T-4 attack and reconnaissance aircraft: specifications, description, photo

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

About 20 years after the end of World War II, the Soviet command realized how severely underestimated the American aircraft carriers. There was no experience in building such ships in our country, and therefore we had to look for asymmetric answers: nuclear missile carriers and aircraft capable of breaking through the air defense of an aircraft carrier group with the subsequent destruction of the main ship. One of the most successful projects was the T-4 aircraft.

Reasons for appearance

By the end of the 50s, our country was in a critical situation: in terms of ships and aircraft, we definitely lost to the United States, where heavy cruisers and bombers were laid down at an accelerated pace during the war. Parity was maintained only through the heroic efforts of rocket scientists. But the situation was still alarming, since at the same time the Americans began to introduce nuclear missile carriers into their navy, covered by aviation as part of the order. We could not effectively deal with aircraft carrier groups, because we simply did not have the appropriate equipment for this.

The only reliable way to destroy an 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 notdetect a target from a safe distance, let alone hit it.

How to solve the problem?

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

In the late 50s, there was not a single project in our country that would somehow fit these requirements. However, the Myasishchev Design Bureau had a project for the M-56 aircraft. Its main advantage was the speed, which could reach 3000 km / h. But its takeoff weight was 230 tons, and the bomb load was only 9 tons. This was clearly not enough. And so the T4 aircraft appeared: the Sukhoi Design Bureau missile carrier was supposed to occupy an empty niche.

Sotka

The “aircraft carrier killer” was supposed to have a take-off mass of no more than 100 tons, a flight “ceiling” of at least 24 kilometers and a speed of just those same 3000 km / h. Such an aircraft on approach to the target is simply physically impossible to detect and send missiles at it. At that time, there were no interceptors capable of destroying such a machine.

The flight range of the "weave" was supposed to be at least 6-8 thousand kilometers with a missile range of 600-800 kilometers. It should be noted that it was the missile that was assigned the leading role in this complex: it not only had to penetrate air defense, going at the maximum possible speed, but also reach the target with its subsequentdefeat completely offline. So the T4 aircraft is a missile carrier, the electronics of which should have been seriously ahead of its time.

Developers

The government has decided that the design bureaus of Tupolev, Sukhoi and Yakovlev will participate in the development of the new aircraft. Mikoyan was not included in the list not because of some intrigue, but for the reason that his design bureau was completely overwhelmed with work on the creation of a new MiG-25 fighter. Although, in fairness, it should be noted that it was the Tupolevs who counted on winning, and other design bureaus were attracted only to create the appearance of competition. Confidence was also based on the existing "project 135", which only required an increase in cruising speed to the required 3000 km / h.

Despite expectations, the "fighters" took up non-core work with interest and enthusiasm. Sukhoi Design Bureau immediately burst forward. They opted for a "canard" layout with air intakes that protruded somewhat beyond the leading edge of the wing. Initially, the aircraft project had a take-off weight of 102 tons, which is why the unofficial nickname “weave” was assigned to it.

By the way, the modified T4 aircraft, “dvuhsotka”, is a project proposed at the same time as the Tupolev Tu-160. Many of Sukhoi's works were then used by Tupolev to create his own machine, the take-off weight of which exceeded 200 tons.

It was Sukhoi's project that won the competition. After that, the designer had to endure many unpleasant moments, as he was directly forced to transfer all the materials of the Tupolev Design Bureau. He refused, which did not add friendsneither in the aircraft industry, nor in the party itself.

Power plant

The T-4 aircraft, unique at that time, required no less unique engines that could run on special grades of fuel. Tellingly, Sukhoi had three options at once, but, in the end, they settled on the RD36-41 model. The notorious NPO Saturn was responsible for its development. Note that this motor was a "distant relative" of the VD-7 model. They, in particular, were equipped with 3M bombers.

The engine was immediately distinguished by its 11-stage compressor at once, as well as the presence of air cooling of the first stage of turbine blades. The latest technical innovation made it possible to increase the operating temperature of the combustion chamber immediately up 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 that the T4 is a missile carrier, the speed of which exceeded that of its counterparts.

Which missile was this aircraft armed with?

Perhaps perhaps the most important element of the "tandem" was the X-33 model rocket, which was developed by the legendary Raduga Design Bureau. The task before the design bureau was set the most difficult, in fact, on the verge of technologies of that time. It was necessary to make a rocket that would autonomously follow the target at an altitude of at least 30 kilometers, and its speed should be six to seven times higher than the sound speed.

In addition, after entering the aircraft carrier order, she independently (!) Had to calculate the lead 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 half a hundred.

Even for today's constructors, this is quite a challenge. At that time, the demands made looked somewhat fantastic. To accomplish these tasks, the rocket's design 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 in no way inferior to those on the “hundred part” itself.

The triumph of science and technology

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

Problems of design and creation

It is not surprising that already at the design stage of such a complex machine, hundreds of problems arose, each of which could baffle even an academician. Firstly, initially the landing gear of the aircraft did not fit into the internal compartment. To solve this problem, many options were put forward, many of which were frankly crazy: in particular, they even proposed a “shifter” project, when the plane had to fly up to the target with the cabin down.

Of course, the T-4 aircraft is a bomber, the technical characteristics of which were noticeably ahead of their time … But not to the same extent!

But the decisions made thenmany looked fantastic. So, at a speed of 3000 km / h, even a slightly protruding cockpit lantern significantly increased resistance. Then a simple solution was proposed: for minimal drag during the flight, the cabin rises up. Since at an altitude of 24 kilometers it would still be impossible to navigate visually, navigation was supposed to be carried out exclusively by instruments.

When the T-4 aircraft is landing, the cabin deviates downward, thanks to which the pilot has an excellent view. At first, the military took this idea very cautiously, but the authority of Vladimir Ilyushin, the son of that same brilliant creator of the Il attack aircraft, nevertheless made it possible to convince the generals. In addition, it was Ilyushin who insisted on introducing a periscope into the design: it was planned to be used in case of failure of the tilt mechanism. By the way, the creators of the domestic Tu-144 and the Anglo-French Concorde subsequently took advantage of his decision.

Creating a fairing

One of the most difficult tasks was to create a fairing. The fact is that when creating it, the designers had to fulfill two seemingly mutually exclusive points. Firstly, the fairing had to be radio-transparent. 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 a honeycomb.

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

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

First flight

The first T4 Sotka aircraft was ready for flight in the spring of 1972, but due to peat fires around Moscow, visibility on the runways of the test airfield was almost zero. We had to postpone flights. That is why the first flight took place only at the end of the summer of the same year, and the plane was piloted by pilot Vladimir Ilyushin and navigator Nikolai Alferov. First, nine test flights were made. Note that the pilots carried out five of them without removing the landing gear: it was important to evaluate the controllability of the new machine in all operating modes.

The pilots immediately noted the high ease of control of the aircraft: even the “weave” sound barrier passed perfectly, and even the moment of transition to supersonic was felt exclusively by instruments. Representatives of the army, who watched the tests, were delighted with the new car, and immediately requestedbatch production of 250 pieces. For an aircraft of this class, this is simply an incredibly high circulation!

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

Aircraft perspective

Another highlight of this machine was the reconfigurable wing. Due to this, it could be considered multi-purpose, the aircraft could well be used as a stratospheric reconnaissance aircraft. This would reduce the cost of the military program, allowing only one aircraft to be produced instead of two.

The end of new technologies

Initially, the "hundred part" 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 cars was Kazansky AZ. Soon, work began on the preparation of new workshops. But then politics intervened: Tupolev was not at all interested in a competitor, and therefore Sukhoi was brazenly “pushed out” from the factory, hacking to death all the prospects for building a new car.

That is why today we know that the T-4 aircraft is a bomber that had unique characteristics for its time, but never even went into a small series. At the same time, the second stage of "field" tests took place. At the end of January 1974, a flight takes place, during which the aircraft was able to reach an altitude of 12 km and a speed of M=1.36. It was assumed that it was on thisstage, the car will eventually reach an acceleration of M=2.6.

Meanwhile, Sukhoi negotiated with the management of the Tushinsky plant, even offering to rebuild the workshops, if only to be able to build the first 50 "acres". But the authorities, represented by 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 was stopped without explanation. So the T-4 is a plane (its photo is in the article), 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 to this issue. Only in 1976, the Ministry of Aviation Industry dryly mentioned that work on the "weave" was stopped only because Tupolev needed workers and production facilities for the production of the Tu-160. At the same time, the T-4 is still officially declared the predecessor of the "White Swan", although the Tupolev Design Bureau simply privatized all the materials on the "object 100", taking advantage of the death of Sukhoi.

Tupolev's defenders explain his position by the fact that the designer wanted to introduce a "simpler and cheaper Tu-22M" … Yes, this aircraft was really cheaper, but it took more than seven years to implement it, and in terms of its characteristics he was very far from a strategic bomber. In addition, until numerous reliability problems were solved, this model went through many modification cycles, which also had a far worse effect onthe total cost of the project.

The fact that the most valuable equipment intended for the serial production of "hundreds" was simply cut out and thrown into scrap from the workshops of the Kazan Aviation Plant also speaks about the grandiose overspending of people's funds.

The importance of "weaving"

Currently, the only Sukhoi T-4 aircraft is permanently parked at the Monino Aviation Museum. It is worth noting that in 1976, the Sukhoi Design Bureau took the last chance to bring the “hundredth” to the finish line, voicing the amount of 1.3 billion rubles. An incredible uproar arose 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. So the T-4 is an aircraft that could be an ideal option in terms of price and features.

Neither before nor after the Soviet Union had so many new inventions embodied in one machine. By the time the prototype "object 100" was released, there were exactly 600 newest inventions and patents. The breakthrough in the field of aircraft construction was incredible. Alas, but at the same time there was one subtlety: by the time of creation, the T4 “weaving” aircraft could no longer cope with its task, that is, a breakthrough in the air defense of an aircraft carrier warrant. It is noteworthy that the Tu-160 is unsuitable for this. Submarine missile carriers are much better suited for this.

Precursors and analogues

The most famous is the "White Swan", also known as the missile carrier TU-160. This is our last strategic bomber. Maximum takeoff weight- 267 tons, standard ground speed - 850 km / h. "White Swan" can accelerate to 2000 km / h. The greatest range is up to 14,000 km. On board the aircraft can take up to 40 tons of missiles and / or bombs, including "smart" ones, guided by satellite systems.

In the usual version, there are six Kh-55 and Kh-55M missiles in the bomb bays. The "White Swan" is the most expensive Soviet aircraft, it is much more expensive than the T-4, an aircraft rejected, among other things, because of the "high cost". In addition, none of these aircraft at the time of its creation could ensure the fulfillment of the goals for which it was created. In the recent past, it was decided to resume the production of the machine at the Kazan Aviation Plant. The reason is simple - the emergence of new missiles that allow (theoretically) to break through air defense with relative success, as well as the complete absence of modern developments in this area.

M-50

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

XB-70 Valkyrie

Top-secret American bomber (for its time), the body of which consisted entirely of titanium. The company-creator - North American. Takeoff weight - 240 tons, maximum speed - 3220 km / h. The range of application is up to 12 thousand kilometers. The series never went because of the incredible high cost and technological production difficulties.

Today the T-4 (the plane whose photo is in the article) is beautifulan example of how high-tech and high-end equipment is killed for the sake of political motives and undercover games.

Results

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

About the influence of "hundred" on the history of the domestic aircraft industry and the space industry says at least the fact that the technology of "honeycomb" coverage was used in the development of "Buran". Alas, but this project was mediocre ruined.