Tupolev TB-6
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1922 |
| Headquarters | Moscow , Soviet Union |
The Tupolev TB-6—also known by its internal code ANT-26 (Russian: Туполев ТБ-6/АНТ-26)—was a concept developed in the 1930s by the Tupolev Design Bureau for an ultra-large heavy bomber. If realized, it would have represented the largest Soviet bomber ever constructed and possessed the greatest wingspan of any aircraft at that period, measuring just under 320 feet by nine feet less than the wingspan of the Hughes H-4 Hercules. Currently, the Scaled Composites Stratolaunch holds the record for the widest wingspan.
Development
During the early 1930s, alongside work on the Tupolev ANT-16 and (ANT-20/PS-124), Tupolev initiated design efforts in 1931 for an even larger bomber, intended to be powered by twelve engines and to have a maximum takeoff weight of approximately 70,000 kilograms (150,000 lb). The ANT-26 blueprint incorporated twelve Mikulin M-34FRN engines: eight mounted along the wing’s leading edge and four arranged in two tandem pairs positioned above the wings. The tail assembly was designed to include three vertical stabilizers on the horizontal tailplane, with the central fin being taller than its flanking counterparts. An alternative configuration for the TB-6 proposed six Mikulin M-44 engines and a single vertical stabilizer.[1]
Due to the enormous scale of the TB-6, Tupolev elected to create a smaller-scale prototype to evaluate its aerodynamic characteristics. This reduced-scale aircraft successfully flew in 1935 under the command of pilot B.N. Koodrin. Nevertheless, military aviation trends shifted by the mid-1930s toward smaller, faster planes, leading to cancellation of the TB-6 project. At that point, approximately 75 percent of the airframe had been constructed and overall completion stood at around 16 percent.[2]
ANT-28
Alongside the development of the ANT-26, the Tupolev Design Bureau conceived an extensively enlarged version of the ANT-20, sharing identical dimensions with the ANT-26, internally referred to as the ANT-28. This project aimed to serve as both a passenger airliner and a freight aircraft, designed to carry a maximum load of 15,000 kg over a distance of 1,500 km. The engine configuration mirrored that of the TB-6. Similar to the TB-6, the ANT-28 remained a conceptual design and was never advanced beyond preliminary plans.
Specifications (TB-6 estimated)
References
- ↑ Gordon, Yefim; Rigamant, Vladimir (2005). OKB Tupolev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft. Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing.
- ↑ Shavrov V.B. (1985). Istoriia konstruktskii samoletov v SSSR do 1938 g. (3 izd.) (in Russian). Mashinostroenie. ISBN 5-217-03112-3.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
Duffy, Paul and Andrei Kankdalov. (1996) Tupolev The Man and His aircraft. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers.
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