Tu-4 BULL
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 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 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.
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.
