"Weaving"
Probably, the employees of the design bureau understood that the niche of a long-range bomber like the Tu-22M or T-4 was busy and should not be occupied at least for the next few years. For this reason, the management of the design organization came to the conclusion that it was necessary to begin work on deep modernization of the T-6 (Su-24) project. Given the time required for all research and design work, the new medium bomber was to go into the army no earlier than the end of the eighties. In 1981, the T-6BM project was ready, in which only the variable sweep wing remained from the original Su-24. The military became interested in the project, but in leadership aviation The industry decided differently. According to senior officials, it was necessary not to modernize the existing aircraft, but to create a completely new design.
Sioux 24M2
For the next several years, quite active and interesting phenomena were observed around the subject of a new medium bomber. The designation of the project was changed several times, various nuances of the appearance were constantly refined, and possible technical characteristics were adjusted. Over time, the appearance of the aircraft has changed significantly. “Grown up” from the project Su-24 new bomber had to have a large size and take-off weight, as well as a large payload. As an example, we can cite the following fact: the approximate weight of the empty bomber of the new project was approximately equal to the normal take-off mass of the Su-24.
During the preliminary design work a variety of technical solutions were considered. Thus, the T-60 (this designation received the project after the next revision) could have the original design of a variable sweep wing. The TsAGI specialists proposed to completely or as much as possible remove the wing panels under the fuselage at maximum speed. In the future, this idea was preserved only partially, since this concept of the wing was not consistent with the real loads on it. To clean the consoles under the fuselage, they had to be very, very tough, so that when turning, do not rest on the bottom of the fuselage.
Another original idea was the so-called. twin-tube turbojet engines. The alternative name of the system, which more fully reflects its essence, is engines with a variable bypass ratio. Two twin-tube turbofan engines developed by the Rybinsk Engine Building Bureau were to provide the aircraft with calculated thrust at the level of 22000-23000 kgf each. The engine with variable bypass ratio had two modules in its composition, each of which was an independent turbojet engine. The principle of operation of this engine is as follows. The main module through the general air intake injects atmospheric air. In the maximum bypass mode, all the air enters the main module, where it is divided into two streams: one goes to the combustion chamber, the other passes it. To reduce the bypass ratio, special dampers are opened behind the first steps of the main compressor and some of the air is bypassed to the second module. At the same time, the outlet of the second circuit of the first module is closed. Thus, both TRD modules begin to operate in single-loop mode, providing the necessary traction.
Associated with the twin-tube engine история. Engineers-builders managed to build a prototype of such a TRD and even tested it at the stand. However, at a certain stage of construction, the views of the Sukhoi Design Bureau engineers diverged. For the application of new engines required significantly change the layout of the entire aircraft. In addition, there were some problems with its alignment. On some flight modes, due to the particularities of the engine operation, too much displacement of the aerodynamic focus was observed, which entailed negative consequences related to stability, controllability and other flight characteristics.
As a result, the masses of work have determined the characteristics of the future T-60. It is worth noting that even almost three decades after the design work in free access, no reliable images of a promising bomber appeared. All available figures and models are unofficial versions based on existing data. According to the latter, the T-60 with a length of about 37-38 meters should have a wingspan ranging from 37-38 to 20 meters, depending on the flight mode and sweep. The last parameter had to change from 30 ° to 70 °. The dry weight of the T-60 was within 30-32 tons, and with 20000 kg of payload and full refueling, this bomber could reach 85 tons of weight. Estimated maximum speed of the aircraft slightly exceeded 2M, and cruising was slightly less. The design amount of fuel would allow the T-60 bomber to fly a distance of up to 6000 kilometers. At maximum payload, the range was reduced to 2200-2300 km. The breakthrough to the goal was to be carried out at altitudes of the order of 15 kilometers.
In the early stages of the development of the new aircraft, it was assumed that it would carry a load similar in composition to the front-line bomber Su-24. In the future, along with the growth of the size and weight of the T-60, it “acquired” a new nomenclature of weapons. Inside the fuselage was planned to install a drum launcher for cruise missiles, including long-range, as well as airballistic missiles. T-60 could use the X-15, X-55 and X-31 missiles. Probably, the question of equipping a bomber with air-to-air missiles for defense against enemy fighters was considered.
Approximately to the 1982-83 years, the T-60 project reached its apogee. According to the results of many studies, purging and design work, all the pros and cons of the available technical solutions have been clarified. So, in the end, the designers abandoned the idea of a two-pipe engine, which created more problems when working through the layout of the aircraft and its further maintenance. A lot of problems delivered and rotary wing console. As a result, the T-60 project was once again reworked, taking into account the problems that emerged and the prospects for a particular solution.
A further development of the T-60 theme was the T-60C project. As with the original project, little is known about it. It is known that after a series of checks and calculations, the designers decided to abandon the original, but complex and inconvenient in operation, turbojet engines with variable bypass ratio. Instead, T-60 was first proposed to be equipped with two P-79 engines with a load of 18500 kgf each, and then the TR-P-179-300 and AL-41F were considered as a power plant. Another major reworking of the T-60C project was the redesign of the wing. Instead of swiveling consoles, the new bomber should have a fixed delta wing. Simultaneously with the change in the wing design, certain improvements have undergone the entire glider of a promising aircraft. Thus, the total length decreased by 8-9 meters, and the span of the delta wing decreased to 20-25 meters. The bomber weights also decreased accordingly. According to various estimates, its maximum take-off weight was reduced to 70-75 tons, and the payload - to 10-15.
As in the case of the T-60 project, there is no free access to any serious materials regarding the appearance of the T-60C aircraft. All existing drawings and 3D models were created much later, based on general information fragments that were shared. The lack of normal data on the T-60 and T-60C projects sometimes leads to the consequences of a fantastic look. Thus, in a number of sources it is seriously argued that a plasma invisibility system was developed specifically for these aircraft in one of the defense research institutes. No one argues with the existence of the theoretical possibility of creating a plasma "shell" around the aircraft, which will jam the signal of enemy radar stations. However, thirty years after the start of work on the T-60 bomber, no country in the world presented a ready-made and workable model of such a system suitable for practical use.
A few years after the start of work on projects of the T-60 family, tentatively in the mid-eighties, Sukhoi Design Bureau began developing another bomber, which is a further development of both the T-60 and T-60C. The “54 Object” had the same goals as its predecessors, but it was significantly different in design and on-board equipment. In the 54 project, the designers again returned to the idea of a variable sweep wing. In addition, in size this aircraft was similar to the previous T-60. Due to the use of an integral layout, reducing the length of the aircraft and the wing span of an 2-3 meter did not lead to a loss in take-off weight. On the contrary, the 54 bomber was significantly heavier than the first T-60. With a dry weight in 50 tons, the maximum take-off weight was approximately equal to one hundred tons, of which 15 accounted for.
The smaller payload of the 54 Object was due to the flight range. Thanks to two AL-41F engines with a load of up to 20000 kgf, each “54” was supposed to fly to a distance of up to 11 thousands of kilometers. The maximum speed of the prospective bomber would be 2100 km / h. It is noteworthy that the calculated characteristics of the range of the "Object 54" significantly exceeded the parameters of the T-60. Even with the increased fuel consumption inherent in flying at supersonic speeds, the “54” could fly more than the T-60 in optimal modes.
According to reports, the creation of the project "54" took into account the possibility of reducing radar and infrared visibility. Instead of fantastic plasma generators, it was proposed to appropriately assemble the most visible units, for example, to close the blades of the engine compressors with special partitions. In addition, composite materials were widely used in the design.
Despite the lower weight, the payload of the 54 aircraft was almost entirely consistent with the T-60 armament. In the fuselage cargo compartment was planned to place launchers for 4-6 missiles, including a drum launcher. The nomenclature of weapons "Object 54" consistent with the draft T-60. To ensure the combat work, a new bomber was planned to be equipped with a complex of onboard electronic equipment B004 "Predator". It consisted of a radar station with a phased antenna array, a television and thermal imaging system, communications equipment and electronic warfare. It is noteworthy that in the mid-eighties, the issue of equipping the cockpit with displays for displaying all the necessary information was seriously considered.
In the later stages of the development of the “54 Object” (sometimes the project at this stage is indicated by the “54С” index), the aircraft design underwent several other changes. First of all, the original engine nozzles should be noted. To reduce visibility in the infrared range, the 54 should have been fitted with flat-nozzle engines. There is information about the existence of a flying laboratory based on the Su-27 fighter, the native left engine of which received the original nozzle, which was a rectangular cross-sectional design with two movable panels. Details of the test are unknown.
According to some sources, the main work on flat-nozzle engines began after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the 54С aircraft was created during this period. In addition, there is information about the temporary cessation of all work on a bomber subject that occurred in the early nineties. If this information is true, then at the beginning of the nineties the project “54” was closed, and after a while, on its basis, a new “54C” was made. Anyway, so far information about the T-60 and 54 project family has much smaller volumes than we would like.
The lack of information, among other things, has led to reflections and speculations about the further fate of the projects. In a number of sources it is mentioned that in the first half of the nineties at the Novosibirsk aircraft factory, preparatory work was carried out for the construction of an experimental specimen of some promising bomber. Perhaps it was the very "Object 54С" or its layout. Rumors about the layout of the layout or aircraft at the moment are the latest information about the projects T-60 and «54». Probably, all projects of this direction were closed or, at least, frozen, as they say, until better times. Perhaps in the future, the developments on these projects will become the basis for new domestic long-range bombers, but so far in the context of the existing project PAK DA (Advanced Aviation Complex of Long-Range Aviation) T-60 and “Object 54” have not been mentioned.
Nozzle for "54C object"
On the materials of the sites:
http://paralay.com/
http://testpilot.ru/
http://airbase.ru/
http://militaryrussia.ru/blog/topic-264.html
http://militaryrussia.ru/blog/topic-269.html