Tupolev
Tupolev (
Russian:
Туполев) is a
Russian aerospace and defence company. Officially known as
PSC Tupolev, it is the sucessor of the famed Tupolev OKB or Tupolev Design Bureau headed by the renowned Soviet aerospace engineer
A.N. Tupolev. The company celebrated its 80th anniversary on
October 22,
2002.
Introduction
The capabilities of PSC Tupolev include development, manufacturing and overhaul for both civil and military aerospace products such as aircraft and weapons systems. It is also active in missile and naval aviation technologies. Throughout its existence more than 300 projects have been completed. More than 18,000 Tupolev aircraft were produced for the USSR and the Eastern Bloc.
History
Tupolev OKB was founded by A.N. Tupolev in 1922. Its facilities are tailored for aeronautics research and aircraft design only, manufacturing is handled by other firms. It undertook research on all-metal aeroplanes in the 1920s. Among its notable results during the period is the heavy bomber where Tupolev's design approach defined for many years the trends of heavy aircraft development, civil and military.
In World War II, the twin-engined, all-metal Tupolev Tu-2 was one of the best front-line bombers of the Soviets. It was produced in large numbers and several variants from 1942. In the war it used wooden rear fuselages due to a shortage of metal.
In 1945, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress landed in Soviet territory after a mission in Japan. It was quickly copied by the design bureau and formed the basis of the first Soviet intercontinental strategic bomber, the Tu-4 which first flew in 1947 and was produced in substantial numbers.
This was followed by the development of the jet-powered Tu-16 Badger bomber which used a sweptback wing for good subsonic performance.
As turbojets were not fuel efficient, the Soviets elected to design a new bomber, the Tu-20 Bear, sometimes referred to as the Tu-95. It became the definitive Soviet intercontinental bomber, with intercontinental range and jet-like performance. It is the Soviet equivalent of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. Many variants, including reconnaissance and the anti-submarine Tu-142, have been produced.
The Tu-16 was developed into the Tu-104, which was for some time the only jetliner flying following the temporary grounding of the De Havilland Comet. The Tu-95 became the basis of the unique Tu-114 medium to long range airliner, the fastest turboprop aircraft ever.
In the 1960s, the design bureau produced the Tu-22 Blinder supersonic bomber which was comparable to the B-58 Hustler. However compared to the Hustler it was in service for a longer period. The ?K? Department was formed in the Design Bureau with the task of designing unmanned aircraft such as the Tu-139 and the Tu-143 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft.
The 1960s also saw the ascendence of A.N. Tupolev's son, A.A. Tupolev. His role includes the development of the world's first supersonic airliner, the Tu-144, the popular Tu-154 airliner and the Tu-22M Backfire strategic bomber. All these developments enabled the Soviet Union to achieve strategic military and civil aviation parity with the West.
In the 1970s, Tupolev concentrated its efforts on improving the performance of the Tu-22M bombers, whose variants included maritime versions. It is the presence of these bombers in quantity that brought about the SALT I and SALT II treaties. Also the efficiency and performance of the Tu-154 was improved, culminating in the efficient Tu-154M.
In the 1980s the design bureau developed the supersonic Tu-160 strategic bomber. Features include variable-geometry wings. The Tu-160 is much more capable than its western equivalent, the Rockwell B-1. However the disintegration of the Soviet Union slowed its development.
Post Soviet times
With the end of the Cold War, research work was concentrated on subsonic civil aircraft, mainly on operating economics and alternative fuels. The developments include fly-by-wire, use of efficient high-bypass turbofans and advanced aerodynamic layouts for the 21st century transport aircraft such as the Tu-204/214, Tu-330 and Tu-334.
Among current Tupolev projects:
- further development of TU-204/214 and TU-334 aircraft family\n*development of cargo aircraft TU-330, regional and executive TU-324 aircraft\n*research on practical aspects of aircraft operation using alternative fuels\n*modernization of Russian Naval Aviation and Air Force
Directors
Tupolev aircraft
Many designs have come out from the design bureau. Those in production series may have runs up to 4,500 as in Tu-2. However many are also dead-ends or experimental, with as little as a single copy being produced. They were killed by changing military or political situations. Many of these experimental variants pave the way for series production versions. In the West, Soviet aircraft are better known by their NATO code-names. The code-names are shown where applicable.
Early piston-powered series
- Tupolev ANT-4 \n*Tupolev ANT-20 Maxim Gorky \n*Tupolev ANT-25\n*Tupolev Tu-2 "Bat"\n*Tupolev Tu-4 "Bull"\n*Tupolev Tu-10
Experimental types and dead-ends
Series bombers and other military types
Series fighters
- Tupolev Tu-28/Tu-102/Tu-128P "Fiddler"
Series airliners/transport
Unmanned aircraft
- Tupolev Tu-121 "C" \n*Tupolev Tu-123 "Yastreb-1"\n*Tupolev Tu-139 "Yastreb-2"\n*Tupolev Tu-141 "Strizh"\n*Tupolev Tu-143 "Reis"\n*Tupolev Tu-243 "Reis-D"\n*Tupolev Tu-300
See also
\n* List of aircraft\n*
List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS\n
External links
\n*Company web site http://www.tupolev.ru/ (in Russian)
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Category:Aircraft manufacturers
