TU-95 LV Idea

[Cobra]

Hey Guys, i was surfing Google when an Idea Came to me,Bear in mind, i don't Know if it's been tried but...What If the TU-95 were used as a Launch Vehicle(LV)? think it would work or is it Too Gerry Anderson? just an Idea that came to me. What Say You? thanks for Looking.Dan

[Hobbes]

They used the Tu-95 to carry the Kh-20/AS-3 'Kangaroo' missile. During tests for this missile, they carried and dropped a MiG-19.





Orbital Sciences uses a Lockheed L-1011 to launch their Pegasus rocket, which can carry about 500 kg into orbit. The Pegasus weighs 23 tons. The Tu-95 can carry 15 tons of payload, so the weight delivered in orbit would be 15/23*500=326 kg. That's not much, but might be enough for your goals.

There was a proposal for using the An-225 (modified with 8 engines instead of 6) to launch HOTOL 2:

[Maverick]

Given the undercarriage it uses to clear the props, I'd say it'd be more than effective for smaller vehicles like Pegasus, etc.

Regards,

Mav

[rallymodeller]

Given the undercarriage it uses to clear the props, I'd say it'd be more than effective for smaller vehicles like Pegasus, etc.

Regards,

Mav

It has a weapons bay as well; the Tristar that Orbital uses doesn't have that luxury and must carry the Pegasus completely exposed on a belly pylon. A Bear could carry such a payload semi-conformally.

Actually, using a Bear for this makes perfect sense. If a Bear was stripped of all unnecessary weight -- like the "Silverplate" program for the B-29 or the "Featherweight" for the B-36 -- and if it flew at a light fuel load, it could carry significantly more than the 15 tons quoted (it's normal payload is roughly the same as a B-52s). The Tsar Bomba weighed 60,000lbs, and was carried by a modified (but still military) Tu-95. Although it's hard to see in the links, the video footage of the Tsar Bomba drop showed that at least some of that Bear's gun turrets were still in place.

Of course, if you're talking about payload, there is only one Russian (actually, Ukranian, these days) name that needs be mentioned: Mriya. The An-225 has almost enough payload capacity to carry and launch just about anything you want; there was a proposal to launch a British-designed Shuttle-type orbiter off its back.

Pegasus itself has also been launched from NASA's NB-52B and -H models.

[jcf]

... or Myasischev VM-T Atlant style mods:


http://www.buran-energia.com/vmt-atlant/vmt-desc.php