As already mentioned in the first part of the review, radio-controlled aircraft with piston engines were actively used in the first post-war years to ensure the process of testing new types of weapons and combat training of air defense forces. However, the aircraft built during the Second World War, for the most part, had a very small resource, and most of them fell into disrepair within a few years after the end of the war. In addition, due to the rapid pace of development of aviation in the late 40s - early 50s, targets were required for testing and training, in terms of flight speed corresponding to modern combat aircraft of a potential enemy. During the most important tests, the MiG-15, MiG-17 radio-controlled fighters and Il-28 bombers were deployed out of their service life. But it was quite costly to re-equip production aircraft, in addition, for mass use as targets, there were very few such aircraft that were quite modern at that time.
In this regard, in 1950, the commander-in-chief of the Air Force, Marshal K. A. Vershinin proposed to create a radio-controlled target. In June, a government decree was issued, according to which this work was entrusted to OKB-301 under the leadership of S. A. Lavochkin. Particular attention was paid to reducing the cost of a product designed for one "combat mission". When designing a radio-controlled target, which received the preliminary designation "Product 201", OKB-301 specialists followed the path of maximum simplification. For the target aircraft, they chose a cheap ramjet engine RD-900 (diameter 900 mm) that ran on gasoline. With a dry engine weight of 320 kg, the calculated thrust at a speed of 240 m / s and an altitude of 5000 meters was 625 kgf. The RD-900 ramjet engine had a resource of about 40 minutes. There was no fuel pump on the apparatus; fuel from the tank was supplied by a displacement system powered by an air pressure accumulator. In order to simplify production as much as possible, the wing and tail unit were made straight. To power the radio command equipment, a direct current generator driven by a wind turbine in the bow of the apparatus was used. The most expensive parts of Product 201 were radio control equipment and the AP-60 autopilot. The appearance of the unmanned target turned out to be very unprepossessing, but it fully corresponded to its purpose. To launch air targets, it was supposed to use a four-engine long-range bomber Tu-4, one target could be placed under each plane.
Flight tests of "Product 201" began in May 1953 at the range near Akhtubinsk. State tests ended in October 1954. During the tests, it was possible to obtain a maximum speed of 905 km / h and a practical ceiling of 9750 meters. The fuel tank with a volume of 460 liters was enough for the unmanned aircraft only for 8.5 minutes of flight, while the ramjet engine was reliably launched at altitudes of 4300-9300 meters. According to the results of the tests, the military recommended increasing the engine operation time to 15 minutes, increasing the RCS by installing corner reflectors and installing tracers on the wing tips.
The main disadvantage was the lengthy preparation of the apparatus for use. The suspension on the carrier aircraft was especially time consuming. It was not possible to achieve reliable operation of the parachute rescue system during the tests.
To save the target for reuse, it was decided to plant it from gliding on an engine protruding under the fuselage. Flight tests confirmed that this is possible, but after such a landing, due to the deformation of the engine nacelle, it was necessary to replace the ramjet engine.
After the official acceptance into service, the "Product 201" received the designation La-17. Serial production of the target was set up at Plant No. 47 in Orenburg. Deliveries of the first production vehicles began in 1956. Six Tu-4 bombers were modified for the use of the La-17 at the Kazan aircraft plant number 22. Serial construction of La-17 continued until 1964, the production program provided for the manufacture of up to 300 unmanned targets per year.
The target was quite satisfactory for its purpose, but in the late 50s it became clear that the piston Tu-4 would soon be decommissioned, and the air launch system takes too long to prepare for use and is quite costly. The military wanted to expand the target's capabilities and reduce operating costs. As a result, the developers came to the idea of the need to replace the ramjet engine with a turbojet engine and switch to a launch from a ground launcher.
In 1958, the production of the La-17M target with a RD-9BK turbojet engine with a thrust of 2600 kgf and a ground launch began. The RD-9BK turbojet engine was a modification of the exhausted RD-9B engine, removed from the MiG-19 fighter. The launch was carried out using two solid-propellant boosters, and a four-wheeled carriage of a 100-mm KS-19 anti-aircraft gun was used as a towed launcher.
In 1962, La-17 was upgraded again. For the tests and the process of combat training of the air defense missile systems, targets were required that could fly in the altitude range: 0.5-18 km, change the reflective ability of the target to simulate cruise missiles, as well as tactical and strategic bombers. To do this, an RD-9BKR engine with an increased altitude was installed on the target aircraft, and a Luniberg lens was placed in the aft fuselage. Thanks to the increased RCS, the target tracking range of a ground-based radar of 3-6 cm range has increased from 150-180 km to 400-450 km, and the type of simulated aircraft has expanded.
In order for the modernized La-17MM to be reused, the landing system was modified after launch. In the tail section of the fuselage, a dumped load was installed, connected by a cable with a check, when pulled out, the autopilot transferred the target to a large angle of attack at the minimum design height, while the engine stopped. Parachuting, the target landed on skis with shock absorbers placed under the turbojet engine gondola.
Since the reserves of the RD-9 engines were quickly depleted, in the 70s they began to install the R-11K-300 turbojet engines, converted from the exhausted R-11F-300, installed on the MiG-21, Su-15 and Yak-28 aircraft. … The target with engines of the R-11K-300 type received the designation La-17K and was mass-produced until the end of 1992.
Despite the fact that the targets of the La-17 family at the moment are undoubtedly outdated and incapable of imitating modern air attack weapons, until recently they were used at firing ranges during control and training firing of air defense crews.
After the adoption of the La-17 unmanned target with the RD-900 ramjet engine, the question arose of creating an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft on the basis of this machine. A government decree on this topic was issued in June 1956. However, the target with a ramjet engine had a short range, and it was only after the appearance of the La-17M with the RD-9BK turbojet engine with a thrust of 1900 kgf.
AFA-BAF / 2K and AFA-BAF-21 cameras were placed in the nose compartment of the reconnaissance aircraft on a swinging installation. The autopilot was replaced with the AP-63. For the convenience of transporting the scout, the wing consoles were made foldable. The launch of the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft from the SATR-1 transport and launcher on the ZIL-134K chassis was carried out using two PRD-98 solid-propellant launch accelerators, and the rescue was carried out by parachute with landing on the engine nacelle. Corner reflectors located under the radio-transparent fairings of the wingtips and fuselage were dismantled.
During the state tests, which ended in the summer of 1963, it was proved that the vehicle is capable of carrying out photographic reconnaissance at a distance of up to 60 km from the launch position, flying at altitudes of up to 900 m, and at a distance of up to 200 km - at an altitude of 7000 m. Speed on the route - 680-885 km / h. The launch weight is 3600 kg.
In 1963, the La-17R as part of the TBR-1 complex (tactical unmanned reconnaissance aircraft) was formally put into service, but operation in the troops began only in the second half of the 60s. This was due to the need to refine the ground control and tracking stations for the reconnaissance drone.
It was envisaged that the tactical unmanned complex of the TBR-1 reconnaissance aircraft could be sufficiently mobile, with an acceptable deployment time at the launch site. The complex includes: towed by a KRAZ-255 vehicle, a SATR-1 launch pad, TUTR-1 transport trolleys towed by ZIL-157 or ZIL-131 vehicles, a KATR-1 special vehicle for conducting a pre-launch check of the reconnaissance aircraft equipment and ensuring the launch of the main engine, as well as radio command and radar stations MRV-2M and "Kama" to control the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft on the flight route. As part of a separate squadron of unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, there was also a technical and operational platoon equipped with special vehicles for working with cameras, truck cranes and other equipment, as well as a unit that ensured the La-17R landing in a given area and retrieving reconnaissance materials from the board and evacuating the aircraft.
After the modernization, the capabilities of the La-17RM unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, equipped with the R-11K-300 engine, expanded. The range at high altitude has increased from 200 to 360 km. In addition to the updated photographic reconnaissance equipment in the form of AFA-40, AFBA-40, AFA-20, BPF-21, ASCHFA-5M cameras and the Chibis TV camera, the Sigma radiation reconnaissance station was added to the onboard equipment. In the Soviet Air Force, La-17RMs were operated until the mid-70s, after which the unmanned targets were "disposed of" at training ranges as target aircraft.
A number of La-17s of various modifications were supplied to the allied countries of the USSR. In the 50s, unmanned ramjet targets could be found at Chinese training grounds. As in the USSR, they were launched from Tu-4 bombers. Unlike the Soviet Air Force, piston-powered bombers flew to the PRC until the early 1990s. At the end of their career, Chinese Tu-4s were used as carriers of reconnaissance UAVs. In the 60s, the Chinese aviation industry began production of the La-17 with the WP-6 turbojet engine (Chinese copy of the RD-9). This turbojet engine was used in the PLA Air Force on J-6 fighters (a copy of the MiG-19) and the Q-5 attack aircraft. In addition to the supply of target aircraft and technical documentation for their serial production in China, a batch of La-17RM unmanned reconnaissance aircraft under the designation UR-1 was transferred to Syria. However, it is not known whether they were used in a combat situation.
The adoption by the Soviet Air Force of the MiG-25RB supersonic tactical reconnaissance bomber, whose avionics, in addition to various photographic equipment, included electronic reconnaissance stations, seriously expanded the possibilities for collecting information in the operational rear of the enemy. As you know, in the early 70s, the Israelis failed to prevent the flight of the MiG-25R and MiG-25RB over the Sinai Peninsula. But Soviet specialists were fully aware that when operating over a theater of operations, where there would be long-range and high-altitude air defense systems, high altitude and flight speed could no longer guarantee the invulnerability of the reconnaissance aircraft. In this regard, in the late 60s, the military initiated the development of supersonic reusable unmanned tactical reconnaissance aircraft. The military needed vehicles with a greater range and flight speed than those in service with the La-17R / RM. In addition, a very primitive reconnaissance complex of vehicles created on the basis of an unmanned target did not meet modern requirements. The customer wanted scouts capable of operating deep in enemy defenses at transonic cruising speed. The reconnaissance equipment of promising vehicles, in addition to modern means of fixing visual information, was supposed to include equipment designed for radiation reconnaissance of the area and opening the positions of air defense missile systems and radars.
In the mid-60s, the Tupolev Design Bureau began developing the Strizh and Reis tactical reconnaissance systems. The result of these works was the creation and adoption of the operational-tactical complex Tu-141 (VR-2 "Strizh") and the tactical complex Tu-143 (VR-3 "Reis"). The unmanned complex of tactical-operational reconnaissance VR-2 "Strizh" is intended for conducting reconnaissance operations at a distance from the launch point at a distance of several hundred kilometers, while the VR-3 "Reis" - 30-40 km.
At the first stage of the design, it was envisaged that unmanned reconnaissance aircraft would break through the air defense lines at low altitude at supersonic speed. However, this required engines equipped with afterburners, which inevitably led to increased fuel consumption. The military also insisted that a new generation of unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, when returning from a combat mission, should land on an airplane at its airfield using a special produced ski. But calculations showed that a high flight speed and an airplane landing, with a slight increase in combat effectiveness, significantly increases the cost of the device, despite the fact that its life expectancy in a war could be very short. As a result, the maximum flight speed was limited to a limit of 1100 km / h, and it was decided to land using a parachute rescue system, which in turn made it possible to simplify the design, reduce the take-off weight and cost of the aircraft.
Unmanned reconnaissance aircraft Tu-141 and Tu-143 had much in common in appearance, but differed in geometric dimensions, weight, flight range, composition and capabilities of onboard reconnaissance equipment. Both vehicles were built according to the "tailless" scheme with a low-lying delta wing with a 58 ° sweep along the leading edge, with small influxes in the root parts. In the front part of the fuselage there is a fixed trapezoidal destabilizer, which provided the necessary stability margin. PGO - adjustable on the ground in the range from 0 ° to 8 °, depending on the aircraft alignment, with a sweep angle along the leading edge of 41.3 °. The aircraft was controlled using two-section elevons on the wing and rudder. The engine air intake is located above the fuselage, closer to the tail section. This arrangement not only made it possible to simplify the design of the launch complex, but also reduced the radar signature of the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft. To reduce the span of the wing during transportation, the wing console of the Tu-141 was deflected to a vertical position.
The first copies of the Tu-141 were equipped with the low-resource R-9A-300 turbojet engine (a specially modified modification of the RD-9B turbojet engine), but later, after establishing mass production, they switched to the production of reconnaissance aircraft with KR-17A engines with a thrust of 2000 kgf. An unmanned reconnaissance aircraft with a takeoff weight of 5370 kg, at an altitude of 2000 m, it developed a maximum speed of 1110 km / h and had a flight range of 1000 km. The minimum flight altitude on the route was 50 m, the ceiling was 6000 m.
The Tu-141 was launched using a solid-propellant launch booster mounted in the lower part of the fuselage. The landing of the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft after completing the assignment was carried out using a parachute system located in the fairing in the tail of the fuselage above the nozzle of the turbojet engine. After turning off the turbojet engine, a braking parachute was released, which reduced the flight speed to a value at which the main parachute could be safely released. A tricycle landing gear with heel-type shock-absorbing elements was produced simultaneously with a braking parachute. Immediately before touching the ground, the braking solid-fuel engine was turned on and the parachute was fired.
The complex of ground service facilities included vehicles designed for refueling and preparation for launch, a towed launch pad, control and verification installations and hardware for working with reconnaissance equipment. All elements of the VR-2 "Strizh" complex were placed on mobile chassis and could move along public roads.
Unfortunately, it was not possible to find exact data on the composition and capabilities of the VR-2 Strizh reconnaissance complex. Various sources say that the Tu-141 was equipped with navigation equipment, perfect for its time, aerial cameras, an infrared reconnaissance system, and means allowing to determine the types and coordinates of operating radars and to carry out radiation reconnaissance of the terrain. On the route, the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft was controlled by an autopilot, maneuvers and turning on / off reconnaissance equipment took place according to a predetermined program.
Flight tests of the Tu-141 began in 1974, due to the high complexity of the reconnaissance complex, it required the coordination and refinement of the onboard and ground equipment. Serial production of the drone began in 1979 at the Kharkov Aviation Plant. Before the collapse of the USSR, 152 Tu-141s were built in Ukraine. Separate reconnaissance squadrons, equipped with unmanned reconnaissance aircraft of this type, were deployed on the western borders of the USSR. At the moment, operational Tu-141s can only be found in Ukraine.
At the time of its creation, the reconnaissance complex BP-2 "Strizh" fully corresponded to its purpose. The unmanned reconnaissance vehicle had rather broad capabilities and had a good chance of completing the assigned task, which was repeatedly confirmed in the exercises. A number of Tu-141s with exhausted flight life were converted into M-141 targets. The target complex was designated VR-2VM.
According to the layout and technical solutions, the Tu-143 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft was, as it were, a reduced copy of the Tu-141. The first successful flight of the Tu-143 took place in December 1970. In 1973, for state tests at the aircraft plant in Kumertau, an experimental batch of UAVs was laid. The official adoption of the Tu-143 took place in 1976.
An unmanned reconnaissance aircraft with a starting weight of 1230 kg was launched from a mobile launcher SPU-143 on a meringue of a BAZ-135MB wheeled tractor. The Tu-143 was loaded into the launcher and evacuated from the landing site using the TZM-143 transport-loading vehicle. The delivery and storage of the UAV was carried out in sealed containers. The range of relocation of the complex with a reconnaissance aircraft prepared for launch is up to 500 km. At the same time, the technical ground vehicles of the complex could move along the highway at a speed of up to 45 km / h.
Maintenance of the UAV was carried out using the KPK-143 control and testing complex, a set of mobile devices for refueling a truck crane, firefighters and trucks. Prelaunch preparation, which took about 15 minutes, was carried out by a combat crew SPU-143. Immediately before the launch, the TRZ-117 turbojet propulsion engine with a maximum thrust of 640 kgf was launched, and the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft was launched using the SPRD-251 solid-fuel accelerator at an angle of 15 ° to the horizon. The safe compartment of the SPRD-251 was provided with a special squib, which was triggered by a drop in gas pressure in the launch accelerator.
The reconnaissance complex VR-3 "Reis", originally created by order of the Air Force, became widespread in the armed forces of the USSR, and was also used by the Ground Forces and the Navy. In the course of joint large-scale exercises of formations of various combat arms, the Reis complex demonstrated significant advantages in comparison with the manned tactical reconnaissance aircraft MiG-21R and Yak-28R. The Tu-143 flight was carried out along a programmed route using an automatic control system, which included an autopilot, a radio altimeter and a speed meter. The control system provided a more accurate exit of the unmanned vehicle to the reconnaissance area, compared to the piloted tactical reconnaissance aircraft of the Air Force. The reconnaissance UAV was capable of flying at low altitude at speeds up to 950 km / h, including in areas with difficult terrain. The relatively small size provided the Tu-143 with low visibility and low EPR, which, combined with high flight data, made the drone a very difficult target for air defense systems.
The reconnaissance equipment was located in a removable bow and had two main options: photo and television recording of the image on the route. In addition, the drone could have placed radiation reconnaissance equipment and a container with leaflets. The VR-3 "Flight" complex with the "Tu-143" UAV was capable of conducting tactical aerial reconnaissance during daylight hours to a depth of 60-70 km from the front line using photographs, television and radiation background reconnaissance equipment. At the same time, the detection of areal and point targets was ensured, in a strip with a width of 10 N (H-flight height) when using cameras and 2, 2 N when equipped with television reconnaissance means. That is, the width of the strip for photography from an altitude of 1 km was about 10 km, for television shooting - about 2 km. Photographing intervals for reconnaissance were set depending on the flight altitude. The photographic equipment installed in the head of the reconnaissance aircraft, from a height of 500 m and at a speed of 950 km / h, made it possible to recognize objects with a size of 20 cm or more on the ground. m above sea level and during overflights of mountain ranges up to 5000 m high. Onboard television equipment transmitted a television image of the area by radio to the drone control station. Receiving a television image was possible at a distance of 30-40 km from the UAV. The bandwidth of the radiation reconnaissance reaches 2 N and the information obtained can also be transmitted to the ground via a radio channel. The Tu-143 reconnaissance equipment included a PA-1 panoramic aerial camera with a 120-meter film reserve, I-429B Chibis-B television equipment and Sigma-R radiation reconnaissance equipment. The option of creating a cruise missile on the basis of the Tu-143 was also considered, but there is no data on the tests of this modification and its acceptance into service.
Before landing in a given area, the Tu-143, simultaneously with stopping the engine, made a slide, after which a two-stage parachute-jet system and landing gear were released. At the moment of touching the ground, when the landing gear shock absorbers were triggered, the landing parachute and the brake engine were fired, this prevented the reconnaissance aircraft from overturning due to the sail of the parachute. The search for the landing site of the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft was carried out according to the signals of the onboard radio beacon. Further, the container with reconnaissance information was removed and the UAV was delivered to a technical position for preparation for reuse. The service life of the Tu-143 was designed for five sorties. The processing of photographic materials took place at the mobile point for receiving and decrypting reconnaissance information POD-3, after which the prompt transfer of the received data through communication channels was ensured.
According to information published in open sources, taking into account the prototypes intended for testing, in the period from 1973 to 1989, more than 950 copies of the Tu-143 were built. In addition to the Soviet armed forces, the VR-3 "Reis" complex was in service in Bulgaria, Syria, Iraq, Romania and Czechoslovakia.
In 2009, the media reported that Belarus had acquired a batch of UAVs in Ukraine. Unmanned reconnaissance aircraft were used in real combat operations in Afghanistan and during the Iran-Iraq war. In 1985, a Syrian Tu-143 was shot down over Lebanon by an Israeli F-16 fighter. In the early 90s, several Tu-143s were purchased by the DPRK in Syria. According to Western sources, the North Korean analogue has been put into mass production and has already been used during reconnaissance flights over the South Korean waters of the Yellow Sea. According to Western experts, North Korean copies of the Tu-143 can also be used to deliver weapons of mass destruction.
At the end of the 90s, Tu-143s, which were available in Russia, were massively converted into M-143 targets, designed to simulate cruise missiles in the process of combat training of air defense forces.
By the time the armed confrontation began in southeastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had a certain number of Tu-141 and Tu-143 UAVs in storage. Before the start of the conflict, their operation was entrusted to the 321st separate squadron of unmanned reconnaissance aircraft deployed in the village of Rauhovka, Berezovsky district, Odessa region.
Unmanned aerial vehicles removed from conservation were used for photographic reconnaissance of the positions of the militia. Prior to the announcement of the ceasefire in September 2014, drones built in the USSR surveyed more than 250,000 hectares. Having filmed at the same time about 200 objects, including 48 checkpoints and more than 150 infrastructure objects (bridges, dams, intersections, road sections). However, the instrumentation of Soviet-made UAVs is now hopelessly outdated - photographic film is used to record the results of reconnaissance, the device must return to its territory, the film must be removed, delivered to the laboratory, developed and deciphered. Thus, real-time reconnaissance is impossible, the time interval from the moment of shooting to the use of data can be significant, which often devalues the result of reconnaissance of mobile targets. In addition, the technical reliability of the technology, created about 30 years ago, leaves much to be desired.
There are no statistics on the combat sorties of the Ukrainian Tu-141 and Tu-143 in open sources, but a lot of photos of UAVs in positions and during transportation, taken in the summer and autumn of 2014, were posted on the network. However, at present, fresh images of Ukrainian drones of this type are not published, and the military DPR and LPR do not inform about their flights. In this regard, it can be assumed that the reserves of Tu-141 and Tu-143 in Ukraine are basically exhausted.
Soon after the adoption of the VR-3 "Reis" reconnaissance complex, a Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR was issued on the development of a modernized VR-ZD "Reis-D" complex. The first flight of the Tu-243 UAV prototype took place in July 1987. While maintaining the airframe, the reconnaissance complex underwent significant refinement. In the past, the military has criticized the VR-3 Reis for its limited real-time intelligence transmission capabilities. In this regard, in addition to the PA-402 aerial camera, the Tu-243 was equipped with the improved Aist-M television equipment. In another version, designed for reconnaissance at night, the Zima-M thermal imaging system is used. The image received from television and infrared cameras is broadcast over a radio channel organized with the help of the Trassa-M radio link equipment. In parallel with the transmission over the radio channel, information during the flight is recorded on the onboard magnetic media. New, more advanced reconnaissance equipment, combined with improved characteristics of the UAV, made it possible to significantly increase the area of the territory investigated in one flight, while improving the quality of the information received. Thanks to the use of the new navigation and aerobatic complex NPK-243 on the Tu-243, the capabilities of the VR-ZD "Reis-D" have significantly increased. In the course of modernization, some elements of the ground complex were also updated, which made it possible to increase the efficiency of the tasks and operational characteristics.
According to the information presented at the MAKS-99 aerospace show, the Tu-243 reconnaissance unmanned vehicle has a takeoff weight of 1400 kg, a length of 8.28 m, a wingspan of 2.25 m. flight speed 850-940 km / h. The maximum flight altitude on the route is 5000 m, the minimum is 50 m. The flight range is increased to 360 km. The launch and application method of the Tu-243 are similar to those of the Tu-143. This reconnaissance unmanned vehicle was offered for export in the late 90s. It is alleged that the Tu-243 was officially adopted by the Russian army in 1999, and its serial construction was carried out at the facilities of the Kumertau aircraft production enterprise. However, apparently, the number of built Tu-243s was very small. According to data provided by The Military Balance 2016, the Russian army has a number of Tu-243 UAVs. How much this corresponds to reality is unknown, but at the moment the reconnaissance complex VR-ZD "Reis-D" no longer meets modern requirements.
