Tupolev Tu-91

The Tupolev Tu-91 (NATO reporting name Boot) was a Soviet carrier-borne attack aircraft. It was built only in prototype form, and was converted into a land-based aircraft after Joseph Stalin's death in 1953 cancelled the aircraft carriers being designed.

Tu-91
Role Naval attack aircraft
National origin Soviet Union
Manufacturer Tupolev OKB
First flight 17 May 1955
Status Prototype only
Number built 1

Development and design

Following the end of World War II, Stalin ordered an aggressive naval expansion to counter the US naval superiority. It called for building extra warships and a fleet of aircraft carriers. In order to equip the proposed carriers, Soviet Naval Aviation required a long-range carrier-based strike aircraft, capable of attacking with bombs or torpedoes. The Tupolev Design bureau decided on a single-engined turboprop aircraft, designated Tu-91 to meet this requirement.[1]

The Tu-91 was a low-winged monoplane with dihedral wings. It was powered by an Kuznetsov TV-2 engine mounted mid-fuselage, driving a six-bladed contra-rotating propeller in the nose via a long shaft. The crew of two sat side by side in a cockpit in the aircraft's nose, protected by armour plating. It could carry a heavy load of torpedoes or bombs on pylons under the fuselage and under the wings, and had a gun armament of two cannon in the wing roots and two more in a remotely-controlled tail turret.[1]

After the death of Stalin in 1953, the planned fleet of carriers was cancelled, but development of the Tu-91 continued as a land-based aircraft, the design being revised to eliminate wing-folding and arresting gear. It first flew on 17 May 1955,[1] demonstrating excellent performance, resulting in production being authorized. However, after the aircraft was ridiculed by Nikita Khrushchev when inspecting the prototype, the Tu-91 was cancelled.[2]

Specifications (Tu-91)

Data from The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995.[3]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2 (pilot and observer)
  • Length: 17.7 m (58 ft 1 in)
  • Wingspan: 16.4 m (53 ft 10 in)
  • Height: 5.06 m (16 ft 7 in) [4]
  • Wing area: 47.5 m2 (511 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 8,000 kg (17,637 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 14,400 kg (31,747 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Kuznetsov TV-2M turboprop engine, 5,709 kW (7,656 hp)
  • Propellers: 6-bladed contra-rotating propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 800 km/h (500 mph, 430 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 250–300 km/h (160–190 mph, 130–160 kn)
  • Range: 2,350 km (1,460 mi, 1,270 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 11,000 m (36,000 ft)

Armament

  • Guns:
  • 2 × 23 mm (0.906 in) NR-23 cannon with 100 rounds each in wing roots
  • 2 × 23 mm (0.906 in) NR-23 cannon in a DK-15 remotely controlled tail barbette
  • Bombs: up to 1,500 kg (3,306.9 lb) of bombs, rockets or a single torpedo

See also

Related lists

References
  1. Gunston 1995b, p. 423
  2. Duffy & Kandalov 1996, p. 112–113
  3. Gunston 1995, p. 424
  4. Duffy & Kandalov 1996, pp. 209–210

Bibliography
  • Duffy, Paul & Kandalov, Andrei (1996). Tupolev: The Man and His Aircraft. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-728-X.
  • 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 (1995a). Tupolev Aircraft since 1922. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-882-8.
  • Gunston, Bill (1995b). The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995. London: Osprey. ISBN 1-85532-405-9.
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