Tupolev Tu-1

Tupolev Tu-1

Picture - Front-quarter view of the Tu-1 (ANT-63P) prototype

Role: Night fighter
National origin: Soviet Union
Manufacturer: Tupolev
First flight: 22 March 1947
Status: Cancelled
Number built: 1
Developed from: Tupolev Tu-2

The Tupolev Tu-1 was a prototype Soviet night fighter variant of the Tupolev Tu-2 medium bomber that first flew after the end of World War II. It was cancelled when its experimental Mikulin AM-43V engines reached the end of their service life.

Development

Impressed by the performance of the de Havilland Mosquito the Soviets asked Tupolev to modify a Tu-2 as a high-speed day bomber with a reduced crew as the ANT-63. The second prototype of this project was ordered to be converted in February 1946 for use as a three-seat long-range interceptor capable of carrying an airborne radar set with the internal designation of ANT-63P and the official designation of Tu-1. It was given prototype Mikulin AM-43V engines driving four-bladed propellers and fitted with new radio equipment. It reverted to the standard Tu-2S undercarriage. Two 45 mm (1.8 in) Nudelman-Suranov NS-45 guns with 50 rounds each were fitted on the underside of the nose, two 23 mm (0.91 in) Volkov-Yartsev VYa-23 or Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon were fitted in the wing roots with 130 rounds per gun. The dorsal gunner was given a 12.7 mm (0.50 in) UBT machine gun with 200 rounds and the ventral gunner a UBT with 350 rounds of ammunition. It retained the internal bomb bay which could carry up to 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of bombs.

The Tu-1 first flew on 22 March 1947 and underwent manufacturer's tests until 3 October or 3 November 1947. Sources disagree about the mounting of a radar during these tests. Bill Gunston says that a Soviet derivative of the German FuG 220 Lichtenstein SN-2 was tested, however Yefim Gordon believes that no radar was fitted at all and the short service life of the AM-43V prototype engines curtailed the planned tests and development. At any rate, the aircraft was not selected for production because its AM-43V engines were not ready for production.

Specifications

Data from Gordon, OKB Tupolev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft

General characteristics

Crew: 3
Length: 13.6 m (44 ft 7½ in)
Wingspan: 18.86 m (61 ft 10½ in)
Height: 3.32 m (ft in)
Wing area: 48.8 m² (525 ft²)
Empty weight: 9,460 kg (20,855 lb)
Loaded weight: 12,755 kg (28,119 lb)
Useful load: kg (lb)
Max takeoff weight: 14,460 kg (31,878 lb)

Performance

Maximum speed: 641 km/h (345.8 knots, 398 mph)
Cruise speed: km/h (knots, mph)
Range: 2250 km (1215 nm, 1400 mi)
Service ceiling: 11,000 m (36,090 ft)
Rate of climb: m/s (ft/min)
Wing loading: kg/m² (lb/ft²)

Armament

2 x— 45 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-45 cannon
2 x— 23 mm Volkov-Yartsev VYa-23 cannon
2 x— 12.7 mm UBT machine guns
up to 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of bombs

Comparable aircraft

Junkers Ju 88
Dornier Do 17
Dornier Do 217
Focke-Wulf Ta 154
A-20 Havoc
Petlyakov Pe-3

Gordon, Yefim; Rigamant, Vladimir (2005). OKB Tupolev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft. Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-214-4.
Gunston, Bill (1995). Tupolev Aircraft since 1922. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-882-8.

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Source: WikiPedia