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Myasishchev M-4
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Specifications |
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Primary Function:
Crew:
Engines:
Thrust:
Length:
Wingspan:
Weight Empty:
Max. Weight:
Cannons:
Ordnance:
Cruise Speed:
Max. Speed:
Climb:
Ceiling:
Range:
First Flight:
Year Deployed: |
bomber
eight
Soloviev turbojets
4 x 28,610 lbs. ea.
154' 10"
165' 7"
176,100 lbs.
374,200 lbs.
6 x 23 mm
19,800 lbs.
410 mph
560 mph
2,800 fpm
49,200 feet
6,800 miles
1/20/53
1955 |
In the early days of the Korean War the Soviet Union decided to develop a heavy bomber with a range long
enough to strike the United States. Vladmir Myasishchev headed the project to build such a bomber.
Design goals for the new bomber were a range of 7,500 miles with a speed of 550 mph while carrying 11,000
lbs. of ordnance. Myasishchev felt that the new aircraft should be powered by turbojets, while his competitor, Tupolev, felt that only
turboprop engines were capable of the fuel efficiency and reliability that such an aircraft required.
In January of 1953 a prototype was ready for its first flight. However, the turbojets Myasishchev
wanted for the aircraft were still being developed. The first flight of the bomber was made with less efficient Mikulin AM-3A turbojets.
While the engines developed sufficient thrust to meet the proposed top speed of the aircraft, their fuel consumption prevented it from
reaching its specified range.
The Myasishchev M-4 prototype performed well enough that full production was ordered to begin in 1955. It became the first long range
strategic heavy bomber of the Soviet Union to be powered by four turbojets.
The Myasishchev M-4 featured pressurized crew cabins in the nose and tail of the fuselage. It had a full glass nose and could carry nuclear bombs.
Later M-4 aircraft would be converted into air tankers carrying a refueling hose in their bomb bays.
When new more efficient VD-7 engines were installed in the M-4 and its fuel capacity increased, the range
of the aircraft came to within about 200 miles of its original specifications.
The Myasishchev M-4/3M featuring air-to-air refueling capability was deployed in 1958, giving the aircraft an unlimited range.
Through the years the Myasishchev M-4 continued to be improved. Its wings were enlarged, fuel capacity
further increased, the nose was made longer, a refueling probe added, and more powerful, reliable engines were fitted to the aircraft.
A total of 93 Myasishchev M-4 aircraft were produced, with the last ones retiring in the early 1990's.
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Myasishchev M-4
