Tupolev ANT-16
| ANT-16 (TB-4) | |
|---|---|
| 300px | |
| Role | Heavy bomber |
| National origin | Soviet Union |
| Manufacturer | Tupolev |
| First flight | 3 July 1933 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary user | Soviet Union |
| Number built | One |
| Developed from | Tupolev TB-3 |
| Variants | ANT-20 |
Tupolev ANT-16 (also known as TB-4; Russian: Тяжелый Бомбардировщик – Heavy Bomber) was an experimental heavy bomber aircraft designed and tested in the Soviet Union in the early 1930s. Conceptually representing evolution of the TB-3 bomber, ANT-16 was designed under the doctrine that size and payload were more important for a bomber than speed because it would be able to protect itself with defensive armament.[1] The twin 5 by 1.8 by 1.8 metres (16.4 ft × 5.9 ft × 5.9 ft) × 16.5 by 5.11 by 5.11 feet (5.03 m × 1.56 m × 1.56 m) bomb bays were the largest in the world at the time and presented many design challenges in order to preserve structural rigidity of the airframe.[1]
The sole prototype first flew on 3 July 1933 with M. M. Gromov at the controls. The test flight program was completed by 29 September 1933 with disappointing results. The two top-mounted engines performed poorly and a significant portion of thrust generated by the wing-mounted powerplants was absorbed by the 2-meter-thick (6 ft 7 in) wing. A proposal to re-equip the aircraft with Mikulin AM-35 engines of 933 kW (1,250 hp) was not implemented.[1]
Specifications (ANT-16)
Data from Shavrov 1985[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: Twelve
- Length: 32 m (104 ft 12 in)
- Wingspan: 54 m (177 ft 2 in)
- Height: 17.3 m (56 ft 9.10 in)
- Wing area: 422 m² (4,542.4 ft²)
- Empty weight: 21,400 kg (47,179 lb)
- Loaded weight: 33,280 kg (73,370 lb)
- Powerplant: 6 × Mikulin AM-34 V-12 piston engine, 560 kW (750 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 200 km/h (108 kn, 124 mph)
- Range: 1,000 km (540 nmi, 621 mi)
- Service ceiling: 2,750 m (9,022 ft)
- Wing loading: 79 kg/m² (16 lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: 101 W/kg (0.06 hp/lb)
- Time to altitude: 34 s to 2,000 m (6,560 ft)
Armament
- Guns: 2x20mm cannon, 5x2 7.62mm DA machine guns
- Bombs: Up to 10,000 kg (22,046 lb) of bombs – 40 × 250 kg (551 lb) or 20 × 500 kg (1,102 lb)
See also
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