When can a new supersonic passenger plane take to the skies? Business jet based on the Tu-160 bomber: real? How to silently overcome sound barrier?

Tu-160 - the largest and most powerful in history military aviation supersonic aircraft and aircraft with variable wing geometry. Among the pilots he received the nickname "White Swan". Photo: AP

Do supersonic passenger cars have a future? - I asked not so long ago the outstanding Russian aircraft designer Genrikh Novozhilov.

Of course have. At least a supersonic business aircraft will certainly appear, - answered Genrikh Vasilyevich. - I had a chance to talk with American businessmen more than once. They clearly stated: "If such an aircraft appeared, Mr. Novozhilov, then, no matter how expensive it was, they would instantly buy it from you." Speed, altitude and range are three factors that are always relevant.

Yes, they are relevant. The dream of any businessman is to fly across the ocean in the morning, make a big deal, and return home in the evening. Modern aircraft fly no faster than 900 km/h. A supersonic business jet will have a cruising speed of about 1900 km per hour. What prospects for the business world!

That is why neither Russia, nor America, nor Europe has ever abandoned attempts to create a new supersonic passenger car. But the history of those that have already flown - the Soviet Tu-144 and the Anglo-French Concorde - has taught us a lot.

In December of this year, it will be half a century since the Tu-144 made its first flight. And a year later, the liner showed what exactly it is capable of: it broke the sound barrier. He picked up a speed of 2.5 thousand km / h at an altitude of 11 km. This event has gone down in history. There are still no analogues of passenger boards in the world that are able to repeat such a maneuver.

"One hundred and forty-four" opened a fundamentally new page in the global aircraft industry. They say that at one of the meetings in the Central Committee of the CPSU, designer Andrei Tupolev reported to Khrushchev: the car is turning out to be quite voracious. But he just waved his hand: your job is to wipe the nose of the capitalists, and we have kerosene - at least fill up ...

Nose - lost. Kerosene - flooded.

However, the European competitor, which took off later, also did not excel in efficiency. So, in 1978, nine "Concordes" brought their companies about $ 60 million in losses. And only government subsidies saved the situation. Nevertheless, the Anglo-French flew until November 2003. But the Tu-144 was written off much earlier. Why?

First of all, Khrushchev's optimism was not justified: an energy crisis erupted in the world and kerosene prices rushed up. The supersonic first-born was immediately dubbed "Aeroflot's boa constrictor around the neck." Huge fuel consumption also knocked out the design flight range: the Tu-144 did not reach either Khabarovsk or Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Only from Moscow to Alma-Ata.

And if only this. A 200-ton "iron", cruising over densely populated areas at supersonic speed, literally blew up the entire space along the route. Complaints poured in: cows' milk yields fell, chickens stopped laying, acid rains crushed ... Where is the truth, where is the lie - today you can’t say for sure. But the fact remains: the Concorde flew only over the ocean.

Finally, and most importantly, disasters. One - in June 1973 at the Paris air show in Le Bourget, as they say, in full view of the whole planet: the crew of test pilot Kozlov wanted to demonstrate the capabilities of the Soviet airliner ... The other - in five years. Then a test flight was carried out with the engines of the new series: they just had to pull the plane to the required range.

"Concorde" also did not escape the tragedy: the plane crashed in July 2000 while taking off from Charles de Gaulle airport. Ironically, it crashed almost where the Tu-144 had once been. 109 people on board and four on the ground were killed. Regular passenger traffic resumed only a year later. But another series of incidents followed, and a bullet was also put on this supersonic aircraft.

On December 31, 1968, the first flight of the Tu-144 took place, two months earlier than the Concorde. And on June 5, 1969, at an altitude of 11,000 meters, our aircraft was the first in the world to break beyond the sound barrier. Photo: Sergey Mikheev / RG

Today, at a new stage in the development of technology, scientists need to find a balance between conflicting factors: the good aerodynamics of the new supersonic aircraft, low fuel consumption, and tight noise and sonic boom limits.

How realistic is it to create a new passenger supersonic aircraft based on the Tu-160 bomber? From a purely engineering point of view, it is quite, experts say. And there are examples in history when military aircraft successfully "removed their shoulder straps" and flew "to civilian life": for example, the Tu-104 was created on the basis of the Tu-16 long-range bomber, and the Tu-114 was based on the Tu-95 bomber. In both cases, the fuselage had to be redone - to change the wing layout, to expand the diameter. In fact, these were new aircraft, and quite successful. By the way, a curious detail: when the Tu-114 first flew to New York, there was neither a suitable ladder nor a tractor at the dumbfounded airport ...

Similar work will at least be required for the conversion of the Tu-160. However, how cost-effective will this solution be? Everything needs to be carefully evaluated.

How many of these planes do you need? Who will fly them and where? To what extent will they be commercially available to passengers? How soon will the development costs pay off? .. Tickets for the same Tu-144 cost 1.5 times more than usual, but even such a high cost did not cover operating costs.

Meanwhile, according to experts, the first Russian supersonic administrative aircraft (business jet) can be designed in seven to eight years if there is a backlog on the engine. Such an aircraft can accommodate up to 50 people. The overall demand in the domestic market is projected at the level of 20-30 cars at a price of 100-120 million dollars.

Serial supersonic passenger aircraft of the new generation may appear around 2030

Designers on both sides of the ocean are working on projects for supersonic business jets. Everyone is looking for new layout solutions. Someone offers an atypical tail, someone - a completely unusual wing, someone - a fuselage with a curved central axis ...

TsAGI specialists are developing a SDS / SPS project (“supersonic business aircraft / supersonic passenger aircraft”): according to the idea, it will be able to perform transatlantic flights up to 8600 km at a cruising speed of at least 1900 km / h. Moreover, the salon will be made transformable - from an 80-seat to a 20-seat VIP class.

And last summer at the air show in Zhukovsky, one of the most interesting was the model of high-speed civil aircraft, created by TsAGI scientists as part of the international project HEXAFLY-INT. This aircraft must fly at a speed of more than 7-8 thousand km / h, corresponding to Mach 7 or 8.

But in order for a high-speed civil aircraft to become a reality, a huge range of tasks must be solved. They are associated with materials, hydrogen power plant, its integration with the airframe and obtaining high aerodynamic efficiency of the aircraft itself.

And what is already absolutely certain: the design features of the designed winged machine will be clearly non-standard.

Competently

Sergey Chernyshev, CEO TsAGI, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences:

The level of sonic boom (a sharp pressure drop in the shock wave) from the Tu-144 was 100-130 pascals. But modern research has shown that it can be brought up to 15-20. Moreover, reduce the volume of the sonic boom to 65 decibels, which is equivalent to noise big city. Until now, there are no official standards for the permissible level of sonic boom in the world. And most likely it will be determined no earlier than 2022.

We have already proposed the appearance of a demonstrator of a supersonic civil aircraft of the future. The sample should show the feasibility of reducing sonic boom in supersonic cruising and airport noise. Several options are being considered: a plane for 12-16 passengers, also for 60-80. There is a variant of a very small business aircraft - for 6-8 passengers. These are different weights. In one case, the machine will weigh about 50 tons, and in the other - 100-120, etc. But we start from the first of the indicated supersonic aircraft.

According to various estimates, there is already an unrealized demand for fast flights on the market. business people on aircraft with a passenger capacity of 12-16 people. And, of course, the car must fly at a distance of at least 7-8 thousand kilometers along transatlantic routes. Cruise speed will be Mach 1.8-2, which is about twice the speed of sound. This speed is a technological barrier to the use of conventional aluminum materials in the airframe design. Therefore, the dream of scientists is to make an aircraft entirely from thermal composites. And there are good practices.

Clear requirements for the aircraft must be determined by the launch customer, and then at the stages of preliminary design and experimental design work, some change in the initial appearance of the aircraft obtained at the preliminary design stage is possible. But the sound principles of sonic boom reduction remain unchanged.

The short-term passenger operation of the supersonic Tu-144 was limited to flights from Moscow to Alma-Ata. Photo: Boris Korzin/ TASS Newsreel

I think we are 10-15 years away from the flying prototype. In the near future, according to our plans, a flying demonstrator should appear, the appearance of which is being worked out. Its main task is to demonstrate the main technologies for creating a supersonic aircraft with low level sonic boom. This is a necessary step in the work. A production supersonic aircraft of a new generation may appear on the horizon of 2030.

Oleg Smirnov, Honored Pilot of the USSR, Chairman of the Civil Aviation Commission of the Public Council of Rostransnadzor:

To make a passenger supersonic aircraft based on the Tu-160? For our engineers - absolutely real. No problem. Moreover, this machine is very good, with excellent aerodynamic qualities, a good wing and fuselage. However, today any passenger aircraft must first of all comply with international airworthiness and technical requirements. The discrepancies, if we compare the bomber and the passenger plane, are more than 50 percent. For example, when some say that during the alteration it is necessary to "inflate the fuselage", one must understand that the Tu-160 itself weighs more than 100 tons. "Inflate" is to add more weight. And that means - to increase fuel consumption, reduce speed and height, make the device absolutely unattractive for any airline in terms of its operating costs.

To create a supersonic aircraft for business aviation, we need new avionics, new aircraft engines, new materials, new types of fuel. On the Tu-144, kerosene, as they say, flowed like a river. Today, this is impossible. And most importantly, there should be massive demand for such an aircraft. One or two cars commissioned by millionaires will not solve the financial problem. Airlines will have to lease it and "work off" the cost. On whom? Naturally, on passengers. From an economic point of view, the project will be a failure.

Sergey Melnichenko, Director General of the ICAA "Safety Flights":

In the almost 35 years that have passed since the start of serial production of the Tu-160, technology has advanced, and this will have to be taken into account in the deep modernization of the existing aircraft. Aircraft builders say it's much easier and cheaper to build a new aircraft according to a new concept than to rebuild an old one.

Another question: if the Tu-160 is rebuilt specifically for a business jet, will the Arab sheikhs still be interested in it? However, there are several "buts". The aircraft will need to obtain an international certificate (and the European Union and the United States are behind its issuance), which is very problematic. In addition, new economical engines will be needed, which we do not have. Those that are available do not consume fuel, but drink.

If the plane is converted to transport economy passengers (which is unlikely), then the question is where to fly and who to carry? Last year, we only just approached the figure of 100 million passengers carried. In the USSR, these figures were much higher. The number of airfields has decreased several times. Not everyone who would like to fly to the European part of the country from Kamchatka and Primorye can afford it. Tickets for a "fuel-drinking plane" will be more expensive than for Boeings and Airbuses.

If the plane is planned to be rebuilt purely for the interests of the leaders of large companies, then most likely it will be so. But then this question concerns only them, and not the Russian economy and people. Although even in this case it is difficult to imagine that flights will be operated only to Siberia or the Far East. The problem with the noise in the area. And if the updated plane is not allowed to Sardinia, then who needs it?

An ordinary passenger plane flies at a speed of about 900 km/h. A jet fighter jet can reach about three times the speed. However, modern engineers from the Russian Federation and other countries of the world are actively developing even faster machines - hypersonic aircraft. What are the specifics of the respective concepts?

Criteria for a hypersonic aircraft

What is a hypersonic aircraft? By such it is customary to understand an apparatus capable of flying at a speed many times higher than that for sound. Researchers' approaches to determining its specific indicator vary. There is a widespread methodology according to which an aircraft should be considered hypersonic if it is a multiple of the speed indicators of the fastest modern supersonic vehicles. Which are about 3-4 thousand km / h. That is, a hypersonic aircraft, if you follow this methodology, should reach speeds of 6 thousand km / h.

Unmanned and controlled vehicles

The approaches of researchers may also differ in terms of determining the criteria for classifying a particular apparatus as an aircraft. There is a version that only those machines that are controlled by a person can be considered as such. There is a point of view according to which an unmanned vehicle can also be considered an aircraft. Therefore, some analysts classify machines of the type in question into those that are subject to human control and those that function autonomously. Such a division can be justified, since unmanned vehicles can have much more impressive technical specifications, for example, in terms of overloads and speed.

At the same time, many researchers consider hypersonic aircraft as a single concept, for which the key indicator is speed. It does not matter whether a person is sitting at the helm of the apparatus or the machine is controlled by a robot - the main thing is that the aircraft is fast enough.

Takeoff - independent or with outside help?

The classification of hypersonic aircraft is widespread, which is based on classifying them as those that can take off independently, or those that involve placement on a more powerful carrier - a rocket or a cargo plane. There is a point of view according to which it is legitimate to refer to the vehicles of the type under consideration mainly those that are able to take off independently or with minimal involvement of other types of equipment. However, those researchers who believe that the main criterion characterizing a hypersonic aircraft, speed, should be paramount in any classification. Whether it is classifying the device as unmanned, controlled, capable of taking off independently or with the help of other machines - if the corresponding indicator reaches the above values, then it means that we are talking about a hypersonic aircraft.

The main problems of hypersonic solutions

The concepts of hypersonic solutions are many decades old. Throughout the years of development of the corresponding type of vehicles, world engineers have been solving a number of significant problems that objectively prevent the production of "hypersound" from being put on stream - similar to organizing the production of turboprop aircraft.

The main difficulty in the design of hypersonic aircraft is the creation of an engine that can be sufficiently energy efficient. Another problem is the alignment of the necessary apparatus. The fact is that the speed of a hypersonic aircraft in the values ​​that we considered above implies a strong heating of the hull due to friction against the atmosphere.

Today we will consider several samples of successful prototypes of aircraft of the corresponding type, the developers of which were able to make significant progress in terms of successfully solving the problems noted. Let us now study the most famous world developments in terms of creating hypersonic aircraft of the type in question.

from Boeing

The fastest hypersonic aircraft in the world, according to some experts, is the American Boeing X-43A. So, during testing of this device, it was recorded that it reached a speed exceeding 11 thousand km / h. That is about 9.6 times faster

What is special about the X-43A hypersonic aircraft? The characteristics of this aircraft are as follows:

The maximum speed recorded in the tests is 11,230 km / h;

Wingspan - 1.5 m;

Hull length - 3.6 m;

Engine - direct-flow, Supersonic Combustion Ramjet;

Fuel - atmospheric oxygen, hydrogen.

It can be noted that the device in question is one of the most environmentally friendly. The fact is that the fuel used practically does not involve the release of harmful combustion products.

The X-43A hypersonic aircraft was developed by the joint efforts of NASA engineers, as well as Orbical Science Corporation and Minocraft. created for about 10 years. About 250 million dollars were invested in its development. The conceptual novelty of the aircraft under consideration is that it was conceived to test the latest technology for ensuring the operation of motive thrust.

Developed by Orbital Science

Orbital Science, which, as we noted above, took part in the creation of the X-43A, also managed to create its own hypersonic aircraft, the X-34.

Its top speed is over 12,000 km/h. True, in the course of practical tests it was not achieved - moreover, it was not possible to achieve the indicator shown by the X43-A aircraft. The aircraft in question is accelerated by the use of the Pegasus rocket, which operates on solid fuel. The X-34 was first tested in 2001. The aircraft in question is significantly larger than the device from Boeing - its length is 17.78 m, the wingspan is 8.85 m. The maximum flight altitude of the hypersonic vehicle from Orbical Science is 75 kilometers.

Aircraft from North American

Another well-known hypersonic aircraft is the X-15, produced by North American. Analysts refer to this apparatus as experimental.

It is equipped, which gives some experts reason not to classify it, in fact, as an aircraft. However, the presence of rocket engines allows the device, in particular, to perform So, during one of the tests in this mode, it was tested by pilots. The purpose of the X-15 apparatus is to study the specifics of hypersonic flights, evaluate certain design solutions, new materials, and control features of such machines in various layers of the atmosphere. It is noteworthy that it was approved back in 1954. X-15 flies at a speed of more than 7 thousand km / h. Its flight range is more than 500 km, its altitude exceeds 100 km.

The fastest production aircraft

The hypersonic vehicles we studied above actually belong to the research category. It will be useful to consider some serial samples of aircraft that are close in characteristics to hypersonic or are (according to one methodology or another) hypersonic.

Among these machines is the American development of the SR-71. Some researchers are not inclined to classify this aircraft as hypersonic, since its maximum speed is about 3.7 thousand km / h. Among its most notable characteristics is its takeoff weight, which exceeds 77 tons. The length of the device is more than 23 m, the wingspan is more than 13 m.

One of the fastest military aircraft is the Russian MiG-25. The device can reach speeds of more than 3.3 thousand km / h. Max takeoff weight Russian aircraft- 41 tons.

Thus, in the market of serial solutions, close in characteristics to hypersonic ones, the Russian Federation is among the leaders. But what can be said about Russian developments in terms of "classic" hypersonic aircraft? Are engineers from the Russian Federation capable of creating a solution that is competitive with machines from Boeing and Orbital Scence?

Russian hypersonic vehicles

IN this moment Russian hypersonic aircraft is under development. But she is quite active. We are talking about the Yu-71 aircraft. Its first tests, according to media reports, were carried out in February 2015 near Orenburg.

It is assumed that the aircraft will be used for military purposes. Thus, a hypersonic vehicle will be able, if necessary, to deliver striking weapons over considerable distances, monitor the territory, and also be used as an element of attack aviation. Some researchers believe that in 2020-2025. the Strategic Missile Forces will receive about 20 aircraft of the corresponding type.

There is information in the media that the Russian hypersonic aircraft in question will be placed on the Sarmat ballistic missile, which is also at the design stage. Some analysts believe that the Yu-71 hypersonic vehicle being developed is nothing more than a warhead that will have to separate from the ballistic missile in the final flight segment, so that, thanks to the high maneuverability characteristic of an aircraft, it will overcome missile defense systems.

Project Ajax

Among the most notable projects related to the development of hypersonic aircraft is Ajax. Let's study it in more detail. The Ajax hypersonic aircraft is a conceptual development of Soviet engineers. In the scientific community, talk about it began back in the 80s. Among the most notable features is the presence of a thermal protection system, which is designed to protect the case from overheating. Thus, the developers of the Ajax apparatus proposed a solution to one of the "hypersonic" problems we have identified above.

The traditional scheme of thermal protection of aircraft involves the placement of special materials on the body. The Ajax developers proposed a different concept, according to which it was supposed not to protect the device from external heating, but to let heat into the car, while increasing its energy resource. The main competitor of the Soviet apparatus was the Aurora hypersonic aircraft, created in the United States. However, due to the fact that designers from the USSR significantly expanded the capabilities of the concept, the widest range of tasks, in particular, research, was assigned to the new development. We can say that Ajax is a hypersonic multi-purpose aircraft.

Let us consider in more detail the technological innovations proposed by engineers from the USSR.

So, the Soviet developers of Ajax proposed to use the heat that arises as a result of the friction of the aircraft body against the atmosphere, to convert it into useful energy. Technically, this could be implemented by placing additional shells on the apparatus. As a result, something like a second building was formed. Its cavity was supposed to be filled with some kind of catalyst, for example, a mixture of combustible material and water. The heat-insulating layer made of a solid material in Ajax was supposed to be replaced with a liquid one, which, on the one hand, was supposed to protect the engine, on the other hand, would promote a catalytic reaction, which, meanwhile, could be accompanied by an endothermic effect - the movement of heat from the outside body parts inside. Theoretically, the cooling of the external parts of the apparatus could be anything. Excess heat, in turn, was supposed to be used in order to increase the efficiency of the aircraft engine. At the same time, this technology would make it possible to generate free hydrogen as a result of the reaction of fuel and species.

At the moment, there is no information available to the general public about the continuation of the development of Ajax, but researchers consider it very promising to put Soviet concepts into practice.

Chinese hypersonic vehicles

China is becoming a competitor to Russia and the United States in the hypersonic solutions market. Among the most famous developments of engineers from China is the WU-14 aircraft. It is a hypersonic glider mounted on a ballistic missile.

An ICBM launches an aircraft into space, from where the vehicle dives sharply down, developing hypersonic speed. The Chinese apparatus can be mounted on various ICBMs with a range of 2,000 to 12,000 km. It was found that during the tests, the WU-14 was able to reach speeds in excess of 12 thousand km / h, thus turning into the fastest hypersonic aircraft according to some analysts.

At the same time, many researchers believe that it is not quite right to attribute the Chinese development to the class of aircraft. So, the version is widespread, according to which the device should be classified precisely as a warhead. And very effective. When flying down at a marked speed, even the most modern missile defense systems will not be able to guarantee the interception of the corresponding target.

It can be noted that Russia and the United States are also developing hypersonic vehicles used for military purposes. At the same time, the Russian concept, according to which it is supposed to create machines of the corresponding type, differs significantly, as evidenced by data in some media, from the technological principles implemented by the Americans and the Chinese. So, developers from the Russian Federation are concentrating their efforts in the field of creating aircraft equipped with a ramjet engine capable of being launched from the ground. Russia is planning cooperation in this direction with India. Hypersonic devices created according to the Russian concept, according to some analysts, are characterized by lower cost and a wider scope.

At the same time, the Russian hypersonic aircraft, which we mentioned above (Yu-71), suggests, according to some analysts, just the same placement on ICBMs. If this thesis turns out to be true, then it will be possible to say that engineers from the Russian Federation are working simultaneously in two popular conceptual areas in the construction of hypersonic aircraft.

Summary

So, probably the fastest hypersonic aircraft in the world, if we talk about aircraft, regardless of their classification, this is still the Chinese WU-14. Although you need to understand that real information about him, including those related to tests, can be classified. This is consistent with the principles of Chinese developers, who often strive to keep their military technology secret at all costs. The speed of the fastest hypersonic aircraft is over 12,000 km/h. It is "catching up" with the American development of the X-43A - many experts consider it to be the fastest. Theoretically, the X-43A hypersonic aircraft, as well as the Chinese WU-14, can catch up with the development from Orbical Science, designed for speeds of more than 12 thousand km / h.

The characteristics of the Russian Yu-71 aircraft are not yet known to the general public. It is possible that they will be close to the parameters of the Chinese aircraft. Russian engineers are also developing a hypersonic aircraft capable of taking off not on the basis of ICBMs, but independently.

The current projects of researchers from Russia, China and the United States are somehow connected with the military sphere. Hypersonic aircraft, regardless of their possible classification, are considered primarily as carriers of weapons, most likely nuclear ones. However, in the work of researchers from various countries world there are theses that "hypersound", like nuclear technology, may well be peaceful.

The point is the emergence of affordable and reliable solutions that allow organizing the mass production of machines of the appropriate type. The use of such devices is possible in the widest range of industries. economic development. The greatest demand for hypersonic aircrafts are likely to be found in the space and research industries.

As the cost of manufacturing technologies for the corresponding machines becomes cheaper, transport businesses may begin to show interest in investing in such projects. Industrial corporations, providers of various services may begin to consider "hypersound" as a tool to increase the competitiveness of business in terms of organizing international communications.

On February 6, 1950, during the next test, the Soviet jet fighter MiG-17 in level flight exceeded the speed of sound, accelerating to almost 1070 km / h. This made it the first mass-produced supersonic aircraft. Developers Mikoyan and Gurevich were clearly proud of their brainchild.

For combat flights, the MiG-17 was considered near-sounding, since its cruising speed did not exceed 861 km / h. But this did not prevent the fighter from becoming one of the most common in the world. IN different time it was in service with Germany, China, Korea, Poland, Pakistan and dozens of other countries. This monster even took part in the fighting in the Vietnam War.

The MiG-17 is far from the only representative of the supersonic aircraft genre. We will talk about a dozen more air liners that also got ahead of the sound wave and became famous all over the world.

Bell X-1

The US Air Force specially equipped the Bell X-1 with a rocket engine, as they wanted to use it to study the problems of supersonic flight. On October 14, 1947, the device accelerated to 1541 km / h (Mach number 1.26), overcame a given barrier and turned into a star in the sky. Today, the record-breaking model rests in the Smithsonian Museum in the States.

Source: NASA

North American X-15

The North American X-15 is also equipped with rocket engines. But, unlike its American counterpart Bell X-1, this aircraft reached a speed of 6167 km / h (Mach number 5.58), becoming the first and for 40 years the only manned hypersonic aircraft in the history of mankind (since 1959). who performed suborbital manned space flights. With its help, even the reaction of the atmosphere to the entry of winged bodies into it was studied. In total, three units of X-15 type rocket planes were produced.

Source: NASA

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

It is a sin not to use supersonic aircraft for military purposes. Therefore, the US Air Force designed the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, a strategic reconnaissance aircraft with a maximum speed of 3,700 km/h (Mach 3.5). The main advantages are fast acceleration and high maneuverability, which allowed him to evade missiles. Also, the SR-71 was the first aircraft to be equipped with technologies to reduce radar visibility.

Only 32 units built, 12 of which crashed. Removed from service in 1998.

Source: af.mil

MiG-25

We cannot but recall the domestic MiG-25 - a 3rd generation supersonic high-altitude fighter-interceptor with a maximum speed of 3000 km / h (Mach number 2.83). The plane was so cool that even the Japanese coveted it. Therefore, on September 6, 1976, Soviet pilot Viktor Belenko had to hijack a MiG-25. After that, for many years in many parts of the Union, the aircraft began to fill up not to the end. The goal is to prevent them from flying to the nearest foreign airport.

Source: Alexey Beltyukov

MiG-31

Soviet scientists did not stop working for the aerial good of the fatherland. Therefore, in 1968, the design of the MiG-31 began. And on September 16, 1975, he first flew into the sky. This two-seat, supersonic, all-weather long-range fighter-interceptor accelerated to a speed of 2,500 km/h (Mach number 2.35) and became the first fourth-generation Soviet combat aircraft.

The MiG-31 is designed to intercept and destroy air targets at extremely low, low, medium and high altitudes, day and night, in simple and difficult weather conditions, with active and passive radar interference, as well as false thermal targets. Four MiG-31s ​​can control air space up to 900 kilometers long. This is not a plane, but the pride of the Union, which is still in service with Russia and Kazakhstan.

Source: Vitaly Kuzmin

Lockheed/Boeing F-22 Raptor

The most expensive supersonic aircraft was built by the Americans. They modeled a fifth-generation multirole fighter, which became the most expensive among their peers. The Lockheed/Boeing F-22 Raptor is the only fifth-generation fighter in service today and the first production fighter with a supersonic cruising speed of 1,890 km/h (Mach 1.78). The maximum speed is 2570 km / h (Mach 2.42). Until now, no one has surpassed him in the air.

Source: af.mil

Su-100/T-4

The Su-100/T-4 ("weave") was developed as an aircraft carrier fighter. But the engineers of the Sukhoi Design Bureau managed not only to achieve their goal, but to model a cool attack and reconnaissance bomber-missile carrier, which they later wanted to use even as a passenger aircraft and booster for the Spiral aerospace system. The maximum speed of the T-4 is 3200 km/h (Mach 3).

Exactly 15 years ago, the last three supersonic passenger aircraft Concorde of the British airline British Airways made a farewell flight. On that day, October 24, 2003, these aircraft, flying at low altitude over London, landed at Heathrow, and thus ended the short history of supersonic passenger aviation. However, today aircraft designers around the world are once again thinking about the possibility of fast flights - from Paris to New York in 3.5 hours, from Sydney to Los Angeles - in 6 hours, from London to Tokyo - in 5 hours. But before supersonic aircraft return to international passenger routes, developers will have to solve many problems, among which one of the most important is reducing the noise of fast aircraft.

A short history of fast flights

Passenger aviation began to take shape in the 1910s, when the first aircraft specifically designed to transport people through the air appeared. The very first of these was the French Bleriot XXIV Limousine from Bleriot Aeronautique. It was used for pleasure air rides. Two years later, the S-21 Grand appeared in Russia, created on the basis of the Russian Knight heavy bomber Igor Sikorsky. It was built at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works. Then aviation began to develop by leaps and bounds: first, flights began between cities, then between countries, and then between continents. Airplanes made it possible to get to your destination faster than by train or ship.

In the 1950s, progress in the development of jet engines accelerated significantly, and flights at supersonic speed became available for military aircraft, albeit for a short time. Supersonic speed is usually called movement up to five times faster than the speed of sound, which varies depending on the propagation medium and its temperature. At normal atmospheric pressure at sea level, sound travels at a speed of 331 meters per second, or 1,191 kilometers per hour. As the altitude increases, the density and temperature of the air decreases, and the speed of sound also decreases. For example, at an altitude of 20 thousand meters, it is already about 295 meters per second. But already at an altitude of about 25 thousand meters and as it rises to more than 50 thousand meters, the temperature of the atmosphere begins to gradually increase in comparison with the lower layers, and with it the local speed of sound increases.

The increase in temperature at these altitudes is explained, among other things, high concentration ozone in the air, which forms an ozone shield and absorbs part of the solar energy. As a result, the speed of sound at an altitude of 30,000 meters above the sea is about 318 meters per second, and at an altitude of 50,000 - almost 330 meters per second. In aviation, the Mach number is widely used to measure airspeed. In simple terms, it expresses the local speed of sound for a particular altitude, air density and temperature. Thus, a conventional flight speed equal to two Mach numbers at sea level will be 2383 kilometers per hour, and at an altitude of 10 thousand meters - 2157 kilometers per hour. For the first time, the sound barrier at a speed of 1.04 Mach (1066 kilometers per hour) at an altitude of 12.2 thousand meters was overcome by the American pilot Chuck Yeager in 1947. This was an important step towards the development of supersonic flights.

In the 1950s, aircraft designers in several countries around the world began working on designs for supersonic passenger aircraft. As a result, in the 1970s, the French Concorde and the Soviet Tu-144 appeared. These were the first and so far the only passenger supersonic aircraft in the world. Both types of aircraft used conventional turbojet engines optimized for long-term supersonic flight. Tu-144s were operated until 1977. The planes flew at a speed of 2.3 thousand kilometers per hour and could carry up to 140 passengers. However, tickets for their flights cost an average of 2.5-3 times more than usual. Low demand for fast but expensive flights, as well as the general difficulties in operating and maintaining the Tu-144, led to the fact that they were simply removed from passenger flights. However, the aircraft were used for some time in test flights, including under contract with NASA.

Concorde served noticeably longer - until 2003. Flights on French liners were also expensive and not very popular, but France and Great Britain continued to operate them. The cost of one ticket for such a flight was, in terms of today's prices, about 20 thousand dollars. The French Concorde flew at a speed of just over two thousand kilometers per hour. The plane could cover the distance from Paris to New York in 3.5 hours. Depending on the configuration, Concorde could carry from 92 to 120 people.

The history of the Concorde ended unexpectedly and quickly. In 2000, the Concorde plane crash occurred in which 113 people died. A year later in passenger air transportation the crisis caused by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 began (two planes with passengers hijacked by terrorists crashed into the towers of the World shopping center in New York, another, a third hit the Pentagon in Arlington County, and a fourth fell in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania). Then the warranty period for Concorde aircraft, which was handled by Airbus, expired. All these factors together made the operation of supersonic passenger aircraft extremely unprofitable, and in the summer and autumn of 2003 airlines Air France and British Airways took turns decommissioning all the Concordes.

After the closure of the Concorde program in 2003, there was still hope for the return of supersonic passenger aviation to service. Designers hoped for new fuel-efficient engines, aerodynamic calculations, and computer-aided design systems that could make supersonic flight economically affordable. But in 2006 and 2008, the International Civil Aviation Organization adopted new aircraft noise standards that banned, among other things, any supersonic flights over populated areas of land in Peaceful time. This ban does not apply to air corridors specially allocated for military aviation. Work on the projects of new supersonic aircraft slowed down, but today they have begun to gain momentum again.

Quiet supersonic

Today, several enterprises and government organizations in the world are developing supersonic passenger aircraft. Such projects, in particular, Russian companies Sukhoi and Tupolev, the Zhukovsky Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, the French Dassault, the Japan Aerospace Research Agency, the European concern Airbus, the American Lockheed Martin and Boeing, as well as several startups, including Aerion and Boom Technologies. In general, the designers are conditionally divided into two camps. Representatives of the first of them believe that it will not be possible to develop a “quiet” supersonic aircraft corresponding in terms of noise to subsonic airliners in the near future, which means that it is necessary to build a fast passenger aircraft that will switch to supersonic where it is allowed. Such an approach, the designers from the first camp believe, will still reduce the time of flight from one point to another.

The designers from the second camp mainly focused on the fight against shock waves. In flight at supersonic speed, the airframe of an aircraft generates many shock waves, the most significant of which occur in the nose and in the tail area. In addition, shock waves usually appear on the leading and trailing edges of the wing, on the leading edges of the tail, in the areas of swirlers of the flow and on the edges of the air intakes. A shock wave is a region in which the pressure, density, and temperature of the medium experience a sharp and strong jump. Observers on the ground perceive such waves as a loud bang or even an explosion - it is because of this that supersonic flights over the populated part of the land are prohibited.

The effect of an explosion or a very loud pop is produced by the shock waves of the so-called N-type, which are formed during the explosion of a bomb or on the airframe of a supersonic fighter. On the graph of pressure and density growth, such waves resemble the letter N of the Latin alphabet due to a sharp increase in pressure at the wave front with a sharp drop in pressure after it and subsequent normalization. In laboratory experiments, researchers at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency found that changing the shape of a glider can smooth out peaks in a shockwave graph, turning it into an S-type wave. Such a wave has a smooth pressure drop, which is not as significant as that of the N-wave. NASA experts believe that S-waves will be perceived by observers as the distant slam of a car door.

N-wave (red) before aerodynamic optimization of a supersonic airframe and similarity of S-wave after optimization

In 2015, Japanese designers assembled the D-SEND 2 unmanned glider, whose aerodynamic shape was designed to reduce the number and intensity of shock waves generated on it. In July 2015, the developers tested the airframe at the Esrange missile range in Sweden and noted a significant reduction in the number of shock waves generated on the surface of the new airframe. During the test, D-SEND 2, not equipped with engines, was dropped from hot air balloon from a height of 30.5 thousand meters. During the fall, the glider, 7.9 meters long, picked up a speed of Mach 1.39 and flew past tethered balloons equipped with microphones located at different heights. At the same time, the researchers measured not only the intensity and number of shock waves, but also analyzed the influence of the state of the atmosphere on their early occurrence.

According to the Japanese agency, the sonic boom from aircraft comparable in size to the Concorde supersonic passenger aircraft and made according to the D-SEND 2 scheme, when flying at supersonic speeds, will be half as intense as before. The Japanese D-SEND 2 differs from the gliders of conventional modern aircraft in the non-axisymmetric arrangement of the bow. The keel of the device is shifted to the bow, and the horizontal tail unit is all-turning and has a negative installation angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the airframe, that is, the fin tips are below the attachment point, and not above, as usual. The airframe wing has a normal sweep, but is made stepped: it smoothly mates with the fuselage, and part of its leading edge is located at an acute angle to the fuselage, but closer to the trailing edge this angle increases sharply.

According to a similar scheme, the supersonic American startup Aerion is currently being created and is being developed by Lockheed Martin by order of NASA. With an emphasis on reducing the number and intensity of shock waves, the Russian (Supersonic Business Aircraft / Supersonic Passenger Aircraft) is also being designed. Some of the fast passenger aircraft projects are scheduled to be completed in the first half of the 2020s, but aviation regulations will still not be revised by then. This means that the new aircraft will initially perform supersonic flights only over water. The fact is that in order to remove the restriction on supersonic flights over the populated part of the land, developers will have to conduct many tests and submit their results to the aviation authorities, including the US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency.

S-512/Spike Aerospace

New engines

Another serious obstacle to the creation of a mass-produced passenger supersonic aircraft is the engines. Designers today have found many ways to make turbojet engines more economical than they were ten or twenty years ago. This includes the use of gearboxes that remove the rigid coupling of the fan and turbine in the engine, and the use of ceramic composite materials to optimize the temperature balance in the hot zone of the power plant, and even the introduction of an additional - third - air circuit in addition to the already existing two, internal and external. In the field of creating economical subsonic engines, designers have already achieved amazing results, and ongoing new developments promise significant savings. You can read more about advanced research in our material.

But, despite all these developments, it is still difficult to call supersonic flight economical. For example, the promising supersonic passenger aircraft of the Boom Technologies startup will receive three turbofan engines of the JT8D family from Pratt & Whitney or J79 from GE Aviation. In cruise flight, the specific fuel consumption of these engines is about 740 grams per kilogram-force per hour. At the same time, the J79 engine can be equipped with an afterburner, which increases fuel consumption by up to two kilograms per kilogram-force per hour. Such an expense is comparable to the fuel consumption of engines, for example, of the Su-27 fighter, whose tasks differ significantly from the transportation of passengers.

For comparison, the specific fuel consumption of the world's only serial D-27 turbopropfan engines installed on the Ukrainian An-70 transporter is only 140 grams per kilogram-force per hour. The American CFM56 engine, the “classic” of Boeing and Airbus liners, has a specific fuel consumption of 545 grams per kilogram-force per hour. This means that without a major redesign of jet aircraft engines, supersonic flights will not become cheap enough to be widely adopted, and will be in demand only in business aviation - high fuel consumption leads to higher ticket prices. It will not be possible to reduce the high cost of supersonic air transportation by volumes either - the aircraft being designed today are designed to carry from 8 to 45 passengers. Ordinary planes can accommodate more than a hundred people.

However, in early October of this year, GE Aviation projected a new Affinity turbofan jet engine. These power plants are planned to be mounted on a promising supersonic passenger aircraft AS2 from Aerion. The new power plant structurally combines the features of jet engines with a low bypass ratio for combat aircraft and power plants with a high bypass ratio for passenger aircraft. At the same time, there are no new and breakthrough technologies in Affinity. The new GE Aviation engine is classified as a medium bypass powerplant.

The basis of the engine is a modified CFM56 turbofan gas generator, which, in turn, is structurally based on the gas generator from the F101, the power plant for the B-1B Lancer supersonic bombers. The power plant will receive a modernized electronic-digital engine management system with full responsibility. The developers did not disclose any details about the design of the promising engine. However, GE Aviation expects the specific fuel consumption of the Affinity engines to be not much higher than, or even comparable to, the fuel consumption of modern turbofan engines in conventional subsonic passenger aircraft. How this can be achieved for supersonic flight is not clear.

Boom / Boom Technologies

Projects

Despite the many projects of supersonic passenger aircraft in the world (including even the unrealistic project of converting the Tu-160 strategic bomber into a passenger supersonic liner, proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin), the AS2 of the American startup Aerion, S-512, can be considered the closest to flight testing and small-scale production. Spanish Spike Aerospace and American Boom Technologies Boom. It is planned that the first will fly at Mach 1.5, the second at Mach 1.6, and the third at Mach 2.2. The X-59 aircraft, created by Lockheed Martin by order of NASA, will be a technology demonstrator and a flying laboratory; it is not planned to launch it into a series.

Boom Technologies has already said it will try to make supersonic flights very cheap. For example, the cost of a flight from New York to London was estimated at Boom Technologies at five thousand dollars. This is how much a flight on this route costs today in the business class of an ordinary subsonic airliner. The Boom liner will fly at subsonic speeds over populated land and go supersonic over the ocean. The aircraft, with a length of 52 meters and a wingspan of 18 meters, can carry up to 45 passengers. Until the end of 2018, Boom Technologies plans to select one of several new aircraft projects for implementation in metal. The first flight of the aircraft is scheduled for 2025. The company has postponed these deadlines; Boom was originally scheduled to take to the air in 2023.

According to preliminary calculations, the length of the AS2 aircraft, designed for 8-12 passengers, will be 51.8 meters, and the wingspan will be 18.6 meters. The maximum takeoff weight of the supersonic aircraft will be 54.8 tons. The AS2 will fly over water at a cruising speed of Mach 1.4-1.6, decelerating to Mach 1.2 over land. A slightly lower flight speed over land, coupled with a special aerodynamic shape of the airframe, will, as the developers expect, almost completely avoid the formation of shock waves. The flight range of the aircraft at a speed of Mach 1.4 will be 7.8 thousand kilometers and 10 thousand kilometers at a speed of Mach 0.95. The first flight of the aircraft is planned for the summer of 2023, and for October of the same year - the first transatlantic flight. Its developers will coincide with the 20th anniversary of last flight"Concord".

Finally, Spike Aerospace plans to begin flight testing of the full S-512 prototype no later than 2021. Deliveries of the first production aircraft to customers are scheduled for 2023. According to the project, the S-512 will be able to carry up to 22 passengers at speeds up to Mach 1.6. The flight range of this aircraft will be 11.5 thousand kilometers. Since last October, Spike Aerospace has several smaller models of supersonic aircraft. Their purpose is to test design solutions and the effectiveness of flight controls. All three promising passenger aircraft are being created with an emphasis on a special aerodynamic shape that will reduce the intensity of shock waves generated during supersonic flight.

In 2017, the volume of aviation passenger traffic worldwide amounted to four billion people, of which 650 million made long flights ranging from 3.7 to 13 thousand kilometers. 72 million "long-haul" passengers flew first and business class. It is these 72 million people that the developers of supersonic passenger aircraft are targeting first, believing that they will gladly pay a little more money for the opportunity to spend about half the time in the air than usual. However, supersonic passenger aviation, most likely, will begin to develop actively after 2025. The fact is that research flights of the X-59 laboratory will begin only in 2021 and will last for several years.

Research results obtained during X-59 flights, including over settlements- volunteers (their residents have agreed to have supersonic aircraft fly over them on weekdays; after the flights, the observers will tell the researchers about their perception of noise), it is planned to be submitted to the US Federal Aviation Administration. As expected, on their basis, it may revise the ban on supersonic flights over the populated part of the land, but this will not happen until 2025.

Vasily Sychev

Supersonic aircraft are aircraft that are capable of flying at speeds exceeding the speed of sound (Mach number M = 1.2-5).

Story

Appearance in the 1940s jet fighters set the task for designers to further increase their speed. The increased speed improved the performance of both bombers and fighters.

A pioneer in the supersonic era was the American test pilot Chuck Yeager. On 10/14/1947, while flying an experimental aircraft Bell X-1 with an XLR-11 rocket power plant, he overcame the speed of sound in controlled flight.

Development

Rapid development supersonic aviation started in the 60s and 70s. XX century. Then the problems of aerodynamic efficiency, controllability and stability of aircraft were resolved. The high flight speed also made it possible to increase the practical ceiling by more than 20,000 m, which was a comfortable height for bombers and reconnaissance aircraft.

Before the advent of anti-aircraft missile systems and systems that could hit targets at high altitudes, the main principle of bombing operations was to keep bomber aircraft at maximum height and speed. Then, supersonic aircraft for various purposes were built and put into serial production - reconnaissance bombers, interceptors, fighters, interceptor bombers. The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was the first supersonic reconnaissance aircraft, the Convair B-58 Hustler the first supersonic long-range bomber.

Currently, the design, development and production of new aircraft is being carried out, some of which are produced using a special technology that reduces their radar and visual visibility - "Stealth".

Passenger supersonic aircraft

In the history of aviation, only 2 passenger supersonic aircraft were created, which carried out regular flights. First flight Soviet aircraft Tu-144 took place on 12/31/1968, the time of its operation is 1975-1978. The Anglo-French aircraft "Concorde" made its first flight on March 2, 1969 and was operated in the transatlantic direction in 1976-2003.

The use of such aircraft made it possible not only to reduce the time of flight over long distances, but also to use unoccupied air lines at high altitudes (about 18 km) at a time when the altitudes of 9-12 km used by the liners were heavily loaded. Also, supersonic aircraft operated flights outside the airways (on direct routes).

Despite the failure of several projects of transonic and supersonic aircraft (SSBJ, Tu-444, Tu-344, Tu-244, Lockheed L-2000, Boeing Sonic Cruiser, Boeing 2707) and the removal of two implemented projects decommissioned, development in progress modern projects hypersonic airliners (eg SpaceLiner, ZEHST) and amphibious (military transport) rapid response aircraft. Aerion AS2 supersonic business jet launched into production.

Theoretical questions

Compared to subsonic flight at supersonic speed, it is carried out according to a different law, because when the aircraft reaches the speed of sound, changes in the flow pattern occur, as a result, the kinetic heating of the apparatus increases, aerodynamic drag increases, and a change in aerodynamic focus is observed. All this in total affects the deterioration of the controllability and stability of the aircraft. A hitherto unknown phenomenon of wave resistance also appeared.

Therefore, efficient flight when reaching the speed of sound requires not only an increase in engine power, but also the introduction of new design solutions.

Therefore, such aircraft received a change in their appearance - sharp corners and characteristic straight lines appeared in comparison with the "smooth" shape of subsonic aircraft.

To date, the task of creating a truly efficient supersonic aircraft has not been solved. The creators are obliged to find a compromise between maintaining normal takeoff and landing characteristics and the requirement to increase speed.

Therefore, the achievement by modern aviation of new frontiers in altitude and speed is associated not only with the introduction of new propulsion systems and layout schemes, but also with changes in flight geometry. These changes should improve the quality of the aircraft when flying at high speeds without compromising their performance at low speeds, and vice versa. Designers have recently given up on reducing the area of ​​the wings and the thickness of their profiles, increasing the sweep angle, returning to the wings of a large relative thickness and low sweep, if they managed to achieve the requirements of a practical ceiling and speed.

It is important that a supersonic aircraft has good performance at low speeds and is resistant to drag at high speeds, especially at ground altitudes.

Aircraft classification:

A

B

IN

G

D

AND

TO

L

ABOUT

P

R