a fighter is longer than an ordinary fighter jet and three times heavier than Saab Gripen. Not impossible. And that was the Tupolev Tu-128, the largest intercept aircraft ever to strengthen the Soviet Air Force, Airway1 reported. With a length of 30 meters and a maximum take-off weight of 43 tons. The large fighter plane created by Tupolev first flew in the early 1960s and was operated exclusively in the Soviet Air Force until the end of the Soviet Union's communist rule.
The "Fiddler", as it is named by NATO, is a case where a lack of technology has been made by force. With the largest and largest air space in the world, the Soviet Union at that time struggled to keep the most remote corners of its territory in the 1950s, when the Cold War was going through the most turbulent days.
United States nuclear bombers such as the famous B-52 are a real threat and the PVO (Soviet Air Force) does not have fighter planes capable of reaching vast areas.
Despite having strong combat aircraft such as the MiG-15 and MiG-17, Russia does not have altitude and long range interceptors, although it also has Sukhoi variants such as the Su-15. When giving the green light for the development of fighter jets with these characteristics, the Kremlin preferred the Tupolev design office, after the first attempt by Lavochkin manufacturer to produce a two-engine interceptor and the La-250 delta winged aircraft was canceled.
Without relying on its predecessor, Tupolev chose to use the Tu-98 supersonic bomber project which failed as a starting point. Work began in 1958 with complex requirements that had to be met. New interceptors must be able to fly fast, have a sufficiently far range, have an efficient radar and carry air-to-air missiles strong enough so that the Tu-128 can launch it from a distance.
With its large size, the intercept aircraft could not do close combat dogfight due to lack of agility.
The Fiddler is a heavy but powerful aircraft, thanks to two Lyulka AL-7F turbojet engines with nearly 100 kN power each with afterburners. To reach a distance of more than 2,500 km, the Tu-128 carries 15 tons of fuel and is able to maintain supercruise flights at supersonic speeds without the use of afterburners.
The weapon designed for the Tu-128 is the Bisnovat R-4 (AA-5 Ash: NATO) missile which has two versions, one guided by infrared and the other by radar. The jet carries two pairs each under the wing and uses it together (one infrared and one radar missile) when firing at a target, which is considered likely to hit a larger target. The R-4T (infrared) missile has a range of 15 km, while the radar version is capable of reaching targets up to 25 km.
CREDIT and RESPECT TO THE FOLLOWING SOURCE: jakartagreater.com/
Editing: UPDATEDEFENSE
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