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The Tupolev Tu-91 (NATO reporting name Boot) was a Soviet carrier-borne attack aircraft. It was built only in prototype form, and was converted into a land-based aircraft after Joseph Stalin's death in 1953 cancelled the aircraft carriers being designed.

Tu-91
Role	Naval attack aircraft Type of aircraft
National origin	Soviet Union
Manufacturer	Tupolev OKB
First flight	17 May 1955
Status	Prototype only
Number built	1

Development and design

Following the end of World War II, Stalin ordered an aggressive naval expansion to counter the US naval superiority. It called for building extra warships and a fleet of aircraft carriers. In order to equip the proposed carriers, Soviet Naval Aviation required a long-range carrier-based strike aircraft, capable of attacking with bombs or torpedoes. The Tupolev Design bureau decided on a single-engined turboprop aircraft, designated Tu-91 to meet this requirement.[1]

The Tu-91 was a low-winged monoplane with dihedral wings. It was powered by an Kuznetsov TV-2 engine mounted mid-fuselage, driving a six-bladed contra-rotating propeller in the nose via a long shaft. The crew of two sat side by side in a cockpit in the aircraft's nose, protected by armour plating. It could carry a heavy load of torpedoes or bombs on pylons under the fuselage and under the wings, and had a gun armament of two cannon in the wing roots and two more in a remotely-controlled tail turret.[1]

After the death of Stalin in 1953, the planned fleet of carriers was cancelled, but development of the Tu-91 continued as a land-based aircraft, the design being revised to eliminate wing-folding and arresting gear. It first flew on 17 May 1955,[1] demonstrating excellent performance, resulting in production being authorized. However, after the aircraft was ridiculed by Nikita Khrushchev when inspecting the prototype, the Tu-91 was cancelled.[2]

Specifications (Tu-91)

Data from The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995.[3]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2 (pilot and observer)
• Length: 17.7 m (58 ft 1 in)
• Wingspan: 16.4 m (53 ft 10 in)
• Height: 5.06 m (16 ft 7 in) [4]
• Wing area: 47.5 m² (511 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 8,000 kg (17,637 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 14,400 kg (31,747 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Kuznetsov TV-2M turboprop engine, 5,709 kW (7,656 hp)
• Propellers: 6-bladed contra-rotating propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 800 km/h (500 mph, 430 kn)
• Cruise speed: 250–300 km/h (160–190 mph, 130–160 kn)
• Range: 2,350 km (1,460 mi, 1,270 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 11,000 m (36,000 ft)

Armament

• Guns:
  

• 2 × 23 mm (0.906 in) NR-23 cannon with 100 rounds each in wing roots
• 2 × 23 mm (0.906 in) NR-23 cannon in a DK-15 remotely controlled tail barbette

• Bombs: up to 1,500 kg (3,306.9 lb) of bombs, rockets or a single torpedo

See also

Related lists

• List of attack aircraft
• List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS

References

Bibliography

• Duffy, Paul & Kandalov, Andrei (1996). Tupolev: The Man and His Aircraft. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-728-X.
• Gordon, Yefim & Rigamant, Vladimir (2005). OKB Tupolev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft. Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-214-4.
• Gunston, Bill (1995a). Tupolev Aircraft since 1922. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-882-8.
• Gunston, Bill (1995b). The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995. London: Osprey. ISBN 1-85532-405-9.

На других языках

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[de] Tupolew Tu-91

Die Tupolew Tu-91 (russisch Туполев Ту-91, NATO-Codename Boot) war ein sowjetisches Marineflugzeug. Sie wurde Anfang der 1950er-Jahre für den Einsatz auf Flugzeugträgern entwickelt.

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- [en] Tupolev Tu-91

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[fr] Tupolev Tu-91

Le Tupolev Tu-91 (en russe : Туполев Ту-91) est un prototype d'avion militaire de la guerre froide, fabriqué en Union soviétique par Tupolev.

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[it] Tupolev Tu-91

Il Tupolev Tu-91 (nome in codice NATO: Boot) era un aereo imbarcato, progettato per la marina sovietica nei primi anni cinquanta. Rimase allo stato di prototipo, per via della decisione della marina sovietica di non costruire portaerei.

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[ru] Ту-91

Ту-91 (по кодификации НАТО: Boot — «Ботинок») — советский морской бомбардировщик-торпедоносец.

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