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Tu-4 BULL

The massive World War One Il'ya Muromets bomber [named after a legendary Russian folk hero who destroyed the Tartar Army single handed] was the largest four-engine airplane of its era. Designed by Igor Sikorsky, the TU-4 was able to carry a significant bomb load as well as engage in long distance reconnaissance missions. In 1935, Tupolev built the world's largest passenger plane based on the Tu-4 design, the Maxim Gorky. The plane was used for propaganda flights. The Soviets began the development of a heavy bomber force prior to 1935, and by 1940 they had the largest force of four-engine bombers in the world. However, strategic bombing played only a minor role in Soviet wartime military operations.

During World War II an arrangement of aerial maneuvers code-named FRANTIC comprised the largest and most complete military projects linking the US and the Soviets as allies against Germany. This was the only direct combat cooperation between the American and Soviet war during WWII. The United States Army Air Force conducted FRANTIC as an extension of the Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) in Europe. The 8th and 15th Air Forces flew B-17 Flying Fortresses deep into central Europe to attack German war material and military bases, continuing east to land in the Ukraine after dropping their bomb load. Soviet troops serviced and protected the Army Air Force units, which rearmed and flew of to hit more targets as they returned to their home stations.

Work on a long range bomber, capable of striking at targets in deep enemy territory, began in the Soviet Union in 1943. Three American B-29 bombers flying against Japan had landed in Siberia and were seized by the Soviets. By August 1944 the "64" design had been developed at OKB-156 under the direction of A.N. Tupolev, with similar characteristics of the B-29. The maximum range of the Soviet bomber carrying a load of 4,000 kg was planned to be 6,500 km. However, in June 1945, after development began, the Soviet Union decided to drop the project "64" and build an exact copy of the B-29 bomber instead.

Following thorough reverse engineering of the B-29, (down to the minutest of detail), OKB-156 began to build the Soviet copy of the B-29. The project received the highest priority and was under direct control of the Politbureau, and targeted for completion within two years.

In mid 1945 the three American B-29 bombers were delivered to Moscow. One plane was transferred to the Flight-test institute in Zhukovski to train pilots for preparing flight training manuals, the second plane was disassembled to study its' design and the third was left for comparison, However, the Soviets decided not to attempt to copy the American engine, and instead equipped the bomber with the Soviet ASH-73TK engine designed by A.D. Shvetsov. This engine retained the B-29's original turbocompressor and the magnet and heat-resistant bearings. The Soviet bomber also carried improved gun turrets of Soviet design. The resulting Soviet airplane was designated the Tu-4.

The Bull is a midwing, four-engine, medium bomber with two bomb bays centrally located in the fuselage, extending fore and aft of the wing. Defensive armament consists of four turrets located in upper forward, lower forward, lower rear, and tail positions.

The first Tu-4 bomber was finished in the spring of 1947 and carried out flight tests beginning on May 9th 1947 and continuing through 1949. Full-scale production of the aircraft, began in 1947 at the plant Nr. 22 in Kazan and at plant Nr. 18 in Kuibyshev. In 1948, an additional construction plant in Moscow, Nr. 23, was subsequently adapted to build the TU-4. Production in Moscow began in 1950 and when total production of the TU-4 finally finished in 1952, a total of 847 bombers had been produced [according to Russian sources -- according to Western estimates, a maximum of about 1,300 were deployed by 1954].

The deployment of the TU-4 bomber began in 1949, and they replaced wartime bombers such as the IL-4, B-25, PYE-8, B-17 and B-24 aircraft in Long-Range Aviation units. Patrolling mainly over Soviet territory, the bombers had a capability to strike at Europe, Northern Africa, the Near East and Japan.

The 474 and 485 Projects were a development of Tu-4 featuring six [versus four] ASh-73TK engines, a wing span of 56 meters, and a take-off weight of 95 tons. This concept did not proceed beyond the design stage.

The TU-12 (also designated the TU-70) is a passenger aircraft. Prototype. Built on the basis of B-29 components, used a new pressurized fuselage designed for 72 passengers. First flight - 27 November 1946. The aircraft was successfully tested, was recommended to serial production, but was not produced in series because Aircraft Industry Plants were overloaded with military orders and Civil Air Fleet was not ready to operate the aircraft of such class.

The TU-16 (also designated the TU-20, TU-75) is a military transport a/c. Prototype. Built on the basis of TU-4 components, new fuselage designed for transportation and descending cargo, people and equipment. The first native machine of this class; is equipped with rear fuselage ramp hatch. Was tested. First flight -21 January, 1950. Was not put into serial production because Air Force was not ready to accept such a machine.

Immediately after initial serial production of the Tu-4 began, work started to adapt the bomber to strike at American territory. Some airplanes were outfitted to carry nuclear bombs and were designated as TU-4A. During re-equipment, the bomber was outfitted with a thermostatically controlled heated bomb bay, a suspension unit for the bomb was developed, and biological protection devices for the crew were supplied. Some TU-4 bombers were equipped with aerial refueling devices, and scant few were outfitted with additional fuel tanks located under the wings. They were deployed in 1952, though the majority of the TU-4s were not re-equipped with air refueling. Although the limited range of the Tu-4 rendered it incapable of striking the United States and subsequently returning to bases in the Soviet Union, neither country was a stranger to one-way strategic bombardment missions, given the precedent of the FRANTIC operations in World War II.

In 1948, work on the "Comet" missile project began. The modified version of the Tu-4 bomber - the TU-4K - was supposed to be equipped with two KS-1 air to surface missiles and the "Comet-1"/"Comet-2" guidance system. The first TU-4K prototype was finished in 1951, with production testing in 1951 and 1952. Between July 1952 and January 1953 the bomber was tested, and subsequently deployed with naval aviation. In 1950 OKB Tupolev studied the possibility of equipping the TU-4 with the turbo-prop engines of the TB-2 aircraft. But the flight performance was only increased by 14-20 percent, and the project did not proceed into development. The "Burlak" weapon system was developed in the early 1950s to protect the bomber from attacks. The TU-4 bomber towed a pair of MIG-15 fighters as an escort. However, after proving that this was technically feasible, the project was cancelled. Some TU-4s were converted into secret command centers and though designed primarily as a bomber, the Tu-4 could also be equipped for reconnaissance missions.

From 1954 on, the bombers Tu-4 were gradually replaced by Tu-16 medium-range bombers and from 1956 on by Tu-95 intercontinental bombers. Although the Soviets have phased it out as an operational bomber, it was used for this purpose for some years thereafter in the Chinese Air Force. From the early 1960s on, the TU-4 were only used as transport aircraft, training aircraft and flying airforce laboratories.

In 1955 some 300 TU-4 aircraft were converted to the transport aircraft TU-4D configuration, which remained in operational service through the mid-1960s. This modification was adapted to transport and airdrop 28 paratroopers with their equipment. Despite this outfitting, the aircraft bomber retained its long-range bombing capabilities. In 1956, the TU-4 was experimentally converted into a troop carrying aircraft (TU-4T). The TU-4 served as the basis for the passenger plane TU-70 and the military transport aircraft TU-75. In the early 1960s, a total of six Tu-4 were converted into flying laboratories (TU-4LL) to support testing of piston, turbo-prop and turbojet engines. In the late 1950s some aircraft were converted to the TU-4USHS trainer.