Red Soviet Union

? What aircraft needs more speed? Certainly not a fighter jet! A fighter jet needs to integrate all aspects of technical conditions. If you only work hard on speed, it will inevitably lead to a reduction in other technical indicators. MiG-25 is an example. Although it flies very fast, its airframe is It is extremely cumbersome. For ordinary pilots, using it to fight is definitely not as good as the small and flexible MiG 21

However, another type of aircraft needs to be as fast as possible. This is the reconnaissance aircraft!

Although with the continuous development of reconnaissance satellites in space, there is a tendency to replace reconnaissance aircraft, but in some respects, reconnaissance aircraft are still very useful. For example, the orbit of the satellite is fixed, and a change of orbit consumes a lot of fuel. At the same time, it is impossible for the satellite to pass over the target at the same time quickly. If you want to conduct a more detailed investigation of the target, the reconnaissance aircraft is still very useful.

For example, if the satellite detects that a ballistic missile launching vehicle has appeared in the target area, then the reconnaissance plane can quickly conduct a reconnaissance, accurately locate and respond quickly.

As for the reconnaissance plane, of course, the higher the flight, the faster the better, which means that it will not be threatened by the opponent's air defense system!

At the beginning, after the MiG-25 was finalized, it immediately developed a reconnaissance type. This kind of aircraft dominates the sky and can invade the airspace of any country at will, and then conduct reconnaissance. Even if you encounter the shooting of the opponent's anti-aircraft missile, you can use the magic weapon of speed to avoid the missile.

Now, the MiG-25 is outdated, but the Soviet still needs an updated strategic reconnaissance aircraft!

In the more confidential area behind the Gromov Test Flight Academy, Andrei and Ustinov saw the director Sergey Nikolaevich Anokhin rushing over, Sergey welcomed the arrival of the two of them.

Sorry, there are some problems in our test flight, and the technicians are dealing with them. Sergey said: Comrade Marshal, Comrade General, are you here to see our Tu-260 reconnaissance aircraft?

Tu-260? Hearing this serial number, Andre felt a surge of excitement in his heart. In the declassified materials of later generations, these items seem to be items on paper. Now, there is actually a prototype?

As a test pilot in later generations, Andre was interested in many materials declassified by the Soviet Union, including this high-speed strategic reconnaissance aircraft.

The size of this aircraft is very large, almost the same size as the Tu-144, that is, the Soviet supersonic airliner, also known as the Concorde Sky, satirizing the Soviets for plagiarizing the technology of the Concorde and building this supersonic airliner .

This is a large aircraft, with a maximum take-off weight of 180 tons, and its size far exceeds that of ordinary reconnaissance aircraft. At the same time, the aerodynamic shape of this aircraft is somewhat similar to that of the Tu-144.

There are also differences. The main reason is that the nose has no moving parts and will not droop. At the same time, a larger engine is installed.

After all, the prototype Tu-144 has good supersonic capabilities. In operation, it has flown at a speed of Mach 2 for a long time, showing the great potential of this aircraft.

It is really an idea to change this supersonic passenger plane into a supersonic reconnaissance plane.

Yes. Ustinov said: How is the test flight of this aircraft going?

The test flight has met our expected requirements. However, this aircraft is not suitable for mass production, and it cannot cope with future threats. Sergey said as he led everyone to a hangar beside him. Beside, there is a big plane lying quietly!

The shape is slender, the engine is placed under the rear of the fuselage, and the design with a high aspect ratio and a slightly double-sided tailless tail are all prepared for supersonic flight.

The shell is shining, this is a product made of titanium alloy material!

Regarding the materials used for supersonic fighters, the United States used titanium alloys to build the SR-71, while the Soviet Union used stainless steel to build the MiG-25SR-71. It is extremely delicate and widely criticized in use, while the Soviet MiG-25 is It is seen as a model for the correct choice of materials.

However, that was in the 1960s. At that time, the United States did not master the processing technology of titanium alloys, and the production of titanium alloys was dominated by the Soviet Union.

Now, with the passage of time, the Soviet Union is also very good at using titanium alloys. It can even use titanium alloys as the shell of submarines. At the same time, the use of titanium alloys on fighter jets is also increasing, such as the MiG-31 , a large number of titanium alloy materials are used.

Therefore, it is not uncommon for the new Soviet supersonic aircraft to be made of titanium alloy.

Andre's oddity is its engine. If you want to fly to a higher speed, the engine is the key!

General Andrei, your question is very important. Now the Tu-260 we have seen that has completed the test flight uses four Sulolov D-80 turbojet engines. This engine makes the Tu-260 It has a top speed of 4 times the speed of sound, and the cruising speed is also 3 times the speed of sound, but it is still far from our requirements.

It is impossible for this kind of hypersonic aircraft to use a turbofan engine, and the turbojet can only reach four times the speed of sound. Although the speed is much higher than that of the MiG-25, it still cannot meet the actual combat needs.

After all, in the sky of the future, threats will be great. Now that the West has developed missiles that counteract aircraft traveling at 3 times the speed of sound, it is not guaranteed that the West will continue to develop missiles that can attack aircraft traveling at 4 times the speed of sound after discovering its own reconnaissance aircraft!

It is precisely for this reason that although this aircraft has completed test flights, it has no finalized equipment and is only a transitional model.

Turbojet engines are not enough. For high-speed flight, you need a ramjet engine. Andre said: The American Blackbird uses a ramjet engine.

Sergey nodded: Yes, General Andre, you are very correct. If you want a higher speed, a ramjet engine is a good choice. However, only using a ramjet engine cannot adapt to conditions such as take-off and landing, so , we are now testing the variable cycle ramjet engine, which uses liquid hydrogen fuel, which can allow our current Tu-260 to fly to 6 times the speed of sound. In the plan, we will use this engine model, called Tu-360”

6 times the speed of sound! Andre instantly thought of the crazy Goddess of Dawn project in later generations. If it really reaches 6 times the speed of sound, it will be an extreme! Existing anti-aircraft weapons, even if they are upgraded, cannot effectively intercept it, unless it is a laser weapon! (To be continued.)