage, TsAGI played a huge role, with which the Tupolevites had traditionally close ties, and first of all G.S. Büschgens and G.P. Svishchev (in 1975 they were awarded the USSR State Prize for their work on this topic). However, a variable geometry wing for such a heavy aircraft is very difficult to implement. Its use on the Tu-160 required qualitative changes in production technology. For this purpose, a special State program of new technologies in metallurgy was formed, directly coordinated by the then Minister of Aviation Industry P.V. Dementiev.

Assembly of a model-strength analogue of the Tu-160 on a scale of 1:3 at the MMZ "Experience", 1976-1977.

The general design and parameters of the “seventy” wing were inherited from the Tu-22M. But his design and technological solution for a three times heavier vehicle, naturally, was significantly different: the five-spar consoles of the Tu-160, assembled from seven monolithic panels (four at the bottom and three at the top), supported by only six ribs, were hung on the hinge units of the most powerful center section beam - an all-welded the titanium “spine” around which the entire aircraft was built. In the literal sense of the word, the tail assembly assembly became the “bottleneck”: in conditions of low construction height, it was necessary to place hinges for fastening the all-moving part of the fin and stabilizer, as well as powerful hydraulic drives (according to calculations, controlling multi-meter empennage planes required seven tons of effort).

Despite the refusal to directly develop the Tu-144 design, some of the design and technological achievements used on it found application on the Tu-160. These include elements of an integral aerodynamic layout that combines the fuselage and the inflow part of the wing into a single unit. This arrangement solved a triune problem - it ensured high weight perfection, improved load-bearing properties and, thanks to the large internal volumes, made it possible to accommodate a significant mass of cargo and fuel. As a result, with dimensions close to the Tu-95, the Tu-160 is 50% heavier.

The maximum “compression” of the Tu-160’s shapes was also achieved thanks to a rational structural layout (to reduce the midsection of the fuselage, the front landing gear compartment is located behind the cockpit, and not under it, as on the B-1, the main struts are shortened when retracted). The reduction in aerodynamic drag is facilitated by the large elongation of the fuselage and the smooth contours of its nose with strongly sloping windshields (initially, the installation of a deflectable nose fairing similar to the Tu-144 was considered). These measures made it easier to achieve the specified speed and flight range and... made the plane very elegant.

The Tu-160 became the first domestic serial heavy aircraft to use a fly-by-wire control system (known in the West as “fly by wire”), which made it possible to implement “electronic stability” with a flight alignment close to neutral. As a result, the flight range has increased, controllability has improved, and the load on the crew in difficult situations has decreased. Another element of novelty in the design of the airframe and power plant of the Tu-160 was the significant attention paid to reducing the radar and infrared signature of the aircraft (the so-called “stealth” technology).

One of the Tu-160 prototypes at LII

In 1977, engines (“product R”, later NK-32) were ordered specifically for the Tu-160 from the N.D. Kuznetsov Design Bureau located in Kuibyshev*. When designing them, the “firm” used the experience of creating NK-144, NK-22, NK-25, paying special attention to reducing IR radiation and fuel consumption. In 1980, testing of the NK-32 began on the Tu-142M flying laboratory (the engines were placed in a streamlined gondola under the “belly” of the carrier). Serial production of the NK-32 began simultaneously with the Tu-160 - in 1986.

When assembling the engines on the Tu-160, the designers began with the design adopted on the Tu-144 (four engines in a single package under the rear center section, which made it possible to use oblique shock waves occurring under the wing to increase the aerodynamic quality of supersonic flight). However, such a scheme led to excessive losses of total pressure in long air channels, and individual adjustment of air intakes in some cases caused their negative mutual influence.
The reliability of the “tight bundle” of engines also turned out to be low - an accident or fire of one of them could destroy the rest. The main reason for their separation on the sides into two twin-engine nacelles was the need to free up space for the bomb bay, which rightfully took a position near the center of mass. Interestingly, nacelles were considered with both horizontal and vertical (one above the other) engines.
A full-scale model of the air intake was even built with two channels that went around the center section beam from above and below. This solution ensured the achievement of the best aerodynamic parameters and the greatest reduction in visibility, but technological difficulties and doubts about the level of combat survivability of the vertical “bundle” of engines did not allow this option to be implemented. In total, 14 power plant layout options were purged in TsAGI wind tunnels.

The first copy of the Tu-160 - aircraft 70-01 at the LII base in Zhukovsky during the start of testing

At the initial stage of work on the aircraft, the topic was supervised by A.A. Tupolev, and from 1975, V.I. Bliznyuk was appointed chief designer of the bomber, who actively participated in the creation of the Tu-22 and Tu-144. His deputies were L.N. Bazenkov and A.L. Pukhov. A lot of work on the Tu-160 was carried out by: the head of the flight test base V.T. Klimov (now the general director of the A.N. Tupolev ASTC), test engineer A.K. Yashchukov, chief engineer of the OKB pilot plant in Moscow A. Mozheikov, director of the aircraft plant in Kazan V. Kopylov. A huge contribution to the creation of product “70” was made by LII, NIAS, VIAM, NIAT, associations “Trud”, “Rainbow”, “Electroavtomatika”, MIEA and other industry institutes and enterprises (more than 800 organizations in total).

The draft design was defended in mid-1976, after which construction of the bomber model began. At this stage the following characteristics were declared:

Range without refueling with a load of 9 tons - 14000-16000 km;

Maximum flight altitude - 18000-20000 m;

Maximum fuel weight - 162200 kg.

The main missile armament of the Tu-160 was supposed to be two long-range Kh-45 missiles (one in each cargo compartment) or 24 short-range Kh-15 missiles (6 on each of the four MKU-6-1 turrets). These weapon options determined the dimensions of the cargo compartments, with the main role played by the large dimensions of the X-45 (length - 10.8 m, height in folded configuration - 1.92 m, launch weight - 4500 kg, range - 1000 km, speed - 9000 km /h). The volume of each cargo compartment (43 cubic meters) turned out to be exactly equal to the volume of the Tu-95 cargo compartment.

Ironically, the use of the X-45 was abandoned already at the mock-up stage, following the United States, giving preference to new weapons - cruise missiles. Such a Kh-55 missile had a greater length than the Kh-15, which required the creation of a new MKU-6-5U turret.

At the end of 1977, the Tu-160 model was approved, and in Moscow, with extensive cooperation with Kazan, the construction of three prototypes began. The first of them, designated "70-01", was intended for flight testing, but was not fully equipped with on-board equipment. The "70-02" aircraft served for statistical tests, and the "70-03" became an almost complete analogue of the production aircraft.

Tests

In the second half of November 1981, the 70-01 began test taxiing at the airfield in Zhukovsky (it was photographed while testing the engines before the second run). The test pilots were B.I. Veremey, S.T. Agapov, V.N. Matveev, E.S. Pavlov and M.M. Kozel. Veremey performed his first flight on Friday, December 18, 1981, on the eve of the 75th anniversary of L.I. Brezhnev. Today, the designers deny a direct connection with this date, claiming that the takeoff on the “leader’s” birthday is accidental. This seems to be true because... In the history of Soviet aviation, many aircraft made their first flight in December, which is associated with the closure of enterprises’ annual plans. An even more prosaic reason for the “productivity” of December for the first flights is the clear winter weather that replaces the autumn rains and fogs (it is appropriate to recall that the Tu-144 first took off on the last day of the year - December 31, 1968). Knowing the date of the anniversary, the management could only correct the day of the first flight. Be that as it may, the task for December 18 included only a high-speed run (after landing, the pilot reported that “the car itself asked to take off”). The flight in a circle was successful, and the hero of the occasion, Veremey, soon received the Hero Star.

The “70-01” aircraft was tested for several years, serving to fine-tune the aerodynamics of the aircraft and measure its flight characteristics. In February 1985, the sound barrier was broken for the first time. Externally, it differed only slightly from production cars, but much more in internal equipment. With Tupolev’s “healthy conservatism,” already proven serial instrumentation and radio equipment was installed on it, postponing the inevitable problems with fine-tuning complex electronics to subsequent stages of testing.
In addition to the absence of part of the on-board complexes, some structural elements were made from substitute materials. It was the difficulties in obtaining new structural materials and problems with their processing technology that became the main reason for the delay in the construction of the second flying prototype of the “70-03”, which first took to the air only on October 6, 1984. The car was also different from the first “seventy” in appearance: it “licked” the aerodynamics, especially the contours of the nose (S.M. Yeger said: “The plane is streamlined from the nose!”). In October, the third Tu-160 took off - the first aircraft assembled in Kazan.

A total of 8 aircraft of two experimental series were tested. The first stage of factory and state tests was carried out at the flight development base of the OKB in LII; as the program expanded, the Air Force Research Institute and its test site in Akhtubinsk (Vladimirovka) became involved, the location of which was at one time chosen due to the same suitable weather conditions (the number of clear “flight "days on the Lower Volga reaches 320 per year). The test team of Tu-160 military pilots was led by L.I. Agurin, and a number of flights were conducted by the future head of the Air Force Research Institute L.V. Kozlov, who “flew out” as a long-range tester.

The endless Trans-Volga steppes were perfectly suited for testing the main strike weapons of the Tu-160 - autonomous cruise missiles X-55 with a flight range of up to 3000 km. During their launches, the bomber was accompanied by the Il-76 special aircraft - a command and measurement post that received telemetric information from the Tu-160 and the missile itself, and also monitored its flight. Several times, in the event of failures and failures in the X-55 control system, when it became “too independent” and went off the route, dangerously approaching the boundaries of the test site, it was necessary to give a command to detonate it. During long-range launches, the X-55 continued to reach the target after the aircraft itself had landed. Its hit accuracy (probable circular deviation from the target) was brought to 18-26 m.

Great attention was required to fine-tuning the aircraft's radio-electronic systems - the Obzor-K sighting and navigation complex (PrNK) and, especially, the Baikal airborne defense complex (BKO), which replaced the rifle installations - an indispensable attribute of previous bombers. “Baikal” allows you to detect enemy air defense systems, detect their position, jam them with interference, or place a curtain of decoys behind the aircraft. BKO elements were tested at radiotechnical testing grounds near Orenburg and in Central Asia. In general, during state tests by mid-1989, the Tu-160 made 150 flights, of which 4 were with Kh-55SM launches, and one with the simultaneous release of missiles from both cargo compartments.

As already mentioned, production aircraft were assembled in Kazan. Formally, they were designated Tu-160S (serial), but in practice - Tu-160. The Kazan plant was formed in 1941 on the basis of the evacuated Moscow aircraft plant No. 22 and local plant No. 124. Its main products after the war were heavy aircraft created at the A.N. Tupolev Design Bureau: Tu-4, Tu-22 and Tu-22M. Currently, the Kazan Aviation Production Association named after. SP. Gorbunova produces Tu-204 passenger aircraft.

The production of the Tu-160 required the construction of new specialized workshops focused on the technology of the new machine. The plant now has unique equipment for the production of composite and honeycomb panels, stamping and milling of large-sized parts, including 20-meter monolithic slabs of variable thickness made of titanium and high-strength aluminum alloys, which made it possible to reduce the number of joints in the aircraft structure, reduce weight and increase service life. The colossal center-section beam of the wing, 12.4 m long and 2.1 m wide, was milled from two titanium halves, upper and lower, then welded into one in a vacuum chamber under special additives and fluxes (“know-how” of the Kazan plant). These operations had to be carried out at night - otherwise the operation of the most powerful equipment would leave half the city without electricity.

The first production Tu-160s began service in May 1987. They entered service with the 184th Guards Poltava-Berlin Red Banner Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment, based in Priluki, Chernigov region. During the Great Patriotic War, the regiment stood out among other units for its military successes, and after its end it remained an elite unit of the USSR Air Force. He was the first to master the Tu-4 strategic bomber, then he was armed with various modifications of the Tu-16, and in 1984 the Tu-22MZ appeared in the regiment. For the Tu-160, the airfield in Priluki was reconstructed, the runway was strengthened and extended to 3000 m.

Combat pilots had to master the Tu-160 without waiting for the completion of state tests, which threatened to drag on due to the large amount of work and the number of test flights. The decision to test this aircraft (essentially, military tests) made it possible to use it proactively, identifying defects in everyday work and gaining experience for other regiments, which, following the leader, would receive new bombers. Of course, trial operation placed increased demands on the professionalism of pilots and technicians. Usually, retraining of personnel is carried out at the Ryazan DA training center, but this time we had to study the aircraft directly in the workshops of the Kazan aircraft plant.

At noon on April 25, 1987, the first group of two Tu-160s, led by Kozlov, landed in Priluki. One of the aircraft belonged to the experimental second series, the second was the lead in the military series. The flight to the home base went without problems, and at the airfield, in addition to the traditional bread and salt, the pilots were greeted by a countless number of “secretaries” and special officers assigned to guard the new equipment.

Two weeks later, on May 12, 1987, Kozlov “tested” the new aircraft from the Priluki airfield, and on June 1, the combat crew of regiment commander V. Grebennikov took off. Following him, the Tu-160 was lifted into the air by N. Studitsky, V. Lezhaev and A. S. Medvedev, known in the regiment as “ace Medvedev” - he took command of the first detachment of these machines.

To speed up the development of the aircraft (and save resources), a gym was equipped in the regiment. In order to make the most of the available pair of machines and train a sufficient number of pilots, several successive crews were “passed” through the cockpit of the Tu-160 going out for flights, waiting for their turn at the edge of the runway.

The pilots liked the plane. The snow-white car turned out to be very “flying”, easy to control, had excellent acceleration qualities and rate of climb (“it went up on its own”), was stable at low speeds, which made landing easier (the minimum speed was 260 km/h and was even lower than that of Tu-22MZ). Once the hundred-ton thrust of the engines was even enough to take off with the interceptors released due to inattention. The plane was sluggish, but went up, but after they were cleared, it jerked so hard that the pilots “almost pushed through the seats.” When dangerous conditions were reached, the warning system and automatic restrictions were activated, preventing the pilots from making gross mistakes.

The attitude towards the Tu-160, dubbed the “pride of the nation” (there was also a “flounder” - for a kind of “full face” with a bug-eyed cockpit), was very respectful, and its flights were arranged with due attention: in order to avoid garbage from the ground being sucked into the air intakes, the aircraft in the first months it was not allowed to drive to the start on your own. Having first started the engines on a carefully swept area and set them to idle, the planes were towed by a tractor, in front of which moved a line of soldiers collecting pebbles and branches, and the runway itself was almost washed before the flights.

While parked, the Tu-160 discovered a peculiar feature: with the wing consoles folded (position 65°), it could easily sit on its “fifth point”, and it was difficult to return it to its normal position. I had to leave the wing on the ground in the minimum sweep position of 20°, although at the same time the Tu-160 increased in span and took up more space.

The inner part of the flap folds as the wing sweep increases, forming an aerodynamic ridge

More serious measures were required by the discovery in the spring of 1988, not far from Priluki, of a container disguised as a stump with equipment that listened to radio communications and recorded the operation of aircraft radio systems. Its owners wished to remain anonymous, and the Tu-160 received a kind of “muzzle” - covers made of metallized fabric that covered the radar nose cone on the ground and did not allow radiation to pass out (they also protected the technical crew from high-frequency radiation during testing of aircraft equipment).

By the end of 1987, the regiment had a complete detachment of ten Tu-160s, but in order to maintain combat readiness during retraining, it retained the Tu-22M3 attack aircraft and Tu-16P jammers. As Tu-160s became available, older aircraft were transferred to other regiments, and some Tu-16s were dismantled and destroyed on site (to keep the total number of combat aircraft within the Conventional Arms Reduction Treaty). To monitor the Tu-160s themselves, which were passing under a different “article” (their number was stipulated by the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty), American inspectors were supposed to arrive in Priluki, for whom a cottage was built next to the parking lots and the runway. The last Tu-22M3 left Priluki in March 1991.

With the growing difficulties of perestroika in the economy, the production of Tu-160s and the pace of their deployment decreased somewhat: by the end of 1991, the regiment consisted of 21 aircraft in two squadrons. The third squadron received the Tu-134UBL (combat training for pilots) at the beginning of the same year, which has controllability and behavior in the air similar to heavy bombers. They were used to commission crews and maintain flight skills, allowing them to preserve the service life of combat vehicles and avoid numerous failures that initially accompanied the Tu-160 (in addition, the use of “carcasses” was almost four times cheaper).

As the Tu-160 was mastered, the topics of flight missions expanded. Long-distance flights took place from Priluki to Lake Baikal and back or to the North, where the planes flew to Graham Bem Island in the Barents Sea. It happened to reach the North Pole, even going further north, and the longest flight made by the crew of V. Gorgol (regiment commander since 1989) lasted 12 hours 50 minutes. In some flights, Tu-160s accompanied Su-27s of the 10th Air Defense Army from airfields near Murmansk and Novaya Zemlya.

Bombers flew in pairs over the sea, and by no means according to the requirements of the Flight Operations Manual. The presence of a partner gave the pilots confidence over the icy expanses, and in the event of an accident they could call for help (fortunately, this did not happen - after all, the crews had only ASP-74 life belts, and only naval pilots received special waterproof VMSC overalls: in our planned economy DA supplies went to another department).

Just two months after the first flight, the 184th TBAP carried out the first launch of the X-55 cruise missile, carried out by the crew of the regiment commander. The development of the missile system proceeded very quickly, and in no small part thanks to the high automation of the on-board PRNA, which simplified the work of the navigator - the main “actor” during launch. Target designation of the X-55 is carried out by a pre-entered program, so the navigator’s task is reduced to accurately bringing the aircraft to the firing point, monitoring the missile systems and launching. From the suspension in the cargo compartment, the rocket is fired downwards by a pneumatic pusher, and having moved to a safe distance, it opens the wing and tail (folded for compact placement), starts the engine and goes towards the target, while the drum of the ejection device rotates, sending the next rocket into the starting position.

All-moving horizontal and vertical tails

All practical launches of the X-55 were carried out at the Air Force Research Institute training ground and were accompanied by instrumentation aircraft. The Kh-55 was fired much more intensely than even the spent Kh-22N missiles from the Tu-22M3. Thus, 14 missiles were fired from one of the Tu-160s, nicknamed “Cowboy”. One of the most effective “launchers” was Major I.N. Anisin, the head of intelligence of the 184th TBAP, who was “in charge” of its potential targets.

With the development of missile weapons, the Tu-160 became fully possible to characterize as a global strike complex. If we remember that the practical range of the aircraft is 12,300 km, then when cruise missiles launch from half this distance, the impact radius will be 9,150 km. And this value can increase sharply when using air refueling.

The work of the guards was inspected by the commander of the DA P.S. Deinekin, the Air Force Commander-in-Chief E.I. Shaposhnikov, and the Minister of Defense of the USSR D.T. Yazov also visited the leading regiment.

No matter how good the plane turned out to be, trial operation initially yielded a generous harvest of shortcomings. Almost every flight of the Tu-160 brought failures of a variety of systems and, first of all, complex and capricious electronics (the fact that the Americans’ mastery of the B-1B was accompanied by the same difficulties was of little comfort). The multiple degree of redundancy and redundancy helped out (for example, the fly-by-wire control system of a bomber has four channels and emergency mechanical wiring).

Especially a lot of trouble was caused by the “crude” BKO (on-board defense complex), which, due to its extremely low reliability, earned the reputation of “ballast”, two tons of which were carried with them in vain. After numerous modifications, in April 1990 the BKO was able to be made to work (on the occasion of which A.A. Tupolev came to the regiment), although failures haunted him in the future.

The NK-32 engines had problems with starting - the most unstable mode of operation, which the automation could not cope with; there were also in-flight failures (mainly due to the fault of a capricious electronic control system, which once turned off two engines in the air on Major Vasin’s plane). Nevertheless, the thrust reserve allowed the aircraft to continue flying and even take off with one engine inoperative, which had to be taken advantage of when the Tu-160 was shown to US Secretary of Defense F. Carlucci - both aircraft took off and performed passage on three engines (naturally, the minister was not informed about this ).
The service life of the NK-32 was gradually tripled and increased to 750 hours. The air intakes turned out to be the weak points of the airframe; their imperfect gas dynamics caused itching and vibrations, which caused cracks to form and rivets to fly out. This defect was eliminated by replacing the first sections of the air ducts (they had to be taken out from the front “through the throat”) and by strengthening the edging of the front edges of the air intake.
The kinematics of the main landing gear were too complex - when retracting, the struts were shortened to fit into small niches, and when released, they moved apart, shifting to the outer sides and increasing the track by 1200 mm. The low reliability of the landing gear retraction and extension mechanism forced it to fly for several months in 1988 without retracting it, but from the next series the kinematics were changed, removing the “extra” strut, and all previous aircraft were modified. The aircraft's hydraulic system has also been improved.

At high flight speeds, the honeycomb glued panels of the stabilizer delaminated and “slammed” (on one of the aircraft at LII, a solid piece of the tail even came off in the air, the same incident happened in the regiment with A. Medvedev). The plumage had to be strengthened, while at the same time being “cut” by half a meter to reduce the load. Modified stabilizers, an “oversized cargo” with a span of 13.25 m, were delivered from the factory to a unit on the fuselage by a special variant of the Il-76, the “triplane”. During a demonstration in Ryazan, the Tu-160 lost one of the plastic tail fairings in the air (the plane definitely did not like displays).

These defects, as a rule, did not lead to serious consequences (the trial operation of the new aircraft was precisely aimed at “catching” them), and the most unpleasant thing was the unexpected blocking of the brakes on takeoff, which once completely “taken off” the plane. There were also several cases when, during landings, pilots underestimated the inertia of a multi-ton machine, and it, having flown over the runway, rolled out onto the ground (no arresting device could have stopped the Tu-160, and releasing a braking parachute on time was considered “low class”).

Identified failures and defects related to design and production deficiencies (according to the column “CPN”, the responsibility lies with the developer - OKB and the manufacturer) were taken into account in the design of aircraft of new series. The number of engine feed flaps on the side walls of the air intakes was increased to six to increase the compressor stability margin, their control was simplified, some honeycomb panels with metal filler in the airframe were replaced with composite ones (this resulted in a gain in weight and service life), the tail fairing of the BKO antennas was shortened by half, the derailment flow from which at high speeds caused dangerous vibrations that disable the equipment. On the latest series of aircraft, the top hatches of the navigator and operator were equipped with periscopes for inspecting the tail hemisphere (in addition to the rear-view radar). In the same way, previously produced Tu-160s were modified by factory specialists directly into the regiment.

Multi-position ejection unit MKU-6-5U in the cargo compartment of the Tu-160

The aircraft's equipment has also undergone modernization. We have improved the RSDN, which is guided by ground radio beacons. The navigation complex was equipped with an autonomous astrocorrector, which determines with high accuracy the coordinates of the vehicle according to the Sun and stars, which is especially useful in flights over the ocean and at high latitudes. The PA-3 course plotter with a moving map indicating the current position of the aircraft received the approval of the navigators. An on-board satellite navigation system with an accuracy of determining coordinates of 10-20 m was also prepared for the Tu-160. Its operation was ensured by several orbital vehicles specially launched into space as part of a state program for the needs of the Air Force, Navy and ground forces. It was also possible to solve the problems associated with the software and systems engineering of the PRNA (previously, all its four channels “speaked” different languages).

In several stages, a set of measures was carried out to reduce the radar signature of the Tu-160: they applied black radio-absorbing graphite coating to the air intakes and channels to the engines, covered the nose of the aircraft with a special organic-based paint, shielded the engine guide vanes (and the secret of this development is still strictly hiding).

Mesh filters were introduced into the cockpit glazing, “locking” the electromagnetic background of the equipment inside, which could unmask the aircraft. The filters should also weaken the light flux in the event of a nearby nuclear explosion (for the same purpose, the glass is equipped with curtains and blinds), and the light filter of the ZSh-7AS helmet can protect the pilots’ eyes from a blinding flash.

On August 2, 1988, US Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci was the first foreigner to see the Tu-160. At the Kubinka airbase near Moscow, he was shown the aircraft of the 184th regiment with the number 12, and the other two were shown in flight. At the same time, some tactical and technical characteristics of the aircraft were publicly announced for the first time, including the flight range without refueling, equal to 14,000 km. On June 13, 1989, again in Kubinka, the Chairman of the US Committee of Chiefs of Staff, Admiral W. Crowe, was shown the Priluki Tu-160 with number 21.

The first meeting in the air of a Tu-160 with Western aircraft took place in May 1991. over the Norwegian Sea. F-16A fighters of the 331st squadron of the Norwegian Air Force at the latitude of the city of Tromsø met and for some time accompanied a pair of Tupolev bombers.

The first public display of the aircraft took place on August 20, 1989 during the celebration of Aviation Day, when the Tu-160 passed at low altitude over the Tushinsky airfield. In September 1994, journalists and professional aviators had the opportunity to get a detailed look at the bomber in Poltava during events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the shuttle raids on Germany, and in Priluki in February 1995.

Cabin of Tu-160 "Valery Chkalov"

Airplane for pilots

The Tu-160 was perhaps the first Soviet combat aircraft, during the creation of which due attention was paid to ergonomics. Finally, the demands of pilots who had previously put up with limited visibility from the cockpit of the Tu-22 (deservedly nicknamed “Blind Jack”) and spent long hours in the “tight packing” of the Tu-22M were heard. On long flights, the Tu-160 crew, having left their workplaces, can stretch and relax, even on a foam mattress spread in the aisle between the navigators’ seats. Amenities include a cupboard for heating food and a toilet, which replaced the “filthy bucket” that was content with the Tu-95. A real battle broke out around the toilet: the Air Force refused to accept the aircraft for service for several months due to the inconsistency of its design with the specifications (the toilet used polyethylene bags that were melted after use: the complaints were about an insidious device that produced a leaky seam). The customer, feeling his rights, began to show unprecedented adherence to principles, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force even threatened to appeal to the military prosecutor's office if these shortcomings were not eliminated.

On the first production Tu-160s, complaints were made about the working conditions of the crew. Thus, the main and backup devices were of various types; the cabin was maintained at a pressure corresponding to atmospheric pressure at an altitude of 5000 m (the crew had to wear oxygen masks at all times). Now almost all machines have eliminated these shortcomings.

The pilots quickly became accustomed to such an unusual element for a heavy aircraft as a control stick rather than a steering wheel. At first, this innovation did not cause much delight among the military. But it soon became clear that the new handle made it easy, without much physical effort, to control the plane. The designers have also created a version of the pilot’s cabin with new equipment, but the transition to it requires modernization of the vehicle fleet, time, and most importantly, funds. Therefore, Tu-160 continues to fly with the old cabin.

Complaints were caused by the rapid failure of the pilot seat adjustment mechanisms, which forced their electric drive to be modified. In the first months of operation, the K-36DM ejection seats themselves had restrictions on their use (speed of at least 75 km/h). Then their developer, the Zvezda plant (general designer G.I. Severin), expanded the range, and ejection became possible even while parked. The seats are equipped with a belt tightening system that is triggered when overloaded. During the development work, the aircraft was tested in a situation simulating a flight with the crew partially abandoning it: pilot N.Sh. Sattarov went to supersonic speed in an aircraft with the upper cockpit hatches dismantled.

The crews are complaining about the overalls, helmets, and oxygen masks designed for fighter aircraft and not suitable for long flights. Several conferences on the “human factor” were held at the regiment’s base, at which samples of new equipment were presented: light and comfortable helmets, headphones, Baklan rescue overalls, even massagers and expanders that help relieve stress during a long flight. Alas, they all remained in prototypes. Only on the aircraft of the latest series did a built-in ladder appear, without which the crew at a foreign airfield could well find themselves literally in a hopeless situation.

The operational suitability of the Tu-160 also did not go unnoticed by the designers. To facilitate access, the units and hydraulic system piping were placed on the walls of the cargo compartment, and the electrical panels were placed in the chassis niches. Good access to the engines was ensured by their almost complete “unearthing”. The shelves with equipment in the cockpit and technical compartment were conveniently arranged. And yet, the aircraft turned out to be quite labor-intensive to maintain, becoming a record holder by this criterion - for every hour of flight the Tu-160 required 64 man-hours of work on the ground. Preparing it for departure requires 15-20 special vehicles with working systems, including: installations for fuel nitriding; KAMAZ air conditioners that cool equipment; various tankers, including three huge Hurricane TZ-60 (Tu-160 tanks hold 171,000 kg of fuel); a minibus for the crew, equipped with a ventilation system for high-altitude suits. At the same time, the noise in the aircraft service area many times exceeds all permissible standards, reaching 130 dB (when the APU is started, it exceeds the pain threshold by 45 dB). The situation is aggravated by a shortage of headphones, safety shoes and anti-vibration belts for technicians. The use of caustic working fluid 7-50C-3 in the hydraulic system adds to the problems.

To reduce noise in the area, the Design Bureau proposed the same measures that the Americans had taken for the B-1B - the construction of special sites with service complexes, power supply and refueling sources built into concrete. However, the Air Force rejected this option as it did not meet the conditions of mobility during relocation and accepted it only partially: in the caponiers surrounding the parking areas, they equipped shelters where the ground crew, weapons, tools and equipment for servicing the aircraft are located.

Continuous work on fine-tuning the Tu-160 has yielded good results. In terms of reliability, the aircraft even surpassed the Tu-16 and was significantly ahead of the Tu-22M2/M3.

Ahead of the pilots were flights at extremely low altitudes, refueling in the air, which were supposed to provide the bomber with an intercontinental range (Kozlov, by that time a lieutenant general, was going to fly around the globe on this machine). It was necessary to modernize the PrNK (sighting and navigation system), master the X-15 missile system and bomber weapons. However, political upheavals made their own adjustments to the fate of the aircraft.

Tu-160 and V-1: similarities and differences

It has already become a tradition, when talking about the Tu-160, to compare it with the American “opponent” - the B-1 strategic bomber. Indeed, the similarity of these machines of the same purpose and class, noticeable even to a layman, at one time led to the fact that the Tu-160 (without knowing its true name) was called the “Soviet B-1”. The fact that the creators of both aircraft agreed on the “aviation fashion” for aircraft of this class, which included elements of an integral layout and a variable-sweep wing, is not surprising. After all, “similar thoughts come to good heads,” and the similarity of the requirements of technical specifications for new bombers, with a similar scientific and industrial level, should inevitably lead to similar design solutions.

But the implementation of the plan, accompanied by an innumerable number of evaluated options, leaves only the proximity of the external contours from the former similarity. The creators of the aircraft no longer have to rely only on the laws of aerodynamics and strength that are common to all, but also, to an increasing extent, on the existing production base, the level of technology, their own experience and, finally, the traditions of the company. Political problems on which the financing of the work depends (and often the fate of the project) also affect the “internal content” and capabilities of the future aircraft.

As a quick reference, let us recall: the B-1 appeared earlier and made its first flight on December 23, 1974. On June 30, 1977, President J. Carter ordered that work on the aircraft be frozen, and the freed funds be used to develop cruise missiles. It soon turned out that the relationship between these types of weapons was optimal. In November 1979, the conversion of the B-1 into a carrier of the B-1 B cruise missiles began, with a simultaneous reduction in its radar visibility while cutting funds for the program. The military and the “senators from industry” failed to defend many expensive “excesses”, and the proportion of titanium alloys in the bomber design had to be reduced and adjustable air intakes abandoned, which reduced the maximum speed to M = 1.25. The aircraft was to be armed with ALCM cruise missiles, SRAM short-range missiles and nuclear bombs. On March 23, 1983, the first prototype of the B-1 B (a converted second prototype of the B-1) was launched, and the first production aircraft was flown on October 18, 1984. Production of the B-1B ended in 1988 with the release of the 100th bomber

The Seventy, which was created in a planned economy and had no problems with financing, went into production and was put into service in its intended form (of course, adjusted for the technological level of the aviation industry) - as a multi-mode aircraft capable of delivering intercontinental strikes in a wide range of altitudes and speeds.

The opportunity to actually compare both aircraft presented itself on September 23-25, 1994 in Poltava, where the Tu-160 and B-1B, having met “face to face” for the first time, arrived to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Operation Frentik - shuttle flights of American bombers to targets in Germany, which were carried out with landing at Soviet airfields. Pilots and technicians of both aircraft were able to inspect the aircraft, go inside and evaluate them in the air, and get an idea of ​​their practical capabilities.

The Americans (the group included, in addition to the B-1B, a B-52N bomber and a KS-10A tanker from the 2nd Bomb Wing from the Barksdale base in Louisiana) “proved themselves” immediately after crossing the border - if this phrase is appropriate here, since the group is here disappeared from the screens of ground-based radars (although this incident should not be attributed to the achievements of stealth technology, but rather to the current state of Ukrainian air defense). The B-1B that appeared over Poltava, without wasting time on the usual “box” around the airfield, immediately after a steep turn, energetically dived down (already on the ground its crew talked about practicing maneuvers with rolls of up to 45 degrees) - such an approach is used to save fuel and is categorically unacceptable for our pilots, who are constrained by a multitude of instructions, instructions and flight safety regulations.

* The maximum permissible take-off weight is 216,370 kg, but there has been no information about the operation of a bomber with such a take-off weight.
** M=0.77, 5% fuel reserve, six Kh-55M missiles fired mid-route
*** With armament consisting of eight AGM-64 SRAM missiles, eight M-61 nuclear bombs and a PTB with 9000 kg of fuel in the third bomb bay

Upon closer acquaintance, it turned out that the level of reliability and the number of failures in operation of the Tu-160 and V-1B are almost the same. The problems turned out to be similar - frequent engine failures (at the exhibition in Le Bourget, the crew of the B-1B, unable to launch them, was forced to abandon the demonstration flight) and the vagaries of complex electronics, especially the BKO (the Americans did not hide their special interest in the Baikal ": "Does this really work for you?!"). It was the insufficient reliability of the power plant and on-board electronic warfare systems AN/ALQ-161 and ALQ-153 that prevented the use of the B-1 B in Operation Desert Storm, and the laurels went to the B-52 veterans.

In terms of offensive weapons, the Tu-160 was “on horseback” - its main weapon, cruise missiles, was well mastered, while the Americans, for financial reasons, were unable to rearm their aircraft with them (the expensive ALCM strike system required not only modifications to the cargo compartments, but also significant changes in on-board electronics). SRAM short-range missiles, adopted as a “temporary measure,” had reached their shelf life by 1994 (the solid fuel of their engines began to decompose, losing their properties) and were withdrawn from service, and their replacement remains a matter of the future. Only the B61 and B83 nuclear bombs remained in service with the B-1B; The Americans remembered the possibility of equipping the aircraft with conventional bomb weapons only on the eve of the war with Iraq, having carried out tests to drop them in 1991, but did not have time to re-equip the aircraft.

It must be said that such a modification only seems simple: it is necessary to calculate the most effective methods of bombing, develop and install bomb racks, cargo lifting winches, install wiring to fuses arming devices and bomb releasers, remake sighting equipment, train crews in the intricacies of aiming and tactical techniques and, finally, test new weapons in different flight modes.

The design of the Tu-160 initially included an expansion of the range of weapons, including the use of conventional bombs, for which the aircraft was equipped with a high-precision optical-electronic bomb sight OPB-15T. We also developed a “package” suspension of bombs using a loader, which reduces the time it takes to equip the aircraft. In contrast to the B-1B, in order to reduce radar visibility and a longer flight range on the Tu-160, the placement of all types of ammunition was provided for on the internal sling, in two cargo compartments, with larger dimensions than the “American” (which affected the somewhat larger dimensions airplane). However, the planned implementation of this work was prevented by the emergence of known problems, and the result was the “under-equipping” of the aircraft - again, common to both machines and preventing their use in growing local conflicts.

The instrumentation and design of the B-1B cockpit, which, by the way, is also equipped with control sticks, was unanimously rated by our pilots as excellent. Monochrome displays on which information is displayed to the crew are very convenient to use and allow you to concentrate on piloting without being distracted by searching through the “scattering” of pointer indicators. Much of the B-1B equipment was seen only in computer games, and the American veterans present at the meeting were touched when they found analogue devices in the Tu-160 cockpit of those they used during the war. The level of comfort and convenience of the aircraft's workplaces turned out to be close, although the B-1B cabin itself is somewhat cramped - it is “propped up” from below by the nose landing gear compartment.

Having become acquainted with the equipment and systems of the “American”, our pilots and navigators agreed that both in terms of potential capabilities and tactical and technical characteristics - range, speed and load-carrying weight, the Tu-160 is superior to the B-1B, but on the side The advantages of the practical mastery of the bomber remain to the US Strategic Command. Using the capabilities of the B-1B “to the fullest,” American crews have gone far ahead, while many Tu-160 systems are not fully used, and some flight modes remain prohibited.

Due to the more intensive use of equipment, US pilots maintain a high level of class (the average flight time on a B-1B is 150-200 hours per year), including in flights at extremely low altitudes and during aerial refueling. A Russian Air Force delegation that visited the United States in May 1992 could verify this. During one flight, a pair of aircraft from the same 2nd Air Wing performed demonstration docking and undocking in the air 12 times.

At the meeting in Poltava, the sleek appearance of the B-1B, decorated with emblems (although it had flown quite well, as evidenced by the erased steps of the built-in ramp) next to the somewhat neglected and hastily crowned with “tridents” Tu-160, spoke in favor of the Americans. It was hard to believe that even the B-1B chassis was washed by technicians with special shampoos. The greatest interest of practical Americans was caused by the earnings of the commander of the Ukrainian Tu-160: “20 dollars? Per day?... Per month!! Ooo!!!"

Stars and tridents

The Air Force's initial request for the Tu-160 was 100 aircraft - the same number as the Americans received the B-1B. With the collapse of the USSR, the production of the Tu-160, which required the cooperation of hundreds of enterprises, found itself in a difficult situation. The production of aircraft slowed down and was practically reduced to assembly from the existing stock. The modernization of these machines, provided for in the work program until 1996, also stopped.

The air regiment in Priluky was not spared the problems of “big politics”. On August 24, 1991, the Parliament of Ukraine transferred all military formations on the territory of the state under its control, and on the same day the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine was formed. However, at first these events did not have a significant impact on the service of the 184th regiment. However, in the spring of 1992, military units of Ukraine began to take an oath of allegiance to the republic. On May 8, 1992, the 184th Air Regiment (about 25% of the flight personnel and up to 60% of the technical personnel) was also assigned to it. The regiment commander Valery Gorgol was the first to take the oath. The 409th regiment of Il-78 tanker aircraft at the airbase in Uzin also came under the jurisdiction of Ukraine.

The crew of the 1096th TBAP of the Russian Air Force, which for the first time lifted the Tu-160 from the airbase in Engels. From left to right: navigator Adamov, assistant. com. ship Mr. Kolesnikov, navigator p/p-k Karpov, com. ship p/p-k Medvedev

In February 1992, B.N. Yeltsin announced a decree on the completion of production of Tu-95MS bombers and the possibility of stopping the assembly of Tu-160, provided that the United States stopped producing B-2 bombers (it was planned to build 100 copies). However, this proposal did not meet with an adequate response. In addition, with the collapse of the USSR, Russia was virtually left without new strategic bombers. This forced it to continue producing such expensive aircraft, which began to enter service with the 1096th heavy bomber regiment in Engels. Officers from Priluki began to be transferred there (in total, in 1992-93, the Russian Air Force recruited 720 pilots from Ukraine).

It should be noted that initially it was planned to transfer the first aircraft to Engels; the 184th Air Regiment was considered as a reserve one, but life decreed otherwise. Previously, the 1096th TBAP was armed with bombers designed by V.M. Myasishchev M-4 and 3M. Next to it was the 1230th Regiment of 3MS-2 tanker aircraft. On February 16, 1992, the first Tu-160 landed in Engels, which had to be mothballed for six months - there was no one to fly. By May, the 1096th TBAP already had three Tu-160s, but the first flight took place only on July 29.

The car was lifted into the air by DA inspector Lieutenant Colonel Medvedev. At the same time, the airfield was being re-equipped - all ground equipment, simulators and aircraft training facilities remained in Priluki, and now everything needed to be re-equipped.

The fourth aircraft arrived at Engels in early 1993. To strengthen the veto “active” regiment, it was planned to transfer six bombers from the Tupolev company and LII, even if they had managed to exhaust their service life in test flights, but this did not happen. The first launch of the X-55 cruise missile was carried out on October 22, 1992 by the crew of the regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel A. Zhikharev. The next day, the same firing practice was carried out by the crew of Lieutenant Colonel A. Malyshev

Despite all the difficulties, YES Russia managed to maintain a semblance of combat effectiveness. Even in the most difficult year of 1992, Russian “long-range fighters” maintained their class, having flight time of 80-90 hours per year - twice as high as in front-line aviation. As for the Tu-160, they took part in the large-scale exercise “Voskhod-93” in May 1993, during which maneuvers by aviation forces were practiced in quickly responding to a threat. The long range of the Tu-160 allowed them to strengthen one of the strategic directions and support a group of Su-24 and Su-27 that were being transferred to the Far East (although the missile launch had to only be designated - there were no suitable training grounds for them in Transbaikalia). The actual launch, moreover, of a modernized X-55M with an increased range, took place during the exercises of the Strategic Nuclear Forces on June 21-22, 1994, which were inspected by President Yeltsin. In addition to the Tu-160 group, successful launches at the Kura training ground in Kamchatka were carried out by the Topol ground-based complex and the Typhoon-class submarine cruiser of the Northern Fleet.

The position of the Tu-160 in the Russian Air Force does not seem cloudless. The production of these machines in Kazan, after the transfer of five aircraft to the angelic regiment, stalled (in total, there were eight machines at the plant in varying degrees of readiness). Added to the economic troubles are the financial difficulties of the Ministry of Defense, whose budget primarily involves maintaining the combat effectiveness of the active army and financing promising developments. It seems more reasonable to direct the colossal costs absorbed by the serial production of the Tu-160 to work that meets the requirements of tomorrow and allows preserving the potential of the defense industry. One of the possible variants of the “seventy” could be the Tu-160P heavy escort fighter, armed with long- and medium-range air-to-air missiles.
At the Paris Air Show in 1991, the Tu-160SK, a civil version of the aircraft, was presented. In this version, it can be used as the first stage of the Burlak aerospace complex, developed at NPO Raduga (initially, this military space program was aimed at replenishing the orbital constellation when the cosmodromes in Plesetsk and Baikonur were disabled). The launch vehicle is suspended under the fuselage and launched at an altitude of about 12 km, which makes it lighter. The system will be able to launch payloads weighing from 300 to 700 kg into low-Earth orbit and is a response to the American Pegasus system.

In the Ukrainian army, aviators found themselves in an even more difficult situation, and the problems primarily affected the most complex and expensive to maintain DA aircraft. We immediately had to abandon flights for combat use (Ukraine did not have training grounds, and the equipment of the combat training center YES in the Dnieper-Buzhsky floodplains remained only on paper). Author's supervision by the Design Bureau and support by the manufacturer, which was supposed to provide warranty service for 10 years, ceased.
Lack of fuel, spare parts and the departure of qualified flight and technical personnel quickly put some of the aircraft on hold. After all, the special IP-50 engine oil for the Tu-160 was produced in Azerbaijan, the wheels were received from Yaroslavl, and the engines were received from Samara. The depletion of resources by units and the lack of new ones forced them to resort to “cannibalism”, removing what they needed from other aircraft.
However, recently the need for such events has almost disappeared - in the 184th TBAP, by the summer of 1994, there were only a few pilots left capable of lifting the Tu-160 into the air. Unfortunately, they are given this opportunity only 4-5 times a year. In full accordance with the theory of reliability, the decreased flight time led to an increase in the number of failures, and the most difficult of them went to Gorgol: in May 1993, he had to land a plane with the landing gear not fully extended. As a result, 5 Russian Tu-160s may represent a greater fighting force than the 21 located in Priluki.
As a result of a series of hasty decisions made in the first days after the collapse of the USSR, the right to possess strategic forces was provided only for Russia. The deplorable situation in which the Ukrainian Tu-160 found itself is a direct result of this policy. In March 1993, V. Zakharchenko, then adviser to the Ukrainian military attaché in Russia, said: “The Ukrainian armed forces are not faced with tasks that require such aircraft.” This opinion was confirmed by the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force V. Antonets, saying in his speech to journalists in Priluki on February 15, 1995 that the critical situation in the Ukrainian economy makes it impossible to maintain its Tu-160s in proper condition, so it is interested in selling bombers to Russia.
However, problems arose with the evaluation of the machines. The Ukrainian side proposed to write off energy debts at their expense (which surprised Gazprom a lot) or exchange them for Il-76 at the rate of 1:2 (but Il is produced in Uzbekistan...). The parties have not yet reached an agreement. Today, the fate of the Tu-160 completely depends on the political situation. But if there is good will, it is possible to reach an agreement: for example, the Dnepropetrovsk Yuzhmash plant has resumed carrying out routine maintenance on its missiles on combat duty in Russia since 1994.

Brief technical description of Tu-160

The Tu-160 is made according to a normal aerodynamic design with a variable sweep wing. The layout of the central part of the airframe is integral. The airframe is made mainly of aluminum alloys (B-95, heat-treated to increase service life, as well as AK-4). The share of titanium alloys in the weight of the airframe is 20%; composite materials are also widely used, and glued three-layer structures are used.

The crew of four is located in the forward part of the fuselage in a common pressurized cabin. Ahead - on the left - the ship's commander, on the right - the co-pilot. Behind them are the seats of the navigator (navigation and offensive weapons) and the navigator-operator (air defense systems, communications and energy). All crew members have K-36DM ejection seats, which are fired upward after the hatches are released. The cabin is equipped with a small kitchen and toilet. Entry on board is via a ground staircase through the niche of the front landing gear (on seventh series aircraft there is a built-in ladder).

Fuselage. In the forward part of the semi-monocoque fuselage there are: an onboard radar, an equipment compartment with avionics units and a pressurized crew cabin, including technical compartments, as well as a niche for the front landing gear leg. Behind the cabin, two unified weapons compartments with a length of 11.28 m and a width of 1.92 m are sequentially located. They each contain one multi-charge revolving ejection device MKU-6-5U, which can carry 6 X-55 missiles. The mass of the MKU is 1550 kg, the drive is hydraulic (on V-1B - from a stepper electric motor). In addition, locks for hanging the entire range of aviation weapons, weapon lifting systems, and electrical switching equipment can be installed in the weapons compartments. The hydraulic system units are located on the end and side walls of the compartment. Between the compartments there is a center section beam. Fuel caisson tanks are located in the inflow and tail parts of the aircraft. In the forward unsealed part of the influx there are units of the life support system.

The wing - swept with a root influx and rotary consoles - has a large aspect ratio. The console rotation units are located at 25% of the wing span with minimal sweep. Structurally, the wing is divided into the following units:

An all-welded titanium center section beam 12.4 m long and 2.1 m wide with a transverse set of ribs made of aluminum alloy. The center section beam is built into the central part of the airframe and ensures the absorption of loads coming from the wing consoles;

Double-cut titanium turning units, ensuring the transfer of loads from the wing to the center section;

Wing consoles made of high-strength aluminum and titanium alloys, rotating in the range of 20°-65°. During takeoff, the sweep angle of the consoles is 20°, during cruising flight -35°, and during supersonic flight - 65°.

The power basis of the consoles is a caisson formed by seven milled twenty-meter panels, five prefabricated spars and six ribs. The caisson serves as a container for fuel. Four-section slats, three-section double-slit flaps, six-section spoilers and flaperons, and aerodynamic winglets are attached directly to it.

When the wing sweep angle increases, the root parts of the flaps do not retract inside the fuselage, but rotate synchronously with the change in sweep, forming unique aerodynamic ridges.

The tail unit is made according to the normal design with an all-moving stabilizer located at 1/3 of the height of the vertical tail (to remove it from the zone of influence of engine jets). Structurally, it consists of a caisson with rotation units and honeycomb panels made of aluminum or composite materials. The upper part of the keel is all-moving.

The chassis has a steerable two-wheel nose gear and two six-wheel main gears. Chassis track - 5400 mm, wheelbase - 17800 mm. The size of the main wheels is 1260x485 mm, the nose wheels are 1080x400 mm. The nose strut is located under the technical compartment in an unsealed niche and has a deflector that prevents foreign objects from getting under the wheels into the engine air intakes. The stand is retracted by turning it backwards in flight.

Equipment. The Obzor-K radar station in the forward part of the fuselage is used for navigation and target detection both on the ground and in the air. The Groza optical sighting system is located at the bottom of the nose under the fairing. There is a long-range celestial navigation system. Instrumentation is classic analog. The onboard defense complex includes enemy detection and active radar countermeasures systems. The control system is fly-by-wire via pitch, roll and yaw channels with quadruple redundancy and emergency mechanical wiring. The aircraft is statically unstable, so flying with the fly-by-wire system disabled is difficult and has a number of mode restrictions. The aircraft's hydraulic system is four-channel, with a working pressure of 280 kg/sq.cm. All aircraft systems are controlled by about 100 computers, of which 12 serve the weapon control system.

The power plant consists of four NK-32 bypass turbojet engines, created at NPO Trud under the leadership of N.D. Kuznetsov. The engine bypass ratio is 1.4, the pressure ratio is -28.4, and the maximum thrust is -137.3 kN (14,000 kgf) without afterburner and 245.15 kN (25,000 kgf) with afterburner. The engine weight is 3650 kg, length - 6.5 m, inlet diameter - 1455 mm. The engine has a three-stage low pressure compressor, a five-stage medium pressure compressor and a seven-stage high pressure compressor. Low and medium pressure turbines are single-stage, and high-pressure turbines are two-stage. Turbine blades are cooled monocrystalline. The gas temperature in front of the turbine is 1375°C. The engine is equipped with an adjustable auto-model nozzle. The combustion chamber is annular with evaporation nozzles, ensuring smokeless combustion and stable temperature conditions. The NK-32 is one of the world's first aircraft engines, during the development of which technologies aimed at reducing the levels of radar and infrared signature were widely used. On the aircraft, the engines are placed in engine nacelles in pairs, separated by fire partitions and operate completely independently of each other.

The engine control system is electric, with hydromechanical duplication. Work is currently underway to create a digital management system with full responsibility. To ensure autonomous power supply on the aircraft, a gas turbine APU is installed behind the niche of the left main landing gear.

The fuel is located in 13 tanks in the fuselage and rotating wing consoles. The fuel system includes an automatic fuel transfer system to maintain a given alignment in all flight modes. The aircraft has an in-flight refueling system - a fuel boom extends from the nose.

Armament. The main weapon option is 12 Kh-55 or Kh-55M/SM cruise missiles, 6 each on two MKU-6-5U devices.

The Kh-55 missile (“product 125”, or RKV-500B, according to the NATO code AS-15b Kent, the M/SM index depends on the type of warhead) was developed at NPO Raduga under the leadership of I. Seleznev. It has a length of 6040 mm, a diameter of 556 mm. To increase the flight range to 3000 km, the rocket can be equipped with jettisonable conformal fuel tanks. The launch weight of the rocket is 1210 kg (without tanks)/1500 kg (with tanks). The Kh-55SM is equipped with a nuclear warhead with a capacity of 200 kT.

An alternative weapon is the Kh-15 short-range missile (with inertial homing) and its variants: the anti-ship Kh-15S and anti-radar Kh-15P. In total, the Tu-160 can carry 24 missiles, six on four MKU-6-1 (two devices in each weapons compartment).

The Kh-15 missile (“product 115”, NATO code AS-16 Kickback) was also created at NPO Raduga. Its length is 4780 mm, diameter - 455 mm, wingspan - 920 mm, weight - 1100 kg (warhead - 150 kg). Rocket flight speed M=5. Range -150 km. With 24 missiles suspended, the weapon mass is 28,800 kg.

With appropriate conversion, the aircraft can carry free-falling nuclear bombs and any type of conventional bombs or sea mines.

Airplane painting. The Tu-160 prototype, which was tested at the LII, was not painted. It had a rather motley appearance due to the different colors and shades of the sheathing sheets and radio-transparent elements.

The aircraft transferred to the units were painted in the standard white color for Long-Range Aviation of the USSR, which, due to its reflective ability, is designed to protect the aircraft from the effects of light radiation during a nuclear explosion. Some elements, in particular the upper cowlings of the engine nacelles and the fairings along the rear fuselage, have the color of unpainted metal.

Two-digit tactical numbers are marked on the nose landing gear doors and on the top of the fin. Moreover, planes based in Priluki have red numbers, while those in Engels have blue numbers.

Red stars were painted on the top and bottom of the wings and fin. In 1993, they were painted over on Ukrainian Tu-160s, and for some time the vehicles did not have state identification marks at all. Later, at the end of 1993 - beginning of 1994. The aircraft were marked with the identification marks of the Ukrainian Air Force: yellow-blue circles on the wings and a yellow trident against the background of a blue shield on the fin. Russian Tu-160s carry identification marks inherited from the USSR Air Force.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced plans to resume production of the Tu-160. According to the Ministry of Defense, the Tu-160 in the M2 version will be a completely new aircraft with a new “filling”, but an old airframe; its efficiency will increase by 2.5 times compared to its predecessor.

The domestic aircraft “White Swan” was developed and created by the Tupolev Design Bureau in cooperation with the Kazan Aviation Plant named after Gorbunov. It is a supersonic strategic bomber. The first flight of the aircraft was made in 1981, and the aircraft was put into service five and a half years later. Presumably, a total of three and a half dozen units of this machine were produced. Currently, half of them are in operation, the rest are out of order.

general information

The White Swan aircraft has a combat range of at least six thousand kilometers in the air without additional refueling. The maximum speed of the machine ranges from a thousand kilometers per hour at low altitudes and up to two and a half thousand at high altitudes. The aircraft received its unique name due to its excellent maneuverability and original white coloring.

The “White Swan” is an aircraft that is designed primarily to deliver nuclear and standard bombs, including deep-dive missiles. The machine can perform direct functions in any weather in regions with different climates. The power plants of the “iron bird” are placed on the wings in pairs in two rows. The air intakes are equipped with vertical valves, and the total thrust of the engines is twenty-five thousand kilograms. The bomber can be refueled directly in the air; when not operational, the additional probe is hidden in the fuselage compartment under the pilot's cabin. Initially, the device can take on board up to one and a half tons of fuel.

"White Swan" (aircraft): technical characteristics

Below are the technical plan parameters for the jet bomber in question:

• crew - four people;
• length/height - 50410/13100 millimeters;
• wingspan - 5570 mm;
• wing area - 23200 sq. mm;
• empty weight of the apparatus - one hundred and ten tons
• maximum takeoff weight is 275 tons;
• power units - TRDDF NK-32 (four pieces);
• fuel weight - 148 thousand kilograms;
• maximum thrust - 18,000x4 kg;
• cruising speed - 860 kilometers per hour;
• the practical resource indicator without additional refueling is 12,300 km;
• Flight duration is up to twenty-five hours.

In addition, the White Swan military aircraft has a high-speed climb of 4400 meters per minute, and also has armament thrust indicators in the range of 0.3-0.37 units. The takeoff run length before takeoff is nine hundred meters.

Development and creation

The armament of the Soviet Union in the seventies of the last century had good nuclear potential. However, in terms of strategic aviation, there was a significant lag behind its closest competitors. In those days, this category was represented by subsonic bombers, which were not able to overcome the air defense of a mock enemy.

In this regard, the government decides to create a multi-mode strategic military aircraft. Development is entrusted to two design bureaus (Sukhoi and Myasishchev). Engineers take diametrically different approaches, but have one common point of contact. It concerns the swept wing.

Tupolev workers started working in 1969, after the government set specific deadlines. The White Swan aircraft is the only category in Soviet aviation that was given its own name. In turn, most units of this class are additionally named after heroes, fairy-tale characters, and the like.

Competition

At the first stages of development of a new bomber, the command recognized the design bureau SU project under the designation T-4M as better. However, the designers were simultaneously creating SU-27 fighters. It was decided to transfer all the information about the heavy aircraft being created to the engineers of the Tupolev bureau.

At this stage, the White Swan aircraft could cease to exist by renaming it T-4M. However, Tupolev abandons the proposed project and decides to continue working on a bomber with variable sweep wings. In addition, the customer voiced two mandatory requirements:

1. Possibility of performing transonic flights at low altitude.
2. Subsonic flights at considerable distances.

The new aircraft used the most advanced technologies and materials at that time, developed a reinforced landing gear, modernized the engine and a number of other components. The code name of the model is TU-160M. The unit was equipped with various parts produced at five hundred enterprises.

Airplane "White Swan": description of modifications

Let's look at the differences between the models that were produced based on the Tu-160:

1. TU-161V is a bomber project equipped with a power plant operating on liquefied hydrogen. The aircraft differs from the basic version in the dimensions of the fuselage. Liquid fuel of this type was placed in tanks at temperatures ranging from -250 degrees. An additional helium system is provided, which is responsible for controlling the cryogenic engines, as well as a nitrogen unit that controls the vacuum in the thermal insulation compartments of the missile carrier.
2. The NK-74 modification is equipped with economical jet power plants with a special afterburner. The advantage of such models is an increase in flight range.
3. TU-160P “White Swan” is an aircraft that is a long-range escort fighter, capable of carrying long- and medium-range air-to-air missiles.
4. Series 160PP - project of an aircraft for electronic warfare.
5. TU-160K is a project included in the development of the Krechet aircraft-missile system. Its modernization is aimed at increasing the effectiveness and destructive power of ballistic missiles in the event of a nuclear explosion.

Learn more about flight opportunities

The White Swan aircraft, the photo of which is presented below, is considered one of the most powerful and fastest in the world. It has a wingspan of thirty-five to fifty-five meters with a constant area of ​​232 square meters. m. Practical flight altitude is over twenty kilometers. for comparison, a passenger airliner can travel no more than 11.5 km. The bomber's flight duration is over fifteen hours with a combat radius of five thousand kilometers.

Control

The unit is operated by a crew of four people. The length and height of the flying ship allows crew members to stand up to their full height, and there is a kitchen and bathroom on board. Four power units arranged in pairs are pressed against the fuselage. When the boost mode is turned on, the speed of the White Swan aircraft can reach 2,300 kilometers per hour. At takeoff, this figure is four thousand meters per minute; the machine can take off from a runway no less than eight hundred meters long, and land on a similar platform, the length of which is two or more kilometers.

Combat equipment

The bomber in question was specifically designed to be capable of launching guided missiles. That is, it does not have to hover over the intended location of a military strike. The “White Swan” is an aircraft whose technical parameters allow it to fire long-range shots and can be equipped with two types of cruise missiles (Kh-55SM or Kh-15S). Even before departure, the coordinates of the conditional or real target are entered into the charge memory blocks. The attack aircraft is capable of carrying from twelve to twenty-four missiles of this type.

Most modifications can be equipped with the following weapons:

• Krechet system;
• complex "Burlak";
• the ability to carry standard aerial bombs of various modifications.

The available ammunition makes it possible to hit targets at long range, both ground and sea units.

A little about the most modernized model

The TU-160 “White Swan” aircraft under the symbol M is the latest modernization released into mass production. The device is equipped with new weapons and modern radio-electronic equipment. The bomber can carry about ninety OFAB charges on board, each of which weighs five hundred kilograms. If we compare the aircraft in question with the British analogue "Typhoon", the domestic model is superior to the "British" in most respects. For example, it has four times the flight range without refueling, better engine efficiency, and is also capable of carrying more bombs and missiles.

Peculiarities

The combat aircraft in question is a one-piece and expensive product and has unique characteristics. Only thirty-five copies were produced in mass production, many of which no longer remain. One feature worth noting is the individual names. Among them are the following options:

1. “Yarygin Ivan” (USSR champion).
2. “Ilya Muromets” (fairy-tale hero).
3. "Kopylov Vitaly" (in honor of the aircraft designer).
4. There are many names in honor of famous pilots: “Pavel Taran”, “Chkalov” and others.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, nineteen cars remained in Ukraine. They did not justify themselves because they did not find practical application. There were even attempts to pay for gas with the Russian Federation using them. As a result, most of the “swans” were simply cut up for scrap metal.

As of 2013, the Russian Air Force operated sixteen Tu-160 units. Taking into account modern realities, these machines are few for such a country, and the production of new ones requires significant financial investments. It was decided to modernize ten bombers, as well as plan the development of a new type of missile carriers.

Comparison with foreign analogues

The White Swan aircraft, whose performance still remains one of the best in its class, is currently out of production. There is unconfirmed information about the possible resumption of production of units based on the TU-160, but much depends on the economic situation and the demand for the machines. It is worth noting that this aircraft was not produced for export.

Below is a comparative description of the main parameters between the White Swan, the American B-1 and the English Typhoon:

Tu-160 M "White Swan"	US-made aircraft branded B-1	English fighter-attack aircraft "Typhoon"
Flight range without additional refueling - 12.5 thousand kilometers	2.5 times lower	Four times lower
Portable weapons (bombs and cruise missiles) - at least 90 units	One and a half times less	Twice smaller
Speed ​​indicators - up to 2,300 km/h	One and a half times lower	Almost twice as bad
Power of power plants - 1,800 *4	Almost twice as low	2.1 times weaker

Practical tests

Giving tasks to the designers, the customer (the USSR government) presented a number of mandatory requirements that the aircraft of the new formation must have:

1. Have a flight range at an altitude of eighteen thousand meters of at least 13,000 km at a speed of 2300-2500 km/h.
2. On the ground, the flight range is at least 10,000 km in the subsonic version.
3. A combat aircraft must approach the intended target in cruising flight at subsonic speed or in supersonic mode, overcoming enemy air defenses.
4. The total weight in combat configuration is forty-five tons.
5. The following requirements were imposed on the future jet bomber:

For the first time, the prototype, coded 70-01, flew from the Ramenskoye airfield. This happened at the end of 1981, the plane was flown by test pilot B. Veremeev.

The supersonic bomber was launched into mass production in 1984 at a training ground in Kazan. From the autumn of 1984 to the summer of 1986, four production modifications took to the skies.

In conclusion

The White Swan aircraft, the photo of which is presented above, is a unique jet bomber, the likes of which have not been seen in the world for a long time. Its characteristics and capabilities are recognized by experts as one of the best in its class. Unfortunately, the mass production of these devices was quite limited due to the high cost of materials, assembly and equipment. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, production of these aircraft ceased, but some of the manufactured samples are still in operation, showing excellent results, even in comparison with the best foreign analogues.