Airplane "White Swan": technical characteristics and photos. Aircraft "White Swan": technical characteristics and photos Military equipment Tu 160 aircraft

In November last year, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin reported to Vladimir Putin about rolling out of the Tu-160M2 workshop and that its test flights were planned for the beginning of 2018.

"The first flight of the Tu-160M2 aircraft, which left the shop today, we plan to carry out in February next year," Rogozin reported to the president.

Photo © RIA Novosti / Sergey Mamontov

"Excellent! Congratulations to the aircraft manufacturers and I think we will please the Ministry of Defense. After all, it was the Ministry of Defense that insisted on the renewal of this version of the Tu-160 - on a new base - a proven supersonic aircraft," Putin said then.

Rogozin kept his promise to the president even ahead of schedule. Today, during a visit by the President of Russia to the Kazan Aviation Plant named after V.I. S.P. Gorbunov Vladimir Putin saw a demonstration flight of the modernized Tu-160M strategic bomber. The bomber with serial number 0804, the flight of which was watched by the head of state, was named after the first commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force, Peter Deinekin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that work on the modernization of the Tu-160 will strengthen the Russian "nuclear triad" in the air.

“This is a serious step in the development of the high-tech sphere and in strengthening the country's defense capability. Because it is one of the elements of our nuclear triad in the air. S.P. Gorbunov.

Photo © RIA Novosti / Alexey Nikolsky

Who built it?

Kazan Aviation Plant named after S.P. Gorbunova - a branch of Tupolev PJSC. This enterprise is part of the United Aircraft Corporation and is the only aircraft plant in the former USSR that produces strategic bombers.

History

Tu-160 is a strategic missile carrier called "White Swan", or Blackjack ("Dubinka" - in NATO terminology), a unique aircraft.

The Tu-160 bomber was a "response" to the US AMSA (Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft) program, within which the B-1 Lancer was created. The Tu-160 missile carrier in almost all characteristics was significantly ahead of its main competitors Lancer. The speed of the Tu-160 is one and a half times higher, the maximum flight range and combat radius are as much greater. And the thrust of the engines is almost twice as powerful. At the same time, the "invisible" B-2 Spirit cannot withstand any comparison, in which literally everything was sacrificed for the sake of stealth, including distance, flight stability and carrying capacity.

Photo © RIA Novosti / Evgeny Odinokov

Each Tu-160 missile carrier is a piece and rather expensive product, it has unique technical characteristics. Since its inception, only 36 of these aircraft have been built, while an order of magnitude fewer remain intact. Each of the built aircraft has its own name - they were assigned in honor of champions ("Ivan Yarygin"), designers ("Vitaly Kopylov"), famous heroes ("Ilya Muromets") and, of course, pilots ("Pavel Taran", "Valery Chkalov " other).

After the collapse of the USSR at the Kazan Aviation Plant named after V.I. S.P. Gorbunov left several reserves of the Tu-160 in varying degrees of readiness, however, due to economic problems, work on them was frozen. As a result, one aircraft was completed only by 2000, the second by 2008.

In 2013, the Air Force included 16 Tu-160s. In 2015, it became known about the decision to resume production of the Tu-160 in a modernized version of the Tu-160M2.

Swan innovations

The main changes in the new version of the "Swan" are inside the plane. More than 60 percent of the bomber's systems and equipment are new. Among them is the "glass" cockpit, in which liquid crystal panels will stand instead of analog instruments. All the necessary information will be displayed on them. There will also be new computing systems of increased performance and an electronic suppression system.

Photo © RIA Novosti / Iskander Asabaev

The aircraft will receive a new NK-32 series 02 engine produced by PJSC Kuznetsov, Samara. On the basis of the modified NK-32 engines of the second series, the PAK DA engine will also be created. NK-32 is the most powerful in the world, it allows an aircraft to fly both in the atmosphere and in the stratosphere. The maximum flight altitude of the Tu-160 with the NK-32 is 18,000 meters. The bomber can use this opportunity to break through the enemy's air defense. Tu-160 rises to the borders of space and at speeds close to two thousand kilometers per hour, easily breaks away from fighters. Before such flights, the crew puts on special spacesuits, very similar to those worn by astronauts.

The modified NK-32 will receive a new gas generator and a FADEC digital control system. This will provide not only optimal operating modes, but also significant fuel savings. So already now it can be assumed that the new Tu-160M2 engine will allow it not only to perform ultra-long flights, but also to have a higher speed than its predecessor - Tu-160.

Combat power

A new sighting system has been installed on the Tu-160, which allows the bomber to use not only the Kh-55 long-range nuclear cruise missiles, but also the new (with conventional warheads) Kh-555, as well as the entire range of high-precision bomb weapons. As a result, the machine can be used, among other things, to destroy terrorist bases around the globe.

Those who are destined to crawl cannot fly (s). Well nothing. However, the planes are amazing, especially the combat ones. They combine delight and craving for weapons and endless misunderstanding of the soul, how such a mass can fly so gracefully! I suggest looking at interesting photos and learning something new about the pride of Soviet / Russian aviation.

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

Work on the creation of a new generation strategic bomber was started 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 draft protection of the Tu-160 project passed, and already in 1977, the OKB im. Kuznetsova began work on the creation of engines for the new aircraft. Initially, it was going to be armed with high-speed Kh-45 missiles, but later this idea was abandoned, preferring small-sized subsonic cruise missiles of the Kh-55 type, as well as the Kh-15 aeroballistic hypersonic missiles, which were placed on multi-position launchers inside the hull.

The first plane.

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

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

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

The TTZ was also changed for the plane, tk. At that time, negotiations on SALT (limitation of strategic arms) were intensively going on. In the seventies, a new weapon appeared - long-range low-altitude cruise missiles (over 2500 km), flying around the terrain. This radically changed the strategy of using strategic bombers.

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

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

The first flight of the aircraft with the serial number "70-01" took place on December 18, 1981 (the crew commander was B.I. equipment of a serial bomber. After another 2 years, on August 15, 1986, the 4th serial bomber, which became the first combatant, left the gates of the assembly shop in Kazan. In total, 8 aircraft of two experimental series were involved in the performance of flight tests.

During the state tests, which were completed in mid-1989, 4 successful launches of Kh-55 cruise missiles, which were the main weapon of the vehicle, were made from the bomber-missile carrier. The maximum level flight speed was also reached, which amounted to almost 2200 km / h. At the same time, during operation, the speed threshold was decided to be limited to a speed of 2000 km / h, which was mainly due to the preservation of the resource of the propulsion system and the airframe.

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The first 2 experienced Tu-160 strategic bombers were included in the combat unit of the Air Force on April 17, 1987. After the collapse of the USSR, almost all of the production vehicles available at that time (19 bombers) remained on the territory of Ukraine, at the airbase 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 includes the Ilya Muromets aircraft (the name was given to the world's first heavy bomber, which was built in Russia in 1913), Mikhail Gromov, Ivan Yarygin, Vasily Reshetnikov.

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

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In the course of serial production, the bomber underwent a number of improvements, which were determined by the experience of its operation. For example, the number of flaps for feeding the aircraft engines was increased, which made it possible to increase the stability of the turbojet engine (turbojet engine with an afterburner) and simplify their controllability. Replacement of a number of structural elements from metal to carbon fiber made it possible to somewhat reduce the weight of the aircraft. 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 a multi-stage program to reduce radar signature, a special graphite radio-absorbing coating was applied to the air intakes and shells, and the nose of the aircraft was also covered with radio-absorbing paint. It was possible to implement measures for shielding the motors. The introduction of mesh filters into the cabin glazing made it possible to eliminate the re-reflection of radar radiation from its internal surfaces.

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

The Tu-160 bomber is made according to the normal aerodynamic configuration with variable wing geometry. The design feature of the airframe of the aircraft is the integrated circuit of the 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, various equipment, and also to reduce the number of structural joints, which led to a decrease in the weight of the structure.

The bomber's airframe is made mainly of aluminum alloys (B-95 and AK-4, heat-treated to increase the resource). The wing consoles are made of titanium and high-strength aluminum alloys and are attached to the hinges, which allow changing the wing sweep in the range from 20 to 65 degrees. The share of titanium alloys in the mass of the airframe of the bomber is 20%, fiberglass is also used, glued three-layer structures are widely used.

The bomber crew, consisting of 4 people, is located in a single spacious pressurized cockpit. In its front part, the seats of the first and second pilots are installed, as well as the navigator-operator and navigator. All crew members are accommodated in K-36DM ejection seats. To increase the efficiency of operators and pilots during a long flight, the backrests are equipped with pulsating air massage cushions. At the rear of the cockpit there is a small kitchen, a folding bunk and a toilet. Aircraft of later production models were equipped with a built-in gangway.

The aircraft has a tricycle landing gear with 2 steering wheels of the front support. The main landing gear has an oscillating strut and is located behind the bomber's center of mass. They have pneumatic shock absorbers and 3-axle bogies with 6 wheels each. The landing gear retracts into small niches in the fuselage backwards for the flight of the bomber. Shields and aerodynamic deflectors, designed to press air against the runway, are responsible for protecting the engine air intakes from dirt and precipitation.

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

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The Tu-160 bomber is equipped with a PRNK sighting and navigation system, consisting of an optoelectronic bomber sight, surveillance and sighting radar, INS, SNS, an astrocorrector and an onboard defense system "Baikal" (containers with dipole reflectors and IR traps, a heat direction finder). There is also a multichannel digital communication complex, which is interfaced with satellite systems. In the avionics of the bomber, more than 100 special computers are involved.

The on-board defense complex of a strategic bomber guarantees detection and classification of the enemy's air defense system radar, determination of their coordinates and their subsequent disorientation with false targets, or suppression by powerful active interference. For bombing, the "Groza" sight is used, which ensures the destruction of various targets with high accuracy in daytime conditions and with insufficient illumination. A heat 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 machine is controlled using the control stick (joystick), as on fighters.

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 composition can consist of 12 subsonic X-55 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-sized tactical targets, the aircraft can use corrected aerial bombs (KAB) weighing up to 1500 kg. Also, the aircraft can carry up to 40 tons of conventional free-fall bombs. In the future, the armament complex of a strategic bomber can be significantly enhanced by the inclusion of new high-precision cruise missiles, for example, the X-555, designed to destroy both tactical and strategic land and sea targets of almost all possible classes.

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

"In terms of the composition of the avionics, the composition of the weapons that it will carry, it will be a fundamentally new aircraft, and its combat effectiveness will increase by at least 2.5 times compared to the current one."

"The plans of the Ministry of Defense are to restore production of the Tu-160 strategic bomber. We are not talking about restoring one-to-one, because the Tu-160, which we have in service today, is an aircraft developed in the 1980s, which, fortunately, its flight performance has stepped over time. It has the best characteristics today. The aircraft we are talking about, it will probably be called the Tu-160M2, will be practically a new aircraft, "said Yuri Borisov.

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

According to the Deputy Minister of Defense, the fuselage and performance characteristics will remain, but the "stuffing" and the weapons system will radically change. "In terms of the composition of the onboard electronic equipment, the composition of the weapons that it will carry, it will be a fundamentally new aircraft, and its combat effectiveness will increase by no less than 2.5 times compared to the current one," Borisov said.

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

Technical reference

The aircraft is made according to the integrated low-wing design with a variable sweep wing, tricycle landing gear, all-turning stabilizer and keel. High-lift devices include slats, double-slotted flaps; spoilers and flaperons are used for roll control. Four engines are installed in pairs in the engine nacelles at the bottom of the fuselage. The APU TA-12 is used as an autonomous power unit.

The two payload compartments are located in tandem (one behind the other). The main materials of the airframe are titanium, heat-treated aluminum alloys, steel alloys and composite materials. The aircraft is equipped with a toilet, a kitchen, a berth. The aircraft is equipped with a hose-cone-type refueling system receiver. In serial production, the components of the airframe were produced - wings and engine compartments - Voronezh aircraft plant, empennage and air intakes - Irkutsk aircraft plant, chassis - Kuibyshevsky aggregate plant, fuselage. center section and nodes of rotation of wing consoles - Kazan aircraft plant.

In the wing design, monoblock caissons were widely used, assembled from monolithic panels and profiles with a length of 20 m. The fuselage was assembled from large-sized sheets, profiles and stampings using special riveting. Control units and wing mechanization (stabilizer, keel, flaperons, flaps, etc.) were made with extensive use of composite and metal glued panels with honeycomb filler.

Photo: www.airwar.ru

Flight performance

Engines	NK-32
Takeoff thrust, kgf:
maximum non-afterburner	4x14000
afterburner	4x25500
Dimensions, m:
wingspan	55,7/35,6
length	54,1
height	13,1
Wing area, m2	232
Weight, t:
empty	110
takeoff normal	185
takeoff maximum	275
landing	155
Fuel stock, t	140,6
Combat load mass, t	45
Speed, km / h:
maximum	2230
cruising subsonic	800
takeoff	300
landing	260

Immediately after the end of World War II, a radical redistribution of spheres of influence took place in the world. In the 50s of the last century, two military blocs were formed: NATO and the Warsaw Pact countries, which all subsequent years were in a state of incessant confrontation. The "cold war" that unfolded at that time could at any moment escalate into an open conflict, which would surely have ended in a nuclear war.

Industry decline

Of course, in such conditions an arms race could not but begin, when none of the rivals could afford to lag behind. In the early 1960s, the Soviet Union managed to get ahead in the field of strategic missile weapons, while the United States was clearly in the lead in the number and quality of aircraft. Military parity emerged.

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

What are strategic missile carriers for?

Of course, the presence of a powerful nuclear arsenal in missile performance was a sufficient guarantee of peace, but the possibility of delivering a preemptive strike or simply "hinting" to the enemy about the undesirability of subsequent actions with its help was impossible.

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

Developers

Initially, all the work was assigned to the Sukhoi Design Bureau and Myasishchev Design Bureau. Why is there no legendary Tupolev in this short list? It's simple: the management of the enterprise was not delighted with Khrushchev, who had already managed to ruin several promising projects. Accordingly, Nikita Sergeevich himself also did not relate too well to the "headstrong" designer. In a word, the Tupolev Design Bureau turned out to be "out of work".

By the beginning of the 70s of the last century, all the contestants presented their projects. Sukhoi put the M-4 on display. The car was impressive, striking in its characteristics. The only drawback was the cost: after all, a completely titanium case could not be made cheap if you wanted to. OKB Myasishchev presented its M-18. For some unknown reason, Tupolev's bureau joined in here with "Project 70".

Winner of competition

As a result, we chose the Sukhoi option. Myasishchev's project was somehow unsightly, and Tupolev's development did seem like a slightly altered civilian plane. And how, then, did the characteristics of which still drive a potential adversary into shivers? This is where the fun begins.

Since the Sukhoi Design Bureau had no time to engage in a new project (the Su-27 was being created there), and Myasishchev's design bureau was dismissed for some reason (there are generally a lot of ambiguities here), the papers on M-4 were handed over to Tupolev. Only there they also did not appreciate the titanium case and turned their gaze to an outsider - the M-18 project. It was he who formed the basis for the design of the "White Swan". By the way, the supersonic strategic bomber-missile carrier with variable sweep wing, according to NATO codification, has a completely different name - Blackjack.

Main technical characteristics

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

Feature name	Meaning
Full wingspan (at two points), meters
Fuselage length, meters
Fuselage height, meters
Total bearing area of the wings, square meters
Empty car weight, tons
Fuel mass (full filling), tons
Gross takeoff weight, tons
Engine model	TRDDF NK-32
Maximum thrust value (afterburner / non-afterburner)	4х137.2 kN / 4х245 kN
High-speed ceiling, km / h
Landing speed, km / h
Maximum altitude, kilometers
Maximum flight range, kilometers
Radius of action, kilometers
Required runway length, meters
Maximum mass of missile and bomb weapons, tons

It is not surprising that the very appearance of the characteristics of which are described in the article was a very unpleasant surprise for many Western powers. This plane (subject to refueling) will be able to "please" with its appearance almost any country. By the way, some foreign publishing houses call the car D-160. Technical characteristics are good, but what exactly is the White Swan armed with? After all, it was not created for recreational walks?

Information about missile and bomb armament

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

Thus, the tactical and technical characteristics of the Tu-160 aircraft allow us to assume that after modernization, these aircraft will remain in service with our army for more than a dozen years.

It is allowed to load missiles with nuclear and non-nuclear warheads, KAB of all types (up to KAB-1500). The bomb bays can be used to mount conventional and nuclear bombs, as well as mines of various types. Important! Under the fuselage, you can install the Burlak launch vehicle, which is used to launch light satellites into orbit. Thus, the Tu-160 aircraft is a real "flying fortress", armed in such a way that it is possible to destroy a couple of medium-sized countries in one sortie.

Power point

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

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

Where did the new engine come from?

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

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

Tupolev's specialists immediately seized on this opportunity, since it saved them from many problems, which in many cases arose when trying to modify the engine from the old Tu-144. Thus, the situation was resolved to everyone's benefit: the Tu-160 aircraft received an excellent power plant, the Kuznetsov Design Bureau - valuable experience. Tupolev himself got more time that could be spent on the development of other important systems.

Fuselage base

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

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

Wings

The development of a variable geometry wing for a machine of this size and mass turned out to be a very non-trivial task. The difficulties began already with the fact that for its creation it was necessary to radically change almost the entire production technology. The state program, launched specifically for this, was directed by P.V. Dementyev.

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

So the Tu-160 aircraft, the tactical and technical characteristics of which continue to amaze to this day, owes much of its speed to these details.

Tail fins

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

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

Tu-160(NATO Blackjack classification) - supersonic bomber-bomber, with a variable sweep wing, was created by the Tupolev Design Bureau in the 1980s. In service since 1987. The Russian Air Force currently has 16 Tu-160 strategic missile carriers.

This aircraft is the largest supersonic and variable wing aircraft in the history of military aviation, as well as the heaviest among all combat aircraft in the world. Tu-160 has the largest maximum take-off weight among all existing bombers. Among Russian pilots, the plane has the nickname "White Swan".

Work on the creation of a new generation strategic bomber was started at the Tupolev Design Bureau in 1968. In 1972, the project of a multi-mode bomber with a variable sweep wing was ready; in 1976, the draft protection of the Tu-160 project passed, and already in 1977, the OKB im. Kuznetsova began work on the creation of engines for the new aircraft.

Initially, it was going to be armed with high-speed Kh-45 missiles, but later this idea was abandoned, preferring small-sized subsonic cruise missiles of the Kh-55 type, as well as the Kh-15 aeroballistic hypersonic missiles, which were placed on multi-position launchers inside the hull.

The final assembly of the first prototype was carried out in January 1981, Tu-160 aircraft numbered 70-1 and 70-3 were intended for flight tests, and aircraft numbered 70-02 for static tests.

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

Currently, most of the Russian Tu-160s have individual names. For example, the Air Force includes the Ilya Muromets aircraft (the name was given to the world's first heavy bomber, which was built in Russia in 1913), Mikhail Gromov, Ivan Yarygin, Vasily Reshetnikov.

The high performance of the Russian strategic bomber was confirmed by setting 44 world records. In particular, with a payload of 30 tons, the aircraft flew along a closed route with a length of 1000 km at a speed of 1720 km / h. And in flight at a distance of 2000 km, having a take-off weight of 275 tons, the aircraft was able to reach an average speed of 1678 km / h, as well as an altitude of 11250 m.

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

Design features

The bomber crew, consisting of 4 people, is located in a single spacious pressurized cockpit... In its front part, the seats of the first and second pilots are installed, as well as the navigator-operator and navigator. All crew members are accommodated in K-36DM ejection seats. To increase the efficiency of operators and pilots during a long flight, the backrests are equipped with pulsating air massage cushions. At the rear of the cockpit there is a small kitchen, a folding bunk and a toilet. Aircraft of later production models were equipped with a built-in gangway.

Aircraft landing gear tricycle, with 2 steering wheels of the front support... The main landing gear has an oscillating strut and is located behind the bomber's center of mass. They have pneumatic shock absorbers and 3-axle bogies with 6 wheels each. The landing gear retracts into small niches in the fuselage backwards for the flight of the bomber. Shields and aerodynamic deflectors, designed to press air against the runway, are responsible for protecting the engine air intakes from dirt and precipitation.

The power plant of the Tu-160 includes 4 by-pass turbojet engines with an afterburner NK-32(created by the OKB ND Kuznetsov). Engines have been mass-produced in Samara since 1986, until the mid-1990s they had no analogues in the world. NK-32 is one of the world's first serial engines, during the design of which measures were taken to reduce IR and radar signature.

The aircraft engines are located in pairs in engine nacelles and are separated by special firewalls. The motors operate independently of each other. For the implementation of autonomous power supply, a separate auxiliary gas turbine power plant was also installed on the Tu-160.

The Tu-160 bomber is equipped with a PRNK sighting and navigation system, consisting of an optoelectronic bomber sight, surveillance and sighting radar, INS, SNS, an astrocorrector and an onboard defense system "Baikal" (containers with dipole reflectors and IR traps, a heat direction finder). There is also a multichannel digital communication complex, which is interfaced with satellite systems. More than 100 special computers are involved in the avionics of the bomber.

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 machine is controlled using the control stick (joystick), as on fighters.

In the future, the armament complex of a strategic bomber can be significantly enhanced by the inclusion of new high-precision cruise missiles, for example, the X-555, designed to destroy both tactical and strategic land and sea targets of almost all possible classes.

The performance characteristics of the Tu-160:

Dimensions:
- maximum wing span - 55.7 m, minimum - 35.6 m;
- length - 54.1 m;
- height - 13.2 m;
Wing area - 360.0 sq. m.
Aircraft weight:
- empty - 110.000 kg
- normal takeoff - 267.600 kg
- maximum takeoff - 275.000 kg
Engine type - 4 TRDDF NK-32;
- non-afterburning thrust - 4х137.2 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 under-fuselage compartments accommodate a different target load 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 adjustable KAB aviation bombs of various types up to KAB-1500 , common types of bombs, as well as mines.