Businessmen are asking to convert the famous supersonic bombers into business jets. Theoretically, the famous company could well have created such airliners, but it would have to solve a number of problems, and not only technical ones. The Tupolev company can create a supersonic civilian business jet for 20-25 passengers. “I think in the near future it is really possible to make only an administrative aircraft with supersonic sound. It would be of small dimension, but with a long flight range, and would transport 20-25 businessmen in a couple of hours over several thousand kilometers. The creation of such an airplane is real. Opportunities exist for this, but we need a customer, ”said Valery Solozobov, Tupolev Deputy General Director for Design, Research and Development, at TASS. According to him, "if there is a group of businessmen who are ready to invest in an administrative aircraft with supersonic sound, and this is very serious money, then such a machine could be built." He said that, most likely, a supersonic aircraft will operate on liquid hydrogen, since it has a higher calorific value than kerosene. Earlier, Solozobov said that wealthy foreigners regularly contacted the Tupolev company with a request to make a personal supersonic passenger plane from Russian Tu-160 and Tu-22M3 bombers. But the company refuses to develop such a liner, since it is much cheaper to re-make it without using the technologies that were used to create the missile carriers. In addition, the Tu-160 has secret technology. Technically, Tupolev is really capable of creating a supersonic civilian aircraft that could cover 5-6 thousand km in just two or three hours without intermediate landings. Moreover, such a Tupolev aircraft was created back in the 70s - Tu-144. This airliner became the first supersonic aircraft in the world, which was used for the commercial transportation of passengers. At the same time, the British-French Concorde supersonic aircraft appeared. Moreover, the Russian Tu-144 made its first flight two months earlier than the Concorde. At that time, many predicted the end of the era of subsonic civilian aircraft, believing that all airlines would rush to buy supersonic aircraft. However, the market decreed otherwise. In total, the Tu-144 made 55 flights and transported 2 thousand people, having worked for less than a year, after which its operation was stopped. The project was deemed economically unsuccessful (in fact, like Concord), and it was officially closed for security reasons. And since then, civil aviation in this direction has not developed. Actually
there are two main problems that need to be solved for supersonic airliners to take root in civil aviation. This is the noise level (safety) and economic feasibility.
When flying at supersonic speed, shock waves form, which exert pressure on the aerodynamic characteristics of the liner. In other words, supersonic creates serious discomfort for passengers, and even for people on earth, when an airplane flies over populated areas. As a result, civilian flights over land with supersonic speeds are prohibited by ICAO international rules. “If we could make sure that the noise level during supersound was slightly higher than the noise level of traditional airliners, this would be a great advantage for such projects,” says Oleg Panteleev, Aviaport editor-in-chief. In the meantime, according to him, the only scheme by which the ban can be circumvented today is to switch to supersonic only when flying over the seas and oceans, where there are no such restrictions. For transatlantic flights, this option is quite relevant, but for flights from Europe to Asia and vice versa, of course, no. That is why today in the world all the work carried out in the direction of creating a supersonic civilian aircraft is aimed primarily at reducing noise and reducing the number of shock waves. For example, last year, Lockheed Martin Corporation announced its intention to join forces with NASA's national space agency to create a low-noise supersonic aircraft that may someday carry passengers. It is known that NASA operates on an experimental supersonic engine that is capable of producing a lower level of sound and prevent the effects of sound waves on the aircraft. The first tests are scheduled for 2020. On the other hand, it is necessary to solve the problem with profitability. Flights on the supersonic Tu-144 and Concord aircraft proved to be very expensive due to the huge fuel consumption. There were not so many people willing to overpay for a flight speed of three to four times. The low demand for such expensive services, coupled with restrictions on flight directions (in fact, it makes sense to fly only in the United States) makes these aircraft a long payback for airlines. Apparently, they want to solve the problem with economy in Tupolev by using not traditional jet fuel as fuel, but liquefied hydrogen. “The creation of an aircraft using liquefied hydrogen in the form of fuel has now been worked out technologically, but not worked out in terms of certification requirements,” says Oleg Panteleev. But we are talking about subsonic aircraft, the use of hydrogen fuel in turbojet engines. “As for a supersonic hydrogen-powered aircraft, today there is not even a propulsion system for such fuel. Therefore, there are even more problems. At the current level of development of science and technology, it’s not yet possible to talk about a hypersonic hydrogen-fueled aircraft for transporting passengers, ”the expert says. Creating an engine is the most difficult part in the design and construction of a new aircraft. And in general, the creation of such an aircraft may require investments that are several times greater than the development of a new subsonic airliner. The creation of the MS-21, for example, cost 100 billion rubles. Unless Tupolev speaks about the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a small-sized aircraft - for 25 passengers, and this may somewhat reduce the cost of the process of its creation. But in general, it will be necessary to create a number of components and structural elements from scratch, so such a project will cost a lot of money anyway. But do Russian oligarchs need such airplanes and are they ready to invest dozens, or perhaps hundreds of billions, in creating such a miracle? “The business jet market itself is vibrant, highly competitive. Those models that have greater cruising speed are in demand and are sold with some premium relative to competitors at a lower speed, ”says Oleg Panteleev. However, those who wish to get involved in this project may not be found. “International investors will not invest in projects of companies that are part of the UAC, under the conditions of sanctions. There should be no illusions here. And it will be very difficult for Russian investors to pull such a project. I think they have completely different interests and priorities now, ”Panteleev said. However, the first vice-president of the Russian Union of Engineers, Ivan Andrievsky, is more optimistic: “The design bureau correctly spoke about its capabilities. And after such a statement, interest may arise, not only Russian, but also Chinese. ” And although the claimed project is more exclusive than massive, there are still prospects for its development. “40 years have passed since the Tu-144, during this time the demand for fast movements has grown, and technology has stepped forward. In addition, the Americans are already stepping on our heels, ”Andrievsky says. The American airline Spike Aerospace has been working for several years to create a supersonic jet business jet capable of carrying up to 22 passengers (at a speed of 1900 km / h). And just in September, the company announced that it would soon conduct flight tests of such an S-512 Quiet Supersonic Jet. However, it will be a test prototype drone. The second, larger test prototype will fly in mid-2018, and they plan to test the S-512 aircraft only in 2021. Most importantly, Spike Aerospace claims that the S-512 engine will generate noise levels on the ground at only 75 dBA. However, while around this project there are more rumors than real successes. No one has seen the technical details yet.
Supersonic passenger July 14th, 2015
After sunk into oblivion " Concordes » and Tu-144 on the field of supersonic aircraft no one left. It is not clear whether such aircraft are not needed (unprofitable), or whether our civilization has not yet achieved such technical perfection and reliability in this direction.
Gradually small private projects began to appear.
The American company Aerion Corporation from the small town of Reno, Nevada, began accepting orders for the creation of the private supersonic aircraft AS2 Aerion, which is created with the support of Airbus
It’s not clear what will come of it, but here are the details ...
The manufacturer claims that its patented laminar flow technology reduces aerodynamic drag above the wings by up to 80%, which allows the three-engine propulsion system to travel distances quickly enough. For example, from Paris to Washington, the plane will fly in just three hours, and from Singapore to San Francisco, in just six hours. Supersonic flights over the United States are prohibited, but this does not apply to flights over the ocean. The aircraft body is mainly made of carbon fiber and is “sewn” with a titanium alloy along the seam. Without refueling, the aircraft will be able to fly up to 5400 miles. The release of the first aircraft is planned for the year 2021.
What projects of supersonic aircraft did not find their embodiment in reality? Well, for example, from the most serious:
Sukhoi Supersonic Business Jet (SSBJ, S-21) is a project of a supersonic business-class passenger aircraft developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. In seeking funding, Sukhoi OJSC collaborated on this project with Gulfstream Aerospace, Dassault Aviation, and a number of Chinese companies.
The development of the S-21 and its larger version of the S-51 was launched in 1981 at the initiative of Mikhail Petrovich Simonov, the chief designer of Sukhoi Design Bureau at that time. The project was led by Deputy Chief Designer Mikhail Aslanovich Pogosyan.
An analysis of the commercial operation of Tu-144 and Concord aircraft showed that, with rising fuel prices, supersonic aircraft cannot compete with more economical subsonic liners in the mass transportation segment. The number of passengers who are willing to significantly overpay for speed is small and is determined mainly by representatives of large businesses and senior officials. At the same time, the priority traffic routes are the airlines connecting the world capitals. This determined the concept of the aircraft as intended for the transport of 8-10 passengers at a range of 7-10 thousand kilometers (to ensure non-stop flights between cities on the same continent and with one refueling when flying from any to any capital of the world). It was also important to reduce the length of the run so that the plane could take all the international airports in the world.
In the course of work on the aircraft, various layout options were worked out - with 2, 3 or 4 engines. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to the cessation of state funding for the program. Sukhoi Design Bureau began the search for independent investors for the project. In particular, in the early 1990s, work was carried out in collaboration with the American company Gulfstream Aerospace - while developing a variant with 2 English engines, which received the designation S-21G. However, in 1992, the US side withdrew from the project, fearing excessive costs. The project has been suspended.
In 1993, investors for the project were found in Russia and the project was resumed. The $ 25 million received from investors allowed us to reach the stage of completion of the design. Ground tests of engines were conducted, as well as tests of aircraft models in wind tunnels.
In 1999, the aircraft project was presented at the Le Bourget air show, at the same time Mikhail Petrovich Simonov said that to complete all work on the aircraft and begin production of serial airliners, it would take about another 1 billion dollars. With timely and full funding, the aircraft could take off for the first time in 2002, and the cost of the unit would be about $ 50 million. The possibility of continuing joint work on the project with the French company Dassault Aviation was considered, but the contract did not take place.
In 2000, Sukhoi Design Bureau tried to find investors for this project in China.
At present, no investments have been found to complete the development and creation of aircraft. In the state program “Development of the Aviation Industry for 2013 - 2025” adopted at the end of 2012, there are no references to the aircraft
Zehst (short for Zero Emission HyperSonic Transport - English Zero Emissions High Speed \u200b\u200bTransport) - a project of a supersonic-hypersonic passenger airliner, implemented under the leadership of the European aerospace agency EADS.
The project was first presented on June 18, 2011 at the Le Bourget air show. According to the project, it is assumed that the aircraft will accommodate 50-100 passengers and develop a speed of up to 5029 km / h. The flight altitude should be up to 32 km.
The aircraft’s jet system will consist of two turbojet engines used on the take-off and acceleration section to 0.8 M, then rocket booster blocks will accelerate the aircraft to 2.5 M, after which the two ramjet engines located under the wings will bring the speed to 4 M.
Tu-444 - The project of the Russian supersonic passenger business aircraft developed by OAO Tupolev. He replaced the Tu-344 project and a competitor to the Sukhoi SSBJ design bureau. In the state program “Development of the Aviation Industry for 2013-2025” adopted at the end of 2012, there is no mention of the project
The design of the Tu-444 began in the early 2000s, in 2004 the outline design of the project began. The development was preceded by a miscalculation of the most favorable technical characteristics for an aircraft of this class. So, it was found that a range of 7,500 kilometers is enough to cover the main business centers of the world, and the optimal run length is 1800 meters. The potential market was estimated at 400-700 aircraft, the first flight according to plan was scheduled for 2015
Nevertheless, despite the use of old OKB designs in the project, including Tupolev directly (for example, Tu-144, it was supposed to use AL-F-31 engines), it became clear that there was a need for a number of technical innovations that were impossible without significant financial investments which failed to attract. Despite the elaboration of a draft design by 2008, the project “stalled”.
Well, a little more aviation topics for you: let's remember, but this one. And you know what exists and flew like that. Here is also an unusual The original article is on the site InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article with which this copy is made -
When can a new supersonic passenger plane fly into the sky? Business jet based on the Tu-160 bomber: real? How to silently overcome the sound barrier?
The Tu ‑ 160 is the largest and most powerful supersonic aircraft in the history of military aviation and an aircraft with variable wing geometry. Among the pilots received the nickname "White Swan". Photo: AP
Do supersonic passenger cars have a prospect? - I asked not so long ago the outstanding Russian aircraft designer Heinrich Novozhilov.
Of course have. At least a supersonic business plane is sure to appear, ”replied Genrikh Vasilievich. - More than once I talked with American businessmen. They clearly stated: "If such an aircraft appeared, Mr. Novozhilov, then, no matter how expensive it was, it would be bought from you instantly." Speed, altitude and range are three factors that are always relevant.
Yes, relevant. The dream of any businessman: 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 are the 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 Concord — taught a lot.
In December of this year, it will be half a century, as the Tu-144 made its first flight. And a year later, the liner showed what it was capable of: it overcame the sound barrier. He gained a speed of 2.5 thousand km / h at an altitude of 11 km. This event went down in history. There are still no analogues of passenger sides in the world that are able to repeat such a maneuver.
One Hundred and Forty-Four has opened a fundamentally new page in world aircraft construction. They say that at a meeting in the Central Committee of the CPSU, designer Andrei Tupolev reported to Khrushchev: the car turns out to be quite voracious. But he just waved his hand: your business is to wipe the nose of the capitalists, and with us kerosene - at least flood ...
The nose is wiped away. Kerosene - flooded.
However, the European competitor, which took off later, was also not economical. So, in 1978, nine Concordes brought their companies about $ 60 million in loss. 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 did not materialize: an energy crisis erupted in the world and kerosene prices rushed up. The supersonic first-born was immediately dubbed the “constrictor on the neck of Aeroflot.” Huge fuel consumption also knocked out the projected range: the Tu-144 did not reach either Khabarovsk or Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, only from Moscow to Alma-Ata.
And if only that. A 200-ton “iron”, cruising over densely populated areas at supersonic speeds, literally blew up all the space along the track. Complaints poured: the milk yield of the cows fell, the chickens ceased to rush, the acid rains crushed ... Where is the truth, where is the lie - today you definitely can’t tell. But the fact remains: "Concord" flew only over the ocean.
Finally, the most important thing is disaster. One - in June 1973, at the air show in Paris Le Bourget, as they say, in full view of the planet: the crew of test pilot Kozlov wanted to demonstrate the capabilities of the Soviet airliner ... Another - in five years. Then a test flight was performed with the engines of the new series: they just had to pull the plane to the required range.
The Concorde also did not escape the tragedy: the plane crashed in July 2000 when departing from Charles de Gaulle Airport. Ironically, it collapsed almost where the Tu-144 used to be. Killed 109 people on board and four on the ground. Regular passenger traffic resumed only a year later. But a series of incidents followed, and this supersonic also put a bullet in the eye.
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 out of the sound barrier. A photo: Sergey Mikheev / RG
Today, in a new round of technology development, scientists need to find a balance between conflicting factors: the good aerodynamics of the new supersonic aircraft, low fuel consumption, and stringent restrictions on noise and sonic boom.
How realistic is it to create a new passenger supersonic based on the Tu-160 bomber? From a purely engineering point of view, they are, experts say. And there are examples in history when military aircraft successfully “took off shoulder straps” and flew away “in civilian life”: for example, the Tu-104 was created on the basis of the Tu-16 long-range bomber, and Tu-114 - the Tu-95 bomber. In both cases, the fuselage had to be redone - to change the layout of the wing, to expand the diameter. In fact, they were new aircraft, and quite successful. By the way, a curious detail: when the Tu-114 first flew to New York, there was no ramp suitable for height or a tractor in the stunned airport ...
Similar work will be required at least for the conversion of Tu-160. However, how much will this solution be cost-effective? Everything needs to be carefully evaluated.
How many such aircraft are needed? Who and where will fly to them? How commercially available will they be for 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 reserve for the engine. Such an aircraft can accommodate up to 50 people. The total demand in the domestic market is projected at 20-30 cars at a price of 100-120 million dollars.
A new generation serial supersonic passenger aircraft may appear around 2030
Designers on both sides of the ocean are working on supersonic business jet projects. 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 the SDS / ATP project ("supersonic business aircraft / supersonic passenger aircraft"): as planned, he can carry out transatlantic flights at a distance of up to 8600 km at a cruising speed of at least 1900 km / h. Moreover, the interior will be transformed - from an 80-seater to a 20-seater VIP-class.
And last summer, at the Zhukovsky air show, one of the most interesting was the model of a high-speed civilian aircraft created by TsAGI scientists as part of the international project HEXAFLY-INT. This aircraft should fly at a speed of more than 7-8 thousand km / h, corresponding to Mach numbers 7 or 8.
But for a high-speed civilian aircraft to become a reality, a huge range of tasks has to be solved. They are associated with materials, a hydrogen power plant, its integration with a glider and obtaining high aerodynamic efficiency of the aircraft itself.
And what is absolutely certain: the design features of the designed winged machine will be clearly non-standard.
Competently
Sergey Chernyshev, General Director of TsAGI, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences:
The level of sound shock (a sharp pressure drop in the shock wave) from the Tu-144 was 100-130 pascals. But modern research has shown: it can be brought up to 15-20. Moreover, reduce the volume of the sonic boom to 65 decibels, and this is equivalent to the noise of a big city. Until now, there are no official standards in the world for the permissible level of sonic boom. And most likely it will be determined no earlier than 2022.
We have already proposed the appearance of the demonstrator of a supersonic civilian aircraft of the future. The sample should show the possibility of reducing sonic boom in supersonic cruising and noise in the airport area. Several options are being considered: an airplane for 12-16 passengers, also for 60-80. There is an option for a very small business plane - for 6-8 passengers. These are different weights. In one case, the machine will weigh about 50 tons, and in another - 100-120, etc. But we start precisely from the first of the indicated supersonic aircraft.
According to various estimates, today there is already an unrealized need in the market for fast flights of business people on airplanes with a passenger capacity of 12-16 people. And, of course, the car should fly at a distance of at least 7-8 thousand kilometers along the transatlantic routes. The cruising speed will be Mach 1.8-2, that is, approximately two times faster than the speed of sound. This speed is a technological barrier to the use of conventional aluminum materials in the design of the airframe. Therefore, the scientists ’dream is to make an airplane completely out of temperature composites. And there are good developments.
Clear requirements for the aircraft should be determined by the starting customer, and then at the stages of preliminary design and development work, some change in the initial appearance of the aircraft obtained at the preliminary design stage is possible. But the sound principles for reducing sonic boom will remain unchanged.
The short-term passenger operation of the supersonic Tu-144 was limited to flights from Moscow to Alma-Ata. A photo: Boris Korzin / TASS Newsreel
I think that it’s 10-15 years before 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 creating a supersonic aircraft with a low level of sonic boom. This is a necessary stage of work. A new generation serial supersonic aircraft 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 the Rostransnadzor:
Make a passenger supersonic based on the Tu-160? For our engineers, it’s completely real. Not a problem. Moreover, this car is very good, with remarkable aerodynamic qualities, a good wing, a fuselage. However, today any passenger aircraft must first of all meet the international requirements for flight and technical validity. The discrepancies, when comparing 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: the Tu-160 itself weighs more than 100 tons. "Inflate" is also to add weight. And that means - to increase fuel consumption, reduce speed and altitude, to make the device absolutely unattractive for any airline in terms of its operating costs.
To create a supersonic aircraft for business aviation, we need new avionics, new aircraft engines, new materials, new types of fuel. On Tu-144 kerosene, as they say, poured the 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 out” the cost. On whom? Naturally, on passengers. From an economic point of view, the project will fail.
Sergey Melnichenko, General Director of ICAA "Flight Safety":
For almost 35 years since the start of the serial production of the Tu-160, technology has gone ahead, and this will have to be taken into account when deeply upgrading an existing aircraft. Aircraft builders say that it is much easier and cheaper to create a new aircraft in accordance with the new concept than to rebuild the old one.
Another question: if the Tu-160 will be rebuilt specifically for a business jet, will they still be interested in Arab sheikhs? However, there are a few buts. The aircraft will need to obtain an international certificate (and the European Union and the United States stand behind its issuance), which is very problematic. In addition, we need new economical engines, which we do not have. Those that do not consume fuel, but drink.
If the plane is converted for the transportation of economy passengers (which is unlikely), then the question is - where to fly and whom to carry? Over the past year, we have just reached 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 aircraft" will be more expensive than for "Boeing" and "Airbus".
If it is planned to rebuild the aircraft purely for the interests of the leaders of large companies, then this is likely to happen. But then this question concerns them purely, and not the Russian economy and people. Although 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 on the ground. And if the updated aircraft is not allowed on Sardinia, then who needs it?
The ideas of creating a supersonic passenger aircraft for VIPs based on a combat vehicle have been expressed repeatedly. A well-known fact from history: the legendary Soviet high-altitude fighter MiG-25 was designed to intercept the promising American supersonic bomber XB-70 Valkyrie. The Americans quickly abandoned their Valkyrie, and the MiG remained virtually out of work. In search of new applications, Soviet designers even tried to adapt the aircraft to an ultra-fast business jet for the country's leadership. However, assessing the age and physical condition of most members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the leaders of the aviation industry left this idea.
And far, and fast!
Later, both in our country and abroad, it was proposed to build a supersonic business aircraft based not only on the Tu-160, but even on the less perfect Tu-22. For a long time, all this was not taken seriously, but at last the Russian designers became thoughtful, decided to take a chance, and even received funding for this. So began work on the Tu-164. The main problems were speed and range.
The roll-out of the new Tu-160M1 + (pictured) was widely covered by the media, and its appearance is already well known. What can not be said about the Tu-164.
The legendary Tu-144 entire cruising section of the flight was supersonic, but flew close by, less than 5,000 km. Such distances for a serious business jet are of little interest. The Tu-160 overcomes distances of nearly 14,000 km, but its cruising mode is subsonic, it can switch to supersonic only for a short time when the engines operate in afterburner mode and literally devour fuel. For a business jet, this is also not suitable. Thus, the first step towards the Tu-164 was remotorization. The NK-32 was replaced by the promising NK-244MOD engines, which provide supersonic cruising flight, fantastic efficiency and flight range without refueling up to 9000 km.
Original solution
“The peculiarity of the task we were facing,” says Ivan Zateev, a design bureau employee, “was to process the Tu-160 into the civilian version as soon as possible without a fundamental design change. Otherwise, it would be necessary to create something new from scratch, which would require completely different costs. As you know, the cockpit space of an airplane does not represent a single volume. For passenger salons, we used two former bombs and missile compartments (the task of sealing them was successfully solved by us), physically separated by a titanium center wing and mechanics of controlling the geometry of the wing. Thus, in flight there will be no communication between the cabins. Can we consider this a flaw? After all, no business jet has this. So let this be our chip, our advantage! For example, if a serious state or business delegation is sent on a flight, the front cabin can be equipped for the needs of VIPs, the rear cabin will look more like an office and there will be a staff of assistants and referents. They will be able to communicate in flight with the leadership by video link. Another variant. Already, great interest in the Tu-164 from the representatives of wealthy families from the oil-producing countries of the Persian Gulf. However, conservative traditions are widespread in these countries, in particular the separation in the space of dwellings of the female and male halves of the family. So in flight, one of the salons will be given to the male part of the traveling family, the other to the female. Sexual communication will also have to be limited to video conferencing. ”
Novelties of the Russian aviation industry are under the scrutiny of the country's leadership. Will the Tu-164 lift into the sky the first persons of the state?
Passenger Safety Revolution
If interest in the aircraft from large companies and VIPs will increase, in addition to the basic modification, it is planned to offer the Tu-164BB variant on the market (stands for “uncompromising safety”). The difference from the "base" will be that for the first time in history, a civilian aircraft can be equipped with rescue ejection seats for passengers. However, since this is not about military pilots, whose comfort is not a priority, but about people accustomed to luxury, special ejection transformer seats are provided for the Tu-164BB. Under normal conditions, they are no different from a soft leather chair, but in case of emergency within two seconds, devices that fasten the parachute and firmly fix the body and limbs are pulled out of the chair. Then the bailout occurs. Now one of the startups in Luxembourg is developing such chairs, but the design bureau expects that similar designs will be created in the Russian Federation. Of course, buyers of the Tu-164BB will have to undergo special training, including test bailouts. Training will be held at the Cosmonaut Training Center, however, the estimated cost of training will be $ 1 million. “But our future customers should not have problems with this amount,” said Ivan Zateev.
Laser against screen
One of the main reasons for the fiasco that befell the first generation of supersonic civil aviation was the unresolved noise problem. A supersonic plane, like an explosion, forms a shock wave in front of itself, which, reaching the ground, hits its ears and makes glass rattle. At one time, the USA did not allow the Concord to fly over land, and the operators had to limit themselves to transoceanic flights. What will be the fate of the Tu-164 in this sense - after all, the environmental requirements for military and civilian aircraft have always been seriously different? “We practically succeeded in solving the problem of cardinal noise reduction,” says Ivan Zateev. - We relied on the work of Russian scientists who showed during experiments that optical breakdown of air in front of an airplane (using frequent high-power laser pulses) leads to the formation of high-temperature plasmoids, the thermal trace of which sharply reduces the power of the shock wave. Now no rumble and rattles! Environmentalists complained, they say, you incinerate all the birds to us with your lasers. But we reassured them: lasers will work only at the cruising level - this is about 15,000 m, and birds do not fly there. However, if during landing the pilot sees a flock of birds in front of him, he has the opportunity to briefly turn on the lasers. Still, passenger safety is more important ... "
Due to the specifics of the design of the basic model, the entrance to the salons is not carried out from the side, but through special ramps lowered from the bottom of the aircraft.
There is another interesting fact about the new aircraft, which “PM” on condition of anonymity told a source close to military circles. It is assumed that those Tu-164s that will come to the service of Russian state structures or strategic companies will be constructed in such a way that in the event of an aggravation of the current difficult geopolitical situation, they could be converted into military aircraft in a matter of hours. The place of expensive leather chairs and tables made of precious woods will again take bombs and rockets.
A supersonic administrative aircraft (business jet) with a capacity of up to 50 people can be designed in seven to eight years if there is a reserve for the engine, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation reported. Domestic demand is forecasted to be at the level of 20-30 cars at a price of $ 100-120 million, and the aircraft may also have significant export potential.
"At the enterprises of PJSC UAC there is a scientific and technical reserve for supersonic administrative aircraft. According to preliminary estimates, the design and creation of the first demonstration flight model with a capacity of up to 50 places in industry may take about seven to eight years if there is a reserve for the power plant," - TASS was told in the press service of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The idea to create a supersonic business jet based on the Tu-160 was expressed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 25 during a visit to the Kazan aircraft factory and watching a demonstration flight of the Tu-160M \u200b\u200bmissile carrier Peter Deinekin.
“We need to make a civilian version,” Putin said. “Why the Tu-144 went out of production - the ticket should have corresponded to some average earnings in the country. And now the situation is different. Now large companies have appeared that could use this aircraft.” The President noted that it is faster to fly to New York than from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok.
A return to the idea of \u200b\u200bflying in supersonic aircraft
The Russian serial civilian supersonic aircraft can be created by 2030, and in the near future a flying demonstrator may appear, the appearance of which is still being worked out. This was announced in January 2017 in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta by the Director General of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute named after Professor N. E. Zhukovsky (TsAGI) Sergey Chernyshev.
In TsAGI, the center of competence in the field of creating supersonic passenger aircraft conducts research work on supersonic aircraft that would have good aerodynamics and low environmental impact of sonic boom. The result of recent studies has been the conceptual appearance of the aircraft, embodying compromise solutions for its integrated aerodynamic layout. It was possible to get good aerodynamics, low fuel consumption, low noise and sonic boom, which was not the case with the first generation of supersonic aircraft - Tu-144 and Concord.
The sound boom resembles several successive explosions. The level of sonic boom (a sharp pressure drop in the shock wave) from the Tu-144 was 100-130 Pascals. But our modern research has shown: it can be brought up to 15-20. Moreover, reduce the volume of the sound boom to 65 decibels, and this is equivalent to the noise of a big city, ”says the TsAGI Director General.
The project of a supersonic business aircraft, for 12-16 passengers, in the West it is called Rumble, aims to justify acceptable levels of sound impact. Research and testing in wind tunnels at TsAGI prove that the aircraft can be made with good aerodynamics and with a very low level of sonic boom.
Today, we have made significant advances in supersonic technology, and we also understand much better what such an airplane should look like and what consumer qualities it should have. I think, before the flying prototype, 10-15 years separate us. 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 creating a supersonic aircraft with a low level of sonic boom. A new generation serial supersonic aircraft may appear on the horizon of 2030, - said Sergey Chernyshev.
At the same time, he added that Europeans are also participating in the project of a supersonic aircraft for 12-16 people, which was launched jointly with the Sukhoi Design Bureau and the Moscow Aviation Institute, and added that several options for such an aircraft are currently being considered.
We are considering several options: a plane for 12-16 passengers and 60-80. There is an option for a very small business plane - for 6-8 passengers. But we start from the first of the indicated supersonic aircraft.
According to various estimates, there is already an unrealized need in the market for fast flights of business people on airplanes with a passenger capacity of 12-16 people. And, of course, the car should fly at a distance of at least 7-8 thousand kilometers along the transatlantic routes, ”explained Chernyshev.
In America, two supersonic business jet projects are also being developed right now. One allegedly has some atypical tail, while the other has a completely unusual wing.
Yes, everyone is looking for new layout solutions. The design of our aircraft also looks very unusual. Like a seagull in flight: a V-shaped wing with a large opening angle, consoles with a smaller angle, but also with a V-shape, the fuselage with a curved central axis ... The engines are on top, and this is important, because the sound effect level is reduced due to the screen effect. Also, in the take-off and landing mode, the “screen” also reduces the noise level from the engines. According to the work plan, a ground-based experiment on a real engine is provided to demonstrate the screen effect. We must confirm a noticeable decrease in jet noise due to reflection of acoustic disturbances from the flat surface of the tail of the airframe.