Tupolev Tu-142

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-142

The Tupolev Tu-142 (Russian: ??????? ??-142; NATO reporting name: Bear F/J) is a
Soviet/Russian maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft
derived from the Tu-95 turboprop strategic bomber. A specialised communications
variant designated Tu-142MR was tasked with long-range communications duties
with Soviet ballistic missile submarines. The Tu-142 was designed by the Tupolev
design bureau, and manufactured by the Kuibyshev Aviation and Taganrog Machinery
Plants from 1968 to 1994. Formerly operated by the Soviet Navy and Ukrainian Air
Force, the Tu-142 currently serves with the Russian Navy.

Developed in response to the American Polaris programme, the Tu-142 grew out of
the need for a viable Soviet ASW platform. It succeeded the stillborn Tu-95PLO
project, Tupolev's first attempt at modifying the Tu-95 for maritime use. The
Tu-142 differed from the Tu-95 in having a stretched fuselage to accommodate
specialised equipment for its ASW and surveillance roles, a reinforced
undercarriage to support rough-field capability, improved avionics and weapons,
and enhancements to general performance. The Tu-142's capability was
incrementally improved while the type was in service, eventually resulting in
the Tu-142MZ, the final long-range Tu-142 with highly sophisticated combat
avionics and a large payload. Tupolev also converted a number of Tu-142s as
avionics (Tu-142MP) and engine (Tu-142LL) testbeds.

In the late 1950s the US Navy developed the UGM-27 Polaris, a submarine-launched
ballistic missile (SLBM) with a range of more of than 1,800 kilometres (1,000
nm). They had test-fired rocket boosters to perfect the design, culminating in
the first underwater launch of a ballistic missile by USS George Washington on
20 July 1960. Polaris became operational on 15 November that year, when the
George Washington left Charleston, South Carolina, with a complement of
nuclear-armed Polaris missiles.

The resultant design was named Tu-142 and had features in common with the
Tu-95RT. The ventral and dorsal gun turrets were removed, as was the large
dielectric radome housing the Uspeh radar system, which was replaced by a
thermal imaging system located in a smaller fairing. This left the tail turret
with twin 23-mm AM-23 cannons, along with electronic countermeasures, as the
only defensive armament. The aircraft's search-and-targeting system featured
Berkut (Golden Eagle) 360° radar. A complex navigation system was integrated
with the weapons targeting system. Structural differences included an airfoil
change to the wing, expanding its area to 295 m2 (3,172 ft2). The area of the
elevators was increased by 14%, and improved hydraulic actuators were fitted.
Metal fuel tanks replaced rubber bladders. To allow the Tu-142 to operate from
semi-prepared runways, the Tu-95's four-wheel main undercarriage bogies were
replaced with 12-wheel units; the main undercarriage fairings were also
modified.

The first Tu-142 (construction number 4200) was built at the Kuibyshev Aviation
Plant in Samara. It performed its first flight on 18 June 1968, with test pilot
I. K. Vedernikov at the controls, taking off from Zhukovsky Airfield southeast
of Moscow. Early testing indicated that the fuselage needed to be lengthened by
at least 1.5 m (4.9 ft) to accommodate new combat equipment. Therefore, the
second prototype (c/n 4201) joined the flight-test programme on 3 September with
a 1.7-metre (5.6 ft) front fuselage stretch, a modification found on all
subsequent Tu-142s. The third and final development Tu-142 entered flight test
on 31 October, complete with the full equipment suite. In May 1970, the Soviet
Naval Aviation (AV-MF) – the air arm of the Soviet Navy – began receiving
production Tu-142s for operational trials.

Role
Maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft

National origin
Soviet Union
Russia

Manufacturer
Kuibyshev Aviation Plant
Taganrog Machinery Plant

Design group
Tupolev

First flight
18 July 1968

Introduction
December 1972

Status
Out of production, in service

Primary users
Russian Navy
Soviet Navy (historical)
Indian Naval Air Arm (historical)

Produced
1968–1994

Number built
100

Developed from
Tupolev Tu-95

To prepare for Tu-142 operations, on 22 June 1960 the Soviet Navy began
selecting personnel for conversion training. The first group began its
three-month training period on 4 March 1970 at the seaside town of Nikolayev
(since renamed Mykolaiv). Meanwhile, the first Tu-142s were delivered to the
Northern Fleet at Kipelovo AB, where they were initially tasked with tracking
and monitoring nuclear-powered submarines as part of the type's operational
trials. Throughout the test programme, effort focused on the verification of the
ASW avionics, notably the Berkut-95 radar, as the airframe itself was not a
major concern. The Tu-142 reached initial operational capability in December
1972 after a successful flight-test programme. Prior to that, in December 1971,
the second group selected for Tu-142 operations started its own conversion
training. Deliveries of the aircraft at first proceeded slowly; as more Tu-142s
were produced, the type was allocated to the Pacific Fleet.

Throughout its operational history, the Tu-142 demonstrated significant
capabilities. On 19–22 August 1974, four Tu-142s shadowed a foreign submarine in
the Barents Sea; one of the aircraft was reported to have maintained continuous
contact for 2 hours and 55 minutes. In 1975, a Tu-142 managed to trail a Soviet
submarine for 3 hours and 16 minutes. On 10 October 1977, a group of five
Tu-142s tracked a US submarine in the Philippine Sea; one of the Tu-142s
reportedly trailed the submarine for 4 hours and 5 minutes. Soviet Tu-142s,
besides operating domestically, were sent to friendly overseas bases in Angola,
Cuba, Ethiopia, Vietnam, and Yemen. In the early 1990s, with the dissolution of
the Soviet Union, the Soviet fleet of Tu-142s was handed to the Russian Navy,
although the Ukrainian Air Force gained a few Tu-142s that had been left in its
territory. Ukrainian Tu-142s were later dismantled as a result of the bilateral
START I treaty signed between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1991,
which came into effect in late 1994.

Specifications (Tu-142MZ)

General characteristics
Crew: 11-13
Length: 53.08 m (174 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Height: 12.12 m (39 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 311.1 m2 (3,349 sq ft)
Airfoil: TsAGI SR-5S
Empty weight: 90,000 kg (198,416 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 185,000 kg (407,855 lb)
Powerplant: 4 × Kuznetsov NK-12MP turboprop engines, 11,033 kW (14,795 shp) each
Propellers: 8-bladed contra-rotating constant-speed propellers

Performance
Maximum speed: 925 km/h (575 mph, 499 kn)
Cruise speed: 711 km/h (442 mph, 384 kn)
Combat range: 6,500 km (4,000 mi, 3,500 nmi)
Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,000 ft)




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