Sukhoi T-4

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Image:Sukhoi T-4 (Monino museum).JPG Sukhoi T-4, or "Aircraft 100", or "Project 100", or "Sotka" was a Soviet high speed reconnaissance and interceptor aircraft that did not proceed beyond the prototype stage. It is sometimes incorrectly named Su-100.

1 Development
2 Testing
3 Survivors
4 Specifications
5 See also
6 External link

[edit] Development

Despite design similarities the Sukhoi T-4 was not intended as a Soviet equivalent of the North American XB-70 Valkyrie supersonic bomber, but was rather intended to take advantage of many of the XB-70's aeronautic innovations to develop a smaller reconnaissance and interceptor aircraft capable of reaching mach 3. In this respect the T-4 is more closely a Soviet attempt to develop an aircraft comparable to the Lockheed SR-71.

The T-4 was made largely from titanium and stainless steel, and featured a primitive fly-by-wire control systems but also employed a mechanical system as a backup. The aircraft's nose lowered to provide visibility during takeoff and landing. A periscope was used for forward viewing when the nose was retracted, and could be employed at speeds of up to 373 mph (600 km/h). Braking parachutes were used in addition to conventional wheel brakes.

[edit] Testing

The first T-4, designated "101," first flew on August 22, 1972. The test pilot was Vladimir Ilyushin, son of famed aircraft designer, Sergei Ilyushin. It has flown only ten times for a total of less than eleven hours. It is believed to have reached at least Mach 1.3 using four Kolesov RD36-41 engines. These engines each produced 16,000 kgf (35,300 lbf or 157 kN) thrust with afterburners. The aircraft was designed to achieve speeds of up to Mach 3.0, but the program was cancelled before the full performance of the aircraft could be determined.

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Sukhoi T-4

[edit] Survivors

One T-4 survives today. Aircraft "101" is on display at the Monino Museum near Moscow. At least two additional prototypes ("102" and "103") were under construction, but only aircraft "101" was completed and flown before the project was cancelled in 1974 or 1975. The other two prototypes were scrapped.