Tupolev Tu-141
| Tu-141 Strizh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tu-141 Strizh at Central Air Force Museum, Monino, Russia | |
| Role | Remote controlled, UAV |
| Manufacturer | Tupolev |
| First flight | 1974 |
| Introduction | 1973 |
| Retired | 1989 |
| Status | In Use[1] |
| Primary users | Soviet Union Russia Ukraine |
| Produced | 1979–1989 |
| Number built | 142 |
| Developed from | Tupolev Tu-123 |
| Developed into | Tupolev Tu-143 |
The Tupolev Tu-141 Strizh (Swift, Russian: Стриж) was a Soviet reconnaissance drone in service with the Soviet Red Army and with a number of its Warsaw Pact and Middle East allies during the late 1970s and 1980s.
History
Development
The Tu-141 was a follow-on to the Tupolev Tu-123 and was a relatively large, medium-range reconnaissance drone. It was designed to undertake reconnaissance mission at a depth of several hundred kilometers from the front lines at transonic speeds. It could carry a range of payloads, including film cameras, infrared imagers, EO imagers, and imaging radar.
As with previous Tupolev designs, it had a dart-like rear-mounted delta wing, forward-mounted canards, and a KR-17A turbojet engine mounted above the tail. It was launched from a trailer using a solid-propellant booster, and it landed with the aid of a tail-mounted parachute.
The Tu-141 was in Soviet service from 1979–1989, mostly on the western borders of the Soviet Union.
Combat Usage
The TU-141 was pressed back into service by the Ukrainian Air Force for the War in Donbass. Unverified reports from the separatist forces claim to have shot down one unit operated by the Ukrainian Air Force.
Specifications
Data from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Directory: Part 2[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: None
- Length: 14.33 m (47 ft 0¼ in)
- Wingspan: 3.88 m (12 ft 8½ in)
- Height: 2.44 m (8 ft 0 in)
- Wing area: 10.0[3] m2 (108 ft2)
- Gross weight: 6,215 kg (13,702 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Tumansky KR-17A, 19.6 kN (4,409 lbf) thrust each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 1,100 km/h (683 mph)
- Cruising speed: 1,000 km/h (620 mph)
- Range: 1,000 km (620 miles)
- Service ceiling: 6,000 m (19,700 ft)
References
- ↑ "Ukraine Resurrects Soviet-Era Super Drones".
- ↑ Munson Air International August 1997, p. 101.
- ↑ Gordon and Rigmant 2005, p. 321.
- Gordon, Yefim and Vladimir Rigmant. OKB Tupolev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft. Hinkley, UK: Midland Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978-1-85780-214-6.
- Munson, Kenneth. "Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Directory: Part 2". Air International, August 1997, Vol 53 No 2. pp. 100–108.
This article contains material that originally came from the web article Unmanned Aerial Vehicles by Greg Goebel, which exists in the Public Domain.
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