Posted on 03/03/2015 5:10:23 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
While America's aerospace industry is hard at work creating the USAF's next generation bomber, Russia has a similar ongoing program known as the the PAK-DA. Now, after years of requirements changes, it appears that a blended wing, subsonic design, much like the one pictured above, will be the new jet's overall configuration.
The PAK-DA, which literally means "prospective aviation complex for long-range aviation," is Russia's next generation long-range bomber project and it aims to one day replace the Tu-95 Bear and the Tu-160 Blackjack, and possibly the Tu-22M Backfire fleets. Much like America's next generation bomber, which has gone from a very high-end concept to one with more limited goals over the last decade, mainly due to affordability concerns, the PAK-DA has also lowered its performance and capabilities expectations, although to an even greater degree over a similar span of time.
Originally, the jet was supposed to be not only stealthy but insanely fast, with officials stating at one time that it would be a "hypersonic aircraft." Even if this was embellishment or some sort of misstatement, it was clear that originally the PAK-DA was meant to super-cruise at high mach speeds. This requirement has now changed drastically as it is now confirmed that the PAK-DA will be a subsonic aircraft, with a design more focused on long-range and heavily payload lifting capabilities than anything else.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com ...
Coming to a city near you soon!
5.56mm
Indeed. To paraphrase an old Navy axiom; There are two types of aircraft...stealth and targets.
Reminds me (a little) of the B1-Bomber. But that’s not unusual for Russia to copy our designs...
Looks like a B1.5.
Looks like it has stealth to me.
Looks like it has stealth to me.
After all this time, I didn't know you are an aeronautical engineer.
From the article: Originally, the jet was supposed to be not only stealthy but insanely fast...
5.56mm
It looks similar to an F-111!
It looks like a hash of different design features.
Main fuselage looks like an A-12 Avenger II, but with an extended nose protrusion.
Outer wings look like a B-2, or one of those long-range stealthy UAV prototypes (like the Lockheed “Polecat”) while the vertical tails look like those of an F-22.
Theres not enough wing sweep on the thing for it to be supersonic (ok, maybe in a dive. Even a KC-135 can go supersonic in a dive) let alone hypersonic.
I was thinking more like a cross between a B-1 and a YF-23.
They already have a B-1 copy ...the Tu-160. The Pakda will be a low-observable aircraft (not pure stealth like the B2) that is only meant to get close enough to launch its cruise missiles. In that it will do its job very well. The design is not meant to penetrative an advanced IADS and drop gravity bombs, but rather to ensure just enough survivability to get within the edge of the engagement range of its cruise missiles, and after that it’s job is done
Penetrative = penetrate
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