Like a supersonic plane. Supersonic aircraft

On February 6, 1950, during another test, the Soviet jet fighter MiG-17 in horizontal flight exceeded the speed of sound, accelerating to almost 1070 km / h. This turned it into the first mass-produced supersonic aircraft. Developers Mikoyan and Gurevich were clearly proud of their brainchild.

For combat flights, the MiG-17 was considered near-sonic, since its cruising speed did not exceed 861 km / h. But this did not prevent the fighter from becoming one of the most widespread in the world. At various times, he was in service with Germany, China, Korea, Poland, Pakistan and dozens of other countries. This monster even took part in the fighting in the Vietnam War.

The MiG-17 is far from the only representative of the supersonic aircraft genre. We will tell you about a dozen more air liners that also surpassed the sound wave and became famous all over the world.

Bell X-1

The US Air Force specially equipped the Bell X-1 with a rocket engine, as they wanted to use it to study the problems of supersonic flight. On October 14, 1947, the device accelerated to 1541 km / h (Mach 1.26), overcame the predetermined barrier and turned into a star in the sky. Today, the record-breaking model rests in the Smithsonian Museum in the States.

Source: NASA

North American X-15

The North American X-15 is also powered by rocket motors. But, unlike its American counterpart Bell X-1, this aircraft reached a speed of 6167 km / h (Mach 5.58), becoming the first and for 40 years the only manned hypersonic aircraft in the history of mankind (since 1959) who performed suborbital manned space flights. With its help, even the reaction of the atmosphere to the entrance of winged bodies into it was studied. In total, three units of Kh-15 rocket gliders were produced.

Source: NASA

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

It is a sin not to use supersonic aircraft for military purposes. Therefore, the US Air Force designed the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, a strategic reconnaissance aircraft with a maximum speed of 3,700 km / h (Mach 3.5). The main advantages are fast acceleration and high maneuverability, which allowed him to evade missiles. Also, the SR-71 was the first aircraft to be equipped with technologies for reducing radar signature.

A total of 32 units were built, 12 of which crashed. Removed from service in 1998.

Source: af.mil

MiG-25

We cannot but recall the domestic MiG-25 - a supersonic high-altitude fighter-interceptor of the 3rd generation with a maximum speed of 3000 km / h (Mach 2.83). The plane was so cool that even the Japanese were coveting it. Therefore, on September 6, 1976, Soviet pilot Viktor Belenko had to hijack a MiG-25. After that, over the course of many years in many parts of the Union, planes began to refuel incompletely. The goal is to prevent them from reaching the nearest foreign airport.

Source: Alexey Beltyukov

MiG-31

Soviet scientists did not stop working for the air good of the fatherland. Therefore, in 1968, the design of the MiG-31 began. And on September 16, 1975, he first visited the sky. This two-seater supersonic all-weather long-range interceptor fighter accelerated to a speed of 2500 km / h (Mach 2.35) and became the first fourth-generation Soviet combat aircraft.

The MiG-31 is designed to intercept and destroy air targets at extremely low, low, medium and high altitudes, day and night, in simple and difficult weather conditions, with active and passive radar jamming, as well as false thermal targets. Four MiG-31s ​​can control airspace up to 900 kilometers long. This is not an airplane, but the pride of the Union, which is still in service with Russia and Kazakhstan.

Source: Vitaly Kuzmin

Lockheed / Boeing F-22 Raptor

The most expensive supersonic aircraft was built by the Americans. They modeled a fifth-generation multi-role fighter that became the most expensive among their colleagues. The Lockheed / Boeing F-22 Raptor is currently the only fifth-generation fighter in service and the first production fighter with a supersonic cruising speed of 1890 km / h (Mach 1.78). The maximum speed is 2,570 km / h (Mach 2.42). Until now, no one has surpassed him in the air.

Source: af.mil

Su-100 / T-4

Su-100 / T-4 ("weaving") was developed as a fighter for aircraft carriers. But the engineers of the Sukhoi Design Bureau managed not only to achieve their goal, but to model a cool strike-reconnaissance bomber-missile carrier, which they later wanted to use even as a passenger aircraft and an accelerator for the Spiral aerospace system. The maximum speed of the T-4 is 3200 km / h (Mach 3).

In the early 60s, it became clear that the USSR needed a supersonic passenger aircraft, because the main jet liner of that time, the Tu-104, flew from Moscow to Khabarovsk with two intermediate landings for refueling. Turboprop Tu-114 performed non-stop flights on this route, but the flight was as much as 14 hours. A supersonic Tu-144 would cover the distance of 8500 kilometers in 3.5 hours! The Soviet Union needed a new modern supersonic passenger aircraft (SPS) to ensure the growing passenger traffic in the conditions of long transcontinental routes.

However, a detailed analysis and study of the proposed ATP projects based on the first supersonic bombers showed that the creation of an effective competitive ATP by modifying a military prototype is an extremely difficult task. The first supersonic combat heavy aircraft, in terms of their design solutions, basically met the requirements of a relatively short-term supersonic flight. For the ATP, it was required to provide a long cruising flight at speeds of at least two speeds of sound - a Mach number equal to 2 (M = 2). The specifics of the task of transporting passengers additionally required a significant increase in the reliability of the operation of all structural elements of the aircraft, subject to more intensive operation, taking into account the increase in the duration of flights at supersonic modes. Analyzing all possible options for technical solutions, aviation specialists both in the USSR and in the West, came to the firm opinion that an economically effective ATP should be designed as a fundamentally new type of aircraft.

During the creation of the Soviet SPS, a number of scientific and technical problems were posed before the domestic aviation science and industry, which our neither subsonic passenger nor military supersonic aviation faced. First of all, to ensure the required flight and technical characteristics of the ATP, this is a flight at a speed of M = 2 for a range of up to 6500 km with 100-120 passengers, in combination with acceptable take-off and landing data, it was required to significantly improve the aerodynamic quality of the aircraft at cruising flight speeds. It was necessary to solve the issues of stability and controllability of a heavy aircraft during flights in the subsonic, transonic and supersonic regions, to develop practical methods for balancing the aircraft in all these modes, taking into account the minimization of aerodynamic losses. A long flight at a speed of M = 2 was associated with research and ensuring the strength of the structure and airframe assemblies at elevated temperatures close to 100-120 degrees C, it was necessary to create heat-resistant structural materials, lubricants, sealants, and also to develop types of structures capable of operating for a long time in conditions of cyclic aerodynamic heating.

The aerodynamic appearance of the Tu-144 was determined mainly by obtaining a long flight range in a cruising supersonic mode, subject to obtaining the required stability and controllability characteristics, as well as the specified take-off and landing characteristics. The aerodynamic quality of the Tu-144 at double the speed of sound was 8.1, on the Concorde it was 7.7, and for most of the supersonic MiGs of the mid-60s of the last century, the AK did not exceed the coefficient equal to 3.4. In the design of the airframe of the first ATP, traditional aluminum alloys were mainly used, 20% of it was made of titanium, which tolerates heating well up to 200 degrees C. The only aircraft in the world in which titanium was also used is SR-71, the famous Blackbird ", An American supersonic reconnaissance aircraft.

TU-144D No. 77115 at the MAKS 2015 air show / Photo (c) Andrey Velichko

Based on the conditions for obtaining the required aerodynamic quality and optimal operating modes of the airframe, systems and aircraft assemblies at subsonic and supersonic speeds, we opted for a tailless low-wing design with a composite delta wing of an ogival shape. The wing was formed by two triangular surfaces with a sweep angle along the leading edge of 78 ° and 55 ° for the rear base part. Four TRDDFs were located under the wing. The vertical tail was located along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. Traditional aluminum alloys were mainly used in the airframe design. The wing was formed from symmetrical profiles and had a complex twist in two directions: longitudinal and transverse. This achieved the best flow around the wing surface in the supersonic mode, in addition, such a twist helped to improve the longitudinal balancing in this mode.

The construction of the first prototype Tu-144 ("044") began in 1965, while the second prototype was being built for static tests. The experienced "044" was originally designed for 98 passengers, later this figure was increased to 120. Accordingly, the estimated take-off weight increased from 130 to 150 tons. The prototype was built in Moscow in the shops of the MMZ "Opyt", some of the units were manufactured at its branches. In 1967, the assembly of the main elements of the aircraft was completed. At the end of 1967, the experienced "044" was transported to the Zhukovskaya flight-test and development base, where, throughout 1968, finishing work and additional equipment of the machine with the missing systems and assemblies were carried out.

At the same time, flights of the MiG-21I analogue aircraft (A-144, "21-11"), created on the basis of the MiG-21S fighter, began at the LII airfield. An analogue was created in the AI ​​Mikoyan Design Bureau and had a wing geometrically and aerodynamically similar to the wing of the experimental "044". In total, two 21-11 aircraft were built, and many test pilots flew on them, including those who were to test the Tu-144. The analog aircraft successfully reached a speed of 2500 km / h, the materials of these flights served as the basis for the final refinement of the Tu-144 wing, and also allowed test pilots to prepare for the peculiarities of the behavior of an aircraft with such a wing.

At the end of 1968, the experienced "044" (board number 68001) was ready for the first flight. A crew was assigned to the vehicle, consisting of: the ship's commander - Honored Test Pilot E.V. Yelyan (who then received a Hero of the Soviet Union for the Tu-144); co-pilot - Honored Test Pilot Hero of the Soviet Union M.V. Kozlov; leading test engineer V. N. Benderov and flight engineer Yu. T. Seliverstov. Considering the novelty of the aircraft, the Design Bureau took an extraordinary decision: for the first time, it was decided to install ejection crew seats on an experimental passenger aircraft.

During the month, engine races, runs, ground system checks were carried out. From the beginning of the third decade of December 1968, "044" was in prelaunch readiness, the car and the crew were completely ready for the first flight, during all these ten days there was no weather over the LII airfield, and the experienced Tu-144 remained on the ground. Finally, on the last day of the outgoing 1968, 25 seconds after the moment of launch, "044" for the first time took off from the LII airfield runway and quickly gained altitude. The first flight lasted 37 minutes, during the flight the car was accompanied by an analogue plane "21-11". Tu-144 managed to take off two months earlier than its Anglo-French "colleague" - the Concorde liner, which made its first flight on March 2, 1969.

According to the crew, the car proved to be obedient and "flying". The first sortie was attended by A. N. Tupolev, A. A. Tupolev, many heads of the OKB divisions. The first flight of the Tu-144 became an event of global importance and an important moment in the history of domestic and world aviation. For the first time, a supersonic passenger aircraft took off.

On June 3, 1973, the first production car crashed during a demonstration flight at Le Bourget. The commander, test pilot MV Kozlov, co-pilot VM Molchanov, deputy chief designer VN Benderov, flight engineer AI Dralin, navigator GN Bazhenov, engineer BA Pervukhin were killed. To investigate the disaster, a commission was created, in which experts from the USSR and France took part. According to the results of the investigation, the French noted that there was no refusal in the technical part of the aircraft; in case of a fall, it could jam the control wheel. E. V. Elyan spoke most succinctly and accurately about the Tu-144 disaster at Le Bourget in the 90s: flight control services led to tragic consequences. "

Nevertheless, the Tu-144 began to make regular flights. The first working flight was performed on December 26, 1975 on the Moscow-Alma-Ata route, where the plane transported mail and parcels, and in November 1977, passenger traffic began in the same direction.

The flights were carried out by only two aircraft - No. 77108 and No. 77109. Aeroflot pilots flew only as co-pilots, while the crew commanders were always test pilots of the Tupolev Design Bureau. A ticket cost a lot of money at that time - 82 rubles, and for a regular flight Il-18 or Tu-114 on the same route - 48 rubles.

From an economic point of view, after a while it became clear that the operation of the Tu-144 was unprofitable - the supersonic aircraft flew half-empty, and after 7 months the Tu-144 was removed from regular flights. Concorde experienced similar problems: only 14 planes flew from Europe to America, and even expensive tickets could not compensate the airlines for huge fuel costs. Unlike the Tu-144, the flights of the Concordes were subsidized by the governments of France and Great Britain almost until the beginning of the 90s. The cost of a ticket on the London-New York route in 1986 was 2,745 USD. Only very wealthy people could afford such expensive flights, for whom the formula "time is money" is the main credo of existence. In the West, there were such people and for them flights on Concordes was a natural saving of time and money, as evidenced by their total flight time on intercontinental routes in 1989 in 325,000 flight hours. Therefore, we can assume that the Concorde program for the British and French was sufficiently commercial, and subsidies were allocated to maintain prestige towards the Americans.

On May 23, 1978, the second Tu-144 crash occurred. An improved prototype of the Tu-144D aircraft (No. 77111), after fuel ignited in the nacelle area of ​​the 3rd power plant due to the destruction of the fuel line, smoke in the cockpit and the crew shutting off two engines, made an emergency landing on a field near the village of Ilyinsky Pogost, not far from the city Yegoryevsk. The crew commander V.D. Popov, co-pilot E.V. Elyan and navigator V.V. Vyazigin were able to leave the plane through the cockpit window. Engineers V. M. Kulesh, V. A. Isaev, V. N. Stolpovsky who were in the cabin left the plane through the front entrance door. Flight engineers O. A. Nikolaev and V. L. Venediktov were trapped in the workplace by structures deformed during landing and died. The deflected nose cone touched the ground first, it worked like a bulldozer knife, entering the ground, turned under the bottom and entered the fuselage. On June 1, 1978 Aeroflot ceased supersonic passenger flights for good.

Subsequently, the Tu-144D was used only for freight traffic between Moscow and Khabarovsk. In total, the Tu-144 made 102 flights under the Aeroflot flag, of which 55 were passenger, which carried 3,194 passengers.

Later, the Tu-144 made only test flights and several flights in order to establish world records. From 1995 to 1999, one significantly modified Tu-144D (# 77114) called the Tu-144LL was used by the US space agency NASA for high-speed commercial flight research to develop a plan for a new, state-of-the-art supersonic passenger aircraft. Due to the lack of serviceable engines NK-144 or RD-36-51, the Tu-144LL was equipped with NK-32, similar to those used on the Tu-160, a variety of sensors and control and recording equipment.

In total, 16 Tu-144 aircraft were built, which made a total of 2,556 flights and flew 4,110 hours (most of them, 432 hours, flew 77,144). The construction of four more aircraft was never completed.

The aircraft that remain in flight do not currently exist. Only the Tu-144LL No. 77114 and Tu-144D No. 77115 boards are almost completely completed with parts and can be restored to flight condition. The board No. 77114, which was used for NASA tests, is stored at the Zhukovsky airfield. TU-144D No. 77115 is also kept at the airfield in Zhukovsky. Once every two years, these machines are shown in a static parking lot during the MAKS international aerospace shows.

It is interesting to compare the fate of the Tu-144 and the Anglo-French "Concorde" - machines that are similar in purpose, design and time of creation. First of all, it should be noted that the Concorde was designed mainly for supersonic flights over the uninhabited expanses of the Atlantic Ocean. According to the conditions of sonic boom, this is the choice of lower altitudes for cruising supersonic flight and, as a result, a smaller wing area, lower take-off weight, lower required cruising thrust of the power plant and specific fuel consumption.

The Tu-144 was mainly to fly over land, so high flight altitudes and the corresponding parameters of the aircraft, the required thrust of the power plant were required. To this should be added less sophisticated engines. In terms of their specific parameters, the Tu-144 engines came close to the "Olympus" only in the latest versions, plus the worst specific parameters of domestic equipment and aircraft units in comparison with Western ones. All these negative initial moments were largely compensated for by the high perfection of the Tu-144 aerodynamics - in terms of the aerodynamic quality obtained during flights in the supersonic cruising mode, the Tu-144 was superior to the Concorde. This was given by the complication of the aircraft design and a decrease in the level of manufacturability in production.

In the USSR, there were no rich business people, so there was no natural market for services that had to satisfy the Tu-144. The aircraft obviously had to become largely subsidized and unprofitable in operation, which is why the program for creating the Tu-144 should be attributed to the concept of the country's prestige. There were no real economic prerequisites for the use of the ATP in the aviation services market of the USSR in the 1960s and 1970s. As a result, on the one hand, the heroic efforts of the Design Bureau of A.N. Tupolev and other enterprises and organizations of the Ministry of Aviation Industry for the development of the Tu-144, and on the other hand, the initial emotional uplift and support from the leadership of the country, which gradually turned into indifference and, to a large extent, slowdown on the part of Aeroflot's management, which, by and large, simply did not need a marginal headache with the development of the complex Tu-144 complex. Therefore, in the early 80s, when the features of the coming economic and political crisis began to clearly emerge in the USSR, the Tu-144 program was one of the first to suffer.

The Cold War, which took place between the USA and the USSR in 1946-1991, is long over. At least that's what many experts think. However, the arms race did not stop for a minute, and even today it is at the stage of active development. Despite the fact that today the main threats to the country are terrorist groups, relations between the world powers are also tense. All this creates conditions for the development of military technologies, one of which is a hypersonic aircraft.

Need

Relations between the United States and Russia are severely strained. And although at the official level the United States is called a partner country in Russia, many political and military experts argue that there is an unspoken war between the countries, not only on the political front, but also on the military in the form of an arms race. In addition, the United States is actively using NATO to surround Russia with its missile defense systems.

This cannot but worry the leadership of Russia, which has long begun to develop unmanned aerial vehicles that surpass hypersonic speed. These drones can be equipped with a nuclear warhead, and they will be able to deliver a bomb anywhere in the world without hindrance, and quite quickly. A similar hypersonic aircraft has already been created - this is the U-71 airliner, which is being tested today in strict secrecy.

Development of hypersonic weapons

For the first time, airplanes that could fly at the speed of sound began to be tested in the 50s of the 20th century. Then it was still associated with the so-called Cold War, when two developed powers (the USSR and the USA) tried to overtake each other in the arms race. The first project was the Spiral system, which was a compact orbital aircraft. It had to compete with and even surpass the US X-20 Dyna Soar hypersonic aircraft. Also, the Soviet aircraft had to have the ability to reach speeds of up to 7000 km / h and at the same time not fall apart in the atmosphere during overloads.

And although Soviet scientists and designers tried to implement such an idea, they could not even come close to the cherished characteristics. The prototype did not even take off, but the Soviet government breathed a sigh of relief when the American plane also failed during the tests. The technologies of that time, including in the aviation industry, were infinitely far from the present, so the creation of an aircraft that could several times exceed the speed of sound was doomed to failure.

However, in 1991, an aircraft was tested that could reach speeds exceeding the speed of sound. It was the Kholod flying laboratory, created on the basis of the 5V28 rocket. The test was successful, and then the plane was able to reach a speed of 1900 km / h. Despite the progress, development was stopped after 1998 due to the economic crisis.

21st century technology

There is no accurate and official information on the development of hypersonic aircraft. However, if we collect materials from open sources, we can conclude that such developments were carried out in several directions at once:

1. Creation of warheads for intercontinental ballistic missiles. Their mass exceeded the mass of standard missiles, however, due to the possibility of maneuvering in the atmosphere, it is impossible to intercept them with missile defense systems, or at least extremely difficult.
2. The development of the Zircon complex is another area of ​​technology development, which is based on the use of the Yakhont supersonic missile launcher.
3. Creation of a complex, the missiles of which can exceed the speed of sound 13 times.

If all these projects are united in one holding, then by joint efforts an air, land or ship-based missile can be created. If the Prompt Global Strike project, created in the United States, is successful, then the Americans will have the opportunity to strike anywhere in the world within one hour. Russia will be able to defend itself only with technologies of its own design.

American and British specialists are recording tests of supersonic missiles, which can reach speeds of up to 11,200 km / h. Given such a high speed, it is almost impossible to shoot them down (not a single missile defense system in the world is capable of this). Moreover, they even lend themselves to surveillance extremely difficult. There is very little information about the project, which sometimes appears under the name "U-71".

What is known about the Russian U-71 hypersonic aircraft?

Given that the project is classified, there is very little information about it. It is known that this glider is part of a supersonic rocket program, and in theory it can fly to New York in 40 minutes. Of course, this information has no official confirmation and exists at the level of guesses and rumors. But given the fact that Russian supersonic missiles can reach speeds of 11,200 km / h, such conclusions seem quite logical.

According to various sources, the Yu-71 hypersonic aircraft:

1. Possesses high maneuverability.
2. Can plan.
3. Able to reach speeds of over 11,000 km / h.
4. It can go into space during the flight.

Statements

At the moment, the tests of the Yu-71 hypersonic aircraft of Russia have not yet been completed. However, some experts argue that by 2025, Russia may receive this supersonic glider, and it can be equipped with nuclear weapons. Such an aircraft will be put into service, and in theory it will be capable of delivering a precision nuclear strike anywhere in the world within just one hour.

Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's envoy to NATO, said that the once most developed and advanced industry in the USSR had lagged behind the arms race over the past decades. However, more recently, the army has begun to revive. Outdated Soviet technology is being replaced by new samples of already Russian developments. In addition, the fifth generation weapons, stuck in the 90s in the form of drafts on paper, are gaining visible outlines. According to the politician, new models of Russian weapons can surprise the world with their unpredictability. It is likely that Rogozin is referring to the new Yu-71 hypersonic aircraft, which can carry a nuclear warhead.

It is believed that the development of this aircraft began in 2010, but the United States learned about it only in 2015. If the information about its technical characteristics is true, then the Pentagon will have to solve a difficult task, since the missile defense system used in Europe and on its territory will not be able to provide opposition to such an aircraft. In addition, the United States and many other countries will simply be defenseless against such weapons.

Other functions

In addition to the possibility of inflicting nuclear strikes on the enemy, the glider, thanks to powerful modern electronic warfare equipment, will be able to carry out reconnaissance, as well as disable devices equipped with electronic equipment.

If NATO reports are to be believed, then from about 2020 to 2025, up to 24 such aircraft may appear in the Russian army, which will be able to quietly cross the border and destroy an entire city with just a few shots.

Development plans

Of course, there is no data on the adoption of the promising U-71 aircraft, but it is known that it has been under development since 2009. In this case, the device will be able not only to fly in a straight trajectory, but also to maneuver.

It is maneuverability at hypersonic speeds that will become a feature of the aircraft. Doctor of Military Sciences Konstantin Sivkov argues that intercontinental missiles can develop supersonic speed, but at the same time they act like conventional ballistic warheads. Consequently, their flight path is easily calculated, which makes it possible for the missile defense system to shoot them down. But guided aircraft pose a serious threat to the enemy, since their trajectory is unpredictable. Consequently, it is impossible to determine at what point the bomb will be dropped, and since the drop point cannot be determined, the trajectory of the fall of the warhead is not calculated.

In Tula on September 19, 2012, at a meeting of the military-industrial commission, Dmitry Rogozin said that soon a new holding should be created, the task of which will be to develop hypersonic technologies. The companies that will become part of the holding were immediately named:

1. "Tactical missile weapons".
2. NPO Mashinostroeniya. At the moment, the company is developing supersonic technologies, but at the moment the company is part of the structure of Roskosmos.
3. The next member of the holding should be the Almaz-Antey concern, which is currently developing technologies for the aerospace and anti-missile industry.

Rogozin believes that such a merger is necessary, but the legal aspects do not allow it to take place. It is also noted that the creation of a holding does not imply a takeover by one company by another. This is precisely the merger and joint work of all enterprises, which will accelerate the development of hypersonic technologies.

Igor Korotchenko, Chairman of the Council under the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, also supports the idea of ​​creating a holding company that would be engaged in the development of hypersonic technologies. According to him, the new holding is really necessary, because it will allow all efforts to be directed towards the creation of a promising type of weapons. Both companies have great potential, but separately they will not be able to achieve the results that are possible with a combination of efforts. It is together that they will be able to contribute to the development of the defense complex of the Russian Federation and create the fastest aircraft in the world, the speed of which will exceed expectations.

Weapons as a tool of political struggle

If by 2025, not only hypersonic missiles with nuclear warheads, but also the Yu-71 gliders are in service, this will seriously strengthen Russia's political positions during negotiations with the United States. And this is completely logical, because all countries in the course of negotiations act from a position of strength, dictating conditions favorable to the opposite side. Equal negotiations between the two countries are possible only if both sides have powerful weapons.

During his speech at the Army-2015 conference, Vladimir Putin said that the nuclear forces are receiving 40 new intercontinental missiles. These turned out to be exactly hypersonic missiles, and they can at the moment overcome the existing missile defense systems. Viktor Murakhovsky, a member of the expert council of the military-industrial commission, confirms that ICBMs are being improved every year.

Russia is also testing and developing new cruise missiles that are capable of flying at hypersonic speeds. They can approach targets at ultra-low altitudes, making them virtually invisible to radars. Moreover, modern missile defense systems in service with NATO cannot hit such missiles due to their low flight altitude. In addition, in theory, they are capable of intercepting targets moving at speeds of up to 800 meters per second, and the speed of the Yu-71 aircraft and cruise missiles is much higher. This makes NATO missile defense systems almost useless.

Projects of other countries

It is known that China and the United States are also developing an analogue of the Russian hypersonic aircraft. The characteristics of the enemy models are still unclear, but it can already be assumed that the Chinese development is capable of competing with the Russian aircraft.

Known as the Wu-14, the Chinese aircraft was tested in 2012, and even then it was able to reach speeds of over 11,000 km / h. However, nowhere is it said about the weapons that this device is capable of carrying.

As for the American Falcon HTV-2 drone, it was tested several years ago, but on the 10th minute of the flight, it crashed. However, before it, the X-43A hypersonic aircraft was tested by NASA engineers. During the tests, he showed a fantastic speed - 11,200 km / h, which exceeds the speed of sound by 9.6 times. The prototype was tested in 2001, but then during the tests it was destroyed due to the fact that it got out of control. But in 2004 the device was successfully tested.

Such tests by Russia, China and the United States cast doubt on the effectiveness of modern missile defense systems. The introduction of hypersonic technologies in the military-industrial industry is already making a real revolution in the military world.

Conclusion

Of course, the military-technical development of Russia cannot but rejoice, and the availability of such an aircraft for the army is a big step in improving the country's defense capability, but it is foolish to believe that other world powers are not making attempts to develop such technologies.

Even today, with free access to information via the Internet, we know very little about promising developments in domestic weapons, and the description of the Yu-71 is known only from rumors. Consequently, we are not even close to knowing what technologies are being developed right now in other countries, including China and the United States. The active development of technologies in the 21st century makes it possible to quickly invent new types of fuel and apply previously unfamiliar technical and technological methods, therefore, the development of aircraft, including military ones, is proceeding very quickly.

It is worth noting that the development of technologies that make it possible to achieve an aircraft speed 10 times the speed of sound will be reflected not only in the military, but also in the civilian sphere. In particular, such well-known airliner manufacturers as Airbus or Boeing have already announced the possibility of creating hypersonic aircraft for passenger air transportation. Of course, such projects are still only in the plans, but the likelihood of developing such aircraft today is quite high.

Tu-144 is a Soviet supersonic aircraft developed by the Tupolev Design Bureau in the 1960s. Along with the Concorde, it is one of only two supersonic airliners ever used by airlines for commercial travel.

In the 60s, in the aviation circles of the USA, Great Britain, France and the USSR, projects to create a supersonic passenger aircraft with a maximum speed of 2500-3000 km / h and a flight range of at least 6-8 thousand km were actively discussed. In November 1962, France and Great Britain signed an agreement on the joint development and construction of the Concorde (Concord).

Supersonic aircraft creators

In the Soviet Union, the design bureau of academician Andrei Tupolev was engaged in the creation of a supersonic aircraft. At a preliminary meeting of the Design Bureau in January 1963, Tupolev said:

“Thinking about the future of air transportation of people from one continent to another, you come to an unambiguous conclusion: supersonic air liners are undoubtedly needed, and I have no doubt that they will come into life ...”

The academician's son, Aleksey Tupolev, was appointed the lead designer of the project. More than a thousand specialists from other organizations worked closely with his OKB. The creation was preceded by extensive theoretical and experimental work, which included numerous tests in wind tunnels and natural conditions during analogue flights.

Concorde and Tu-144

The developers had to smash their brains to find the optimal machine layout. The speed of the designed liner is of fundamental importance - 2500 or 3000 km / h. The Americans, having learned that the Concorde is designed for 2500 km / h, announced that they would release their passenger Boeing-2707 made of steel and titanium just six months later. Only these materials could withstand the heating of the structure without destructive consequences in contact with the air flow at speeds of 3000 km / h and higher. However, solid steel and titanium structures still need to undergo rigorous process and operational testing. This will take a long time, and Tupolev decides to build a supersonic aircraft from duralumin, based on a speed of 2500 km / h. The American Boeing project was subsequently canceled altogether.

In June 1965, the model was shown at the annual Paris Air Show. The Concorde and the Tu-144 turned out to be strikingly similar to each other. Soviet designers said - nothing surprising: the general form is determined by the laws of aerodynamics and the requirements for a particular type of machine.

Supersonic aircraft wing shape

But what should be the shape of the wing? We settled on a thin triangular wing with the outline of the leading edge in the form of the letter "8". The tailless scheme - inevitable with such a design of the bearing plane - made the supersonic airliner stable and well-controlled in all flight modes. Four engines were located under the fuselage, closer to the axis. The fuel is stored in wing-coffered tanks. The balance tanks, located at the rear of the fuselage and wing overlays, are designed to change the position of the center of gravity during the transition from subsonic to supersonic flight speed. The nose was made sharp and smooth. But how do you provide the pilots with forward visibility? Found a way out - "bowing nose". The circular fuselage had a cockpit nose cone that tilted downward at an angle of 12 degrees during takeoff and 17 degrees during landing.

A supersonic plane takes to the sky

For the first time, a supersonic plane takes to the skies on the last day of 1968. The car was driven by test pilot E. Elyan. As a passenger aircraft, it was the first in the world to overcome the speed of sound in early June 1969, at an altitude of 11 kilometers. The supersonic aircraft took the second speed of sound (2M) in the middle of 1970, being at an altitude of 16.3 kilometers. The supersonic aircraft incorporates many design and technical innovations. Here I would like to mention such a solution as the front horizontal tail. When using the PGO, the flight maneuverability was improved and the speed was suppressed during the landing approach. Domestic supersonic aircraft could be operated from two dozen airports, while the French-English Concorde, having a high landing speed, could only land at a certified airport. The designers of the Tupolev Design Bureau did a tremendous job. Take, for example, field testing of a wing. They took place at a flying laboratory - the MiG-21I, converted specifically for testing the design and equipment of the wing of the future supersonic aircraft.

Development and modification

Work on the development of the basic design of the "044" went in two directions: the creation of a new economical turbojet engine of the RD-36-51 type and a significant improvement in the aerodynamics and design of a supersonic aircraft. The result was to meet the requirements for the range of supersonic flight. The decision of the Commission of the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the version of the supersonic aircraft with the RD-36-51 was adopted in 1969. At the same time, at the suggestion of the MAP - MGA, a decision is made, until the creation of the RD-36-51 and their installation on a supersonic aircraft, on the construction of six supersonic aircraft with NK-144A with reduced specific fuel consumption. The design of serial supersonic aircraft with the NK-144A was supposed to be significantly modernized, to make significant changes in aerodynamics, having received more than 8 Kmax at the supersonic cruising mode. series on RD-36-51.

Construction of a modernized supersonic aircraft

Construction of the pre-production modernized Tu-144 ("004)" began at MMZ "Experience" in 1968. According to the calculated data with the NK-144 engines (Cp = 2.01), the estimated supersonic range should have been 3275 km, and with the NK-144A (Cp = 1.91), exceed 3500 km. In order to improve the aerodynamic characteristics in cruising mode M = 2.2, the wing shape was changed in plan (the sweep of the flowing part along the leading edge was reduced to 76 °, and the base part was increased to 57 °), the wing shape became closer to the "Gothic" one. Compared with the "044", the wing area has increased, a more intensive conical twist of the wing end parts has been introduced. However, the most important innovation in wing aerodynamics was the change in the middle part of the wing, which ensured self-balancing in cruise mode with minimal loss of quality, taking into account the optimization of flight deformations of the wing in this mode. The length of the fuselage was increased to accommodate 150 passengers, the shape of the bow was improved, which also had a positive effect on aerodynamics.

In contrast to "044", each pair of engines in paired engine nacelles with air intakes was pushed apart, releasing the lower part of the fuselage from them, relieving it from increased temperature and vibration loads, while changing the lower wing surface in the place of the calculated flow compression region, increased the gap between the lower surface wing and the upper surface of the air intake - all this made it possible to use more intensively the effect of flow compression at the inlet to the air intakes on the Kmax than it was possible to get on the "044". The new layout of the engine nacelles required changes in the chassis: the main landing gear struts were placed under the engine nacelles, with their retraction inside between the air channels of the engines, they switched to an eight-wheeled trolley, and the nose landing gear retraction scheme was also changed. An important difference between "004" and "044" was the introduction of a front multi-section retractable in-flight destabilizer wing, which was extended from the fuselage in take-off and landing modes, and made it possible to provide the required balancing with deflected flaps elevons. Modifications to the design, an increase in payload and fuel reserve led to an increase in take-off weight, which exceeded 190 tons (for "044" - 150 tons).

Pre-production Tu-144

The construction of the pre-production supersonic aircraft No. 01-1 (side No. 77101) was completed at the beginning of 1971, and on June 1, 1971 it made its first flight. According to the factory test program, the aircraft performed 231 flights, lasting 338 hours, of which 55 hours flew in supersonic mode. On this machine, complex issues of interaction of the power plant in various flight modes were worked out. On September 20, 1972, the car flew along the Moscow-Tashkent highway, while the route was completed in 1 hour 50 minutes, the cruising speed during the flight reached 2500 km / h. The pre-production aircraft became the basis for the deployment of serial production at the Voronezh Aviation Plant (VAZ), which was ordered by the government to develop a series of supersonic aircraft.

The first flight of the serial Tu-144

The first flight of serial supersonic aircraft No. 01-2 (side No. 77102) powered by NK-144A engines took place on March 20, 1972. In the series, according to the results of tests of the pre-production machine, the aerodynamics of the wing was corrected and its area was slightly increased again. The takeoff weight in the series reached 195 tons. The specific fuel consumption of the NK-144A by the time of operational tests of serial machines was intended to be increased to 1.65-1.67 kg / kgf h by optimizing the engine nozzle, and later to 1.57 kg / kgf h, while the flight range should was to increase to 3855-4250 km and 4550 km, respectively. In fact, they were able to achieve by 1977, during tests and refinements of the Tu-144 and NK-144A series, Cp = 1.81 kg / kgf hour at cruising supersonic thrust mode 5000 kgf, Cp = 1.65 kg / kgf hour at takeoff afterburner thrust mode 20,000 kgf, Cp = 0.92 kg / kgf hour at a subsonic cruising mode of thrust of 3000 kgf and at a maximum afterburner mode in a transonic mode, they received 11,800 kgf. A fragment of a supersonic aircraft.

Flights and tests of a supersonic aircraft

First stage of testing

In a short period of time, in strict accordance with the program, 395 flights were performed with a total flight time of 739 hours, including more than 430 hours at supersonic modes.

Second stage of testing

At the second stage of operational tests, in accordance with the joint order of the Ministers of the Aviation Industry and Civil Aviation of September 13, 1977, No. 149-223, a more active connection of the means and services of civil aviation took place. A new commission was formed to conduct tests, headed by the Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation B.D. Rude. By the decision of the commission, then confirmed by a joint order dated September 30 - October 5, 1977, the crews were assigned to conduct operational tests:

1. The first crew: pilots B.F. Kuznetsov (Moscow Transport Department of Civil Aviation), S.T. Agapov (ZhLiDB), navigator S.P. Khramov (MTU GA), flight engineers Yu.N. Avayev (MTU GA), Yu.T. Seliverstov (ZhLiDB), leading engineer S.P. Avakimov (ZhLiDB).
2. Second crew: pilots V.P. Voronin (Moscow State University GA), I.K. Vedernikov (ZhLiDB), navigator A.A. Senyuk (MTU GA), flight engineers E.A. Trebuntsov (MTU GA) and V.V. Solomatin (ZhLiDB), leading engineer V.V. Isaev (GosNIIGA).
3. Third crew: pilots M.S. Kuznetsov (GosNIIGA), G.V. Voronchenko (ZhLiDB), navigator V.V. Vyazigin (GosNIIGA), flight engineers M.P. Isaev (MTU GA), V.V. Solomatin (ZhLiDB), leading engineer V.N. Poklad (ZhLiDB).
4. The fourth crew: pilots N.I. Yurskov (GosNIIGA), V.A. Sevankaev (ZhLiDB), navigator Yu.A. Vasiliev (GosNIIGA), flight engineer V.L. Venediktov (GosNIIGA), leading engineer I.S. Mayboroda (GosNIIGA).

Before the start of the tests, a lot of work was done to review all the materials received in order to use them "for offset" to meet specific requirements. However, despite this, some civil aviation specialists insisted on the implementation of the "Program for operational tests of a supersonic aircraft" developed at GosNIIGA back in 1975 under the leadership of the leading engineer A.M. Teterukov. This program essentially required the repetition of previously performed flights in the amount of 750 flights (1200 flight hours) on the MGA routes.

The total volume of operational flights and tests for both stages will amount to 445 flights with 835 flight hours, of which 475 hours at supersonic modes. There were performed 128 pair flights on the Moscow-Alma-Ata route.

The final stage

The final test phase was not technically challenging. Rhythmic work on a schedule was ensured without major disruptions and major defects. The engineering and technical crews were “having fun”, assessing household equipment, preparing for passenger transportation. The flight attendants and the corresponding specialists of GosNIIGA, connected to the tests, began to conduct ground trainings to test the technology of servicing passengers in flight. The so-called. "Raffles" and two technical flights with passengers. The “raffle” was held on October 16, 1977 with a complete simulation of the cycle of ticket check-in, baggage clearance, passenger boarding, flight duration, passengers disembarkation, baggage check-in at the destination airport. From the “passengers” (the best workers of OKB, ZhLiDB, GosNIIGA and other organizations) there was no end. The ration of food in the "flight" was at the highest level, since it was approved according to the first class menu, everyone enjoyed it very much. The "raffle" made it possible to clarify many important elements and details of passenger service. On October 20 and 21, 1977, two technical flights were performed along the Moscow-Alma-Ata highway with passengers. The first passengers were employees of many organizations who were directly involved in the creation and testing of a supersonic aircraft. Today it is even difficult to imagine the atmosphere on board: a feeling of joy and pride reigned there, a great hope for development against the background of first-class service, to which technical people are absolutely not accustomed. On the first flights, all the heads of the leading institutes and organizations were on board.

The road is open for passenger traffic

Technical flights passed without serious comments and showed the full readiness of the supersonic aircraft and all ground services for regular flights. On October 25, 1977, the Minister of Civil Aviation of the USSR B.P. Bugaev and Minister of Aviation Industry of the USSR V.A. Kazakov approved the main document: "Act on the results of operational tests of a supersonic aircraft with NK-144 engines" with a positive conclusion and conclusions.

On the basis of the presented tables of compliance of the Tu-144 with the requirements of the Temporary Airworthiness Standards of the civil Tu-144 of the USSR, the full volume of the presented evidentiary documentation, including acts on state and operational tests, on October 29, 1977, Chairman of the USSR State Aviation Register I.K. Mulkidzhanov approved the conclusion and signed the first in the USSR certificate of airworthiness of type No. 03-144 for a supersonic aircraft with NK-144A engines.

The road was opened for passenger traffic.

The supersonic aircraft could land and take off at 18 airports in the USSR, while the Concordu, whose takeoff and landing speed was 15% higher, required a separate landing certificate for each airport. According to some experts, if the engines of the Concorde were located in the same way as that of the Tu-144, then the accident on July 25, 2000 would not have happened.

According to experts, the design of the Tu-144 airframe was perfect, while the flaws concerned engines and various systems.

The second production copy of a supersonic aircraft

In June 1973, the 30th International Paris Air Show took place in France. There was enormous interest aroused by the Soviet Tu-144, the world's first supersonic aircraft. On June 2, thousands of visitors to the air show in the Paris suburb of Le Bourget watched the second production prototype of a supersonic aircraft enter the runway. The roar of four engines, a powerful takeoff - and now the car is in the air. The ship's sharp nose straightened and aimed at the sky. The supersonic Tu, led by Captain Kozlov, made its first demonstration flight over Paris: after gaining the required altitude, the car went over the horizon, then returned and made a circle over the airfield. The flight took place in normal mode, no technical problems were noted.

The next day, the Soviet crew decided to show everything that the new one is capable of.

Disaster during the demonstration

The sunny morning of June 3 did not seem to bode well. At first, everything went according to plan - the audience, raising their heads, applauded in unison. The supersonic plane, having shown the "highest class", went down. At that moment, the French Mirage fighter appeared in the air (as it turned out later, he was filming an air show). A collision seemed inevitable. In order not to crash into the airfield and spectators, the crew commander decided to climb higher and pulled the steering wheel towards himself. However, the height had already been lost, and heavy loads were placed on the structure; as a result, the right wing cracked and fell off. A fire broke out there, and after a few seconds the blazing supersonic plane rushed to the ground. A terrible landing took place on one of the streets of the Parisian suburb of Gusenville. The giant car, destroying everything in its path, crashed to the ground and exploded. The entire crew - six people - and eight Frenchmen on the ground were killed. Gusenville also suffered - several buildings were destroyed. What led to the tragedy? According to most experts, the cause of the disaster was an attempt by the crew of a supersonic aircraft to avoid a collision with the Mirage. During the landing approach, the Tu was caught in a wake from the French Mirage fighter.

Video: The crash of the Tu-144 in 1973: how it was

This version can be found in Gene Alexander's book, Russian Airplanes Since 1944, and in an article in the Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine for June 11, 1973, written on fresh tracks. The authors believe that pilot Mikhail Kozlov landed on the wrong runway - either by mistake of the flight director, or by the inattention of the pilots. The dispatcher noticed the error in time and warned the Soviet pilots. But instead of going around, Kozlov laid a sharp turn - and found himself right in front of the nose of the French Air Force fighter. At that time, the co-pilot was filming with a movie camera a story about the Tu crew for French television and therefore was not wearing his seatbelt. During the maneuver, he fell onto the center console, and while returning to his place, he had already lost altitude. Kozlov abruptly pulled the steering wheel towards himself - overload: the right wing could not stand it. And here is another explanation for the terrible tragedy. Kozlov was ordered to squeeze the maximum out of the car. Even during takeoff, he took an almost vertical angle at low speed. For a liner with such a configuration, this is fraught with enormous overloads. As a result, one of the external nodes could not stand it and fell off.

According to the employees of the Tupolev Design Bureau, the cause of the disaster was the connection of an unsettled analog block of the control system, which led to a destructive overload.

The spy version belongs to the writer James Olberg. In short, it is as follows. The Soviets tried to "beat" the Concorde. The group of N. D. Kuznetsova created good engines, but they could not work at low temperatures, unlike the Concord ones. Then Soviet intelligence officers got involved in the case. Penkovsky, through his agent Grevil Wyne, obtained some of the Concorde's blueprints and shipped them to Moscow through an East German trade representative. British counterintelligence thus established the leak, but, instead of arresting the spy, decided to let disinformation into Moscow through his own channels. As a result, the Tu-144 was born, very similar to the Concorde. It is difficult to establish the truth, since the “black boxes” have not clarified anything. One was found in Bourges, at the crash site, but reportedly damaged. The second was never found. It is believed that the "black box" of a supersonic aircraft has become a point of contention between the KGB and the GRU.

According to the pilots, emergency situations occurred in almost every flight. On May 23, 1978, the second supersonic plane crash occurred. An improved experimental version of the liner, Tu-144D (No. 77111), after fuel ignition in the nacelle area of ​​the 3rd power plant due to the destruction of the fuel line, smoke in the cockpit and the crew shutting off two engines, made an emergency landing on a field near the village of Ilyinsky Pogost, not far from the city Yegoryevsk.

After landing through the cockpit window, crew commander V.D.Popov, co-pilot E.V. Elyan and navigator V.V. Vyazigin left the airliner. Engineers V. M. Kulesh, V. A. Isaev, V. N. Stolpovsky who were in the cabin left the liner through the front entrance door. Flight engineers O. A. Nikolaev and V. L. Venediktov were trapped in the workplace by structures deformed during landing and died. (The deflected nose cone touched the ground first, worked like a bulldozer knife, picking up the ground, and turned under the belly, entering the fuselage.) On June 1, 1978, Aeroflot permanently stopped supersonic passenger flights.

Improvement of the supersonic aircraft

Work on improving the supersonic aircraft continued for several more years. Five production aircraft were produced; five more were under construction. A new modification has been developed - Tu-144D (long-range). However, the choice of a new (more economical) engine, RD-36-51, required a significant redesign of the aircraft, especially the power plant. Serious design gaps in this area led to the delay in the release of the new liner. Only in November 1974, the serial Tu-144D (tail number 77105) took off, and nine (!) Years after its first flight, on November 1, 1977, the supersonic aircraft received a certificate of airworthiness. Passenger flights were opened on the same day. During their short operation, the liners carried 3194 passengers. On May 31, 1978, flights were stopped: a fire broke out on one of the serial Tu-144Ds, and the liner crashed during an emergency landing.

The disasters in Paris and Yegoryevsk led to the fact that the interest in the project on the part of the state decreased. From 1977 to 1978, 600 problems were identified. As a result, it was decided to remove the supersonic aircraft already in the 80s, explaining this by "a bad effect on human health when crossing the sound barrier." Nevertheless, four of the five Tu-144Ds that were in production were nevertheless completed. Later they were based in Zhukovsky and took off as flying laboratories. A total of 16 supersonic aircraft (including long-range modifications) were built, making a total of 2556 sorties. By the mid-90s, ten of them survived: four in museums (Monino, Kazan, Kuibyshev, Ulyanovsk); one remained at the factory in Voronezh, where it was built; one more was in Zhukovsky along with four Tu-144Ds.

Subsequently, the Tu-144D was used only for freight traffic between Moscow and Khabarovsk. In total, the supersonic aircraft made 102 flights under the Aeroflot flag, of which 55 were passenger (3,194 passengers were transported).

Later, supersonic aircraft made only test flights and several flights in order to establish world records.

On the Tu-144LL, the NK-32 engines were installed due to the lack of serviceable NK-144 or RD-36-51, similar to those used on the Tu-160, a variety of sensors and test control and recording equipment.

In total, 16 Tu-144 airliners were built, which made a total of 2,556 flights and flew 4,110 hours (of which most of them, 432 hours, flew 77,144). The construction of four more liners was never completed.

What happened to the planes

A total of 16 were built - boards 68001, 77101, 77102, 77105, 77106, 77107, 77108, 77109, 77110, 77111, 77112, 77113, 77114, 77115, 77116 and 77144.

Those remaining in flight status do not currently exist. The Tu-144LL No. 77114 and TU-144D No. 77115 boards are almost completely completed with parts and can be restored to flight condition.

In a recoverable state, TU-144LL No. 77114, which was used for NASA tests, is stored at the airfield in Zhukovsky.

TU-144D No. 77115 is also kept at the airfield in Zhukovsky. In 2007, both airliners were re-painted and exhibited for public visits at the MAKS-2007 air show.

Nos 77114 and 77115 will most likely be installed as monuments or exhibited at the airfield in Zhukovsky. In 2004-2005, some deals were made with them to sell them for scrap, but protests from the aviation community led to their preservation. The danger of selling them for scrap has not been completely eliminated. The questions of whose ownership they will be transferred to have not been finally resolved.

The photo shows the signature of the first cosmonaut to land on the moon, Neil Armstrong, pilot-cosmonaut Georgy Timofeevich Beregovoy, and all the dead crew members. Supersonic aircraft No. 77102 crashed during a demonstration flight at the Le Bourget air show. All 6 crew members (honored test pilot Hero of the Soviet Union M.V. Kozlov, test pilot V.M. Molchanov, navigator G.N. Bazhenov, deputy chief designer, engineer Major General V.N. Benderov, leading engineer B.A. Pervukhin and flight engineer A.I.Dralin) died.

From left to right. Six crew members on board supersonic aircraft # 77102: Honored Test Pilot Hero of the Soviet Union MV Kozlov, Test Pilot VM Molchanov, Navigator GN Bazhenov, Deputy Chief Designer, Engineer Major General VN Benderov, leading engineer B.A. Pervukhin and flight engineer A.I.Dralin (who, unfortunately, did not specify how they stand in order). Further, pilot-cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General Georgy Timofeevich Beregovoy, behind him on the left is Vladimir Alexandrovich Lavrov, then the first American cosmonaut who landed on the moon Neil Armstrong, then (standing behind the Nile) - Stepan Gavrilovich Korneev (head of the UVS from the Department of External Relations Presidium of the Academy of Sciences), in the center Tupolev Andrey Nikolaevich - Soviet aircraft designer, academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, colonel-general, three times Hero of Socialist Labor, Hero of Labor of the RSFSR, then Alexander Alexandrovich Arkhangelsky, chief designer of the plant, Soviet aircraft designer, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Honored Scientist and equipment of the RSFSR, Hero of Socialist Labor. Far right Tupolev Alexey Andreevich (son of A.N. Tupolev) - Russian aircraft designer, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR since 1984, Hero of Socialist Labor. The picture was taken in 1970. Photo captions by G.T. Beregovoy and Neil Armstrong.

Concorde

Concorde crash.

The liner is currently out of service due to the disaster on July 25, 2000. On April 10, 2003, British Airways and Air France announced their decision to cease commercial operations of their Concord fleet. The last flights took place on October 24. The last flight of the Concorde took place on November 26, 2003, G-BOAF (the last liner built) took off from Heathrow, flew over the Bay of Biscay, passed over Bristol, and landed at Filton Airport.

Why the supersonic plane is no longer in operation

Tupolev's supersonic aircraft is often called the "lost generation." Intercontinental flights were recognized as uneconomical: per hour of flight, a supersonic plane burned eight times more fuel than a regular passenger plane. For the same reason, long-distance flights to Khabarovsk and Vladivostok did not justify themselves. It is inexpedient to use the supersonic Tu as a transport liner due to its low carrying capacity. True, passenger transportation on it nevertheless became a prestigious and profitable business for Aeroflot, although tickets were considered very expensive at that time. Even after the official closure of the project, in August 1984, the head of the Zhukovskaya flight test base Klimov, the head of the design department Pukhov and the deputy chief designer Popov, with the support of supersonic flight enthusiasts, restored and put into operation two liners, and in 1985 obtained permission to fly for setting world records. The crews of Aganov and Veremey set more than 18 world records in the class of supersonic aircraft - in terms of speed, rate of climb and range with a load.

On March 16, 1996, a series of Tu-144LL research flights began in Zhukovsky, which marked the beginning of the development of the second generation of supersonic passenger airliners.

95-99 years. The supersonic aircraft with tail number 77114 was used by the American NASA as a flying laboratory. Received the name Tu-144LL. The main purpose is research and testing of American developments to create their own modern supersonic aircraft for passenger transportation.

Supersonic speed is the speed at which an object moves faster than sound. The flight speed of a supersonic aircraft is measured in Mach - the speed of the aircraft at a certain point in space relative to the speed of sound at the same point. Now it is quite difficult to surprise with such speeds of movement, and even some 80 years ago they only dreamed about it.

How it all started

In the forties of the twentieth century, during the Second World War, German designers were actively working on solving this issue, hoping to turn the tide of the war with the help of such aircraft. As we know, they did not succeed, the war ended. However, in 1945, closer to its completion, the German pilot L. Hoffmann, testing the world's first jet fighter Me-262, at an altitude of 7200 m was able to reach a speed of about 980 km / h.

The first to realize the dream of all pilots to overcome the supersonic barrier was the American test pilot Chuck Yeager. In 1947, this pilot was the first in history to overcome the speed of sound in a manned vehicle. He flew the Bell X-1 prototype rocket-powered aircraft. By the way, the German scientists captured during the war and their developments greatly contributed to the appearance of this apparatus, as well as, in fact, to the entire further development of flight technologies.

In the Soviet Union, they reached the speed of sound on December 26, 1948. It was an experimental aircraft LA-176, at an altitude of 9060 m, piloted by I.E. Fedorov and O.V. Sokolovsky. About a month later, on this aircraft, but with a more advanced engine, the speed of sound was not only achieved, but also exceeded the speed of sound by 7000 m. The LA-176 project was very promising, but due to the tragic death of O.V. Sokolovsky, who controlled this apparatus, the development was closed.

In the future, the development of this industry slowed down somewhat, as a significant number of physical difficulties arose associated with controlling an aircraft at supersonic speeds. At high speeds, such a property of air as compressibility begins to manifest itself, aerodynamic streamlining becomes completely different. Wave resistance appears, and such an unpleasant phenomenon for any pilot as flutter - the plane starts to get very hot.

Faced with these problems, the designers began to look for a radical solution that could overcome the difficulties. This decision turned out to be a complete overhaul of the design of aircraft intended for supersonic flights. The streamlined shapes of airliners that we are now seeing are the result of many years of scientific research.

Further development

At that time, when the Second World War had just ended, and the Korean and Vietnamese wars began, the development of the industry could only take place through military technologies. That is why the first production aircraft capable of flying faster than the speed of sound were the Soviet MiG-19 (NATO Farmer) and the American F-100 Super Saber. The speed record was for the American aircraft - 1215 km / h (set on October 29, 1953), but already at the end of 1954, the MiG-19s were able to accelerate to 1450 km / h.

Interesting fact. Although the USSR and the United States of America did not conduct official hostilities, the real multiple clashes during the Korean and Vietnam Wars showed the indisputable advantage of Soviet technology. For example, our MiG-19s were much lighter, had engines with better dynamic characteristics and, as a consequence, with a faster rate of climb. The radius of possible combat use of the aircraft was 200 km longer for the MiG-19. That is why the Americans really wanted to get an intact sample and even announced a reward for completing such a task. And it was realized.

After the end of the Korean War, 1 MiG-19 aircraft was hijacked from the airbase by the Korean Air Force officer No Geum Sok. For which the Americans paid him the due 100,000 dollars as a reward for the delivery of an undamaged plane.

Interesting fact. The first female pilot to reach the speed of sound is American Jacqueline Cochran. She reached a speed of 1270 km / h while flying an F-86 Saber.

Civil aviation development

In the 60s of the last century, after the appearance of technical developments tested during the wars, aviation began to develop rapidly. Solutions were found to the existing problems of supersonic speeds, and then the creation of the first supersonic passenger aircraft began.

The first ever flight of a civilian airliner at a speed exceeding the speed of sound occurred on August 21, 1961, in a Douglas DC-8. At the time of the flight, there were no passengers on the plane, except for the pilots, ballast was placed to match the full load of the liner under these experimental conditions. A speed of 1262 km / h was reached when descending from an altitude of 15877 m to 12300 m.

Interesting fact. Boeing 747 SP-09 of China Airlines (China Airlines) On February 19, 1985, flying from Taiwanese Taipei to Los Angeles, went into an uncontrollable dive. The reason for this was engine malfunctions and subsequent unskilled personnel actions. During a dive from an altitude of 12,500 m to 2900 m, where the crew was able to stabilize the aircraft, the speed of sound was exceeded. At the same time, the liner, which was not designed for such overloads, received serious damage to the tail section. However, with all this, only 2 people on board were seriously injured. The plane landed in San Francisco, was repaired and later again carried out passenger flights.

However, really true supersonic passenger aircraft (SPS), capable of performing regular flights at speeds above the speed of sound, were designed and built all two types:

• Soviet airliner Tu-144;
• Anglo-French aircraft Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde.

Only these two aircraft were able to maintain a supercruise. At that time, they even surpassed most of the combat aircraft, the design of these liners was unique for their time. There were only a few types of aircraft capable of flying in super cruise mode; today, most modern military vehicles are equipped with such capabilities.

Aviation of the USSR

The Soviet Tu-144 was built somewhat earlier than its European counterpart, so it can be considered the world's first supersonic passenger airliner. The appearance of these aircraft, both Tu-144 and Concorde, will not leave anyone indifferent even now. It is unlikely that in the history of aircraft construction there were more beautiful cars.

The Tu-144 has attractive characteristics, except for the range of practical use: a higher cruising speed and lower landing speed, a higher flight ceiling, but the history of our liner is much more tragic.

Important! Tu-144 is not only the first flying, but also the first crashed supersonic passenger airliner. The disaster at the Le Bourget air show on June 3, 1973, in which 14 people died, was the first step towards the completion of the Tu-144 flights. Unambiguous reasons have not been established, and the final version of the disaster raises many questions.

The second catastrophe near Yegoryevsk in the Moscow region on May 23, 1978, where a fire occurred in flight, and 2 crew members were killed during landing, became the final point in the decision to terminate the operation of these aircraft. Despite the fact that after analysis it was found that the fire occurred as a result of a flaw in the fuel system of the new, tested engine, and the aircraft itself showed excellent controllability and reliability of the structure, when the burning one was able to land, the cars were taken off the flights and taken out of commercial operation ...

How it happened abroad

The European Concorde, in turn, flew much longer from 1976 to 2003. However, due to unprofitability (the aircraft could not be brought to a minimum payback), the operation was also curtailed. This was largely due to the plane crash in Paris on July 25, 2000: during takeoff from Charles de Gaulle airport, the engine caught fire, and the plane crashed to the ground (113 people died, including 4 on the ground), as well as the terrorist attacks on September 11 2001 Despite the fact that this was the only plane crash in 37 years of operation, and the terrorist attacks were not directly related to the Concorde, the overall decrease in passenger flow reduced the already absent profitability of flights and led to the fact that the last flight of this plane made on route Heathrow - Filton November 26, 2003

Interesting fact. A ticket for a Concorde flight in the 70s cost at least $ 1,500 one way, towards the end of the nineties the price increased to $ 4,000. A ticket for a seat on the last flight of this liner already cost $ 10,000.

Supersonic aviation at the moment

To date, solutions like the Tu-144 and Concorde are not expected. But, if you are the kind of person who does not care about the cost of tickets, there are a number of developments in the field of business flights and small aircraft.

The most promising development is the XB-1 Baby Boom aircraft of the American company Boom technology from Colorado. It is a small aircraft, about 20 m long and 5.2 m wingspan. It is equipped with 3 engines developed in the fifties for cruise missiles.

It is planned to accommodate about 45 people, with a flight range of 1800 km at a speed of up to Mach 2. At the moment, this is still development, but the first flight of the prototype is planned for 2018, and the aircraft itself must be certified by 2023. The creators plan to use the development both as a business jet for private transportation and on regular low-capacity flights. The planned cost for a flight by this car will be about $ 5,000, which is quite a lot, but at the same time comparable to the cost of a business class flight.

However, if you look at the entire civil aviation industry as a whole, then with the current level of technology development, everything does not look very promising. Large companies are more concerned with the benefits and profitability of projects than with new developments in the field of supersonic flight. The reason is that in the entire history of aviation there have not been sufficiently successful implementations of tasks of this kind, no matter how much they tried to achieve the goals, they all failed to one degree or another.

In general, those designers who are engaged in current projects are more likely enthusiasts who are optimistic about the future, who, of course, expect to make a profit, but they look quite realistic at the results, and most of the projects so far exist only on paper, and there are enough analysts are skeptical about the possibility of their implementation.

One of the few really big projects is the Concorde-2 supersonic aircraft patented by Airbus last year. Structurally, it will be an aircraft with three types of engines:

• Turbofan jet engines. Will be installed at the front of the aircraft;
• Hypersonic jet engines. Will be mounted under the wings of the liner;
• Rocket engines. Installed in the aft fuselage.

This design feature assumes the operation of various engines at certain stages of flight (takeoff, landing, cruising speed).

Considering one of the main problems of civil air transportation - noise (air traffic management standards in most countries set a limit on the noise level, if the airport is located close to residential areas, this imposes restrictions on the possibility of night flights), Airbus has developed a special technology for the Concorde-2 project allowing vertical take-off. This will make it possible to virtually avoid shock waves hitting the earth's surface, which in turn will ensure that there is no discomfort for people below. Also, thanks to this design and technology, the airliner will fly at an altitude of about 30-35000 m (at the moment, civil aviation flies a maximum of 12000 m), which will help reduce noise not only during takeoff, but also throughout the entire flight, since at that height, sound shock waves cannot reach the surface.

The future of supersonic flight

Not everything is as sad as it might seem at first glance. In addition to civil aviation, there is and always will be the military industry. The combat needs of the state, as before, drove the development of aviation, and will continue to do so. The armies of all states need more and more advanced aircraft. From year to year, this need only grows, which entails the creation of new design and technological solutions.

Sooner or later, development will reach a level where the use of military technologies may become profitable and for peaceful purposes.

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