The
Tupolev TB-1
[a]
(development name
ANT-4
) was a
Soviet
bomber aircraft, an angular monoplane that served as the backbone of the Soviet bomber force for many years, and was the first large all-metal aircraft built in the Soviet Union.
Design and development
[
edit
]
In 1924, the Soviet Air Force instructed
TsAGI
, (Центра?льный аэрогидродинами?ческий институ?т (ЦАГИ) ?
Tsentralniy Aerogidrodinamicheskiy Institut
or Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute) to design a heavy-bomber. TsAGI gave the task to the division led by
Andrei Tupolev
.
[1]
Tupolev's team designed a twin-engined all-metal
monoplane
with a corrugated
Duralumin
skin ? based on Tupolev's earlier work utilizing the all-metal aircraft design techniques first pioneered by
Hugo Junkers
in 1918
? powered by two
Napier Lion
engines, and named the
ANT-4
.
[2]
The first prototype was built during 1925 on the second floor of Tupolev's factory in
Moscow
, it being necessary to knock down a wall to allow the aircraft to be taken out of the building in pieces. After reassembly at Moscow's
Khodynka Aerodrome
, it was flown on 26 November 1925.
[3]
Testing was successful, and it was decided to put the ANT-4 into production as the
TB-1
. Production was delayed, however, by shortages of aluminium, and by the need to find a replacement for the expensive imported Lion engines, the
BMW VI
(and later the Soviet licence-built version, the
Mikulin M-17
). Production eventually started at the ex-
Junkers
factory at
Fili, Moscow
in 1929, 216 following the two prototypes, production continuing until 1932.
[4]
[5]
It was produced in both wheel- and float-gear variants (a total of 66 ANT-4 seaplanes built).
Operational history
[
edit
]
Strana Sovyetov
during the flight from Moscow to New York, 1929
The first production aircraft was completed as an unarmed civil aircraft, named
Strana Sovyetov
(Land of the Soviets) for a propaganda flight from Moscow to
New York
, taking an eastward course via
Siberia
, reaching its destination on 3 November 1929, flying 21,242 km (13,194 mi) in 137 flying hours.
[6]
The TB-1 became the Soviet Air Forces' first standard heavy bomber, also being fitted with floats for use as a torpedo bomber (
TB-1P
), and for aerial survey operations.
It was also widely used for experimental purposes, being the first mothership used in the
Zveno project
carrying two
Tupolev I-4
fighters over the aircraft's wings as
parasite aircraft
.
[7]
The TB-1 was replaced as a heavy bomber by the similar, but much larger, four-engined
Tupolev TB-3
, with many aircraft being converted to civil freighters (designated
G-1
) for use by
Aeroflot
and
Aviaarktika
, Aeroflot's polar division. One Avia Arktika ANT-4, flown by
Anatoly Liapidevsky
, played a key role in the rescue of the crew of the steamship
Chelyuskin
, which sank on 12 February 1934 after being trapped in ice near the
Bering Strait
. Liapidevsky was awarded the title of
Hero of the Soviet Union
. G-1s continued in use with Avia Arktika until 1948.
[7]
[8]
Variants
[
edit
]
- TB-1
: Twin-engined heavy bomber aircraft. Also known as the
ANT-4
.
- ANT-4bis
: Third prototype.
- TB-1P
: Twin-float torpedo-bomber seaplane.
- G-1
: Twin-engined transport aircraft.
- ANT-19
: Proposed passenger aircraft. Not built.
[9]
Survivors
[
edit
]
One ANT-4, an ex-
Aviaarktika
Tupolev G-1, survives, being preserved at the
Ulyanovsk Aircraft Museum
.
[8]
Operators
[
edit
]
Soviet Union
Specifications (TB-1)
[
edit
]
Data from
The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875?1995
[10]
General characteristics
- Crew:
6
- Length:
18 m (59 ft 1 in)
- Wingspan:
28.7 m (94 ft 2 in)
- Height:
5.1 m (16 ft 9 in)
[11]
- Wing area:
120 m
2
(1,300 sq ft)
- Airfoil
:
Tupolev A0 (20%)
[12]
- Empty weight:
4,520 kg (9,965 lb)
- Gross weight:
6,810 kg (15,013 lb)
- Powerplant:
2 ×
Mikulin M-17
V-12 water-cooled piston engine, 510 kW (680 hp) each
- Propellers:
2-bladed fixed-pitch propellers
Performance
- Maximum speed:
178 km/h (111 mph, 96 kn)
- Cruise speed:
156 km/h (97 mph, 84 kn)
- Range:
1,000 km (620 mi, 540 nmi)
- Service ceiling:
4,830 m (15,850 ft)
- Rate of climb:
3.03 m/s (596 ft/min)
- Wing loading:
56.8 kg/m
2
(11.6 lb/sq ft)
- Power/mass
:
0.15 kW/kg (0.091 hp/lb)
Armament
See also
[
edit
]
Related development
Related lists
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
'TB' is an abbreviation of Тяжёлый бомбардировщик (
Tyazholy Bombardirovschik
),
Russian
"
heavy bomber
"
- ^
Gunston 1995, p.381.
- ^
Duffy and Kandalov 1996, p.36.
- ^
Duffy and Kandalov 1996, p.36-7.
- ^
Gunston 1995, pp.381?383.
- ^
Duffy and Kandalov 1996, p.222.
- ^
Duffy and Kandalov 1996, p.38.
- ^
a
b
Gunston 1995, p.383.
- ^
a
b
Duffy and Kandalov 1996, p.39.
- ^
Gordon, Yefim; Komissarov, Sergey (2013). Unflown wings: Soviet and Russian unrealized aircraft projects 1925-2010. Birmingham: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd.
ISBN
978-1906537340
.
- ^
Gunston 1995, pp.385?386.
- ^
Duffy and Kandalov 1996, p.207.
- ^
Lednicer, David.
"The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage"
.
m-selig.ae.illinois.edu
. Retrieved
16 April
2019
.
References
[
edit
]
- Duffy, Paul and Andrei Kandalov.
Tupolev: The Man and His Aircraft
. Shrewsbury, UK:Airlife Publishing, 1996.
ISBN
1-85310-728-X
.
- Gunston, Bill
.
The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875?1995
. London:Osprey, 1995.
ISBN
1-85532-405-9
.
- Lesnitchenko, Vladimir (November?December 1999). "Combat Composites: Soviet Use of 'Mother-ships' to Carry Fighters, 1939?1941".
Air Enthusiast
(84): 4?21.
ISSN
0143-5450
.
External links
[
edit
]
- The initial version of this article was based on material from
aviation.ru
. It has been released under the
GFDL
by the copyright holder.
External links
[
edit
]
|
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Civilian
| |
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Military
| |
---|
Unmanned
| |
---|
Experimental
| |
---|
Proposed,
cancelled
| |
---|
Early period
| |
---|
|
---|
Short-range bomber (
BB
)
| |
---|
Long-range bomber (
DB
)
| |
---|
Heavy bomber (
TB
)
| |
---|
Heavy bomber seaplane (
MTB
)
| |
---|
Armored bomber (
BSh
)
| |
---|
Heavy ground-attack (
TSh
)
| |
---|
Torpedo bomber (
T
)
| |
---|
Torpedo bomber (
TOM
)
| |
---|
Short-range dive bomber (
BPB
)
| |
---|
Descriptors
|
- Tactical bomber
FB
- Light armored-attack
LBSh
- Fast bomber
SB
- Attack bomber
ShB
- High-speed dive bomber
SPB
|
---|
1
Unknown/not assigned
|
|
---|
Cargo (
G
)
| |
---|
Passenger (
P
)
|
- P-1
1
- P-2
1
- P-3
1
- P-4
1
- P-5
- P-6
|
---|
Passenger aircraft (
PS
)
| |
---|
Passenger seaplane (
MP
)
| |
---|
Passenger maybach (
PM
)
| |
---|
Descriptors
| |
---|
1
Unknown/not assigned
|