supersonic flight. Supersonic aircraft - development history

Fly around the Earth in a couple of hours. It's not a myth, it's a reality if you're a passenger on a super-fast plane.

Boeing X-43

The X-43A hypersonic aircraft is the fastest aircraft in the world. The drone during testing showed fantastic results, it flew at a speed of 11,230 kilometers per hour. This is about 9.6 times faster than the speed of sound.

The X-43A was designed and built by NASA, Orbital Sciences Corporation and MicroCraft Inc. It took about ten years of research in the field of supersonic ramjet engines, which are capable of accelerating aircraft to supersonic speeds, for the record holder to be born. The project cost a quarter of a billion dollars.

The fastest plane on the planet is not large. Its wingspan is only one and a half meters, while the length is only 3.6 meters. The fastest aircraft was equipped with an experimental Supersonic Combustion Ramjet (SCRamjet) ramjet supersonic combustion engine. And its main feature is that there are no rubbing parts. Well, the fuel on which the record holder flies is a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen. The creators did not begin to allocate space for special tanks for oxygen, it is taken directly from the atmosphere. This allowed to reduce the weight of the aircraft. As a result, as a result of using oxygen with hydrogen, the engine emits ordinary water vapor.

The fastest aircraft in the world Boeing X-43 flies at a speed of 11,230 km/h

It is worth noting that the fastest aircraft in the world was developed specifically to test the latest technology, namely a hypersonic alternative to modern turbojet engines. Scientists believe that hypersonic aircraft will be able to fly to any point on Earth in just 3-4 hours.

Orbital Sciences Corporation X-34

X-34 is also the fastest aircraft. Moreover, it can develop even greater speed than the previous one, namely 12144 kilometers per hour. However, in the list of the fastest, he is still in second place. This is because in experiments he was able to develop a speed of less than 11,230 kilometers per hour. The aircraft receives acceleration with the help of a Pegasus solid-propellant rocket, which is attached to the aircraft.

For the first time, this fastest aircraft in the world was tested in the spring of 2001. And it took 7 years and 250 million dollars to create and test the Hyper-X engine. Tests of the X-34 ended in success only in the spring of 2004. Then, during the launch over the Pacific Ocean near the island of St. Nicholas, the car accelerated to 11 thousand kilometers per hour. This aircraft is more than a record holder. The length of the aircraft is 17.78 meters, the wingspan is 8.85 meters, the height is already 3.5 meters. The aircraft, although it flies quickly, has an impressive mass of 1270 kilograms. The maximum height it can reach is 75 kilometers.

North American X-15

The X-15 is already an experimental American rocket plane, it is equipped with rocket engines. The X-15 is the first and for forty years the only manned hypersonic aircraft in history to have made suborbital space flights with pilots. This aircraft's main task is to study the conditions of flight at hypersonic speeds, as well as to study the conditions for the entry into the atmosphere of winged vehicles. It is designed to evaluate new design solutions, coatings, as well as the psychophysical aspects of control in the conditions of the upper atmosphere. The concept of the project was approved in 1954. And in flight, an unofficial altitude record was recorded, which was held from 1963 until 2004. This aircraft is capable of flying at a speed of 7274 kilometers per hour.

However, despite the impressive speed, the plane weighs quite decently - more than 15 thousand kilograms. But this is taking into account the mass of fuel. When landing, the aircraft weighs half as much. The height to which the X-15 can climb is almost 110 kilometers. Well, the flight range is 543.4 kilometers.

SR-71 ("Blackbird")

The SR-71 is the US Air Force's strategic supersonic reconnaissance aircraft. And this is the fastest aircraft, and also the highest-flying serial aircraft. It has remained so for the past 25 years. It has rather compact dimensions: length 32.76 meters, height 5.64 meters, and a wingspan of 16.95 meters. With such data, the mass of the aircraft is impressive, during takeoff it is more than 77 thousand kilograms, however, an empty aircraft weighs about 27 thousand kilograms. Well, the maximum speed with which the SR-71 is capable of flying is 3715 kilometers per hour.

MiG-25 ("Bat")

But this is the fastest jet military aircraft on the planet. It was on it that exactly 29 world records were set. Two versions of this aircraft have been developed and built: an interceptor and a reconnaissance aircraft. The length of the aircraft is 23.82 meters, the height is almost 6 meters, the wingspan is 13.95 for the reconnaissance aircraft and 14.015 for the interceptor. The maximum takeoff weight of the aircraft is 41,200 kilograms, and when landing, it is 18,800 kilograms. MiG-25 flies at a speed of 3395 kilometers per hour.

Fighter-interceptor MIG-25 - the fastest aircraft in Russia

MiG-31

This is a two-seat supersonic fighter-interceptor, which is designed for flights in all weather and is a long-range aircraft. The MiG-31 is the first Soviet 4th generation combat aircraft. It is necessary to intercept and destroy targets in the air at high, medium, low and extremely low altitudes, at night and day, in different weather conditions, with active and passive enemy radar interference, even false thermal targets. Four MiG-31 aircraft can control the airspace of 800-900 kilometers. One aircraft has a length of 21.62 meters, a height of 6.5 meters and a wingspan of 13.45 meters. A car flies at a speed of 3,000 kilometers per hour.

McDonnell-Douglas F-15 ("Eagle")

And this is an all-weather American tactical fighter of the 4th generation. He is capable of gaining air superiority. The Eagle was adopted in 1976. In total there are 22 modifications of the aircraft. F-15s were used in the Persian Gulf, Yugoslavia and the Middle East. The fighter develops a maximum speed of 2650 kilometers per hour.

General Dynamics F-111 ("Aardvark" or "Pig")

F-111 is a two-seat tactical bomber. In 1996, he was withdrawn from the US Air Force. Its speed of movement is 2645 kilometers per hour.
Subscribe to our channel in Yandex.Zen Posted on Tue, 09/29/2015 - 07:20 by russianinterest...

Original taken from in Speed ​​like a dream. Speed ​​is a calling

Perhaps the 1960s can be considered the golden years of supersonic aviation. It was at that time that it seemed that, just a little bit more, squadrons of supersonic aircraft would become the only option for air combat, and supersonic liners would trace our sky with their traces, linking all major cities and world capitals. However, it turned out that, as in the case of manned space, a person’s approach to high speeds is by no means littered with roses: passenger aviation has frozen at around 800 kilometers per hour, and military aircraft hang around the sound barrier, occasionally daring to fly into space for a short time. the region of low supersonic, in the region of Mach 2 or slightly more.

What is it connected with? No, not at all with the fact that "there is no need to fly fast" or "nobody needs it." Rather, we are talking about the fact that at some point the world began to follow the path of least resistance and considered that scientific and technological progress is a self-running cart that is already going downhill, which is why pushing it additionally is only just a waste of extra energy.

Let us ask ourselves a simple question - why is supersonic flight so difficult and costly? Let's start with the fact that when the aircraft overcomes the supersonic barrier, the nature of the flow around the body of the aircraft changes dramatically: aerodynamic resistance increases sharply, the kinetic heating of the airframe structure increases, and due to the shift in the aerodynamic focus of the streamlined body, there is a loss of stability and controllability of the aircraft.

Of course, for the layman and the unprepared reader, all these terms sound rather faded and incomprehensible, but if we summarize all this in the form of one phrase, it will turn out: “it is difficult to fly in supersonic”. But, of course, it is by no means impossible. At the same time, in addition to increasing engine power, the creators of supersonic aircraft have to go for a conscious change in the external appearance of the aircraft - characteristic “rapid” straight lines appear in it, sharp corners on the nose and on the leading edges, which immediately distinguishes a supersonic aircraft even outwardly from “smooth "and" sleek "forms of subsonic aircraft.

The nose of the Tu-144 deviated down during takeoff and landing in order to provide at least a minimal view to the pilots.

In addition, when an aircraft is optimized for supersonic flight, it has another unpleasant feature: it becomes poorly adapted for subsonic flight and rather clumsy in takeoff and landing modes, which it still has to perform at fairly low speeds. Those very sharp lines and swift forms that are so good at supersonics give in to the low speeds at which supersonic aircraft inevitably have to move at the beginning and end of their flight. And the sharp noses of supersonic machines also do not give pilots a complete view of the runway.

Here, as an example, are the noses of two Soviet supersonic aircraft not sold in the series - the M-50 Myasishchev Design Bureau (in the background) and the T-4 “object 100” of the Sukhoi Design Bureau (close).

The efforts of the designers are clearly visible: this is either an attempt to reach a compromise in the contours, like the M-50, or a sliding nose deviating downwards, like the T-4. Interestingly, the T-4 could well have become the first serial supersonic aircraft that would fly completely in horizontal supersonic flight without natural visibility through the cockpit canopy: at supersonic speed, the nose fairing completely covered the cockpit and all navigation was carried out only by instruments, in addition, the aircraft had optical periscope. The current level of development of navigation and telemetry tools makes it possible, by the way, to abandon the complex design of the sliding nose fairing of a supersonic aircraft - it can already be lifted and landed only by instruments, or even without the participation of pilots.

The same conditions and tasks give rise to similar constructions. The Anglo-French "Concorde" nose also moved down during takeoff and landing.

What prevented the USSR from creating in 1974 an innovative anti-ship warfare system based on the supersonic T-4, which was so advanced that there were as many as 600 patents in its design?

The thing is that the Sukhoi Design Bureau by the mid-1970s did not have its own production facilities for conducting extended state tests of the "object 100". For this process, not an experimental, but a serial plant was needed, for the role of which KAPO (Kazan Aviation Plant) was quite suitable. However, as soon as the decision on the preparation of the Kazan Aviation Plant for the assembly of the pilot batch of T-4 began to be prepared, Academician Tupolev, realizing that he was losing the serial plant, which produced the "strategic defect carrier" Tu-22, came out with an initiative proposal to create its modification Tu-22M, for which, allegedly, it was only necessary to slightly re-profile production. Although, in the future, the Tu-22M was developed as a completely new aircraft, the decision to transfer the Kazan plant to Sukhoi was not made at the time, and the T-4 ended up in the museum in Monino.

Such a big difference between the Tu-22 and Tu-22M is a legacy of the fight against the T-4.

The issue of the nose cone is not the only compromise that the creators of supersonic aircraft have to make. For many reasons, they end up with both an imperfect supersonic glider and a mediocre subsonic aircraft. Thus, the achievement of new frontiers by aviation in terms of speed and altitude is often associated not only with the use of a more advanced or fundamentally new propulsion system and a new layout of aircraft, but also with changes in their geometry in flight. On the first generation of supersonic machines, this option was never implemented, but it was this idea of ​​​​a variable sweep wing that eventually became almost canon in the 1970s. Such changes in the sweep of the wing, while improving the characteristics of the aircraft at high speeds, should not have worsened their qualities at low speeds, and vice versa.

The Boeing 2707 was to be the first passenger supersonic aircraft with a variable-swept wing.

It is interesting that the fate of the Boeing-2707 was not ruined by its constructive imperfection, but only by a host of political issues. By 1969, when the Boeing 2707 development program was in its final stretch, 26 airlines had ordered 122 Boeing 2707 aircraft at a cost of nearly $5 billion. At this point, the Boeing program had already left the design and research phase and the construction of two prototypes of the 2707 model had begun. To complete their construction and manufacture test aircraft, the company needed to attract somewhere between 1-2 billion. And the total cost of the program with the construction 500 aircraft approached 5 billion dollars. Government loans were required. In principle, at another time, Boeing would have found its own funds for this, but the 1960s were not like that.

In the late 1960s, Boeing's production facilities were heavily loaded with the creation of the largest subsonic passenger aircraft in the world - the Boeing 747, which we still fly today. Because of this, the model 2707 literally for several years “did not “crowd” forward from the “air cattle truck” and ended up behind its curvy fuselage. As a result, all cash financing and all equipment were involved in the production of the 747, and the 2707 was financed by Boeing on a residual basis.

Two approaches to passenger aviation - "Boeing-747" and "Boeing-2707" in one figure.

But the difficulties in building the 2707 were much more serious than just technical issues or Boeing's production program. Since 1967, an environmental movement against supersonic passenger transport has been on the rise in the United States. It was claimed that their flights would destroy the ozone layer, and the powerful acoustic shock that occurs during supersonic flight was considered unacceptable for populated areas. Under pressure from public opinion, and then Congress, President Nixon creates a commission of 12 members to decide on the financing of the SST program, which included the Boeing 2707. But contrary to his expectations, the commission rejects the need to create SST not only for environmental but also for economic reasons. To create the first aircraft, according to their calculations, it was necessary to spend 3 billion dollars, which would pay off only with the sale of 300 aircraft. The financial condition of the United States was weakened by the long war in Vietnam and the cost of the lunar race.

Work on the 2707 model was discontinued in 1971, after which Boeing tried to continue construction at its own expense for about a year. In addition, individuals, including students and schoolchildren, also tried to support the "American Dream Plane", which raised more than a million dollars. But this did not save the program. The end of the program coincided with a recession in the aerospace industry and an oil crisis, which forced Boeing to lay off nearly 70,000 of its employees in Seattle, and the Model 2707 was dubbed "the plane that ate Seattle."

Goodnight, sweet prince. The cockpit and part of the fuselage of a Boeing 2707 at the Hiller Aviation Museum.

What motivated the creators of supersonic machines? With military customers, the situation is generally clear. Warriors have always needed a plane that would fly higher and faster. The supersonic flight speed made it possible not only to reach enemy territory faster, but also to increase the flight ceiling of such an aircraft to a height of 20-25 kilometers, which was important for reconnaissance and bombers. At high speeds, as we remember, the lift force of the wing also grows, due to which the flight could take place in a more rarefied atmosphere, and, as a result, at a higher altitude.

In the 1960s, before the appearance of anti-aircraft missile systems capable of hitting targets at high altitudes, the main principle of using bombers was to fly to the target at the highest possible altitude and speed. Of course, the current air defense systems close this kind of niche for the use of supersonic aircraft (for example, the S-400 complex can shoot down targets directly in space, at an altitude of 185 kilometers and at their own speed of 4.8 km / s, in fact, being a missile defense system , not air defense). However, in operations against ground, surface and air targets, supersonic speed is quite in demand and is still present in promising military plans for both Russian and Western aircraft. It’s just that the implementation of a fairly complex supersonic flight is hardly compatible with the task of stealth and stealth, which they have been trying to instill in bombers and fighters over the past 30 years, which is why you have to choose, as they say, one thing - either hide or break through.

However, does Russia now have a reliable means against American AUGs? In order not to approach them for 300 kilometers to launch the Onyxes with some inconspicuous but vulnerable vessel? The T-4 had a coherent concept of its own style of destroying an aircraft carrier group, but does Russia have it now? I think not - just as there are still no Kh-33 and X-45 hypersonic missiles.

American bomber XB-70 "Valkyrie". It was with them that the MiG-25 had to fight.

Where the future of military aircraft construction will turn is an open question.

I want to say a few more words about civilian supersonic aircraft.

Their operation made it possible not only to significantly reduce the flight time on long-haul flights, but also to use unloaded airspace at high altitudes (about 18 km), while the main airspace used by airliners (heights of 9-12 km) was already even in the 1960s. heavily loaded. Also, supersonic aircraft flew along straightened routes (outside airways and corridors). And this is not to mention the elementary: saving the time of ordinary passengers, which was about half the flight time for, for example, the Europe-US flight.

At the same time, I repeat once again - the project of supersonic aircraft, both military and civilian, is by no means impossible from a practical point of view or somehow unrealistic from an economic point of view.

We just turned “the wrong way” at one time and rolled the cart of progress not uphill, but along the easiest and most pleasant path - down and downhill. Even today, projects for supersonic passenger aircraft are being developed for the same segment for which another innovative concept was made: the Augusta-Westland tiltrotor AW609. This segment is a segment of business transportation for wealthy clients, when the plane carries not five thousand passengers in bestial conditions, but a dozen people in conditions of maximum efficiency and maximum comfort. Meet Aerio AS2. If you're lucky, it will fly in the near future, in 2021:

I think that everything is already quite serious there - both the partnership with Airbus and the announced investments of $3 billion make it possible to consider the project not as a "stool duck", but as a serious application. In short, "a respectable Lord is for respectable gentlemen." And not for all the rogues who allowed the world to turn on an easy and convenient path at the end of the 20th century.

However, I have already written about this, I will not repeat myself. Now it's nothing more than the past:

Now we live in a different world. In a world without supersonic aviation for everyone. However, this is not the worst loss.

The speed of a sound wave is not a constant value, even if the sound propagation medium under consideration is air. The speed of sound at a fixed air temperature and atmospheric pressure changes with height above sea level.

As altitude increases, the speed of sound decreases. The conditional reference point of the value is the zero sea level. So, the speed with which the sound wave spreads along the water surface is 340.29 m/s, provided that the ambient temperature is 15 0 С and the atmospheric pressure is 760 mm. Hg So, aircraft flying at a speed higher than the speed of sound are called supersonic.

First achievement of supersonic speed

Aircraft are called supersonic aircraft based on their physical ability to travel at speeds higher than sound waves. In our usual kilometers per hour, this figure is roughly equal to 1200 km / h.

Even World War II aircraft with reciprocating internal combustion engines and propellers that create airflow during a dive already reached the speed mark of 1000 km / h. True, according to the stories of the pilots, at these moments the plane began to shake terribly due to strong vibration. The feeling was that the wings could simply come off the fuselage of the aircraft.

Subsequently, when creating supersonic aircraft, design engineers took into account the effect of air currents on the design of aircraft when the speed of sound was reached.

Overcoming the supersonic barrier by aircraft

When an airplane moves among air masses, it literally cuts through the air in all directions, creating a noise effect and air pressure waves diverging in all directions. When the aircraft reaches the speed of sound, there is a moment when the sound wave is not able to overtake the aircraft. Because of this, a shock wave appears in front of the frontal part of the aircraft in the form of a dense barrier of air.

The layer of air that has arisen in front of the aircraft at the moment the aircraft reaches the speed of sound creates a sharp increase in resistance, which serves as a source of changes in the stability characteristics of the aircraft.

When an airplane flies, sound waves propagate from it in all directions at the speed of sound. When the aircraft reaches a speed of M=1, that is, the speed of sound, sound waves accumulate in front of it and form a layer of compacted air. At speeds above the speed of sound, these waves form a shock wave that reaches the ground. The shock wave is perceived as a sonic boom, acoustically perceived by the human ear down on the earth's surface as a dull explosion.

This effect can be constantly observed during exercises of supersonic aircraft by the civilian population in the area of ​​flights.

Another interesting physical phenomenon in the flight of supersonic aircraft is the visual advance of aircraft of their own sound. The sound is observed with some delay behind the tail of the aircraft.

Mach number in aviation

A theory with a confirming experimental process of the formation of shock waves was demonstrated long before the first flight of a supersonic aircraft by the Austrian physicist Ernst Mach (1838 - 1916). The value expressing the ratio of the speed of an aircraft to the speed of a sound wave is called today in honor of the scientist - Mach.

As we have already mentioned in the water part, the speed of sound in air is affected by meteorological conditions such as air pressure, humidity and temperature. The temperature, depending on the height of the aircraft flight, varies from +50 on the Earth's surfaces to -50 in the stratosphere. Therefore, local weather conditions must be taken into account at different altitudes to achieve supersonic speeds.

For comparison, above zero sea level, the speed of sound is 1240 km / h, while at an altitude of more than 13 thousand km. this speed is reduced to 1060 km / h.

If we take the ratio of the speed of the aircraft to the speed of sound as M, then with a value of M> 1, it will always be supersonic speed.

Subsonic aircraft have M = 0.8. A fork of Mach values ​​from 0.8 to 1.2 sets the transonic speed. But hypersonic aircraft have a Mach number of more than 5. Of the well-known Russian military supersonic aircraft, one can distinguish the SU-27 - an interceptor fighter, the Tu-22M - a missile carrier bomber. From the American known SR-71 - reconnaissance aircraft. The first supersonic aircraft in mass production was the American F-100 fighter in 1953.

Model of the space shuttle during testing in a supersonic wind tunnel. A special technique of shadow photography made it possible to capture where shock waves originate.

First supersonic aircraft

For 30 years from 1940 to 1970, the speed of aircraft increased several times. The first transonic flight was made on October 14, 1947 on an American Bell XS-1 aircraft in California over an air base.

The Bell XS-1 jet was piloted by US Air Force Captain Chuck Yige. He managed to accelerate the device to a speed of 1066 km / h. During this test, a significant slice of data was obtained to further push the development of supersonic aircraft.

Wing design for supersonic aircraft

Lift and drag increase with speed, so the wings become smaller, thinner and swept, improving streamlining.

In aircraft adapted for supersonic flight, the wings, unlike conventional subsonic aircraft, were pulled back at an acute angle, resembling an arrowhead. Externally, the wings formed a triangle in a single plane with its acute-angled top at the front of the aircraft. The triangular geometry of the wing made it possible to control the aircraft predictably at the moment of crossing the sound barrier and, as a result, to avoid vibrations.

There are models in which wings with variable geometry were used. At the time of takeoff and landing, the angle of the wing relative to the aircraft was 90 degrees, that is, perpendicular. This is necessary to create maximum lift at the moment of takeoff and landing, that is, at the moment when the speed decreases and the lift at an acute angle with unchanged geometry reaches its critical minimum. As the speed increases, the geometry of the wing changes to the most acute angle at the base of the triangle.

Aircraft-record holders

In the race for record speeds in the sky, a rocket-powered Bell-X15 aircraft achieved a record speed of 6.72 or 7200 km/h in 1967. This record could not be beaten after a long time.

And only in 2004, the NASA X-43 unmanned hypersonic aircraft, which was designed to fly at hypersonic speeds, was able to accelerate to a record 11,850 km / h as part of its third flight.

The first two flights ended unsuccessfully. To date, this is the highest figure for aircraft speed.

Supersonic vehicle testing

This Thrust SSC jet supersonic vehicle is powered by 2 aircraft engines. In 1997, it became the first land vehicle to break the sound barrier. As in supersonic flight, there is a shock wave in front of the car.

The approach of the car is silent, because all the noise created is concentrated in the shock wave following it.

Supersonic aircraft in civil aviation

As for civilian supersonic aircraft, there are only 2 serial aircraft that perform regular flights: the Soviet TU-144 and the French Concorde. TU-144 made its debut flight in 1968. These devices were designed for long-distance transatlantic flights. Flight times were significantly reduced compared to subsonic vehicles by increasing the flight altitude to 18 km, where the aircraft used an unloaded air corridor and bypassed cloud loading.

The first civilian supersonic aircraft of the USSR TU-144 completed its flights in 1978 due to their unprofitability. The final point in the decision to refuse to operate on regular flights was made due to the crash of the prototype TU-144D during its testing. Although it is worth noting that outside of civil aviation, the TU-144 aircraft continued to be used for urgent postal and cargo delivery from Moscow to Khabarovsk until 1991.

In the meantime, despite expensive tickets, the French supersonic aircraft Concorde continued to provide flights for its European customers until 2003. But in the end, despite the richer social stratum of European residents, the issue of unprofitability was still inevitable.

When can a new supersonic passenger plane take to the skies? Business jet based on the Tu-160 bomber: real? How to silently break the sound barrier?

Tu-160 is the largest and most powerful supersonic and variable wing aircraft in the history of military aviation. Among the pilots he received the nickname "White Swan". Photo: AP

Do supersonic passenger cars have a future? - I asked not so long ago the outstanding Russian aircraft designer Genrikh Novozhilov.

Of course have. At least a supersonic business aircraft will certainly appear, - answered Genrikh Vasilyevich. - I had a chance to talk with American businessmen more than once. They clearly stated: "If such an aircraft appeared, Mr. Novozhilov, then, no matter how expensive it was, they would instantly buy it from you." Speed, altitude and range are three factors that are always relevant.

Yes, they are relevant. The dream of any businessman is to fly across the ocean in the morning, make a big deal, and return home in the evening. Modern aircraft fly no faster than 900 km/h. A supersonic business jet will have a cruising speed of about 1900 km per hour. What prospects for the business world!

That is why neither Russia, nor America, nor Europe has ever abandoned attempts to create a new supersonic passenger car. But the history of those that have already flown - the Soviet Tu-144 and the Anglo-French Concorde - has taught us a lot.

In December of this year, it will be half a century since the Tu-144 made its first flight. And a year later, the liner showed what exactly it is capable of: it broke the sound barrier. He picked up a speed of 2.5 thousand km / h at an altitude of 11 km. This event has gone down in history. There are still no analogues of passenger boards in the world that are able to repeat such a maneuver.

"One hundred and forty-four" opened a fundamentally new page in the global aircraft industry. They say that at one of the meetings in the Central Committee of the CPSU, designer Andrei Tupolev reported to Khrushchev: the car is turning out to be quite voracious. But he just waved his hand: your job is to wipe the nose of the capitalists, and we have kerosene - at least fill up ...

Nose - lost. Kerosene - flooded.

However, the European competitor, which took off later, also did not excel in efficiency. So, in 1978, nine "Concordes" brought their companies about $ 60 million in losses. And only government subsidies saved the situation. Nevertheless, the Anglo-French flew until November 2003. But the Tu-144 was written off much earlier. Why?

First of all, Khrushchev's optimism was not justified: an energy crisis erupted in the world and kerosene prices rushed up. The supersonic first-born was immediately dubbed "a boa constrictor around Aeroflot's neck." Huge fuel consumption also knocked out the design flight range: the Tu-144 did not reach either Khabarovsk or Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Only from Moscow to Alma-Ata.

And if only this. A 200-ton "iron", cruising over densely populated areas at supersonic speed, literally blew up the entire space along the route. Complaints poured in: cows' milk yields fell, chickens stopped laying, acid rains crushed ... Today you can’t say for sure where the truth is, where the lie is. But the fact remains: the Concorde flew only over the ocean.

Finally, and most importantly, disasters. One - in June 1973 at the Paris air show in Le Bourget, as they say, in full view of the whole planet: the crew of test pilot Kozlov wanted to demonstrate the capabilities of the Soviet airliner ... The other - in five years. Then a test flight was carried out with the engines of the new series: they just had to pull the plane to the required range.

"Concorde" also did not escape the tragedy: the plane crashed in July 2000 while taking off from Charles de Gaulle Airport. Ironically, it crashed almost where the Tu-144 had once been. 109 people on board and four on the ground were killed. Regular passenger traffic resumed only a year later. But another series of incidents followed, and a bullet was also put on this supersonic aircraft.

On December 31, 1968, the first flight of the Tu-144 took place, two months earlier than the Concorde. And on June 5, 1969, at an altitude of 11,000 meters, our aircraft was the first in the world to break beyond the sound barrier. Photo: Sergey Mikheev / RG

Today, at a new stage in the development of technology, scientists need to find a balance between conflicting factors: the good aerodynamics of the new supersonic aircraft, low fuel consumption, as well as severe restrictions on noise and sonic boom.

How realistic is it to create a new passenger supersonic aircraft based on the Tu-160 bomber? From a purely engineering point of view, it is quite, experts say. And there are examples in history when military aircraft successfully "removed their shoulder straps" and flew "to civilian life": for example, the Tu-104 was created on the basis of the Tu-16 long-range bomber, and the Tu-114 was based on the Tu-95 bomber. In both cases, the fuselage had to be redone - to change the wing layout, to expand the diameter. In fact, these were new aircraft, and quite successful. By the way, a curious detail: when the Tu-114 first flew to New York, there was neither a suitable ladder nor a tractor at the dumbfounded airport ...

Similar work will at least be required for the conversion of the Tu-160. However, how cost-effective will this solution be? Everything needs to be carefully evaluated.

How many of these planes do you need? Who will fly them and where? To what extent will they be commercially available to passengers? How soon will the development costs pay off? .. Tickets for the same Tu-144 cost 1.5 times more than usual, but even such a high cost did not cover operating costs.

Meanwhile, according to experts, the first Russian supersonic administrative aircraft (business jet) can be designed in seven to eight years if there is a backlog on the engine. Such an aircraft can accommodate up to 50 people. The overall demand in the domestic market is projected at the level of 20-30 cars at a price of 100-120 million dollars.

Serial supersonic passenger aircraft of the new generation may appear around 2030

Designers on both sides of the ocean are working on projects for supersonic business jets. Everyone is looking for new layout solutions. Someone offers an atypical tail, someone - a completely unusual wing, someone - a fuselage with a curved central axis ...

TsAGI specialists are developing a SDS / SPS project (“supersonic business aircraft / supersonic passenger aircraft”): according to the idea, it will be able to perform transatlantic flights over a distance of up to 8600 km at a cruising speed of at least 1900 km / h. Moreover, the salon will be made transformable - from an 80-seat to a 20-seat VIP class.

And last summer at the air show in Zhukovsky, one of the most interesting was the model of a high-speed civil aircraft, created by TsAGI scientists as part of the international project HEXAFLY-INT. This aircraft must fly at a speed of more than 7-8 thousand km / h, corresponding to Mach 7 or 8.

But in order for a high-speed civil aircraft to become a reality, a huge range of tasks must be solved. They are related to materials, the hydrogen power plant, its integration with the airframe and obtaining high aerodynamic efficiency of the aircraft itself.

And what is already absolutely certain: the design features of the designed winged machine will be clearly non-standard.

Competently

Sergey Chernyshev, Director General of TsAGI, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences:

The level of sonic boom (a sharp pressure drop in the shock wave) from the Tu-144 was 100-130 pascals. But modern research has shown that it can be brought up to 15-20. Moreover, reduce the volume of the sonic boom to 65 decibels, which is equivalent to the noise of a large city. Until now, there are no official standards for the permissible level of sonic boom in the world. And most likely it will be determined no earlier than 2022.

We have already proposed the appearance of a demonstrator of a supersonic civil aircraft of the future. The sample should show the feasibility of reducing sonic boom in supersonic cruising and airport noise. Several options are being considered: a plane for 12-16 passengers, also for 60-80. There is a variant of a very small business aircraft - for 6-8 passengers. These are different weights. In one case, the machine will weigh about 50 tons, and in the other - 100-120, etc. But we will start from the first of the designated supersonic aircraft.

According to various estimates, today there is an unrealized need in the market for fast flights for business people on airplanes with a passenger capacity of 12-16 people. And, of course, the car must fly at a distance of at least 7-8 thousand kilometers along transatlantic routes. Cruise speed will be Mach 1.8-2, which is about twice the speed of sound. This speed is a technological barrier to the use of conventional aluminum materials in the airframe design. Therefore, the dream of scientists is to make an aircraft entirely from thermal composites. And there are good practices.

Clear requirements for the aircraft must be determined by the launch customer, and then at the stages of preliminary design and development work, some change in the initial appearance of the aircraft obtained at the stage of preliminary design is possible. But the sound principles of sonic boom reduction remain unchanged.

The short-term passenger operation of the supersonic Tu-144 was limited to flights from Moscow to Alma-Ata. Photo: Boris Korzin/ TASS Newsreel

I think we are 10-15 years away from the flying prototype. In the near future, according to our plans, a flying demonstrator should appear, the appearance of which is being worked out. Its main task is to demonstrate the basic technologies for building a supersonic aircraft with a low level of sonic boom. This is a necessary step in the work. A production supersonic aircraft of a new generation may appear on the horizon of 2030.

Oleg Smirnov, Honored Pilot of the USSR, Chairman of the Civil Aviation Commission of the Public Council of Rostransnadzor:

To make a passenger supersonic aircraft based on the Tu-160? For our engineers - absolutely real. No problem. Moreover, this machine is very good, with excellent aerodynamic qualities, a good wing and fuselage. However, today any passenger aircraft must first of all comply with international airworthiness and technical requirements. The discrepancies, if we compare the bomber and the passenger plane, are more than 50 percent. For example, when some say that during the alteration it is necessary to "inflate the fuselage", one must understand that the Tu-160 itself weighs more than 100 tons. "Inflate" is to add more weight. And that means - to increase fuel consumption, reduce speed and altitude, make the device absolutely unattractive for any airline in terms of its operating costs.

To create a supersonic aircraft for business aviation, new avionics, new aircraft engines, new materials, new types of fuel are needed. On the Tu-144, kerosene, as they say, flowed like a river. Today, this is impossible. And most importantly, there should be massive demand for such an aircraft. One or two cars commissioned by millionaires will not solve the financial problem. Airlines will have to lease it and "work off" the cost. On whom? Naturally, on passengers. From an economic point of view, the project will be a failure.

Sergey Melnichenko, Director General of the ICAA "Safety Flights":

In the almost 35 years that have passed since the start of serial production of the Tu-160, technology has gone ahead, and this will have to be taken into account in the deep modernization of the existing aircraft. Aircraft builders say it's much easier and cheaper to build a new aircraft according to a new concept than to rebuild an old one.

Another question: if the Tu-160 is rebuilt specifically for a business jet, will the Arab sheikhs still be interested in it? However, there are several "buts". The aircraft will need to obtain an international certificate (and the European Union and the United States are behind its issuance), which is very problematic. In addition, new economical engines will be needed, which we do not have. Those that are available do not consume fuel, but drink.

If the plane is converted to transport economy passengers (which is unlikely), then the question is where to fly and who to carry? Last year, we only just approached the figure of 100 million passengers carried. In the USSR, these figures were much higher. The number of airfields has decreased several times. Not everyone who would like to fly to the European part of the country from Kamchatka and Primorye can afford it. Tickets for a "fuel-drinking plane" will be more expensive than for Boeings and Airbuses.

If the plane is planned to be rebuilt purely for the interests of the leaders of large companies, then most likely it will be so. But then this question concerns only them, and not the Russian economy and people. Although even in this case it is difficult to imagine that flights will be operated only to Siberia or the Far East. The problem with the noise in the area. And if the updated plane is not allowed to Sardinia, then who needs it?

Supersonic aircraft are aircraft that are capable of flying at speeds exceeding the speed of sound (Mach number M = 1.2-5).

Story

The advent of jet fighters in the 1940s challenged designers to further increase their speed. The increased speed improved the performance of both bombers and fighters.

A pioneer in the supersonic era was the American test pilot Chuck Yeager. On 10/14/1947, flying an experimental aircraft Bell X-1 with an XLR-11 rocket power plant, he overcame the speed of sound in controlled flight.

Development

The rapid development of supersonic aviation began in the 60-70s. XX century. Then the problems of aerodynamic efficiency, controllability and stability of aircraft were resolved. The high flight speed also made it possible to increase the practical ceiling by more than 20,000 m, which was a comfortable height for bombers and reconnaissance aircraft.

Before the advent of anti-aircraft missile systems and systems that could hit targets at high altitudes, the main principle of bombing operations was to keep bomber aircraft at maximum height and speed. Then, supersonic aircraft for various purposes were built and put into serial production - reconnaissance bombers, interceptors, fighters, interceptor bombers. The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger became the first supersonic reconnaissance aircraft, the Convair B-58 Hustler the first supersonic long-range bomber.

Currently, the design, development and production of new aircraft is being carried out, some of which are produced using a special technology that reduces their radar and visual visibility - "Stealth".

Passenger supersonic aircraft

In the history of aviation, only 2 passenger supersonic aircraft were created, which carried out regular flights. The first flight of the Soviet aircraft Tu-144 took place on December 31, 1968, the period of its operation was 1975-1978. The Anglo-French aircraft "Concorde" made its first flight on March 2, 1969 and was operated in the transatlantic direction in 1976-2003.

The use of such aircraft made it possible not only to reduce the time of flight over long distances, but also to use unoccupied air lines at high altitudes (about 18 km) at a time when the altitudes of 9-12 km used by the liners were heavily loaded. Also, supersonic aircraft operated flights outside the airways (on direct routes).

Despite the failure of several projects of transonic and supersonic aircraft (SSBJ, Tu-444, Tu-344, Tu-244, Lockheed L-2000, Boeing Sonic Cruiser, Boeing 2707) and the removal of two implemented projects from service, the development of modern hypersonic airliner projects continues (eg SpaceLiner, ZEHST) and amphibious (military transport) rapid response aircraft. Aerion AS2 supersonic business jet launched into production.

Theoretical questions

Compared to subsonic flight at supersonic speed, it is carried out according to a different law, because when the aircraft reaches the speed of sound, changes in the flow pattern occur, as a result, the kinetic heating of the apparatus increases, aerodynamic drag increases, and a change in aerodynamic focus is observed. All this in total affects the deterioration of the controllability and stability of the aircraft. A hitherto unknown phenomenon of wave resistance also appeared.

Therefore, efficient flight when reaching the speed of sound requires not only an increase in engine power, but also the introduction of new design solutions.

Therefore, such aircraft received a change in their appearance - sharp corners and characteristic straight lines appeared in comparison with the "smooth" shape of subsonic aircraft.

To date, the task of creating a truly efficient supersonic aircraft has not been solved. The creators are obliged to find a compromise between maintaining normal takeoff and landing characteristics and the requirement to increase speed.

Therefore, the achievement of new frontiers by modern aviation in terms of height and speed is associated not only with the introduction of new propulsion systems and layout schemes, but also with changes in flight geometry. These changes should improve the quality of the aircraft when flying at high speeds without compromising their performance at low speeds, and vice versa. Designers have recently given up on reducing the area of ​​the wings and the thickness of their profiles, increasing the sweep angle, returning to the wings of a large relative thickness and low sweep, if they managed to achieve the requirements of a practical ceiling and speed.

It is important that a supersonic aircraft has good performance at low speeds and is resistant to drag at high speeds, especially at ground altitudes.

Aircraft classification:

A

B

V

G

D

AND

TO

L

O

P

R