Tu-4 'Bull' Bomber

Tu-4 'Bull' Bomber (1)

Designer:

Tupolev Design Bureau

Russian Designation: Tu-4

Manufacturer:

Factory 22 at Kazan
Factory 18 at Kuibyshev
Factory 23 at Moscow

Role:

Bomber

Year Adopted:

First Flight - 1947
Series Production - 1949

Variants:
Tu-4  - Basic Variant built until 1952
Tu-4R - Reconnaissance Variant
Tu-4REP - Electronic Countermeasures Aircraft
Tu-4A - Ten examples converted for Atomic Bombs.
Tu-4K (Tu-4KS) - Fifty Tu-4's adopted to use KS-1 missiles.
Tu-4 (order 20) - radiation reconnaissance aircraft
Tu-4 Tanker - converted to refueling aircraft.
Number Produced:

847

Operational Status:

Obsolete: Soviet Union, People's Republic of China

Armament:

10 x NR-23mm cannon
9000 kg (19,840 pounds) of free fall bombs

Engines:

4 x Shvetsov ASh-73 18-cylinder radial engines producing 2,200 horsepower each at 2400 rpm)

Crew:

11 Crew

Length:
30.18 meters (99 feet)

Wingspan:
21.45 meters (70 feet, 4 inches)

Height:
8.46 meters (27 feet, 9 inches)
Maximum Speed:
     at Sea Level:
     at 10,250 meters (33,630 feet) altitude
   
435 km/h (270 mph)
558 km/h (346 mph)
Take-Off Weight:
     Standard:
     Loaded:
   
47,850 kilograms (105,490 lbs)
63,600 kilograms (140,210 lbs)
Ceiling:
11,200 meters (36,745 feet)
Range:
     with 55,600 kg AUW and 1500 kg of bombs
     with 63,600 kg AUW and 3000 kg of bombs
     with 63,600 kg AUW and 9000 kg of bombs
  (705 miles)
4,850 kilometers (3,012 miles)
6,200 kilometers (3,850 miles)
4,100 kilometers (2,546 miles)

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Sources Cited

(1) Gordon, Yefim, Soviet Strategic Aviation in the Cold War, Singapore: Craft Print, 2009. Print.