Long-range strategic aviation. Russian long-range aviation aircraft. The main characteristics of the Su-27 SM

Annually December 23 Russia celebrates Long-Range Aviation Day - a professional holiday for all military personnel directly related to long-range aviation of the Russian Air Force. This is a relatively young holiday. It was established only in 1999 by order of Anatoly Kornukov, Commander-in-Chief of the country's Air Force.

Russian Long-Range Aviation Day

The holiday date was certainly not chosen by chance, it has a historical justification. It was on December 23, 1913 that the Ilya Muromets four-engine heavy bomber made its first test flight. This is the world's first serial multi-engine bomber aircraft designer Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky. He is rightly called the "great-grandfather" of all modern strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Only a year later, on December 23, 1914, the imperial decree of Nicholas II was issued. As a result, a resolution of the Military Council on the formation of the Ilya Muromets bomber squadron was approved in Russia. This event became the starting point in the history of heavy bomber aviation not only in our country, but throughout the world. In 2018, Russian long-range aviation is already celebrating its 104th birthday.

World War I

During the First World War, the crews of the Ilya Muromets bomber squadron made about 400 sorties. In 1917, the squadron had 20 four-engine bombers. After October revolution in March 1918, the formation of the Northern Group of Aircraft (SGVK) began. Aircraft "Ilya Muromets" of this group were to be involved in polar expeditions and reconnaissance of the Northern Sea Route. However, the tense situation and fierce battles at the sites of the civil war in Russia did not allow this project to be realized. In November 1918, the SGVK was renamed the Air Group. The air group, in turn, in 1919 received the official name - the Division of Airships.

The further development of long-range aviation in our country was associated with the adoption of the TB-3 heavy bomber in the 1930s. It was designed famous aircraft designer Andrey Nikolaevich Tupolev. In 1936, the Air Force of the Red Army began to receive new DB-3 bombers, as well as DB-3F, designed in the design bureau of Sergei Ilyushin.

In 1936-1938, aviation brigades and heavy bomber corps were reduced to three separate air armies for special purposes. All three armies were directly subordinated to the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR. In 1940, units and formations of heavy bombers entered the formed long-range bomber aviation of the Red Army High Command (DBA GK). To the beginning of the Great Patriotic War The DBA GK included 5 aviation corps, 3 separate aviation divisions and one separate air regiment. According to experts, on June 22, 1941, the DBA consisted of only about 1,500 aircraft and almost 1,000 trained crews who were in full combat readiness.

The Great Patriotic War

The first sorties were made by Soviet long-range bombers on June 22, 1941. During the war, long-range aviation crews took part in all major battles of the Red Army. And also carried out special tasks of the Soviet command.

Already during the war in March 1942, long-range bomber aviation was reorganized into long-range aviation, and in December 1944 - into the 18th Air Army. In 1946, the Long-Range Aviation of the USSR Armed Forces was formed on the basis of this army. In total, during the years of the Great Patriotic War, the flight crew of long-range bombers carried out about 220 thousand sorties. As a result, more than two million aerial bombs of various calibers were dropped on enemy positions and infrastructure.

Postwar years

In the 1950s, jet technology was adopted. Tu-16 long-range bombers and Tu-95 and 3M strategic bombers were put into operation. After that, there was undoubtedly a real qualitative leap in the development of long-range aviation. Soviet Union. In the same years, long-range aircraft and crews began to explore the skies over the Arctic. Over the years from 1970 to 1980, new aviation complexes have replenished the composition of long-range aviation. Tu-22M3, Tu-95MS and Tu-160 received air-launched cruise missiles with a long range.

After a forced lull and downtime, which was associated with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the difficult economic condition of the country, the intensity of flights by long-range aviation crews began to grow again in the 2000s. So in 2001, Russian strategic bombers for the first time after a ten-year break appeared in the area over the North Pole. In August 2007, Russian long-range aviation resumed flights in remote regions of the planet on a permanent basis. Airspace patrolling is carried out in the regions of economic activity and active navigation of Russia. Air patrol flights are carried out in the water area over the neutral waters of the Arctic, Atlantic, Black Sea, Pacific Ocean, both from base and operational airfields on the territory of our country.

After the end of the Second World War, long-range aircraft took part in the hostilities. For example, in Afghanistan in the 1980s and in the North Caucasus in the 1990s. And also, in the operation to force Georgia to peace in 2008. On November 17, 2015, Russian long-range and strategic bombers took off from airfields in Russia. They delivered massive strikes with new X-101 air-launched cruise missiles and aerial bombs against the targets of militants of the Islamic State terrorist organization (banned in Russia) in Syria. This operation was the first combat use of Russian strategists - Tu-160 and Tu-95 family aircraft. As you know, in 2015-2017, long-range aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces were repeatedly involved in air strikes on positions and targets of terrorists on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic.

Our days

Over the 104 years of its existence, Russian long-range aviation has passed big way. A glorious path from the first squadron of four-engine biplanes "Ilya Muromets" to its modern look. Today, the long-range aviation of the Russian Air Force is armed with modern jet and turboprop aircraft. First, these are Tu-160 and Tu-160M ​​supersonic strategic missile carriers with variable sweep wing. Secondly, Tu-95MS and Tu-95MSM four-engine turboprop strategic bombers. Thirdly, these are modernized Tu-22M3 long-range bombers. And also, tanker aircraft Il-78 and other types aviation technology. In 2018 alone, the long-range aviation was replenished with four more upgraded Tu-95MS bombers and one Tu-160 bomber.

The main weapons of Russian long-range aviation aircraft are long-range aviation cruise missiles, operational-tactical missiles in conventional and nuclear warheads, as well as aerial bombs for various purposes and calibers.

Long Range Aviation Command- an association of the Russian Air Force under the command of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces. It is a strategic aviation - a component of Russia's strategic nuclear forces.

Tu-160, 2011.

Tu-22M3, 2011.

Story

The date of creation of Long-Range Aviation is considered to be December 10 (23), 1914, when Emperor Nicholas II approved the decision to create a squadron of airships "Ilya Muromets". Mikhail Shidlovsky (a former naval officer, chairman of the board of shareholders of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works, which built the Ilya Muromets airships), became the head of the squadron.

By April 1917, the squadron included four combat detachments, about 20 bombers. In September 1917, German troops approached Vinnitsa, where a squadron of air ships was stationed at that time, so the planes were burned so that they would not get to the enemy.

Council Decree People's Commissars dated March 22, 1918, it was ordered to form the Northern Group of Ilya Muromets airships, consisting of three combat units. Thus began the revival of long-range aviation in the RSFSR.

In 1933, for the first time in the world, heavy bomber aviation corps were formed, which received the TB-3 bomber. In January 1936, the first aviation army of the VGK reserve (Special Purpose Army - GA) was formed. In the same year, the troops began to receive twin-engine long-range bombers DB-3 (after modernization - DB-ZF (IL-4)). In 1936-1938, three special-purpose air armies were created, which were directly subordinated to the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR.

In 1940, the Long-Range Bomber Aviation of the High Command of the Red Army (DBA GK) was created, and the departments of special-purpose armies were disbanded. By the middle of 1941, the DBA GK included five air corps, three separate air divisions and one separate air regiment: with a total of approximately 1,500 aircraft (13.5% of the total aircraft fleet of the Red Army Air Force) and almost 1,000 combat-ready crews. By the Decree of the State Defense Committee of March 5, 1942, Long-Range Bomber Aviation was transformed into Long-Range Aviation (ADD) with direct subordination to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. General Alexander Golovanov was appointed commander of the ADD.

In 1960, in connection with the creation of the Strategic Missile Forces, two of the three directorates of the air armies of the Long-Range Aviation were transferred to the Strategic Missile Forces.

In 1961, the organization of Long-Range Aviation was changed, which was based on three separate heavy bomber corps:

• 2nd Separate Heavy Bomber Aviation Corps (Vinnitsa);
• 6th Separate Heavy Bomber Aviation Red Banner Corps (Smolensk);
• 8th Heavy Bomber Aviation Corps (Blagoveshchensk).

To control the regiments and divisions of the former 43rd Air Army, the 2nd Separate Heavy Bomber Air Corps of the Long-Range Aviation was formed to be deployed in Vinnitsa.

In 1961, the 2nd otbak included:

• 13th Guards. tbad (Poltava) as part of the 184th (Priluki), 185th and 225th tbap on Tu-16 aircraft (both at the Poltava airfield);
• 15th Guards tbad (Zhytomyr) as part of the 250th tbap (Stryi), 251st tbap (Bila Tserkva) on Tu-16 aircraft and 341st tbap (Ozernoye) on Tu-22 aircraft;
• 106th tbad (Uzin) as part of the 182nd tbap (Mozdok), 409th and 1006th tbap (both at the Uzin airfield) on Tu-95K and Tu-95M aircraft;
• 199th Guards. odrap (Nizhin) on Tu-16 aircraft.

To control the regiments and divisions of the former 50th Air Army in 1960, the 6th Separate Heavy Bomber Aviation Corps of the Long-Range Aviation was formed with a deployment in Smolensk.

In 1961 it included:

In 1980, on the basis of these corps, three air armies of the Supreme High Command were formed:

• (Smolensk);
• 30th Air Army of the Supreme High Command for Strategic Purposes (Irkutsk);
• 24th Air Army of the Supreme High Command for operational purposes (Vinnitsa).

The Long-Range Aviation Command was reorganized into the 37th Air Army of the Supreme High Command for Strategic Purposes with headquarters based in Moscow.

• 30th Air Army of the Supreme High Command for Strategic Purposes (Irkutsk);
• 37th Air Army of the Supreme High Command for Strategic Purposes (Moscow);
• 46th Air Red Banner Army of the Supreme High Command of Strategic Purpose (Smolensk);
• 43rd center for combat use and retraining of long-range aviation flight personnel (Ryazan).

On April 1, 1998, the Long-Range Aviation Command was transformed into the 37th Air Army of the Supreme High Command (strategic purpose). AT

Participation in operations

Tu-160 escorted by Su-30 performs a combat mission in Syria

Commanders

• Golovanov Alexander Evgenievich, Air Chief Marshal (1946-1948)
• Rudenko Sergey Ignatievich, Colonel General of Aviation (1950-1953)
• Novikov Alexander Alexandrovich, Air Chief Marshal (1953-1955)
• Sudets Vladimir Alexandrovich, Air Marshal (1955-1962)
• Reshetnikov Vasily Vasilyevich (1969-1980)
• Gorbunov Ivan Vladimirovich, Colonel General of Aviation (1980-1985)
• Deinekin Pyotr Stepanovich, lieutenant general (1985-1990)
• Kalugin Igor Mikhailovich, Colonel General (1990-1997)
• Oparin Mikhail Mikhailovich, lieutenant general (1998-2002)
• Khvorov Igor Ivanovich, lieutenant general (2002-2007)
• Androsov Pavel Vasilievich, major general (2007-2009)
• Zhikharev Anatoly Dmitrievich, lieutenant general (2009-2016)
• Kobylash Sergey Ivanovich, lieutenant general (September 16, 2016 - present)

Armament

The Long-Range Aviation is armed with Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers-missile carriers, as well as Tu-22M3 long-range bombers:

• 60 Tu-95MS aircraft
• 17 Tu-160 aircraft
• about 61 Tu-22M3 aircraft [ ]

Compound

• Headquarters, military unit 44402 (Moscow)
• 63rd Mitavsky separate communication center for automated controls, military unit 83069 (Smolensk region, Smolensk, Smolensk-Severny airfield).
• 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Donbass Red Banner Division (Saratov Region, Engels):

The material was supposed to see the light before MAKS-2013, but it simply did not fit into Kommersant in terms of volume. It contains data on the state of the military aircraft industry in Russia over the past few years. In the process of its creation, our forum member misha12 provided me with great help, for which many thanks to him.

The Russian Air Force today is deservedly one of the largest in the world. Despite all the reductions, they now include about a hundred strategic and long-range aircraft, about 450 fighters, up to 300 front-line bombers and attack aircraft, up to 80 reconnaissance aircraft and about 220 military transport aircraft. The number of helicopters for various purposes is about 900 units. Thus, the fleet of the Russian Air Force has about 2,000 aircraft of various classes. At the same time, it must be honestly said: the lion's share of these machines has actually exhausted its resource and is outdated. Konstantin Makienko, an expert at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, notes: “It seems that there is a lag behind modern Western Air Forces in terms of electronic warfare capabilities and in aviation weapons, especially the air-to-surface class. At the same time, positive developments cannot be overlooked - according to Makienko, over the past five years, vigorous measures have been taken to improve the situation. The Air Force began to massively, according to modern concepts, receive new and sometimes even modern equipment, the average annual flying time of pilots is growing, and combat training has in general been sharply intensified. In fact, in terms of the scale of deliveries of military aircraft, Russia has taken third place in the world, second only to the United States and, possibly, China.

tactical aviation

Today, this type of military equipment is being updated in the Russian Air Force faster than others. Behind last years The Ministry of Defense received several batches of new aircraft. Among them are super-maneuverable Su-35S fighters, Su-34 bombers, Su-30SM, Su-30M2 and Su-27SM3 multirole fighters. This year, the first deliveries of MiG-29K/KUB light carrier-based fighters to the Russian Navy are expected, as well as the signing of a number of contracts. The Ministry of Defense plans to conclude many of these agreements at MAKS-2013. It should be noted that the modernization of the Russian tactical aviation fleet is also underway - at this moment about two hundred fighters, interceptors, attack aircraft and bombers have already received new equipment and weapons. Active preparations are underway for the start of production of a promising complex of front-line aviation - the T-50, which in the future will become the main strike force Russian Air Force.

Long-range aviation

At the moment, the long-range aviation of Russia is armed with several types of aircraft - the world's largest supersonic strategic bomber bomber with a variable sweep wing Tu-160, the strategic missile carrier Tu-95MS, the multi-mode long-range missile carrier bomber with a variable sweep wing Tu-22M3, the reconnaissance Tu-22MR and the Il-78M tanker, made on its own base.

The main Russian "strategist" - Tu-160 - is by far the most powerful and effective such complex in the world. It has the most powerful engines in the history of aviation, delivering a total thrust of 100,000 kgf in afterburner. The maximum flight speed at high altitude is over 2000 km / h, the maximum range is over 13 thousand kilometers. That is, the vehicle can deliver its combat load - 40 tons of weapons - to anywhere in the world without refueling. Its arsenal includes strategic cruise and aeroballistic hypersonic missiles, as well as free-falling bombs. According to the Aviaport agency, in terms of the combination of characteristics and composition of weapons, this aircraft is rightfully considered the best in the world in its class and significantly surpasses the American analogue of the B-1B Lancer. The missile carrier was produced at the Kazan Aviation Production Association (KAPO) named after S. P. Gorbunov. In total, 16 aircraft are currently serving in the Russian Air Force. The Ministry of Defense received 2 latest new aircraft in 2000 and 2008. Now all Tu-160s are part of the air group of the 6950th Guards Air Base of the 1st category, which is based in Engels, Saratov Region. The first 3 machines are currently undergoing modernization at the plant in Kazan. The updated Tu-160s will receive the M prefix and will feature a new weapon system and its control system, as well as modern radar and avionics, which will double the combat effectiveness of the vehicle. By 2020, essentially all Tu-160s should undergo such modernization.

This machine will be replaced in 12 years by a new one - a promising long-range aviation complex. Her appearance is already almost certain. According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force Viktor Bondarev, it will be a subsonic strategic missile carrier. Its difference from existing long-range aircraft, for example, the Tu-160, is that it will carry more weapons, said Lieutenant General Viktor Bondarev, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force. "The PAK DA will be subsonic, all its difference is that it will carry more than the Tu-160, and the weapons will be much more serious. All other tasks will be solved by missiles," he said. It is planned that the new car will be assembled at a new plant, which will be built on the territory of the Gorbunov Kazan Production Association. Back in August 2009, a contract was signed between the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Tupolev company to conduct R&D to create a PAK DA for a period of three years. After 3 years, it became known that the preliminary design of the new bomber had already been completed and signed, and development work on it began. By the way, the aircraft project was approved in March 2013. According to some reports, the technical design of the new bomber should be fully completed in a year.

Another long-range missile-carrying bomber with a variable sweep wing, the Tu-22M3, was also produced at the Kazan Aviation Plant. Its maximum takeoff weight is over 124 tons, its flight range is 7,000 kilometers. It is equipped with a pair of engines with a thrust of up to 50 thousand kgf. The aircraft is armed with supersonic guided and hypersonic missiles of various ranges, as well as conventional and nuclear free-fall bombs. It is expected that by 2020 30 bombers will be upgraded to the Tu-22M3M version. A year ago, the first aircraft was already upgraded according to this scheme. According to the terms of reference, all updated machines will receive a new complex onboard equipment and weapons - the latest high-precision bombs and cruise missiles. This aircraft modernization program, as it turned out, is not the only one. Last year, according to some reports, 4 more vehicles underwent a partial update - they installed a new set of airborne and ground equipment SVP-24-22 under the Gefest program. Such complexes are already successfully operating on Su-24M front-line bombers. Thus, today the Air Force already has 5 Tu-22M3s modernized under two programs. In total, under the Gefest program, it is planned to equip 30 aircraft - the corresponding contract with the Ministry of Defense was signed a year ago. Now the Russian Air Force is armed with about fifty Tu-22M3. Their exact number is unknown for obvious reasons.

The Tu-22MR reconnaissance aircraft completely coincides with the basic Tu-22M3 in terms of its flight characteristics. The only difference is the presence of an airborne reconnaissance complex, radar and electronic warfare complex. The first such aircraft entered the Russian Air Force in 1994. As in the case of the basic Tu-22M3, a modernization program has been worked out for its reconnaissance version. It includes the introduction of a new modern high-capacity reconnaissance complex and updated aircraft avionics. To date, there is no data on the progress of the modernization of the Tu-22MR.

The strategic missile carrier Tu-95MS, which was produced in the Soviet Union in the 80s of the 20th century, is rightfully considered the patriarch of Russian long-range aviation. Its ancestor - the Tu-95 - was adopted by the USSR Air Force back in 1965. By the way, the Tu-95MS was not any modernization of the Tu-95. In fact, at that time it was a new car. This world's fastest turboprop aircraft is capable of delivering 9 tons of long-range missiles and bombs over 10,500 kilometers. It has 4 engines with a total capacity of 60 thousand horsepower. The Russian Air Force now has 32 such bombers, and 3 dozen more are in reserve. Already this year, the first aircraft should be upgraded to the Tu-95MSM version. According to some reports, the updated cars will receive a new navigation system. And the modern sighting system, which is planned to be installed on the missile carrier, will allow the use of the latest cruise missiles.

The Il-78M fuel tanker is a machine that can guarantee the supply of fuel to "strategists" in given point airspace. To date, this aircraft is the only tanker in the Russian Air Force. It is made on the basis of the military-transport operational-strategic Il-76MD and can refuel not only long-range aircraft, but also tactical aircraft, as well as early warning and reconnaissance vehicles (AWACS). The aircraft is equipped with 4 turbojet engines with a total power of about 50 tf. Il-78M has a maximum takeoff weight of 210 tons and can take on board over 90 tons of fuel, which is placed in 3 tanks. The aircraft is able to transfer 60-65 tons of fuel at a distance of 1800 km from the point of departure or 32-35 tons at a distance of 4000 km. There are now only 19 of these machines in the Russian Air Force. All of them were built in the USSR. Last year, one tanker underwent a major overhaul at the Ryazan Aircraft Repair Plant. And a month and a half ago, the Ulyanovsk plant Aviastar-SP launched into production a deeply modernized version of the air tanker - Il-78M-90A. It, in turn, was created on the basis of a deeply modernized heavy ramp military transport aircraft Il-76MD-90A. The main differences from the predecessor aircraft are the new, more powerful, but also more economical PS-90A-76 engines. They are almost 20% more economical. The tanker has a "glass" cockpit, in which all information about the aircraft's systems is summarized on 8 multifunctional LCD displays. The plant promises to build the first experimental aircraft of this modification in a year, and the state tests of the machine will take place already in 2015. According to some reports, after that, the tanker can get into the state defense order and begin to be mass-produced for the needs of the Ministry of Defense. The factory workers plan to build more than 30 aircraft for the Russian Air Force, which in the future will replace the aging Il-78M.

Thus, in a few years, the Russian strategic aviation fleet has replenished with one new Tu-160, and the first experimental tanker Il-78M-90A is being built at Aviastra-SP. At least 5 Tu-22M3 long-range bombers and one Il-78M fuel tanker have already been upgraded. The exact number of modernized Tu-95MSM strategic missile carriers is still unknown.

Military transport aviation

Military transport aviation in the structure of the Russian Air Force is second only to military aviation in terms of the diversity of its fleet. Judge for yourself. To date, it includes the An-124 Ruslan super-heavy turbojet military transport aircraft, the Il-76MD heavy turbojet military transport aircraft, and the An-22 Antey turboprop. Of the passenger - turbojet Il-62, Tu-154 and Tu-134, turboprop An-140-100, L-410UVP-E20 and An-24. Light military transport An-72 and An-26, medium military transport An-12PP and light transport and passenger piston aircraft An-2. It makes no sense to talk about each of these machines, since many of them will soon be decommissioned. Therefore, we will focus on the most interesting and important ones, and those that have undergone modernization in recent years or entered the troops only from factories.

Over the past 2 years, the Russian Air Force, according to contracts, received 3 An-140-100 turboprop cargo-passenger aircraft - one in 2011, 1 in 2012 and one so far in this year. Another such aircraft was sent to the aviation of the Russian Navy. Thus, the Aviacor plant in Samara, where this equipment is produced, has fully completed the deliveries under two contracts. For two more, the plant will build 10 more aircraft for the Ministry of Defense in the coming years. Recall that the An-140-100 is designed to carry up to 52 passengers and cargo, as well as on international routes, with the ability to operate both on paved airfields and on unpaved runways. Distinctive features of the aircraft are high flight performance and fuel efficiency, reliability and environmental friendliness, and a high level of comfort on board.

The same Aviakor handed over to the Russian Air Force and, probably, the last 3 new Tu-154Ms - one each from 2010 to 2013. This is a version of the famous Soviet passenger aircraft with improved fuel-efficient engines.

In addition, the Ministry of Defense received 9 new L-410UVP-E20 light turboprop passenger aircraft over the past 3 years. The aircraft is Czech, but the Aircraft Industries plant since 2008 has been more than half owned by the Russian Coal and Metallurgical Company, which is located in Verkhnyaya Pyshma, in the Sverdlovsk region.

This year, the Il-76MD-90A heavy military transport aircraft began joint state tests with the Russian Ministry of Defense. It is a deep modernization of the transport Il-76MD. The updated version of the transporter differs from its predecessor with a new modified wing, more powerful engines with a thrust of 16 tons, and an improved fuel system. In addition, the aircraft is equipped with a digital sighting and navigation system, an autopilot and a "glass" cockpit. Now the Ulyanovsk plant "Aviastar-SP" is building 3 serial Il-76MD-90A. The deadline for the delivery of aircraft of the Ministry of Defense is 2014 - 2015. Deeply modernized Il in Russia will be produced for the first time. Previously, its predecessor was made in Uzbekistan at the State JSC "TAPOiCh" - the Tashkent Production Association named after V.P. Chkalov. According to the contract, Ulyanovsk aircraft manufacturers must produce 39 Il-76MD-90A by 2018. This contract is the largest in the Russian military transport aircraft industry over the past 20 years. In addition, at the end of May, the Ministry of Defense signed a contract with the TANTK. G. M. Beriev for the supply of 6 Be-200 ChS amphibious aircraft. All machines must be delivered before the end of 2016.

In addition to the production of new equipment, aircraft repair plants are also overhauling the previous model Il-76 MD. Over the past three years, at least 3 boards have already been repaired. Also, two long-range anti-submarine defense aircraft (DPLS) Tu-142M3 were restored - one each in 2011 and 2012. This machine has been produced since the mid-80s of the last century. The Tu-95RTs strategic bomber was then taken as the basis for the new anti-submarine defense aircraft. On board the flying submarine hunter, an upgraded search and targeting system "Korshun" with radio-hydroacoustic equipment "Zarechye" was installed. The cockpit was redesigned on the aircraft, and the in-flight refueling system was improved. The armament of the Tu-142M3 consists of sonar buoys, depth charges, anti-submarine torpedoes and guided missiles. At the moment, according to some reports, about a dozen of these machines remain in the Russian Air Force. Apparently, all the boards that still have a resource will be upgraded in the coming years.

This year, one An-22, a heavy turboprop transport aircraft designed to carry up to 60 tons of cargo over a distance of 5,000 km, underwent a major overhaul at the Ivanovo Aircraft Repair Plant. It became the first Soviet wide-body aircraft in history. The IL-22VKP also underwent a scheduled overhaul. At the 20th aircraft repair plant, it was patched up and modernized. The machine has acquired new communication equipment and on-board computers for the headquarters command. Also, the most important change was the emergence of a radio relay station that transmits and receives information in digital format. Thanks to this innovation, the board has become compatible with various automated command and control systems. The transfer of the aircraft of the Ministry of Defense took place about 2 months ago.

Also for 3 years, the Ulyanovsk plant "Aviastar-SP" repaired and upgraded 3 An-124-100. There are about two dozen of these super-heavy military transport aircraft in the Russian Air Force. In 2012, the Ministry of Defense and the plant signed a contract, according to which Ulyanovsk will repair 6 Ruslans, 3 of them this year. The factory workers have already handed over the first updated board for testing.

However, according to an expert from the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, despite the stable supply of new and modernized military equipment to the troops, a number of acute unresolved problems remain. He considers Russia's lag in the development of military transport aircraft with a carrying capacity of 18-20 tons to be one of the most important. “The existing An-12s are infinitely outdated, and the creation of a medium multi-purpose aircraft to replace these machines has been unable to move for more than 10 years. At the same time, aircraft in this niche are extremely in demand on the world market. If Il OJSC continues to work on the MTA project with the same stunning dynamics, the market will be lost in favor of the Americans and Brazilians,” Makienko notes. Indeed, while the development of the MTA project - a multipurpose medium-duty aircraft - is not very noticeable. Now, apparently, work is underway on the creation of prototypes of the aircraft. According to Viktor Komardin, deputy director of Rosoboronexport, as soon as they appear and there is something to show potential clients, both parties to the joint venture - both Russia and India - promise to support it in every possible way. Rosoboronexport will actively join the promotion of the MTA on the world market as soon as the first prototypes of this aircraft appear. After they create a prototype, test and present the aircraft, the stage of its production will begin simultaneously in Russia and India. After that, Rosoboronesport will start to play a big role," Komardin said.

Special purpose aviation

For the first time in many years, in the near future, the Ministry of Defense will receive 4 special aircraft - two Tu-214R radio-technical and optical-electronic reconnaissance aircraft and two Tu-214ON "Open Sky" aerial surveillance aircraft. The Ministry of Defense received one of them directly at MAKS-2013. All that is known about the equipment of these aircraft is that it will be the most modern and will allow them to perform the functions assigned to the crews in full. Both contracts are now being carried out by KnAAZ named after S.P. Gorbunov. In addition, one Il-22VKP was upgraded.

reconnaissance aviation

In November 2011, the TANTK named after G. M. Beriev handed over to the Ministry of Defense the first, and at the end of February of this year, the second serially modernized AWACS A-50U aircraft. According to the company, the upgraded vehicle has been switched to a new elemental base of the onboard radio engineering complex. In addition, the workplaces of the members of the tactical crew of the aircraft have been radically modernized. A-50U received a "glass" cockpit with an abundance of multifunctional LCD indicators. The aircraft has a new communications system. Also, unlike the base aircraft, the A-50U has rest rooms for the crew, a canteen with household equipment and a toilet. Now work is underway on the creation of the next generation AWACS aircraft - A-100. According to some experts, this machine will surpass the A-50U in its characteristics and will be built on the basis of the Il-76MD-90A. Today's A-50U complex can detect ground targets and determine their coordinates, and detection can include up to 300 objects at the same time. Bombers are detected at a distance of up to 650 km, fighters - up to 300 km, and tank columns - 250 km. Apparently, all these characteristics will be significantly expanded and supplemented in the new reconnaissance aircraft.

Army Aviation

The army aviation segment in the Russian Air Force is being updated the fastest. Even tactical aviation does not keep up with helicopters in terms of equipment supplies.

Now the helicopter units are armed with about 350 attack rotorcraft. Of these, 66 main strike Mi-28N, 40 multi-purpose all-weather combat Ka-52 and 34 transport-combat Mi-35M. The rest - approximately 226 sides - are various modifications of the Mi-24 transport and combat helicopter. There are about 450 transport helicopters in the army today. Of these, 40 are super-heavy Mi-26s, the remaining 410 are Mi-8 transport modifications. About fifty helicopters are used for training purposes. That is, the total number of cars at the moment is 850 units.

This year, the combat units have already received 8 Mi-28N, 16 Ka-52. In addition, aircraft manufacturers handed over one Mi-26 heavy transport helicopter, 12 Mi-8AMTSh multi-purpose helicopters and 2 Mi-8MTV5 helicopters. Five Ansat-U-5 training helicopters and the same number of Ka-226 multi-purpose helicopters may have been produced in 2012, but delivered this year.

Thus, only for the first 7 and a half months of 2013 in Russian army 49 new and 1 upgraded helicopter have already been received. In total, for almost 5 years of deliveries, Russian army aviation received, in addition to the above-mentioned attack helicopters, two Ka-31R, 12 Mi-26, about 150 Mi-8, 24 Ansat-U and 15 Ka-226 units. Total - 343 new helicopters. In addition, one Mi-26 was overhauled. Based on the construction plans, it is reasonable to assume that by 2020 the total number of helicopters in the army aviation will grow by about one and a half hundred units and reach the mark of 1000 helicopters of various classes. Moreover, almost all of them will be relatively fresh construction.

Aircraft export

Opinions on how to characterize the current situation in the export of military aircraft abroad are diametrically divided. The fact is that compared to previous years, there is a drop in demand in the foreign market. “In the period between MAKS-2009 and MAKS-2011, 44 MiG-29 family fighters were sold (24 units to India and 20 to Myanmar) and 42 Sukhoi (20 to Vietnam, 16 to Algeria, 6 to Uganda), then In total, contracts for 86 aircraft of new production have been signed, - Konstantin Makienko, an expert from the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, confirms. - In the period after the last MAKS-2011, contracts were signed only for 42 technological sets to India and 6 Su-30MK2 to Indonesia. Plus 4 Yak-130s to Belarus. In total, we have 52 aircraft in two years against 86 in the previous two years.” However, according to representatives of the KLA, there is no reason for concern. The reduction in exports is due to the fact that the old contracts have already been completed, while the newly signed ones have not yet begun to be implemented. For example, the largest importer of our military aircraft, India, has moved to the stage of licensed production, and not the purchase of finished equipment in Russia. Naturally, such deliveries cannot be counted as ready-made cars sold. It is because of this that the indicators of equipment exports sank. Of the most famous and largest is the contract for the supply of 6 Su-30MKI fighters to Indonesia, which was completed in May this year. At the same time, a contract was signed and already partially paid for the supply of 30 Mi-28N attack helicopters and MiG-29M/M2 fighters. It is also worth noting the largest contract between Russia and the United States on the supply of 30 Mi-17V5 transport and combat helicopters for export to Afghanistan. This should also include the recent contract for the development of the Mi-8/17 transport center in South Africa. And this is a completely different, world-class level of service for their export deliveries. And it is precisely such a policy of Russia in the market of the world export military aircraft industry that will help to conquer new markets, the path to which was simply closed to us before. And if we take into account that the state defense order for aircraft and helicopters is growing year by year, then the Russian military aircraft industry has a unique chance to be reborn in its former greatness again.

The Supreme High Command uses it to solve the operational strategic objectives in intercontinental and maritime military conflicts.

The history of the creation of long-range aviation of the Russian Federation

The history of long-range aviation in Russia dates back to December 23, 1914, when Emperor Nicholas II issued a decree on the creation of the world's first squadron of four-engine aircraft, called Ilya Muromets. It was the first attempt in the world to combine bombers heavy class. The squadron commander was M. V. Shidlovsky, who came to aviation from the naval department. At that time, he was the current chairman of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works, where the Ilya Muromets air cars were produced.

During the First World War, these long-range aircraft of Russia performed more than 400 combat missions, including the bombing of important enemy strategic targets and reconnaissance of the location of strike ground groups. In 1917, the squadron consisted of four military detachments and consisted of more than twenty vehicles. During the entire period of combat operations, only one aircraft was lost.

Development of long-range aviation in the USSR

In September 1917, the bomber squadron was destroyed. The planes were simply burned so that they would not go to the enemy. Long-range aviation in Russia began to revive after the October Revolution. On March 22, 1918, a decree of the Council of People's Commissars was issued, which spoke of the creation of the Northern Group of Ilya Muromets air liners, numbering 3 combat units.

The next qualitative stage in the development of this direction of aviation occurred in the thirties of the twentieth century. During this period, the young Russian army was armed with the latest aircraft designers Tupolev and Ilyushin. From the first days of the Second World War, long-range aviation of Russia successfully carried out combat missions deep behind enemy lines, which made an invaluable contribution to great victory over the enemy.

AT post-war years the development of strategic aeronautics entered a new stage. Modern aircraft "Tu" and "Il" began to enter service, which currently form the basis of the fleet of modern long-range aviation of the Russian Federation.

"Ilya Muromets" - the world's first strategic bomber

The world's first strategic bomber was designed with the participation of an outstanding aircraft builder. The place of production of Ilya Muromets is the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works. It took to the skies for the first time on 12/10/1913. Until 1918, the aircraft was mass-produced in various modifications. During the First World War, on December 23, 1914, the Ilya Muromets aircraft were consolidated into a single squadron - the world's first formation of combat aircraft. That is why on December 23 Russia celebrates the Day of Far Russia.

Aircraft "Ilya Muromets" were used as bombers, attack aircraft or reconnaissance aircraft. Bomb shells could be placed both inside and outside, vertically along the fuselage. For the first time, an electronic trigger was developed and used to drop shells, and eight machine guns were installed for defense against enemy aircraft. At the end civil war the surviving aircraft were used to organize postal and passenger traffic on the route Moscow - Orel - Kharkov. Aircraft "Ilya Muromets" could reach a maximum speed of up to 130 km / h. Their high-altitude ceiling reached 3200 m, flight range - up to 560 km, and the maximum travel time was about 4.4 hours.

Aircraft "TB-3" - the first long-range bomber of the USSR

The development of the first long-range bomber in the USSR began in 1925. Already in 1930, his prototype, which had the secret marking "ANT-6", took to the skies. The first serial aircraft "TB-3" made its flight in 1932. These aircraft were used as bombers, military transport or landing craft.

The TB-3 strategic vehicles have proven themselves well during military conflicts in various countries. At the end of 1930, in connection with the development of air defense and fighter aircraft, the machines became obsolete, and in 1938 their mass production ceased. Despite this, the TB-3 strategic aircraft performed combat missions during the Second World War.

Over the entire period of production, more than 800 liners of various modifications were produced. This machine has improved technical specifications: its maximum speed reached 380 km / h, the flight altitude could be up to 7000 m with its range of about 3 thousand km. The TB-3 aircraft was capable of holding up to 2 tons of bomb charges.

"IL-4" - the basis of long-range aviation during the Great Patriotic War

The long-range bomber, codenamed "TsKB-26", began to be developed at the Design Bureau of S.V. Ilyushin in the early 1930s. The first prototype took to the air in 1935. It was made of a solid metal structure with cantilevered duralumin wings. The fuselage had a streamlined shape and had an oval section. The flight range of the prototype was up to 3 thousand km. The crew of the vehicle consisted of three pilots, and its defensive armament was represented by three machine guns. The demonstration of the sample took place in 1936, and mass production was mastered in 1938. Such machines received new engines that allow speeds up to 445 km / h. The bomb load was 2.5 tons, and the defensive properties of the aircraft were also improved. Long-range aircraft of Russia "Il-4" in terms of speed and range of flights were the best in the world at one time.

Also for Air Force navy on the basis of such a machine, the DB-3T torpedo bomber was created, intended for the destruction of naval targets and the mining of fairways. The aircraft "DB-3T" became the first mass-produced Russian model that could perform certain functions in the water area.

During the Second World War, the Il-4 aircraft became the basis of Russian long-range aviation, carrying out raids on the deep rear of the enemy, military echelons of equipment and airfields. Over the entire period of production, more than 7 thousand different modifications of this legendary bomber were produced.

"Tu-4" - Russia's first air carrier of nuclear weapons

Immediately after the end of the Second World War, Russian long-range aviation was left without the necessary machines. By that time, the IL-4 twin-engine aircraft had exhausted their technological resource of possibilities. The issue of creating a new type of strategic bomber became topical. Such an aircraft was the Tu-4, a piston machine, which was an adapted copy of the American B-29 combat aircraft.

This bomber first took to the skies in 1947, and began to enter aviation in 1949. Mastering the production of such a machine gave the country a modern aircraft of a new type and brought the USSR to the forefront of strategic aviation. "Tu-4" had a maximum speed of 558 km / h, its flight altitude was up to 11,200 m with a range of up to 6200 m. Such a machine was armed in a new way. Over 11 tons of combat load could be taken on board by this aircraft of the Russian Air Force. Long-range aviation was replenished with a unique representative that has the ability to carry nuclear weapons of the RDS-3 type on its board.

"Tu-16" - the first long-range jet aircraft of the Russian Federation

"Tu-16" is the first long-range strategic aircraft in Russia, having jet engine. The purpose of this machine is to solve various strategic problems. Engineers of the Tupolev Design Bureau began to work on the creation of the aircraft in 1950, and already on April 27, 1952, the first prototype took to the skies. At the end of the year, this aircraft was launched into mass production. Tu-16s first joined the strategic aviation ranks in 1954.

The design of this aircraft was distinguished by the presence of a swept mid-wing and plumage of the same shape. The fuselage of the aircraft consisted of five compartments and had a circular cross section. The bomber's cabin was distinguished by increased tightness, was divided into two compartments and reinforced with armored glass and protective plates. The crew of the aircraft consisted of six pilots. The main engines of the machine were two turbojet installations of various modifications. The bomber could carry up to 9 tons of bombs, which were placed in one compartment. Also, the Tu-16 could be armed with two guided missiles of the KS-1 cruise type.

The Tu-16 model turned out to be so successful that on its basis they began to produce Tu-16R reconnaissance aircraft, Tu-163 tanker liners and the first Tu-16K-10 aviation missile system in Russia. Also, this bomber became the prototype for the Tu-104 jet passenger airliner, which began to be produced in 1964. Russia's first strategic jet aircraft "Tu-16" is rightfully considered a long-liver of domestic and foreign aviation. It was withdrawn from service only in 1994.

"Tu-95MS" - the basis of long-range aviation of the Russian Federation

"Tu-95MS" is a strategic aircraft of Russian long-range aviation, designed to deliver missile and bomb strikes on stationary targets at any time of the day, regardless of weather conditions. Work on the design of the basic model of the Tu-95 ship began in the early 1950s. In 1956, the first production vehicles entered service with the long-range aviation unit.

In connection with the rapid re-equipment of US strategic aeronautics, Russian government It was decided to create the latest aircraft that could compete with American aviation. In 1981, the modernized Tu-95MS aircraft joined the ranks of long-range aviation of the Russian Federation.

Today, the main machine of long-range aviation of the Russian Air Force is a high-wing aircraft with four turboprop engines, which are located on swept wings. The vessel is equipped with differential gearboxes, with the help of which two twin four-bladed propellers rotate in different directions. The cockpit is located in the forward part of the fuselage, it is completely sealed. There is also a galley and toilet.

The missile carrier is equipped with a modern Obzor radar installation, an onboard defense system that includes the most modern developments of Russian military engineers, as well as offensive and defensive weapons. Currently, the Russian Air Force has 60 Tu-95MS aircraft of various modifications.

"Tu-160" - "White Swan" of Russian long-range aviation

Tu-160 aircraft are modern supersonic missile carriers. Their design is based on a modified wing geometry. These representatives of long-range aviation of the Russian Federation can hit important enemy targets with nuclear weapons even deep behind enemy lines in continental military conflicts.

Work on the creation of such a combat vehicle began in 1975. Tupolev Design Bureau engineers designed a supersonic strategic missile carrier. As a result, the Tu-160 was created - a cantilever monoplane with a larger elongation wing, on which there were four power plants. The design of the aircraft made it possible to place all missile and bomb weapons inside in the same compartments. The crew of the aircraft - four pilots, for which a pressurized cabin is provided in the bow of the bomber.

The first test flights began in 1981, and in the late 1980s, serial vehicles began to enter service. To date, the Tu-160 aircraft has the best flight characteristics in comparison with world analogues. The maximum speed of the car at altitude is up to 2000 km / h, near the ground - 1030 km / h. The practical high-altitude ceiling can reach 16 km, the flight range is up to 13200 m. Today, 15 aircraft are in service with Russian long-range aviation. They are called "White Swan".

In 2014 the country celebrated significant date- 100 years of Russian long-range aviation. More about this is written below.

Russian Air Force Long-Range Aviation Day

December 23 is a holiday date for long-range aviation pilots of the Russian Federation. In 1999, by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force Anatoly Kornukov, the day of Russian long-range aviation was determined. The date of December 23 was not chosen by chance. It was on this day in 1914 that the first air squadron "Ilya Muromets" was formed.

2014 became an anniversary year - 100 years of long-range aviation in Russia. In connection with this, many festive events were held. An important event in the celebration of the centenary was the opening of several monuments and monuments dedicated to the main impact force Air Force. The Council of Long-Range Aviation Veterans of Russia also took part in this process.

Conclusion

At the moment, Russian long-range aviation, thanks to its services to the Fatherland, has every right to be called the main strike force of the Russian Air Force. This unit is an important strategic reserve of the Supreme High Command. Air detachment, which can solve military tasks, regardless of geographical location a strategic object is precisely the long-range aviation of Russia. 2014 was an anniversary year for this Air Force unit. After all, it was then that the country celebrated 100 years since the founding of long-range aviation.

Unlike the leading countries of the world, in the post-war years the Soviet Union was forced to develop long-range aviation in two directions - for operations in the Euro-Asian direction and at intercontinental distances. The long-range bomber as a type was formed in the USSR in the 1930s. The concept of aircraft for this purpose has not changed much compared to the period of the Second World War, and the Tu-85 became its "climax". But time dictated its conditions.

The use of new technologies and equipment in aircraft construction, turbojet engines, combined with the results of research in various fields of science and technology, made it possible to significantly improve the flight characteristics of aircraft. By a June 1950 resolution of the Council of Ministers, the MAP was tasked with creating a long-range jet bomber. At the same time, all the ideas of the designers were associated primarily with the TR-3A (AL-5) and AM-TRD-02 engines. The task was given to OKB-240 C. V. Ilyushin and OKB-156 A. N. Tupolev.

By order of the MAP of June 14, OKB-156 was given the construction of a machine with engines of A. M. Lyulka AL-5. At the same time, the maximum speed at an altitude of 5000 meters should be 900-1000 km / h, and the range with two tons of bombs (maximum 6000 kg) should not be lower than 6000-7000 km. Practical ceiling - 11,000–12,000 meters. Defensive armament was also discussed: two 23 mm cannons on mobile mounts in the stern, on and under the fuselage, as well as one fixed gun for firing forward. The same document provided for the installation of promising AMRD-03 engines with a thrust of 8000 kgf each.

The first "duel" with OKB-156 was won by the design team headed by S. V. Ilyushin. To reduce the time and reduce the risk, the layout of the successful Il-28 aircraft was put at the basis of the Il-46 long-range bomber in OKB-240. State tests of the Il-46, which ended on July 31, 1952, showed its almost complete compliance with the government document. Moreover, its version with a swept wing was developed. All this gave OKB-240 a chance to take a leading position when adopting a long-range bomber. But time judged in its own way.

By that time, OKB-156 had experience in creating a front-line bomber "82", with a swept wing, and it is not surprising that the designers carried out all their research in this direction. As usual, the Design Bureau considered various layouts of aircraft in relation to the most real engines. In 1952, the advantages of the 88 project over the IL-46 became obvious. Suffice it to say that the maximum speed of the future Tu-16 turned out to be almost 100 km / h more, the ceiling exceeded 1500 meters, and the load capacity - 3000 kg.

The appearance of the Tu-16 bomber (aircraft "88") was preceded by the development of the "86" machine of a similar class with AM-TRD-02 engines. Despite the completion of the preliminary design "86", as, indeed, the project "87" that followed it, did not satisfy the customer, mainly in terms of flight range. The bet was made on a twin-engine car. Therefore, only the appearance of the AM-3 turbojet engine with a very high thrust, the decision to install which was made by the Council of Ministers of the USSR in August 1951, made it possible to create a bomber that met the requirements of the Air Force to a greater extent.

The desire to minimize the drag coefficient of the aircraft and the possibility of foreign objects entering the air intakes forced a new look at the layout of the machine. Moreover, the huge AM-3 turbojet engines (diameter - 1.47 m) simply did not fit under the wing of a bomber. The most attractive was the placement of the turbojet engines near the fuselage, partially hiding them in the wing. However, the interference of gas jets and the fuselage, especially with blisters in the aft and horizontal tail, forced the engines to turn at an angle to the plane of symmetry of the machine. In turn, this led to the suspension of the turbojet engine not to the power ribs of the center section, but to the fuselage frames. Thus, specific dents were formed in its sides with curved air intake channels.

Looking ahead, I note that in one of the flights, during state tests, one of the blisters sucked. This, apparently, was the result of the interference of the jets of the turbojet engine and the fuselage. You will learn more about this a little later, but for now I will note that everything happened on that flight without human casualties.

Often, the appearance of a fitted fuselage was presented by representatives of the company as a brilliant foresight of the area rule formulated later by the American aerodynamicist Whitcomb. In fact, there was no foresight, because every more or less thinking aerodynamicist will say that in order to achieve minimal aerodynamic drag, it is desirable to give the body a streamlined shape with a smooth change in its cross-sectional area. Whitcomb only formulated this rule, and did not discover any law of aerodynamics.

The layout of the 88 aircraft was approved in April 1951, and four months later, by another government decree, OKB-156 was obliged to install AM-3 engines on the bomber. The first experimental vehicle, which received the designation Tu-16 after being put into service, was built in March of the following year, and on April 27, the crew of the factory test pilot N. S. Rybko lifted the bomber into the air. For the first flight, the maximum takeoff weight was limited to 68,000 kg with a normal 48,800 kg (in the draft design, 64,500 and 46,950 kg, respectively). In December 1952, even before the end of factory tests, a decision was made to start mass production of the Tu-16.

Factory tests went well, but on October 3, less than a month before they were completed, the first accident occurred. While taxiing in a crosswind, after installing an additional shimmy damper on the front landing gear, N. S. Rybko lost control of the heavy machine, and it rolled onto the ground. As a result, the aircraft, having broken the right "leg" of the landing gear, lay down on the wing.

At the stage of factory testing, 46 flights were performed, after which on November 15, 1953, the bomber was transferred to the Air Force Research Institute for state tests. The test team was headed by engineer B. A. Neverov, and the aircraft was led by pilots V. M. Shulgin and A. K. Starikov, co-pilots Gorbachev and Rybkin, navigator I. N. Imfimovsky and navigator-operator R. N. Semovskikh, gunner-radio operator R. Kh. Abdeev and air gunner V. P. Petrikov.

During the state tests, which ended on May 30, 1953, 79 flights were performed on the machine. Despite the fact that the aircraft demonstrated high flight performance, it never passed the test. There were many reasons for such a harsh assessment, and above all, the Tu-16 in the form presented could not solve the tasks assigned to it. Due to the unfinished radar sight "Rubidium MM-2" it was impossible to carry out not only targeted bombing in adverse weather conditions and at night, but also to reach the target area with sufficient accuracy. Experimental cannon turrets and sighting stations PS-48MM worked unreliably. The poor performance of the Argon small-arms radar sight did not provide reliable protection against enemy fighters. The operation of the fuel equipment, which reduced the throttle response of the engines, also left much to be desired. Moreover, due to the restrictions set by the chief designer in flight with a maximum weight, the pilot did not have the necessary speed margin during climb and in level flight at altitudes below 9500 meters.

There was also a discrepancy between some flight data given by a government decree. So, the length of the takeoff exceeded the task by at least 520 meters. The maximum technical range at full fuel consumption was 400 km lower, and the ceiling above the target did not exceed 12,200 instead of 13,000 meters. As a result, the aircraft was returned to OKB-156 to eliminate the identified defects and shortcomings.

The experimental machine turned out to be overweight, for which in March 1953, by order of the Minister, A.N. Tupolev and the lead designer D.V. Markov were fined. The ceiling and range were lower than specified. In this regard, OKB-156 began searching for weight reserves, the bill went to kilograms.

The second machine, also built at Pilot Plant No. 156, was lightened by reducing the weight of the structure by 3900 kg, and, based on strength conditions, the fuel supply was reduced by 1970 kg. As a result, the maximum takeoff weight was reduced from 77,430 to 71,560 kg. For the same reason, refueling was limited to 36,200 liters with a normal bomb load of 3,000 kg. At the same time, additional fuel tanks were installed in the detachable parts of the wing, which increased the capacity of the fuel system from 38,200 to 43,900 liters.

The 200 mm extension of the bow increased the comfort of the crew and added the necessary volume to accommodate additional equipment. Installed (missing on the experimental machine) upper DT-V7, lower DT-N7S and aft DK-7 mobile gun mounts, sighting stations PS-48M, radar sights RBP-4 "Rubidium-MM-2" and radar sight RPS-1 " Argon" for stern guns. By the way, the average capture range of the MiG-17P fighter by Argon reached 2500, and escort - 1600 meters.

The optical sight OPB-10S was replaced by the vector-synchronous OPB-11R, coupled with the RBP-4, and the KP-16 oxygen devices were replaced by the KP-24. The spars belt assemblies were improved, increasing the reliability of their connections, and the engine nacelles were expanded, which simplified the installation and dismantling of the turbojet engine. At the same time, they introduced a blocking of the steering machine of the elevator when opening the bomb bay doors to reduce the pitching moment and much more.

In this form, the second Tu-16 passed from April 2 to September 15, 1953, factory and in April 1954 state control tests. However, despite significant improvements to the machine, additional defects were revealed at this stage. First of all, this is the surge of the AM-3 engines, and in January they had to expand the nozzle devices of the first stage of the turbine. The AP-5-2M autopilot did not cope with its duties.

In the conclusion of the act, based on the results of state tests, it was noted that the flight performance data of the second copy of the Tu-16 practically correspond to the government decree of July 10, 1952, with the exception of the range, and the bomber is suitable for adoption by the Air Force, provided that the noted shortcomings are eliminated. It also said there:

“The Tu-16 defensive armament system (PS-48M aiming stations, Argon radar sight, cannon turrets) significantly limits the ability of the aircraft to defend against attacks by enemy fighters for the following reasons:

- fundamental and design flaws<…>PS-48M;

- unsatisfactory work "Argon";

- delays in firing on the upper tower ... ".

According to the unanimous opinion of test pilots, the second copy of the Tu-16 in terms of piloting technique practically did not differ from the first machine and was available to pilots of medium qualification. The placement of flight and navigation equipment in the cockpit compared to the first copy was much better and provided piloting at all altitudes day and night in any weather conditions.

At the same time, great effort remained on the pedals from the rudder and on the steering wheel from the elevator when extending the flaps and opening the bomb bays. With a centering of 32.3% of the mean aerodynamic chord (MAC) at an altitude of 10,000 meters, the efforts from the elevator to create a unit of overload were small. At speeds corresponding to the numbers М=0.88–0.9, there was a rollback reaction from the rudder, and on the run with the front support lowered, a strong vibration of the entire aircraft occurred.

Despite the noted defects, the first serial bombers left the assembly shop of plant No. 22, and the Design Bureau urgently began to fine-tune the combat vehicle. The first production aircraft was lifted into the air by test pilots A. G. Vasilchenko and N. N. Arzhakov, the lead engineer was I. A. Burov.

Factory tests were not without casualties. So, on February 15, 1955, when testing the right AM-3 engine, one of the compressor disks collapsed. As a result, aircraft No. 4200804 almost completely burned down, but there were no casualties.

On January 18, 1956, during a flight from Kazan to Vladimirovka (now the city of Akhtubinsk), aircraft No. 6202917 crashed during factory tests for bombing. The reason could not be established, but the test pilots expressed their special opinion- fire in the air.

Taxpayers and foreign guests of the USSR first saw the Tu-16 on May 1, 1954 in the Moscow sky. On that day, nine military vehicles flew over Red Square, which received the NATO code designation Type 39 "Badger". According to foreign experts, the wing of the aircraft had a span of about 30.5 meters and a sweep along the leading edge of about 40 degrees. Two large turbojet engines supposedly developed a total thrust of about 13,600 kgf. At the same time, it was believed that the bomber had a high subsonic speed and a range of about 4800 km. It was expected to have a maximum bomb load of 9,000 kg and its takeoff weight of 70–80 tons.

As you can see, having correctly assessed the bomb load and the maximum take-off weight, the foreigners made a mistake in the main thing - in the magnitude of the engine thrust. Apparently, they could not even imagine that Soviet designers would be able to make a turbojet engine with a thrust of about 9000 kgf so quickly, because there was nothing like it in the West. Hence the reduced range.

By a government decree of May 28, 1954, the flight performance data for serial Tu-16s was approved. In particular, the maximum speed with normal flight weight and maximum engine thrust was set at no less than 992 km / h at an altitude of 6250 meters, the technical range with maximum flight weight and a bomb load of 3000 kg was 5760 km, and the takeoff run and mileage were within 1900 and 1655 meters.

During the tests of the Tu-16 in June 1956, the General Staff Soviet army decided to check the country's air defense and, in particular, the cover of Moscow. To this end, they decided to raise the Tu-16 to the maximum possible height and simulate a raid on Moscow.

As you know, the practical ceiling obtained during the tests of the Tu-16 did not exceed 13,200 meters. This was not enough, since the country's air defense system knew the flight altitudes of our aircraft, it was necessary to raise the ceiling. Therefore, everything that could be dispensed with in this flight was removed from the bomber, even the radio operator and the stern gunner. Refueling is minimal.

The chief designer of the RD-3M Zubets engines (A. A. Mikulin was removed from this position) allowed to work in combat mode continuously, with a gradual increase in thrust from 30 minutes to one hour, and then continue the flight for an hour and a half. Test flights were also carried out during the day in Chkalovskaya near Moscow, and in one of them they reached a height of 15,768 meters.

The first "raid" on Moscow with the state identification system turned off and radio silence observed took place on the night of August 21. Before Ryazan, the altimeter showed 16,300 meters, which was three thousand meters higher than the practical ceiling of the aircraft. Air defense did not react to this in any way.

The Tu-16 was the only aircraft that made it possible to perform parachute jumps from the stratosphere. In preparation for them, the car, piloted by the crew of the test pilot of the Air Force Research Institute V. Bobrikov, rose to a height of 16,000 meters. It ended with the fact that on August 2, 1957, test paratrooper N. Nikitin left the cargo compartment of a converted bomber at an altitude of 15,383 meters. These were not only record flights, they tested the means emergency rescue crews of combat aircraft flying at high altitudes.

Without interrupting the story related to the state tests of the Tu-16 at the Air Force Research Institute, I note that in 1956 the crew consisting of the commander of the ship A. F. Mitroshin, co-pilot N. Ya. Yakovlev and navigator N. S. Zatsepy investigated the possibility of a non-motorized landing heavy aircraft.

I must say that the Tu-16 gliding landing technique with the engines turned off later came in handy. An example of this is the incident that happened to test pilot N. Sattarov. I can’t just say where it happened, in the combat unit or already at the Air Force Research Institute.

Less than twenty kilometers remained before the airfield, when both engines were switched off one by one on the bomber. Despite the order of the flight director to eject, the commander decided to land a heavy car. But suddenly, some buildings and a high-voltage line appeared right on the course. It was not possible to jump over it and the only thing left was to “dive” under the wires. Landing on an unprepared ground area ended successfully.

Following the Kazan aircraft manufacturers, mass production of the Tu-16 was mastered at plant No. 1 in Kuibyshev. But the tests of the first machine No. 1880001, assembled from the units of plant No. 22, began with adventures. In the thirteenth flight (left pilot A. I. Kazakov and co-pilot, he is also commander - G. S. Molchanov), before handing over the car to the customer at an altitude of 9000 meters and an indicated speed of 550–560 km / h, they violated the task by performing a turn with an overload of 3 ,2g. After that, the roll of the bomber increased to 60 degrees, and, having entered the spiral, it began to quickly lose altitude and accelerate. The pilots could not bring him to a normal position, and at the command of the commander, the crew began to hastily leave the car.

Molchanov and the shooter Serezhniki were the first to eject, but death lay in wait for them in the air. Only the radio operator Kalachev landed safely. The rest of the crew hesitated a little, and the co-pilot, taking control into his own hands, brought the car out of a deep spiral, landing it safely at his airfield. So, at the cost of the lives of two testers, it was possible to identify a serious defect in the aircraft - a tendency to be drawn into a deep spiral.

In the act of the emergency commission dated October 3, 1954, it was noted that in that flight the aircraft developed supersonic speed, and the overload reached 4g. I doubt it very much. Looking ahead, I’ll tell you that soon after that, at the Air Force Research Institute, the crew of test pilot S. G. Dedukh conducted research on achieving super-maximum speed of the Tu-16. In several flights with a successive increase in the dive angle, it was not possible to approach the speed of sound. Moreover, in the last run, the situation that had previously arisen with the pilot Kazakov was partly repeated. When leaving the dive from a large overload, the carts of the main landing gear fell off their locks, but the flight ended safely.

This is the official version of the incident. But in the memoirs of test pilot I. I. Shelest, with reference to Kazakov, this case is described differently.

September 28, - Shelest wrote, - the senior pilot of the plant, Molchanov, was given the task of performing a test flight to achieve maximum overload. He considered it possible to combine the task with testing the piloting technique of the young pilot Kazakov. Due to the latter circumstance, Molchanov, as the commander of the ship and the inspector, did not take the usual left seat, but sat in the place of the right pilot. Kazakov, on the other hand, ended up at the left wheel of the car.

They scored 9000 meters, and Molchanov ordered Kazakov to begin the task.

Creating an overload at the exit from the peak, Kazakov pulled the steering wheel, the car went up the hill. The accelerometer showed 3.2. On assignment, it was necessary to get 3.47. Kazakov leaned heavily on the steering wheel to pull up the stubborn accelerometer needle to the cherished numbers, and then he suddenly felt that the steering wheel itself went to him ... Kazakov quickly glanced at the commander:

- Why are you pulling?

- I do not pull, - he was surprised.

At this moment, the car began to shake violently and went up steeply on its own. The horizon immediately disappeared under their feet, and only the bottomless blue of the sky was visible through the lantern.

Now both pilots were trying with all their might to give the helm away from themselves, but he pressed himself against their stomachs and seemed to be petrified ... The plane, being in convulsions, fell on its wing, entered a deep spiral and, gradually accelerating, continued on its own. bend“ a monstrous overload. Here Kazakov heard the first phrase from the commander:

- Crew, get ready to leave the car!

Kazakov replied:

- Wait, don't rush...

But then the executive command followed:

- Everyone get off the plane!

Further events developed even more lively. Kazakov managed to notice with peripheral vision how Molchanov<…>grabbed the hatch lever above his head and tore it off. At that moment, Kazakov was taken aback by the decompression. The commander, in a hurry, did not depressurize the cabin gradually. Due to the almost instantaneous drop in pressure, it was filled with the smallest snow dust like fog. For a second, nothing was visible either in the cockpit or outside it. The plane, apparently, roared terribly with the hatch open, but Kazakov heard almost nothing: eardrums seemed to burst from decompression in his ears.

When Kazakov came to his senses and violent turbulences in the cockpit dispersed snow dust in the corners, he saw that the commander was not next to him, and his chair was not. There was a gaping square hole above the place where he had just been sitting…

In addition to Molchanov, immediately on his command, two more guys ejected from the aft cockpit. One of them is a radio operator ( according to the staff list, gunner-radio operator. - Approx. auth.) went down quite safely. Another - again, the haste is to blame here - suffered due to an absurd accident ... They ejected almost simultaneously, which could not have been done ...»

"Navigator, - Kazakov said, - in front of me - I saw perfectly - I tried to drop the emergency hatch, but it rose a little and jammed on the skew. Then it turned out that the navigator did not first fix his ejection seat, and therefore the hatch locks did not work.

I look at the crevice between the hatch and the contour of the fuselage - it is perfectly visible in front of my glass - I myself am already holding, as if by force of inertia, the lever of the ejection seat and I think, I understand: “This one is now definitely left in the car to the end!”

Several seconds passed. I look, he is squeezing with his parachute to me in the cockpit, where instead of the right chair there was only one floor, and a hole gaped above it. It squeezes through, and on my face I read a plea: “Do not leave!”

However, it squeezes through and reaches for the hatch ... I roughly hold it with my hand, realizing that at such a speed that we have grown by this moment, the flow will tear it to shreds.

He sat down on the floor and waited. Here I finally decided not to touch the red handle of the chair, but to try, albeit in vain, to bend the steering wheel and put pressure on the rudder pedal.

The car kept spiraling with the same deep roll... While the sun was shining above us, there were still clouds below us, but in the nightmarish spiral the car had already developed a tremendous speed...

I tried my best to overpower, move the steering wheel and I could not believe my eyes: the arrow of the speed indicator crept up to the index of 1000 km / h!

“This is with an airspeed limit of seven hundred?! - I was surprised. I still don’t understand how the car didn’t crumble to dust? More than once I recalled Tupolev with a kind word, since his strength engineers overweighted the wing, made it stronger than they themselves expected. This is what saved us. I looked at the accelerometer - you are my mother, mommy! .. The arrow is on the numbers 4.2! .. In this mess and tension of all my strength, I did not notice how this continuous quadruple overload oppresses me! .. "

Helped me get out of this terrible spiral such a moment. Only, it means that I truncated this very overload of 4.2 on the accelerometer, suddenly I hear a metallic crunch somewhere under the right plane ... “Well, - a thought flashed, - now Khan!”

The whole car shuddered, and the roar, whistle and itching in the cabin began to be felt somehow differently. I must have cringed all over, maybe I screwed up my eyes - I don't know. Like a mouse in front of a cat. And in my head: “Now ... Now let’s undress! ..”

I just had time to think like that, when I hear exactly the same crunch from the left side ... But what is it - the car is not falling apart, it is flying! True, everything is in the same deep spiral and flies to the ground. And yet I feel that something has happened ... Somehow it makes noise differently.

I threw a glance at the dashboard and at first noticed: the speed has dropped significantly. I didn't immediately understand why. And then it dawned on me that I didn’t see the light of the red lights of the chassis ... The red lights were off, the red lights were not lit against the board “Chassis retracted”. "That's it! - smikitil. “So, that crunch was in the chassis locks ... The ears could not withstand the overload, broke off, and the racks with wheels fell out of their streamlined niches!”

Yes, now the car slowed down noticeably, the speed continued to fall. In a word, there came a moment when, to my inexpressible joy, I felt that the steering wheel, the pedals had acquired some elasticity, pliability. Here, naturally, my strength came from somewhere! I fell into control. I don’t know what barbell I then squeezed out! Not less than a hundred kilograms, I'm sure it was!

And now I see, little by little, the wing began to straighten out of the roll. A few more seconds passed, I applied more force to the steering wheel, and the car leveled off completely ... ".

In one of the MAP documents, we managed to read that the incident that occurred with the Tu-16 in Kuibyshev testified to the good controllability of the bomber in all flight modes. Moreover, in 1955, the crew of the test pilot of the Air Force Research Institute A. Starikov was to fly to determine the minimum allowable speed on the machine No. 4201002. weighing 61,200 kg, the heavy machine fell on its wing, but the pilot brought the Tu-16 out of the dangerous mode. Subsequently, test pilots Shulgin (NII VVS), Kovalev and Alasheev (OKB-156) had similar cases. They also ended happily. In reality, as you saw, everything was different, and the plane required further refinement.

The first modification of the aircraft was the Tu-16A - the carrier of an atomic weapon differed from a conventional bomber, mainly in a thermostatically controlled bomb bay and the installation of additional equipment to ensure the functioning of a nuclear weapon and control it. In accordance with a government decree of August 9, 1956, the thin lower skin was replaced on aircraft with a more heat-resistant one. At the same time, the bottom was painted with white paint to increase reflectivity during the light flash of a nuclear explosion.

November 22, 1956 from one of the Tu-16A prototypes at the training ground New Earth dropped the first Soviet thermonuclear charge RDS-27 with a capacity of 1.7 Mt.

In September of the same year, factory tests of the Tu-16B bomber with M16-15 (RD-3P) engines with a take-off thrust of 11,000 kgf were completed. In connection with the increased air consumption by the engines, the shape of the air intake device was changed and, by expanding the engine nacelles, the area of ​​​​its cross section was increased. They removed the nose cannon, the PKI sight and the S-13 camera gun. The seat of the navigator-navigator was equipped with a mechanism for forced rotation when rolling back to the ejection position.

With a flight weight of 72,000 kg, the maximum speed of the Tu-16B increased to 1004 km / h at an altitude of 6250 meters, and the practical ceiling - by 990 meters. The aircraft was not mass-produced, and all previously produced and new machines began to be equipped with RD-3M-500 engines with an emergency thrust mode (up to 10,500 kgf on takeoff for 3-5 minutes, while the duration of continuous operation was allowed up to three hours with subsequent removal TRD for bulkheads in the factory).

For many years, one of the ways to reach remote targets planned for a bombing strike was considered to be the basing of aircraft on advanced airfields near the borders or the front line. In the 1950s, they even tried to operate Tu-16 bombers from ice airfields near the North Pole, which made it possible to reach the United States. But this was clearly not enough.

In 1955, tests began on the Tu-16Z tanker aircraft (factory designation Tu-16Yu) with a wing-mounted in-flight refueling system similar to that installed on Tu-4 bombers. In addition to fuel equipment, a fuel tank in the bomb bay and a hose guide, lights were installed on the tanker in the right chassis nacelle and on the leading edge of the right wingtip, as well as three lamps and a manual searchlight at the stern gunner. Additional lighting equipment was needed for guaranteed refueling of bombers in adverse weather conditions and at night. The fuel tank in the cargo hold could be removed, turning the car into a conventional bomber.

On refueling Tu-16ZA ("ZA") aircraft equipped with a refueling device, in addition to the flippers on the left end of the console (later on both consoles) and the hitch mechanism, two hand searchlights were installed at the navigator and commander of the firing systems, headlights in front of the left engine nacelle, in the left undercarriage fairing and at the wingtip.

The development of the refueling system for Tu-16 aircraft in long-range aviation began in 1956 after the completion of state tests. In the same year, it was possible to make 48 refueling flights with a flight time of 408 hours and an overflow of 10,600 liters of fuel. At the same time, two crews of tankers and refueling vehicles were prepared, and on August 13, the first non-stop flight of 7,200 km was completed with one refueling.

The development of the wing refueling system in combat units was very difficult. In addition, in October there was a disaster. Being in a coupled state, the fuel hose hit the wing of the refueling machine and pinched the aileron, violating the lateral controllability. After this tragedy, refueling flights were stopped, and the Air Force Research Institute and the LII were instructed to clarify the zones of possible maneuvering and clarify the technique of piloting aircraft in the refueling formation. Looking ahead, I note that this was not the only tragedy of its kind. In June 1961, the refueling system was checked by the crews of plant No. 22. The commander of the tanker was Amir Karimov, and the commander of the tanker was Anvar Karimov (namesake). After repeated and failed attempts contact Anvar Karimov too sharply put the wing on the hose, and its end swept the wing, pinching the aileron. Only co-pilot V. A. Sviridov was able to eject, but unsuccessfully ...

In 1957, Long-Range Aviation had 57 tankers and 75 refueling aircraft. On this occasion, in a letter to D. F. Ustinov on February 3, 1958, the Air Force Commander-in-Chief K. A. Vershinin reported:

“From May 13 to July 11, 1957, 2,409 flights were made with the transfer of 5,439 thousand liters of fuel in the air. Total flight time Tu-16–4110 hours. 43 refueling crews and 53 refueling crews have been trained, of which five are refueling crews and refueling crews for night flights.

Experience of military tests<…>showed that she refueling system. - Approx. ed.) has a number of significant shortcomings that led to two crashes of refueling Tu-16s ... A fundamental drawback of the refueling system<…>is the difficulty for the refueling crew to perform complex maneuvering in the air - to attach to the tanker, to couple and maintain the refueling system at extremely short distances<…>, which can be done only by highly qualified pilots and only with systematic training ... Only the training of one crew requires up to 50 hours of flight time, of which up to 30 during the day ... "

OKB-156, at the request of the Air Force, worked out a different refueling scheme on one pair of Tu-16 aircraft, replacing the seats of the tanker and the refueling aircraft in the refueling formation so that the tanker crew could maneuver, and in January 1958 presented them for testing. In October 1957, the first 10 Tu-16s were equipped with the Vstrecha equipment. The main external difference that caught the eye was the fins on both wingtips.

I can’t say, because Tupolev’s ASTC was never able to explain to the author, but it seems that similar endings that reduce the inductive component of drag have been used since the late 1990s on Tu-154M airliners. As a result, impressive fuel economy has been achieved.

Since 1963, part of the bombers, which received the designation Tu-16N, have been converted for in-flight refueling of Tu-22 supersonic aircraft according to the “cone” scheme. A refueling unit borrowed from the 3MS aircraft was installed in the cargo compartment, and the commander of the firing installations performed the operator's duties.

The victorious end of the war and the transfer of the country "on a peaceful track" allowed aircraft manufacturers to move from wooden structures to all-metal ones. This is how the last piston fighters of the USSR appeared - equipped with four 23-mm cannons, the “killer of the “Flying Fortresses” La-9 and the La-11 escort fighter, which had a huge range, which happened to shoot down American reconnaissance aircraft that violated the Soviet border, and fight in the skies of China and Korea.

In this book you will find comprehensive information about the latest propeller-driven fighters, which became the crowning achievement of the development of piston aviation in the USSR. Collector's edition on top quality coated paper illustrated with hundreds of exclusive drawings and photographs.

This book is the most complete creative biography Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin, which restores the history of all the projects of his famous design bureau, both military and civilian, from the first prototypes of the 1930s. to modern airliners.

Few of the designers manage to create more than one truly legendary aircraft worthy of entering the "major league" of world aviation. The Ilyushin Design Bureau has more than a dozen such masterpieces. The unsurpassed Il-2 is rightfully considered the best attack aircraft of the Second World War, the Il-4 is an outstanding bomber, the Il-28 is the “pride of the Soviet aviation industry”, and the military transport Il-76 has been in service for 40 years! No less impressive are the triumphs of the well-deserved Design Bureau in the civil aircraft industry - the Ils successfully competed with the best foreign airliners, four aircraft bearing the name of S.V. Ilyushin was chosen by the Soviet leaders, and the Il-96 is still the "board number 1" of Russian presidents.

Having received a baptism of fire in the summer of 1944, the new Yak immediately became the favorite aircraft of the Stalinist Falcons, who for the first time received an aircraft that surpassed the Messers and Fokkers in all respects. According to our pilots: “Yak-3 is a masterpiece! I would have it over the Kursk Bulge and the Dnieper - I would have arranged this for the Germans! ”,“ A miracle machine! A pilot’s dream!”, “Our Yak-3 overtook the Messer in the climb, overtook it on a turn, overtook it in a dive, and hit everywhere with terrible force and for sure!” Highly appreciated the new "Yak" and German aces, who considered him a more dangerous adversary than the vaunted British Spitfires and American Mustangs.

This book pays tribute to the legendary fighter, which became the pinnacle of the Soviet aircraft industry of the Great Patriotic War and one of the symbols of the Victory. The deluxe edition is illustrated with hundreds of exclusive drawings and photographs.