SU-24: characteristics of the bomber (photo)

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

Rarely has an aircraft been 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) constantly required ever higher, and aircraft designers had to revise several times not only private technical solutions, but also the general conceptual scheme. The result exceeded expectations: the device turned out to be a success and, having survived its age, it turned out to be in demand even in the third millennium.

On pure enthusiasm

In the fifties the whole world was in the grip of "rocket hysteria". It seemed to military theorists that aircraft as a strike force, if not completely obsolete, then at least lost their decisive importance in modern combat. To the fullest extent, these conclusions also applied to attack aircraft. However, not everyone shared this extremely bold point of view, and the development of attack aircraft still continued. As part of budgetary savings, the design bureau of P. O. Sukhoi was engaged in adapting a very successful Su-7 aircraft to give it the ability to solve combatthe task of supporting ground troops in adverse weather conditions. Actually, under the guise of modification work, the team actually created a completely new car, and the version of improving the old one was invented for party officials who imposed their general line on the “techies”. Various layout options were considered, taking into account the possibility of accommodating complex electronics, without which a modern attack aircraft could not become a formidable force.

Creative Search

The result of creative torment was first the Su-15, equipped with the Orion all-weather navigation system. But the requirements of the military became more and more stringent, they now needed an attack aircraft to be able to take off from a dirt strip, and a short one at that. The search for the optimal solution continued, additional engines were added to the design, lifting the aircraft at the time of takeoff. But all this was not the same. O. S. Samoylovich, the head of the project, puzzled over the solution of this puzzle. And the clue came, oddly enough, from a potential adversary.

It was in 1964, Khrushchev was recently removed, and the new leadership of the country thought not so romantically, but pragmatically. The design of combat aircraft again received full funding. Designer Samoylovich flew to Paris for an aerospace exhibition. He saw something interesting there.

An American in Paris

They look very similar - the American F-111 and our Su-24. Photos, characteristics and combat capabilities, and most importantly, the purpose of these two aircraft are very close. in someIn a sense, Samoylovich allowed direct borrowing of the general layout scheme, however, it was quite justified. General Dynamics proudly exhibited its brainchild at the international salon in Le Bourget. Everyone could see the plane, but the chief designer did not immediately dare to get close to it. Then he took his "FED" and at that moment realized what the Su-24 would be like. The photo of the F-111 aircraft in Moscow was examined very carefully, the engineers admired the skill of the rivals and commented on what they saw.

Of course, the fact that the design was "stolen" from the Americans is out of the question. General Dynamics knows how to keep secrets, and if the Soviet side got access to them, then it happened much later. In the meantime, OS Samoylovich had enough of his appearance. As the ancient Romans wrote on their drawings in such cases, “smart enough.”

General scheme

Additional lift motors, which reduce the takeoff roll of the machine, were recognized as a wrong decision. They work only in the first seconds, and the plane must carry them all the time. Another thing is the variable sweep wing, its advantages can be used throughout the combat mission by switching the attack aircraft to different speed modes.

At the same time, there were some difficulties with the weapons that the Su-24 was supposed to carry on external hangers. The bomber automatically directs the pylons of missiles and bombs parallel to the course vector - this required a special matching electromechanical system. Spacious compartment for two radar antennasmade it possible to place a powerful avionics, which the previous models of front-line support aircraft of the Sukhoi Design Bureau did not have. But the main difficulties were ahead.

Clay flight

The purpose of a tactical bomber is to inflict damage on the enemy in a wide (up to 800 km) frontline zone. To realize this task, it is necessary to have the technical ability to overcome the air defense lines, which, accordingly, will predictably carry out maximum countermeasures. In the sixties, radars were not as perfect as they are today, and targets at low altitudes were not always “seen”. The same applied to airborne radars, which could not distinguish objects against the background of the earth. The American F-111 flew at extremely low altitude, skirting the terrain. The same task was set for the designers of the Su-24. At the same time, the speed characteristics did not decrease, a confident “supersonic” was required even during a flat flight.

The system for maintaining a safe avoidance of obstacles operates in two modes - manual and automatic. Given the element base of the 60s (mainly lamps), one can only admire this achievement.

Fuel consumption and combat radius

In those distant years, the issue of fuel economy was not acute. However, the consumption of kerosene affected a very important indicator - the range. To increase it, a revolutionary solution was required - the transition to economical dual-circuit engines. In afterburner mode, they developed less thrust than conventional turbofan engines, but, as experience showed, a tactical bomberthe possibility of a sharp increase in speed is practically not needed. The design bureau of Lyulka and Tumansky (Saturn) took up the design of special engines. They were intended exclusively for the Su-24. The combat radius of the aircraft has increased significantly - it has exceeded five thousand kilometers.

Let's sit side by side…

Practically all tactical bombers and attack aircraft of the Second World War and subsequent years had a tandem crew layout. To land a pilot, navigator or operator of weapons systems one after another, the designers were prompted by the desire to reduce the cross section of the fuselage. This reduced the aerodynamic drag. In addition, the size of the target, from the point of view of anti-aircraft artillery, during a frontal attack also mattered. The real revelation was the placement of two crew members next to each other in the American F-111. O. S. Samoylovich decided to apply this scheme to the Su-24 as well. The photo of the cockpit demonstrates the presence of a control stick for the navigator, however, it is somewhat smaller than the pilot's. Safety considerations also dictated a special screen that separated the seats during ejection, but later it turned out that the risk of injury to the pilot remaining on the plane was minimal. The exchange of information between the pilot and the navigator has become much easier, a “feeling of the elbow” has appeared.

Engine and titanium fires

The choice of engine significantly influenced the technical characteristics of the Su-24. The first copies were equipped with "product number 85", that is, a jet turbineAL-21F, in the compressor of which titanium parts were used. This material is very strong and light, but when designing the engine, the designers did not take into account some of its features. The heating of the turbine blades led to their elongation, and then to the contact of the body with their peripheral edges. This phenomenon, called the "titanium 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 fine-tune the AL-21F, which is currently in use.

Tough Trials

In the first flight, the prototype, which received the T6-1 index, was raised in 1967 by test pilot B. C. Ilyushin, the son of the famous aircraft designer. The test was successful, but in the course of improvements, serious design flaws were identified. The tests were long and hard, ten cars crashed during their period (of which 7 were due to errors by engine developers). In just one day in 1973 (August 28), the design bureau lost two prototypes. Perhaps if the project were less important for the defense of the country, it would have been closed after so many failures. But O. S. Samoilovich believed in the Su-24 aircraft, the characteristics of which promised to be excellent. And the tests continued, as did the work to eliminate the identified design flaws.

Impact bombing power

Unlike the American F-111, the aircraft is not equipped with bomb bays, all types of weapons are located on eight pylons, four of which areventral. Two powerful engines provide the ability to carry both conventional and special (nuclear or chemical) ammunition, including high power ones. So, the suspension on the fixed part of the wing is designed for bombs weighing half a ton. The nature of the weapons of the Su-24 is varied. The combat load with a total weight of up to eight tons may consist of unguided or adjustable bombs (including laser-guided bombs), NAR blocks, containers or cassettes. To keep such a wide range of products, the pylons are equipped with adapters and additional beams. But the Su-24 can strike not only with bombs: this bomber can also be called a missile carrier.

Rockets

The task of suppressing the air defense of a potential enemy is inextricably linked with the detection and destruction of radar posts, in the first place - emitter-receiver antennas. In America, for this purpose, the anti-radar missile "Shpak" (1963) was developed, the guidance system of which is guided by intense high-frequency radiation from the radar. A similar X-28 projectile was also designed in the USSR - to equip the weapon system of the Su-24 aircraft. The combat capabilities of this munition are revealed most widely during a paired flight of two bombers, the first of which "spotted" the locators with the "Filin" system, and the second delivered a direct strike, already knowing the parameters of the carrier frequencies of the emitters. X-23 guided missiles are guided by radio command.

There are many more options for arming the Su-24 with rockets. A photoaircraft equipped with NURS cassettes or R-60 (“air-to-air”) missiles prove the versatility of the possible use of a bomber, including against air targets. Of course, it cannot be called a full-fledged interceptor, but it is also impossible to consider it defenseless in the sky.

The designers did not forget about artillery weapons. The Su-24 is equipped with a 23mm GSH-6-23M six-barreled gun (built-in). It is possible to quickly increase firepower by installing suspended rapid-fire artillery mounts (three more) on external hardpoints.

Product "44"

Any successful machine is doomed to a long life, accompanied by attempts to improve its design. This happened with the Su-24 aircraft. Its characteristics, from the point of view of the leaders of the USSR Ministry of Defense, needed to be corrected. Particularly relevant was the task of improving the on-board radio-electronic equipment and the possibility of increasing the mass of the combat load. The new modification, which at the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant since 1979 was called "product 44", in 1981 began to enter military units under the code Su-24M. Officially, the sample was adopted in 1983. It turned out to be heavier than the prototype, but against the background of some decrease in flight performance, it retained the amazing maneuverability characteristic of the "clean" Su-24. The characteristics allow you to perform even aerobatics, which is a rare property for a front-line bomber.

An important innovation was the possibility of in-flight refueling. Topilots of the early eighties had to get used to it, having worked out the technique of a smooth approach to the cone of the tanker hose, but the result justified the effort. The radius of combat use now covered the whole of Europe (when taking off from the airfields of the Western Group of Forces) 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 aircraft will soon go on a "deserved rest". Its characteristics are such that it can confidently perform combat missions for many more years. He happened to fight in several conflicts that arose after the collapse of the USSR. The aircraft has a strong airframe, 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 crew rescue equipment. He still has to serve his native country.