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Tupolev Tu-22M (Russian Aircraft in Action)
In 1964, the Tupolev Design Bureau began development of a twin-engined medium bomber intended as a replacement for the Tu-22 supersonic bomber which had entered service in the early 1960s. For political reasons, Andrey Nikolayevich Tupolev presented the project as the Tu-22M; this was a trick intended to fool the Soviet government into thinking a considerable increase in capabilities could be obtained by a simple modification of the existing Tu-22 'Blinder'. This, according to Tupolev, was easier and cheaper than the "clean sheet of paper" designs proposed by the rival Sukhoi and Myasischev bureaus. Known in-house as "aircraft 145", initially the projected bomber indeed looked like a rehash of the production Tu-22 with new variable-geometry wings. Soon, however, it became obvious that this approach was no good, and the aircraft which eventually entered flight testing on 30 August 1969 as the Tu-22M0 had virtually nothing in common with the Blinder. Suffice it to say that the engines were now buried in the fuselage, not mounted at the base of the fin. Achieving initial operating capability in 1972, the bomber was initially misidentified by the West as the Tu-26 and code-named Backfire. The initial Tu-22M2 production version evolved into the improved Tu-22M3 and the Tu-22MR reconnaissance version. In addition to conventional bombing, the aircraft was suitable for naval missile strike missions. From 1987 on, the type saw action during the closing stage of the Afghan War, dropping heavy bombs which, in the words of the crew, "flattened the mountains completely". After the demise of the Soviet Union, the type was operated by two of the new CIS republics, Russia and the Ukraine..
Price: $11.50
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Tupolev Tu-95 Bear - WarbirdTech Volume 43
During the 1940s, the Soviet government, knowing of the American nuclear program, elected to begin work on its own nuclear weapon program The goal was to create and test the first Soviet atomic bomb within a short time interval to counter a major postwar threat from the West. An important secondary concern became apparent: how to deliver that weapon to the target. Thus, the Tu-95 Bear and the Tu-142, its close relative, were born. The Tu-95 is a large, heavy strategic bomber with a slim fuselage, swept wings, and four powerful turboprop engines driving counter-rotating propellers. It remained in production as a maritime patrol aircraft and cruise missile carrier more than 30 years after it was first produced. The aircraft was revolutionary in the application of a swept wing and turbine powerplants. Yefim Gordon and Peter Davison are the authors of other Specialty Press titles such as Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-15 Fagot, Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29 Fulcrum, and Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker. Together they use over 200 photos to illustrate the story of the Tu-95. Topics covered include design, development, structural detail, international production, trials, comparisons, and much more. .
Price: $11.53
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Tupolev Tu-114: The First Soviet Intercontinental Airliner (Red Star)
In the early 1950s, OKB Tupolev, the Tupolev design bureau, was instructed by the Soviet government to design a civil airliner with an intercontinental range. Based upon the earlier four-engined Tu-95 strategic bomber, the resulting aircraft was the largest airliner constructed at that time, providing accommodation for up to 220 passengers. The Tu-144 confounded experts by being able to fly at speeds similar to those achieved by jet aircraft, while still using turboprop technology. The Tu-114 set a number of records, including the speed record for a turbo-prop aircraft that still stands 50 years later. A total of 31 Tu-114’s entered service with Aeroflot, operating over long distance internal services and international services to cities from Tokyo to Havana. Gradually replaced from 1971, the last Tu-144 Aeroflot service was withdrawn in 1975. However, a number of the Tu-114’s were subsequently converted into AWACS aircraft as the Tu-126 "Moss" for operation in the Soviet navy. .
Price: $22.03
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OKB Tupolev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft
A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft Yefim Gordon & Vladimir Rigmant The origins of the design bureau that was to bear his name can be traced back to the appointment of Andrey Nikolayevich Tupolev as head of the TsAGI's Aviation Department in 1918. Over the years, nearly 300 projects have evolved within the OKB. Nearly 90 reached the prototype construction stage, with more than 40 types put into series production.In the 1930s, the TB-1 (ANT-4) and TB-3 (ANT-6) bombers, the latter being the world's first heavy strategic bomber, paved the way for the long line of large multi-engined aircraft both civil and military for which the OKB is justly famed. Wartime production of the SB and Tu-2 plus the remarkable 'reverse engineering' of the Boeing B-29 that resulted in the Tu-4 led on to the jet Tu-16 and prop Tu-95 bombers. These, in turn were adapted for civil purposes as the Tu-104 and Tu-114 airliners. The supersonic Tu-22 and Tu-22M bombers and the Tu-144 airliner, a move into pilotless aircraft and a host of imaginative but unbuilt projects complete a fascinating work. .
Price: $39.70
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Tupolev Tu-154: The USSR's Medium-Range Jet Airliner (Aerofax)
The Tupolev Tu-154 was one of the most successful and long-lived of Soviet/Russian jet airliners It was developed in response to the need for a state-of-the-art medium-haul jet airliner that would succeed the twin-engined Tu-104. Sharing the 'T-tail' layout of the Boeing 727 an the Hawker Siddeley Trident, the prototype took to the air on October 3, 1968. It became not only the principal medium-haul aircraft of the Soviet airline Aeroflot, but also one of the Soviet Union's best sellers on the commercial aircraft market. This new Aerofax volume covers the Tu-54 fully, tracing its development and operational history and describing all known versions and variants, including some unrealized projects that were based on the airplane. Includes a detailed production list, operator lists on a country-by-country basis, accident details, and numerous color photos and line drawings. .
Price: $24.64
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