SU-24: bomber characteristics (photo)

Rarely, which aircraft was subjected to more extensive design changes during the design process than the Su-24. The characteristics of this front-line bomber to the customer (the USSR Ministry of Defense) were constantly required ever higher, and aircraft designers had to revise several times not only private technical solutions, but also a general conceptual scheme. The result exceeded expectations: the device turned out to be famous and, having survived its century, was in demand even in the third millennium.

On pure enthusiasm

In the fifties, the whole world was in the grip of "rocket hysteria." Military theorists thought that aircraft as a strike force, if not completely outdated, at least lost their decisive importance in modern combat. To the full, these conclusions also concerned assault aviation. However, this extremely bold point of view was not shared by all, and the development of storm troopers still continued. In the framework of saving budgetary funds, PO Sukhoi was engaged in the adaptation of a very successful Su-7 aircraft to make it possible to solve the combat mission of supporting ground troops in difficult weather conditions. Actually, under the guise of work on modification, the team actually created a completely new machine, and the version about the improvement of the old one was invented for party officials who imposed their general line on "technicians". Considered various layout options, taking into account the possibility of placing complex electronics, without which a modern attack aircraft could not become a formidable force.

Creative Search

The result of creative torment was the Su-15, equipped with the all-weather navigation complex "Orion". But the demands of the military were getting tougher, they now needed that the ground attack aircraft could take off from the ground strip, and short. The search for the optimal solution continued, additional engines were added to the construction, lifting the aircraft at take-off. But it was not all that. O. S. Samoilovich, the project manager, puzzled over the resolution of this puzzle. And the clue came, oddly enough, from the likely enemy.

It was in 1964, Khrushchev was recently removed, and the new leadership of the country was not so romantic, but pragmatic. The design of combat aircraft was again fully funded. Designer Samoilovich flew to Paris for an aerospace exhibition. He saw something interesting there.

American in Paris

They are outwardly very similar - American F-111 and our Su-24. Photos, characteristics and combat capabilities, and most importantly, the appointment of these two aircraft are very close. In a sense, Samoilovich allowed direct borrowing of the general layout scheme, however, quite justified. The company "General Dynamics" proudly exhibited its offspring at the international salon in Le Bourget. Anyone could see the plane, but the chief designer did not immediately come close to him. Then he took his "FED" and at that moment he understood what the Su-24 would be like. Photo of the F-111 aircraft in Moscow was considered very carefully, the engineers admired the skills of rivals and commented on what they saw.

Of course, the fact that the design is "stolen" from the Americans, and there can be no talk. Secrets of the company "General Dynamics" can keep, and if the Soviet side got access to them, it happened much later. In the meantime, O.S. Samoilovich had the appearance too. As in such cases, the ancient Romans wrote on their drawings, "clever enough".

General scheme

The additional lifting motors, which reduce the takeoff run of the machine during take-off, were recognized as a wrong decision. They work only in the first seconds, and carry their plane must all the time. Another thing is the wing of variable sweep, its advantages can be used throughout the combat mission, transferring the attack aircraft to different speed regimes.

At the same time, there were some difficulties with the armaments that should have been carried on the Su-24 external suspensions. The bomber automatically sends pylons of rockets and bombs parallel to the vector of the course - this required a special matching electromechanical system. A spacious compartment for two radar antennas allowed to place a powerful BREA, which was not available in the previous models of Sukhoi front-line support aircraft. But the main difficulties were ahead.

Flooring flight

The purpose of the tactical bomber is to damage the enemy in a wide (up to 800 km) front-line zone. In order to realize this task, it is necessary to have a technical opportunity to overcome the boundaries of air defense, which, accordingly, will predictably carry out maximum resistance. In the sixties, radars were not as perfect as they are today, and targets at low altitudes were not always seen. The same was true for airborne radars, which could not distinguish objects against the background of the earth. The American F-111 flew at an extremely low altitude, skirting the relief. The same task was set for the Su-24 designers. The speed characteristics did not decrease at the same time, a confident "supersonic" was required even during the flight.

The system for maintaining safe hindrance of obstacles operates in two modes - manual and automatic. Considering the elemental base of the 60's (mainly the lamp), it remains only to admire this achievement.

Fuel consumption and combat radius

In those early years, the issue of fuel economy was not acute. However, the consumption of kerosene influenced a very important indicator - range. To increase it, a revolutionary solution was required - transition to economical two-circuit engines. In the afterburner mode, they developed a lower thrust than conventional TRDF, but, as experience has shown, the tactical bomber does not need a sudden increase in speed. The design bureau of Lyulka and Tumansky ("Saturn") was engaged in the design of special engines. They were intended exclusively for the Su-24. The combat radius of the aircraft has increased significantly - it exceeded five hundred kilometers.

We'll sit down in a row ...

Almost all tactical bombers and ground-attack aircraft during the Second World War and subsequent years had a tandem scheme for the accommodation of crew members. Plant a pilot, navigator or operator of weapon systems behind each other designers encouraged the desire to reduce the cross section of the fuselage. So the aerodynamic drag decreased. In addition, the size of the target, from the point of view of anti-aircraft artillery, was also significant in a frontal attack. The real revelation was the placement of two crew members next to each other in the American F-111. This scheme O. S. Samoilovich decided to apply for the Su-24. The photo of the cockpit demonstrates the presence of the control stick and the navigator, although it is slightly smaller than the pilot's. Security considerations dictated a special screen, separating the seats with the bailout, but later it turned out that the risk of injury to the pilot who remained in the plane is minimal. The exchange of information between the pilot and the navigator was greatly facilitated, a "sense of elbow" appeared.

Engine and titanium fires

The technical characteristics of the Su-24 were significantly influenced by the choice of engine. The first copies were equipped with "product No. 85", that is, the jet turbine AL-21F, in the compressor of which titanium parts were used. This material is very durable and light, but when designing the engine the designers did not take into account some of its features. Heating the turbine blades led to their elongation, and then to the hull touching their peripheral edges. This phenomenon, called a "titanic fire," led to the almost instantaneous combustion of the entire aircraft, and it was not immediately possible to find out the cause.

Ultimately, after several attempts to adapt other serial engines, the Design Bureau decided to finalize the AL-21F, which is currently in use.

Heavy testing

In the first flight prototype, which received the index T6-1, in 1967 raised test pilot BC Ilyushin, the son of the famous aircraft designer. The test was successful, but in the course of improvements, serious design flaws emerged. Tests were long and hard, during their period, ten machines were broken (7 of them due to engine developers' mistakes). Only for one day in 1973 (August 28), KB lost two prototypes. Perhaps, whether the project is less important for the defense of the country, it would be closed after so many failures. But OS Samoilovich believed in the Su-24, the characteristics of which promised to become excellent. And the tests continued, as did the work to eliminate the identified structural miscalculations.

Shock bombing power

Bomber compartments, unlike the American F-111, the aircraft is not equipped, all types of weapons are located on eight pylons, four of which are ventral. Two powerful engines provide the ability to carry both conventional and special (nuclear or chemical) ammunition, including high power. So, the suspension on the fixed part of the wing is designed for bombs weighing half a ton. The nature of the Su-24 weapons is diverse. A combat load of up to eight tons in total weight can consist of uncontrolled or corrected bombs (including laser guided missiles), NAR units, containers or cassettes. To maintain such a wide range, pylons are equipped with transition devices and additional beams. But not only bombs can strike Su-24 strikes: this bomber can also be called a missile carrier.

Rockets

The task of suppressing the air defense of a probable enemy is inextricably linked with the detection and destruction of radar posts, primarily the radiator-receiver antennas. In America, for this purpose, an anti-radar missile called "Speik" (1963) was developed, the guidance system of which is oriented toward intensive high-frequency radar emissions. A similar projectile X-28 was designed and in the USSR - for the acquisition of the Su-24 aircraft armament system. The combat capabilities of this ammunition are revealed most widely in the pair flight of two bombers, the first of which "marked" the locators with the "Filin" system, and the second struck a direct blow, already knowing the parameters of the carrier frequencies of the emitters. The guided missiles X-23 are guided by a radio command method.

There are many more variants of armament with Su-24 rockets. A photo of an aircraft equipped with NURS cassettes or R-60 rockets (air-to-air) proves the universality of a possible bomber application, including against air targets. A full-fledged interceptor of it, of course, can not be called, but it is also impossible to consider defenseless in the sky.

Do not forget the designers and the artillery armament. The Su-24 is equipped with a 23 mm six-barrel gun GSh-6-23M (built-in). It is possible to rapidly increase the firepower by installing pendant rapid-fire guns (three more) at external hanger assemblies.

Article «44»

Any successful machine is doomed to a long life, accompanied by attempts to improve its design. So it happened with the Su-24. His characteristics, from the point of view of the leaders of the USSR Ministry of Defense, needed correction. Particularly relevant was the task of improving on-board radio-electronic equipment and the possibility of increasing the mass of the combat load. A new modification, which was called "product 44" at the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant in 1979, began to arrive in military units under the code Su-24M in 1981. Officially, the model was adopted in 1983. He was heavier than the prototype, but against a background of a slight drop in flight data, he retained the tremendous maneuverability characteristic of the "pure" Su-24. The characteristics make it possible to perform even aerobatics figures, which is rare for a front-line bomber.

An important innovation was the possibility of refueling in flight. To her pilots of the early eighties had to get used, having worked out the technique of smooth approach to the cone of the tanker hose, but the result justified the efforts. The radius of combat use now covered the whole of Europe (with takeoff from the aerodromes of the ZGV) and a significant part of Asia.

Su-24 and the new century

And at the beginning of the third millennium, nothing indicates that the Su-24 will soon go on a "well-deserved rest". His characteristics are such that he can confidently carry out combat missions for many years to come. He had occasion to fight in several conflicts that arose after the collapse of the USSR. The aircraft has a durable glider, powerful engines and a wide arsenal. At an altitude of 200 meters, it can fly at speeds up to 1400 km / h. The Su-24 is equipped with unique means of saving the crew. He will still have to serve his native country.