Antonov VT-22
In August 1960, the OKB-473 submitted a technical proposal for a new version of a transport device, called VT-22 (for the Vonen-Transporte, military transport), capable of carrying loads of 50 tons over a distance of 3500 at 4000 km. Like the An-20A project, the VT-22 was to receive four Kouznetsov NK-12MV turboprop propellers with counter-rotating propellers. With a maximum take-off weight of 170 tonnes, the aircraft was expected to reach speeds of 650 km / h. This project gave birth to the An-22.
In spite of the fact that by June 1958 the design of the An-20 was completed, in August 1960 the works were stopped. Based on the existing developments, it was planned to create a new aircraft under the code number VT-22, designed to transport goods and equipment up to 50 tons for a distance of up to 4000 km, as well as airborne landing of mono-cargoes up to 15 tons.
The new project was much more spacious than the An-20 (cargo cabin 30.0 mx 4.4 mx 4.4 m), its power plant was 4 TVD NK-12MV, it differed from its predecessor by a high-seated wing type "reverse gull" with a break in the internal engine and a single-tailed plumage. With an estimated takeoff weight of 170 tons and a cruising speed of 650 km / h, the VT-22 could deliver cargo at a distance of 3500 km. In the machine did not go into series hardware, but served as a prototype for the creation of the military transport aircraft AN-22.
In June 1958, in the guidance of Antonov GSOKB-473, a draft design of an An-20 aircraft with two NKD-12Ms was developed. The machine was intended for transportation of combat and engineering equipment with a total mass of up to 40 tons with the possibility of airborne landing of mono-cargoes up to 16 tons. The cargo cabin could house 143 paratroopers or with landing landing of 170 soldiers. However, work on the An-20 was canceled and, at the direction of the SCAT, proceeded to design an even heavier MTS [military transport aircraft].
The VT-22 (1960) was a further development of the airborne transport aircraft. VT-22 was equipped with four TVD NK-12MV the maximum power of 15,000 shp. The development of the technical proposal for this aircraft, which received the designation VT-22, was completed in August 1960. The aircraft was designed to carry cargoes up to 50 tons for a distance of 3,500 km, as well as airborne landing of mono-cargoes up to 15 tons. It was designed for the transport of goods and equipment up to 50 tons at a distance of 3500-4000 km, as well as airborne landing of mono-cargoes up to 15 tons.
The dimensions of the cargo cabin allowed this aircraft, in contrast to the previous project, to carry intercontinental ballistic missiles. The VT-22 was a monoplane with four TVD NK-12MV, high-winged wing (span 52.8 m) of the "reverse gull" type with a break in the internal engine and single-tail empennage. The wing can be equipped with a control system. The chassis consists of a two-wheel front support and four main supports with four-wheel carriages.
The overall dimensions of the cargo cabin (30.0x4.4x4.4 m) allow solving the problem of transportation of virtually all combat and engineering equipment. According to calculations with a take-off weight of 170 tons, the cruising speed is 650 km / h, the practical range with an amphibious load of 50 tons is 3500 km.
Two of the four main racks of the landing gear were retracted into the nacelles of the internal engines, the other two into the fairings along the sides of the fuselage. The "seagull" type wing had a fracture in the internal engine. The possibility was provided for its equipment to be managed by the boundary layer management system.
In the early 1960s, the Ministry of Defense of the USSR set before the aircraft industry the task of creating a complex for the air transportation of intercontinental ballistic missiles - the basis of the offensive nuclear potential of the Soviet Union. According to the plan, special cargo (rocket, launch equipment, etc.) were to be delivered by plane to the nearest airfield to the launch site, and then by helicopter directly to the silo launcher. Since the parameters of VT-22 in many respects corresponded to the task, the development of such an aircraft was commissioned by the OKB Antonov.
At the same time, the army wanted to get a full-fledged strategic military-technical cooperation capable of transporting not only ICBMs, but also all military and engineering equipment transported by rail. The national economy also needed an airplane to deliver large-sized cargo, including to the developed regions of Siberia, the Far North and the Far East, where it was impossible to transport them by other means without disassembly. The basis for the deployment of works on the new military-technical cooperation was the Resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR of 13 October #1117-465 and the order of the Chairman of the State Committee for Automatization of November 9, 1960. The work on the aircraft, which received the intrafactory index "product 100", was headed by deputy chief designer A.Ya.Belolipetsk, V.I.Kabayev was appointed the leading designer, and V.S.Rozanovathe was theleading engineer from the GKAT.
The engines were placed on the "weave" so that 45% of the wing area was intensively blown up by screws, due to which the bearing properties of the wing increased by almost 30%. To obtain the specified take-off characteristics of the maximum power, NK-12MV was quite enough, but the coaxial air screw AB-60 with a diameter of 5.6 m used on the Tu-95 was designed for cruising flight regimes and had a starting thrust of only 8,800 kgf. For the "hundred" a new propeller with a starting thrust of at least 13000 kgf was needed.
However, the proposal for BT-22 and, consequently, The government's decision to create a new military-technical cooperation did not provide for the modernization of the propulsion system. That's why Antonov had a lot of nerves to convince GKAT of the need for these works - the ministry was afraid of a breakdown in the serial production of engines and propellers. With the support of the military, TsAGI, CIAM, engine and propeller developers, the stubbornness of officials was overcome. OKD Zhdanova, having conducted a large amount of computational and experimental research jointly with TsAGI, developed an air screw AB-90 with a diameter of 6.2 m, and OKB Kuznetsova adapted the engine for it, giving it the designation NK-12MA. A unique propulsion system with a maximum thrust of 14,600 kgf and a cruising fuel consumption of 224 g / kWh was obtained, which was unparalleled for more than 30 years.
The design of the VT-22 aircraft served as the basis for the creation of the An-22. In August 1961, under the chairmanship of the commander of the Air Force Marshal Nikolai Skripko, a mock commission for the "100 product" was held. In the course of the work, the transport capabilities of the military-technical cooperation were demonstrated: 112 models of various military equipment were alternately loaded into the mock-up of the aircraft. This made a huge impression on the members of the commission.
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