Shock and reconnaissance aircraft T-4: technical characteristics, description, photo

About 20 years after the end of the Second World War, the Soviet command realized how cruelly American aircraft carriers were underestimated. Experience of construction of such ships in our country was not, and therefore we had to look for asymmetric answers: atomic missile carriers and aircraft capable of breaking through the air defense of the aircraft carrying group with the subsequent destruction of the main ship. One of the most successful projects was the T-4.

Causes of appearance

By the end of the 1950s, our country was in a critical situation: we were unequivocally lost on ships and planes by the USA, where heavy cruisers and bombers were laid at a rapid pace during the war. Parity could only be kept at the expense of the heroic efforts of the missile men. But the situation was still alarming, since at the same time, the Americans began to introduce into their navy nuclear missile carriers covered in the order by aviation. We could not effectively combat aircraft carrier groups, because there was simply no appropriate technology for this.

The only reliable way to destroy the aircraft carrier group was to launch a supersonic missile with a nuclear charge. The planes and submarines of the USSR that existed at that time simply could not find the target from a safe distance, much less to hit it.

How to solve the problem?

There was simply no time to create special submarines, and therefore decided to use aircraft designers. They put a "simple" task: in the shortest possible time to develop a "plane + missile" complex capable of penetrating air defense of an American aircraft group and destroying all the most dangerous ships.

At the end of the 1950s, there was not a single project in our country that would somehow fit in with these requirements. However, in KB Myasishchev there was a project for an M-56 aircraft. Its main advantage was the speed, which could reach 3000 km / h. But its take-off mass was equal to 230 tons, and the bomb load - only 9 tons. This was clearly not enough. So there was a T4 aircraft: the Sukhoi design bomber had to occupy an empty niche.

Sotka

"The killer of aircraft carriers" was supposed to have a mass on take-off not more than 100 tons, the "ceiling" of the flight - not less than 24 kilometers and the speed - exactly those same 3000 km / h. Such an aircraft on approaching the target is simply physically impossible to detect and send rockets to it. At that time, there were no interceptors capable of destroying such a car.

The range of the "hundredths" flight was to be no less than 6-8 thousand kilometers with the range of the missile - 600-800 kilometers. It should be noted that it was the rocket in this complex that was assigned the leading role: it not only had to penetrate the air defense, going at the highest possible speed, but also to reach the target with its subsequent defeat in an absolutely autonomous mode. So the T4 is a missile carrier, the electronic stuffing of which should have seriously outstripped its time.

Developers

The government has decided that the design bureau Tupolev, Sukhoi and Yakovlev will participate in the development of the new aircraft. Mikoyan was not included in the list, not because of some intrigues, but because his OKB was completely inundated with the work to create a new MiG-25 fighter. Although, for the sake of justice, it should be noted that it was the Tupolevs who were counting on the victory, while the other CBs were attracted only to create the appearance of competition. The confidence was also based on the existing "project 135", which required only an increase in cruising speed to the required 3000 km / h.

Despite the expectations, the "fighters" took up non-core work with interest and enthusiasm. Sukhoi Design Bureau immediately burst forth. They chose the "duck" layout with air intakes that protruded somewhat beyond the leading edge of the wing. Initially, the design of the aircraft had a takeoff weight of 102 tons, because of which it was assigned an unofficial nickname "weaving".

Incidentally, the revised T4, "two-hundred", is a project proposed at the same time as the Tupolev Tu-160. Many works of Sukhoi were then used by Tupolev to create his own car, the take-off weight of which exceeded 200 tons.

It was the Sukhoi project that won the competition. After this, the designer had to endure many unpleasant minutes, as he was directly forced to transfer all the materials of the Tupolev Design Bureau. He refused, that he did not add friends either in the aircraft industry or in the party itself.

Power point

Unique at that time, the T-4 aircraft required no less than unique engines that could work on special types of fuel. What is characteristic, Sukhoi had three options at once, but, in the end, they settled on the model RD36-41. For its development, the well-known NGO "Saturn" was in charge. Note that this motor was a "distant relative" of the VD-7 model. They, in particular, were equipped with 3M bombers.

The engine immediately stood out with its compressor at once on 11 stages, and also by the presence of air cooling of the first stage of turbine blades. The last technical innovation allowed to increase the operating temperature of the combustion chamber immediately to 950K. This engine is a real long-term construction, especially by Soviet standards. It took ten years to create it, but the result was worth it. It is due to this engine T4 - the missile carrier, the speed of which exceeded that for its counterparts.

What rocket was in service with this aircraft?

Perhaps the most important element of the "tandem" was the X-33 missile , for which the legendary ICB "Rainbow" was responsible. The task before the design bureau was put the most difficult actually on the verge of the technologies of that time. It was necessary to make a rocket that would autonomously follow the target at a height of not less than 30 kilometers, and its speed should have been six to seven times higher than the sound speed.

In addition, after entering the aircraft warrant, she independently (!) Had to calculate the main aircraft carrier and attack it, choosing the most vulnerable point. Simply put, the T-4 strike and reconnaissance aircraft, the photo of which is in the article, carried a missile on board, which cost as much as one-hundredths of a hundred.

Even for today's designers it's quite a challenge. At the time, the requirements were quite fantastic. To accomplish these tasks, the own design of the rocket included its own radar station, as well as a huge amount of super-sophisticated electronics. The complexity of the on-board systems of the X-33 was not inferior to those on the "hundredth" one.

The triumph of science and technology

The real sensation of the plane T-4 produced the light of its high-tech cockpit. For the first time in the history of domestic aircraft construction there was even a separate display for timely assessment of the tactical and technical situation. Over the microfilm maps of the entire earth's surface, tactical situation was displayed in real time.

Problems of design and creation

Not surprisingly, at the stage of designing such a complex machine, hundreds of problems arose, each of which could puzzle even the academician. First, the chassis initially did not fit into the internal compartment. To solve this problem, a lot of options were put forward, many of which were frankly delusional: in particular, a "flip-flop" project was proposed, when the plane was supposed to fly down to the goal of the cabin.

Of course, the T-4 was a bomber, the technical characteristics of which were noticeably ahead of their time ... But not to the same degree!

But the decisions made then looked very fantastic in many respects. Thus, at a speed of 3000 km / h, even a slightly protruding cockpit lantern significantly increased the resistance. Then a simple solution was proposed: for a minimum drag during the flight, the cab rises upward. Since at an altitude of 24 kilometers to navigate visually still will not work, the navigation was supposed to be conducted solely on instruments.

When the T-4 aircraft goes into the landing, the cabin deviates downwards, so that the pilot has an excellent view. At first the military took this idea very cautiously, but the authority of Vladimir Ilyushin, the son of the most ingenious creator of the Ilm, still allowed to convince the generals. In addition, it was Ilyushin who insisted on making a periscope in the construction: it was planned to be used when the tilt mechanism failed. By the way, the decision was subsequently taken by the founders of the domestic Tu-144 and the Anglo-French Concorde.

Creating a radome

One of the most difficult tasks was the creation of a fairing. The matter is that at its creation designers had to carry out two seemingly mutually exclusive points. First, the fairing must necessarily have been radiocarbon. Secondly, to withstand extremely high mechanical and thermal loads. To solve this problem, it was necessary to create a special material based on glass filler, the structure of which resembled bees' honeycombs.

Because of this, the T-4 strike-reconnaissance aircraft is deservedly considered the "progenitor" of many unique technologies that are used today not only in the army, but also in completely peaceful sectors.

Directly the fairing is a five-layer structure, 99% of the loads were on its outer shell, the thickness of which was only 1.5 mm. To achieve such impressive results, scientists had to develop a composition based on silicon and organic compounds. In the course of the work, scientists had to consider and analyze the prospects of more than 20 (!) Probable shapes and sizes of the future aircraft, having predicted their flight performance. And all this - without modern computer programs! So it is difficult to underestimate the grandiose contribution of designers.

First flight

By the flight, the first T4 "sotka" was ready in the spring of 1972, but because of the peat fires around Moscow the visibility on the runways of the test airfield was practically zero. Had to postpone the flights. So the first flight took place only in the end of the summer of the same year, and the pilot flew the airplane pilot Vladimir Ilyushin and navigator Nikolai Alferov. At first, nine test flights were carried out. Let's notice that five of them pilots spent, not removing the chassis: it was important to estimate controllability of the new machine on all modes of operation.

Pilots immediately noted the high convenience of controlling the aircraft: even the sound barrier "weave" passed perfectly, and even the moment of transition to supersonic was felt only by instruments. Representatives of the army, who watched the tests, were delighted with the new car, and immediately demanded the production of a batch of 250 pieces. For an airplane of this class it's just an incredibly high circulation!

If everything went well, we would have known the T-4 (the bomber, the characteristics of which are described in this material) as one of the most numerous representatives of its class.

Perspective of the aircraft

Another "highlight" of this machine was the wing of a variable configuration. Due to this, it could be considered a multi-purpose, the aircraft could be used as a stratospheric scout. This would reduce the costs of the military program, allowing the release of only one aircraft in exchange for two.

The End of New Technologies

Initially, "sotka" was supposed to be built at the Tushino Aviation Plant, but it simply did not pull the required production volumes. The only enterprise where they could produce the required number of new machines was the Kazan A3. Soon, work was begun on the preparation of new workshops. But then politics intervened: Tupolev was not interested in the competitor, and therefore Sukhoi brazenly "pushed" from the factory, hacking to the root of all the prospects for the construction of a new machine.

That's why today we know that the T-4 was a bomber that had unique characteristics for its time, but did not even go into a small series. At the same time, the second stage of the "field" tests was in progress. At the end of January 1974, a flight took place, during which the aircraft was able to reach a height of 12 km and a speed of M = 1.36. It was assumed that it was at this stage that the machine, in the end, would achieve acceleration in M = 2.6.

In the meantime, Sukhoi negotiated with the directorate of the Tushinsky plant, proposing even to reorganize the shop, just to be able to build the first 50 hectare. But the authorities in the person of the Ministry of Aviation Industry, who knew Tupolev very well, deprived the designer of even this chance. Already in March 1974, all work on the revolutionary aircraft were discontinued without explanation. So the T-4 is an airplane (the photo is in the article), which was destroyed solely for the personal reasons of some people in the Ministry of Defense and the government of the USSR.

The death of Sukhoi, which occurred on September 15, 1975, did not bring clarity in this matter. Only in 1976, the Ministry of the Aviation Industry said dryly that work on the "weaving" was stopped only because Tupolev needed workers and production facilities for the production of the Tu-160. At the same time, T-4 is officially declared the predecessor of the "White Swan", although the Tupolev design bureau just privatized all the materials on the "object 100", using the death of Sukhoi.

Defenders of Tupolev explain his position by the fact that the designer wanted to introduce "a simpler and cheaper Tu-22M" ... Yes, this plane was really cheaper, but it took more than seven years to implement it, and by its characteristics it was very far from Strategic bomber. In addition, until the numerous reliability problems were solved, this model went through many modification cycles, which also did not have a far-reaching effect on the total cost of the project.

On the grandiose overexpenditure of folk remedies also speaks of the fact that from the shops of the Kazan Aviation Plant it was simply cut out and thrown into the scrap the most valuable equipment intended for the mass production of "hundred".

Significance of "hundred parts"

Currently, the only Sukhoi T-4 is on permanent parking in the Monino Museum of Aviation. It is worth noting that in 1976, Sukhoi Design Bureau took the last chance to bring the "hundred" to the finish line, voicing the amount of 1.3 billion rubles. An incredible noise rose in the government, which only contributed to the speedy oblivion of the aircraft. Most noteworthy is the fact that the Tu-160 cost the USSR much more expensive. So the T-4 is an airplane that could be an ideal option for the price-performance ratio.

Neither before nor after in the Soviet Union was there so many new inventions embodied in one machine. By the time of the release of the prototype of the "object 100", there were exactly 600 latest inventions and patents. The breakthrough in the field of aircraft construction was incredible. Alas, but there was one subtlety: with its task, that is, the breakthrough of air defense of an aircraft carrier warrant, the T4 "weaving" aircraft could not cope by the time it was created. It is noteworthy that the Tu-160 is unsuitable for this. For this submarine missile carriers are much better suited.

Predecessors and analogues

The most famous is the "White Swan", it is also the TU-160 missile carrier. This is our last strategic bomber. The maximum take-off weight is 267 tons, the standard ground speed is 850 km / h. "White swan" can accelerate to 2000 km / h. The greatest radius of action is up to 14 000 km. On board the aircraft can take up to 40 tons of missiles and / or bombs, including "smart", for guidance via satellite systems.

In the usual version, there are six X-55 and X-55M missiles in the bombers. "White Swan" - the most expensive Soviet aircraft, it is much more expensive than the T-4, the plane, rejected, including, due to "high cost." In addition, none of these aircraft at the time of its creation could provide the fulfillment of the goals for which it was created. In the recent past, it was decided to resume production of the car at the Kazan Aviation Plant. The reason is simple - the emergence of new missiles, allowing with a relative success (theoretically) to break through air defense, as well as the complete absence of modern developments in this field.

M-50

A revolutionary aircraft for its time, created by Vladimir Myasishchev and the OKB-23 team. With a take-off weight of 175 tons, it should accelerate to almost 2000 km / h and carry up to 20 tons of bombs and / or rockets.

XB-70 Valkyrie

A top-secret American bomber (for its time), the body of which consisted entirely of titanium. The company-creator is North American. The takeoff weight is 240 tons, the maximum speed is 3220 km / h. Range of application - up to 12 thousand kilometers. In a series and did not go because of the incredible high cost and technological production difficulties.

Today, the T-4 (the aircraft, the photo of which is in the article) is an excellent example of how technology and high-tech technology is being killed for political reasons and undercover games.

Results

Fortunately, the titanic efforts of designers and the huge amounts spent on the development and production of prototypes, have not sunk into oblivion. First, many of the technologies developed then were subsequently used to create the Tu-160, which today are guarding the borders of our country. Secondly, Sukhoi Design Bureau was able to use all these developments in creating a unique Su-27, which to this day continues to be a "hit" of fighter aviation.

At least the fact that the technology of the "honeycomb" coating was used in the development of the "Buran" speaks about the influence of the "hundred" on the history of the domestic aircraft industry and the space industry. Alas, but this project was ineptly ruined.