Tupolev Tu-98
| Tu-98 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Bomber |
| National origin | Soviet Union |
| Manufacturer | Tupolev |
| First flight | 1956 |
| Number built | 1 |
The Tupolev Tu-98 (NATO reporting name Backfin) was a prototype swept wing jet bomber developed by Tupolev for the Soviet Union.
Design and development
The Tu-98 emerged from a program for a fast supersonic bomber to replace the Tupolev Tu-16. It was powered by two Lyulka AL-7 turbojet engines with side-mounted intakes high on the fuselage (above the wingroot). The Tu-98 was built in 1955 and first flown in 1956.[1] It was shown to an American delegation at the Tushino airfield outside Moscow in June 1956,[2] but it subsequently did not enter service, and only the single prototype was completed.[3]
The basic design of the Tu-98 had a great influence on the subsequent prototype of the Tupolev Tu-28 interceptor, officially known as the Tu-128 (NATO codename 'Fiddler').[4]
Development
The Tu-98 was a supersonic development bomber OKB-156, designed as a replacement for the Tu-16. Work on the prototype began on the basis of the Resolution of the USSR Council of Ministers on April 12, 1954. Chief Designer - D. S. Markov.
The aircraft was built in 1955 and took to the air for the first time in 1956. Test flights continued until 1959. The Tu-98 did not pass any of the state tests neither did it enter into production due to numerous, unresolved manufacturing and technological difficulties. The aircraft was later used as a flying, supersonic research laboratory during the development of the Tu-128 interceptor.
The last flight was made on November 21, 1960 when the undercarriage collapsed. The prototype was subsequently written off.
The "98" was further developed into a lightweight version of the supersonic bomber - "98A" (Tu-24)
Construction
The aircraft is built according to the scheme of a mid wing with a swept wing (the sweep angle on the leading edge is 55 degrees). Two engines AL-7F were installed in the stern, and the car was distinguished by long canals and air intakes shifted upwards. The main landing gear were located in the fuselage, which made the wing “clean”, but sharply reduced the stability of the aircraft “on concrete”. The crew consisted of a pilot - a ship commander, a navigator-operator and a navigator-navigator. All jobs had ejection seats. The front of the aircraft was a single pressurized cabin. Behind the pressurized cabin there was a technical compartment with photographic equipment (AFA-33/75). The fuel system consisted of 4 main and one centering tanks in the fuselage. Wing - two-spar, caisson design.
The control system was performed according to the traditional scheme - with a fixed stabilizer, although for the first time in all control channels, Andrey Nikolayevich agreed to use irreversible hydraulic boosters (his saying is known - “the best booster is the one that stands on the ground”). The front desk had a two-wheel axle, the main ones had two pairs of wheels.
For the first time in the domestic bomber, the remote-controlled aft rifle installation DK-18 with two guns was used AM-23. The weapon was aimed at the ARS-1 “Argon” radar sight, the antenna unit of which was placed in the upper part of the keel. The AM-23 cannon was mounted in the forward part on the right, from which the pilot could fire.
Rocket-bomb armament aircraft provided suspension FAB-100, FAB-250 or FAB-500 in various combinations, as well as up to 300 NAR ARS-85, or 61 TRS-132, or 18 TRS-212. For naval aviation, it was supposed to arm the aircraft with AMD-500 and AMD-100 mines, torpedoes RAT-52, MAN, MAV and TAN-53. As the sighting equipment on the plane set radar "Initiative" and collimator sights OPB-16.
Specifications (Tu-98)
Data from MilitaryFactory.com[5]
General characteristics
- Crew: 3
- Length: 32.06 m (105 ft 2 in)
- Wingspan: 17.27 m (56 ft 8 in)
- Height: 8.06 m (26 ft 5 in)
- Wing area: 87.5 m2 (942 sq ft)
- Max takeoff weight: 39,000 kg (85,980 lb)
- Powerplant: × Lyulka AL-7F turbojet engines, 93.2 kN (21,000 lbf) thrust
Performance
- Maximum speed: 1,365 km/h (848 mph, 737 kn)
- Range: 2,440 km (1,520 mi, 1,320 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 12,750 m (41,830 ft)
- Thrust/weight: 0.49
Armament
- Guns: 3 × 23 mm (0.906 in) Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 cannon
- Bombs: 5,000 kg (11,023 lb)
See also
Related development
Related lists
References
- ^ "Tupolev Tu-98 1956". aviastar.org. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
- ^ Stoll, Alex. "Tupolev Tu-98 "Backfin"". AlexStoll.com. Alex Stoll. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
- ^ "Tupolev Tu-98 (Backfin) Strategic Bomber (1956) - Only a single prototype of the Tupolev Tu-98 Backfin bomber was ever completed". MilitaryFactory.com. Military Factory 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
- ^ Kandalov, Paul Duffy ; Andrei (1996). Tupolev : the man and his aircraft. Warrendale, PA: SAE Internat. p. 138. ISBN 1560918993.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Tupolev Tu-98 (Backfin) Strategic Bomber (1956)". MilitaryFactory.com. 2014 MilitaryFactory.com. Retrieved 19 July 2014.