Project Description
TU-22 bomber aircraft TECHNICAL DETAILS
The Tu-22 was originally conceived as a supersonic replacement for the Tupolev Tu-16 bomber. The preliminary design of an aircraft to fulfil this requirement, designated Samolyot 105 by Tupolev, was started in 1954 and the first prototype was completed in December 1957. Its maiden flight took off from Zhukovsky on 21 June 1958, piloted by test pilot Yuri Alasheev. The availability of more powerful engines and TsAGI’s rediscovery of the Area rule to minimise transonic drag led to the construction of a revised prototype, the 105A. This aircraft flew for the first time on 7 September 1959.
