Unmanned combat aerial vehicles in OKB-301 began to be engaged in the early 1950s. For example, in 1950-1951, a remote-controlled C-C-6000 projectile with a flight weight of 6,000 kg was developed, intended to destroy strategic objects in the rear of the enemy with a powerful deeply echeloned air defense system. According to experts from the OKB, the S-S-6000 could deliver a warhead weighing 2500 kg to a distance of 1500 km at a speed of 1100-1500 km / h at an altitude of 15,000 m. A cruise missile, taking off from a conventional airfield, was to be controlled from an escort aircraft by radar sighting of the projectile and target, i.e. by radio beam. The possibility of missile guidance using a television system or a thermal homing head (GOS) was not excluded.
Around the same time, the Design Bureau was developing a project for an unmanned jet single-engine bomber. According to the plan of its creators, the bomb carrier was supposed to deliver a bomb weighing 2500 kg to the target and return home. At the same time, his flight and technical data should not have been inferior to fighters.
Since we are talking about bombers, I will note that in the spring of 1950, Lavochkin proposed to develop a bomb carrier with a Mikulin turbojet engine with a thrust of 3000 kgf, a radar sight and a crew of 2-3 people. In addition to 1500-kg bombs, defensive armament was envisaged from three 23-mm cannons that protected the front and rear hemispheres.
Six years later, in accordance with the March decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, OKB-301 began the development of a supersonic high-altitude bomber No. 325. At the end of 1957, its preliminary design was approved. According to the assignment, a single-seat aircraft with a supersonic ramjet was supposed to deliver a bomb load weighing 2300 kg over a distance of 4000 km at a speed of up to 3000 km / h at an altitude of 18-20 km.
Eight months later, the task was corrected, raising the ceiling of the machine to 23,000-25,000 m. At the same time, it was ordered to install a VK-15 TRDF on the machine. Development continued until mid-1958, with proposals for the creation of an unmanned bomber and reconnaissance aircraft.
But these proposals, like previous projects, due to the large workload of the enterprise with missile topics, remained on paper. Nevertheless, they laid the necessary foundation for the creation of promising unmanned aerial vehicles.
"Storm" over the planet
In the early 1950s, airplanes were the only means of delivering atomic bombs. The first ballistic missiles, created on the basis of the German FAU-2 and adopted by the US and Soviet armies, had a flight range and carrying capacity that were insufficient to deliver heavy nuclear weapons over intercontinental distances. Suffice it to say that the Soviet R-2 had a range of 600 km and lifted a load of up to 1500 kg. An alternative means of delivering nuclear warheads in those years was considered an aircraft-projectile, or, in modern terminology, a cruise missile with a high supersonic flight speed over intercontinental distances.
The pace of development of aviation and missile technology in the post-war years was very high, and it is not surprising that in July 1948 a number of TsAGI employees, including A. D. Nadiradze and Academician S. A. Khristianovich, as well as M. V. Keldysh and engine designer M. M. Bondaryuk, after the completion of the research work, they concluded that it was possible to create a projectile aircraft with a flight range of 6000 km at a speed of 3000-4000 km / h. At the same time, the weight of the explosive in the warhead reached 3000 kg. At first glance, this might seem fantastic. After all, flight at the speed of sound in those years amazed humanity, but here - a threefold excess. But at the heart of the conclusions were months of painstaking work, a huge number of calculations and experimental research. On this occasion, the Minister of Aviation Industry M. V. Khrunichev reported to Stalin:
“The main prerequisites for the creation of a projectile aircraft is the developed scheme of a new type of supersonic air-jet engine“SVRD”/ supersonic ramjet engine. - Note. author), which has significant efficiency at supersonic speeds, as well as the use of a new type of wings and projectile contours …"
At about the same time, at NII-88 (now TsNII-Mash), on the initiative of B. E. Chertok began research on astronavigation systems, without which the defeat of even area targets was problematic.
But from evaluations to the practical implementation of the idea of an intercontinental cruise missile, it has been a journey of over five years. The first to start designing such a machine was OKB-1 (now RSC Energia), headed by the joint venture. Korolev after the February 1953 government decree. According to a government document, it was required to build a cruise missile with a range of 8,000 km.
The same document set out the development of an experimental cruise missile (EKR) with a supersonic ramjet engine, a prototype of a future combat vehicle. To shorten the time of its creation, the R-11 ballistic missile was supposed to be used as a booster, the first stage.
The second, marching stage - and this was, in fact, an EKR with a frontal air intake and an unregulated central body - was calculated for M. Bondaryuk's engine. The marching stage was made according to the classic aircraft scheme, but with a cruciform tail. To simplify the control system, the EKR flight was assumed at a constant altitude and a fixed speed. After turning off the ramjet from the temporary device, the rocket had to be transferred to a dive or glide to the target.
The preliminary design of the EKR was approved by the joint venture. Korolev on January 31, 1954, and preparations began for its manufacture. However, in the midst of work on it, on the basis of a decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR of May 20, 1954, the development of a long-range cruise missile was transferred to the MAP. In accordance with the same document, A. S. Budnik, I. N. Moishaev, I. M. Lisovich and other specialists. In accordance with the same document in OKB-23 under the leadership of V. M. Myasishchev was developed by MKR "Buran".
The second stage of the experimental cruise missile EKR
Layout of the intercontinental cruise missile "Tempest"
One of the most important tasks facing the creators of the "Tempest" and "Buran" MCRs was the development of a supersonic ramjet and control system. If the main flight characteristics of the rocket depended on the power plant, then not only the accuracy of hitting the target, but the very issue of reaching the territory of a potential enemy, depended on the control system. The choice of structural materials turned out to be no less difficult task. During a long flight at a speed three times higher than the sound speed, aerodynamic heating did not allow the use of the "winged" alloy of duralumin, which was well mastered by the industry, in heat-stressed aggregates. Steel structures, although they could withstand high temperatures, while retaining their mechanical properties, turned out to be heavy. So the developers came to the need to use titanium alloys. The amazing properties of this metal have been known for a long time, but the high cost and complexity of mechanical processing hindered its use in aviation and rocket technology.
OKB-301 was the first in the Soviet Union to develop and master in production both the technology of titanium welding and its machining. The correct combination of aluminum, steel and titanium alloys has made it possible to create a technological MCR with the required weight efficiency.
The preliminary design of the Tempest was completed in 1955. However, a year later, on February 11, the government demanded that a more powerful and heavier warhead weighing 2350 kg be installed on the product (it was originally planned to weigh 2100 kg). This circumstance delayed the presentation of the "350" product for flight tests. The starting weight of the MKR has also increased. In the final version, the preliminary design of the "Tempest" was approved by the customer in July 1956.
The Tempest scheme, as well as the Myasishchev's Buran, can be qualified in different ways. From the standpoint of rocketry, this is a three-stage machine made according to a batch scheme. Its first, or booster, stage consisted of two blocks with four-chamber rocket engines, first C2.1100, and then C2.1150, with a starting thrust of about 68,400 kgf each. The second (marching) stage was a cruise missile. The third stage is a drop-shaped container with a nuclear warhead separating from a cruise missile.
From the point of view of aircraft builders, it was a vertically taking off projectile with launching boosters. The marching stage of the classical scheme had a mid-range wing of small aspect ratio with a sweep of 70 degrees along the leading and straight trailing edges, recruited from symmetrical profiles, and a cruciform tail.
The MKR fuselage was a body of revolution with a frontal air intake and an unregulated central body. The mid-flight supersonic ramjet RD-012 (RD-012U) and the air intake connected the air duct, between the walls of which and the skin was placed fuel (with the exception of the instrument compartment in the central part of the fuselage). It is curious that for the operation of a supersonic ramjet engine, not traditional kerosene, but diesel winter fuel was used. A warhead was located in the central body of the air intake.
Intercontinental cruise missile "Tempest" at the launch site
The Tempest cruise missile was launched vertically from the carriage-installer and, in accordance with the given program, passed the accelerating section of the trajectory, on which the rocket was controlled by gas rudders, and after their release - with the help of aerodynamic surfaces. The boosters were dropped after the supersonic ramjet engine reached the maximum thrust mode, which depends on both the speed and the flight altitude. For example, in the cruise flight mode and at an altitude of 16-18 km, the calculated thrust of the RD-012 was 12,500 kgf, and at 25 km - 4500-5,000 kgf. The flight of the second stage, according to the initial plans of the designers, was supposed to take place at a speed of 3000 km / h and with constant aerodynamic quality with the correction of the trajectory using the astronavigation system. The cruise flight began at an altitude of 18 km, and as the fuel burned out, the ceiling at the final section of the trajectory reached 26,500 m. In the target area, the missile, at the command of the autopilot, was transferred to a dive, and at an altitude of 7000-8000 m its warhead was separated.
Flight tests of the "Buri" began on July 31, 1957 at the Groshevo range of the 6th State Research Institute of the Air Force, not far from the Vladimirovka railway station. The first start of the MCR took place only on September 1, but it was unsuccessful. The rocket did not have time to move away from the launch, as there was a premature reset of the gas rudders. The uncontrollable Tempest fell a few seconds later and exploded. The first experimental product was sent to the landfill on February 28, 1958. The first launch took place on March 19, and the results were considered satisfactory. Only on May 22 of the following year, the supersonic ramjet engine of the sustainer stage with an accelerator compartment began to work. And again, three not very successful launches …
In the ninth launch on December 28, 1958, the flight duration exceeded five minutes. In the next two launches, the flight range was 1350 km at a speed of 3300 km / h and 1760 km at a speed of 3500 km / h. No atmospheric aircraft in the Soviet Union has traveled so far and at such a speed. The twelfth rocket was equipped with an astro-orientation system, but its launch was unsuccessful. On the next machine, they installed accelerators with a C2.1150 LPRE and a supersonic ramjet engine with a shortened combustion chamber - RD-012U. The flight without astro correction lasted about ten minutes.
The missiles tested in 1960 had a launch weight of about 95 tons, and a sustainer stage - 33 tons. They were manufactured at factories # 301 in Khimki near Moscow and # 18 in Kuibyshev. The accelerators were built at the plant number 207.
In parallel with the tests of the Tempest, launching positions were being prepared for it on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, and combat units were being formed. But it was all in vain. Despite the timeframe set by the government, the creation of both MCRs was greatly delayed. Myasishchev's Buran was the first to leave the race, followed by Tempest. By this time, the strategic missile forces were armed with the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile R-7, capable of overcoming any air defense system. In addition, the developed anti-aircraft missiles and promising fighter-interceptors could become a serious obstacle to the MKR's route.
Already in 1958, it became clear that MKR was not a competitor to ballistic missiles, and OKB-301 proposed to create an unmanned photographic reconnaissance aircraft with return and landing near the starting position, as well as radio-controlled targets, on the basis of the Buri. The rocket launch, which took place on December 2, 1959, was successful. After flying according to the program with astro-correction of the trajectory, the rocket was deployed 210 degrees, switching to radio command control, while its range reached 4000 km. The February 1960 government decree on the termination of work on the "Tempest" was allowed to carry out five more launches to test the version of the photo reconnaissance aircraft.
In July 1960, a draft government decree was prepared on the development of a strategic radio and photographic intelligence system based on the Buri. At the same time, a cruise missile (as they began to call unmanned aircraft) needed to be equipped with an automatic control system, equipment for astro-orientation in daytime conditions, PAFA-K and AFA-41 aerial cameras, and Rhomb-4 electronic reconnaissance equipment. In addition, the reconnaissance officer was ordered to equip a landing device that allowed its reusable use.
The unmanned reconnaissance aircraft was supposed to solve the assigned tasks at a distance of up to 4000-4500 km and fly at a speed of 3500-4000 km at altitudes from 24 to 26 km.
Launch of the Tempest intercontinental cruise missile
In addition, it was supposed to work out a variant of a disposable vehicle (without returning) with a flight range of up to 12,000-14,000 km with continuous transmission of television and radio intelligence data at a distance of up to 9,000 km.
The project of a similar reconnaissance aircraft P-100 "Burevestnik" was also proposed by OKB-49, headed by G. M. Beriev. In fairness, we note that in the second half of the 1950s, OKB-156, headed by A. N. Tupolev. But the MKR "D" project, capable of flying up to 9500 km at a speed of 2500-2700 km / h and at an altitude of up to 25 km, shared the fate of Buran, Tempest and Burevestnik. They all remained on paper.
From the fifteenth to the eighteenth launches were carried out along the route Vladimirov-ka - Kamchatka Peninsula. Three launches took place in February - March 1960, and one more, this time only for testing the "Buri" in the version of a target intended for the "Dal" air defense system (work on the photo reconnaissance aircraft stopped in October), on December 16, 1960. In the last two flights, the range was increased to 6500 km.
The issue of the use of the Mars gyroinertial flight control system on the Tempest was also considered, but it never came to its implementation in metal.
In parallel with the "Tempest", OKB-301 in the second half of the 1950s worked out the nuclear cruise missile "KAR" with a nuclear ramjet, as well as in accordance with the March 1956 government decree a bomber aircraft "with a special WFD" in unmanned and manned versions … According to this project, the aircraft was supposed to fly at a speed of 3000 km / h at altitudes from 23 to 25 km and deliver an atomic ammunition weighing 2300 kg to targets distant at a distance of about 4000 km.
Even more fantastic is the proposal to develop an experimental unmanned hypersonic missile aircraft capable of flying at altitudes of 45-50 km at a speed of 5000-6000 km / h. Its development began in the late 1950s and declared the beginning of flight tests in the fourth quarter of 1960.
In the late 1940s, North America began developing the Navaho supersonic intercontinental cruise missile in the United States, but it never entered service. From the very beginning, she was haunted by failure. In the first flight, which took place on November 6, 1956, the control system failed, and the rocket had to be destroyed, in the second, abnormal operation of the accelerators was discovered, and in the third and fourth, difficulties with launching the SPVRD. Less than a year later, the program was closed. The remaining missiles were used for other purposes. The fifth launch, carried out in August 1957, was more successful. The last launch of the Navajo took place in November 1958. MKR "Tempest" repeated the path traveled by the Americans. Both cars did not leave the experimental stage: there was too much new and unknown in them.
Aerial target
In 1950, the commander-in-chief of the Air Force, Marshal K. A. Vershinin turned to S. A. Lavochkin with a proposal to build a radio-controlled target for training pilots, and on June 10, a government decree was issued on the development of the "201" product, the future La-17. When creating the 201 product, special attention was paid to reducing its cost, because the "life" of the machine was supposed to be short-lived - just one flight. This determined the choice of the RD-800 ramjet engine (diameter 800 mm), which ran on gasoline. They even abandoned the fuel pump, making the fuel supply displacement by means of an air pressure accumulator. The tail unit and wing (based on the economy) were made straight, and the latter was recruited from the CP-11-12 profiles. The most expensive purchased items, apparently, were radio control equipment, for which a wind-driven electric motor installed in the nose of the fuselage and an autopilot were used.
Drawing of the cruise missile "Burevestnik", developed in the OKB G. M. Berieva
In case of repeated use of the target, a parachute-jet rescue system was provided, and for a soft landing - special shock absorbers.
In accordance with the assignment of the Air Force, the Tu-2 aircraft was assigned as a carrier with a target placed on its back. However, such a launch of the "201" product was considered unsafe, and in December 1951, at the request of LII, the development of a target suspension device under the wing of a Tu-4 bomber behind the second engine nacelle began. This "aerial coupling", which provided a more reliable separation, was intended only for the first experimental launches, but later became standard.
Flight tests of the product "201" began on May 13, 1953 at the range of the 6th State Research Institute of the Air Force. By that time, two targets were already suspended under the consoles of the modified Tu-4. They were dropped at altitudes of 8000-8500 meters at a carrier speed corresponding to the number M = 0.42, after which the RD-900 ramjet engine (modified RD-800) was launched. As you know, the thrust of a ramjet engine depends on the speed and altitude. For example, with a dry weight of 320 kg, the design thrust of the RD-900 at a speed of 240 m / s and heights of 8000 and 5000 meters was 425 and 625 kgf, respectively. This engine had a service life of about 40 minutes. Considering that the duration of its operation in one flight was about 20 minutes, the target could be used twice.
Looking ahead, we note that it was not possible to achieve reliable operation of the parachute-reactive rescue system. But the idea of reusing the target did not die out, and they decided to plant it from gliding on an engine protruding under the fuselage.
To do this, before landing, the target was transferred to high angles of attack, reduced speed and parachuted. Flight tests confirmed this possibility, only in this case the engine nacelle was deformed and the replacement of the ramjet engine was required. During the factory tests, difficulties arose with the launch of the ramjet engine at low air temperatures, and it had to be modified.
La-17 on a transport trolley
General view of the target aircraft "201" (variant of installation on TU-2 without wing supports)
In addition to the radio command control system, there was an autopilot on board the target. Initially, it was the AP-53, and on state trials, the AP-60.
Immediately after separation from the carrier, the target was transferred to a gentle dive to increase the speed to 800-850 km / h. Let me remind you that the thrust of a ramjet engine is related to the speed of the incoming flow. The higher it is, the greater the thrust. At an altitude of about 7000 m, the target was removed from the dive and, by radio commands, from the ground control point was sent to the range.
During state tests, which ended in the fall of 1954, they received a maximum speed of 905 km / h and a service ceiling of 9750 meters. Fuel weighing 415 kg was enough for an unmanned aircraft only for 8.5 minutes of flight, while the RD-900 was reliably launched at altitudes of 4300-9300 meters. Contrary to expectations, the preparation of the target for departure turned out to be extremely laborious. This required 27 mid-level specialists who were preparing the La-17 for a day.
In its conclusion, the customer recommended increasing the motor flight time to 15-17 minutes, increasing the radar reflectivity and installing tracers on the wing consoles. The latter was necessary for training pilots of fighter-interceptors with K-5 guided missiles.
Serial production of the product "201", which received the designation La-17 after it was adopted, was launched at Plant No. 47 in Orenburg, and the first production vehicles left the assembly shop in 1956. For launches of La-17 in Kazan, six Tu-4 bombers were modified.
The target, apparently, turned out to be successful, but it had one significant drawback - the need for a Tu-4 carrier aircraft, the operation of which cost a pretty penny, and the "direct flow" consumed quite a lot of gasoline. Appetite is known to come with eating. The military wanted to expand the range of tasks solved by the target. So they gradually came to the idea of replacing the ramjet engine with a turbojet engine.
Tu-4 carrier plane with La-17 targets is taxiing for takeoff
Installation of the target aircraft "201" on the Tu-2 aircraft (option without underwing supports)
At the end of 1958, to train the combat crews of the air defense missile system at the suggestion of A. G. Chelnokov, they worked out a version of the machine "203" with a short-life turbojet engine RD-9BK (a modification of the RD-9B, filmed from MiG-19 fighters) with a thrust of 2600 kgf and a pair of PRD-98 solid-propellant boosters and a ground launch. A maximum speed of 900 km / h, an altitude of 17-18 km and a flight duration of 60 minutes were set. The new target was located on a four-wheeled carriage of a 100-mm KS-19 anti-aircraft gun. The turbojet engine has expanded the range of flight altitudes up to 16 km.
Flight tests of the modernized target began in 1956, and two years later the first products began to leave the workshops of the plant in Orenburg. In May 1960, joint state tests began, in the same year, the target under the designation La-17M was put into service, and it was produced until 1964.
It is known that when approaching objects moving towards them, their relative velocity adds up and can turn out to be supersonic. Moreover, by changing the angles of meeting objects, their foreshortenings, you can increase or decrease the relative speed. This technique was the basis for the training of combat crews when firing at the La-17M, thereby expanding the capabilities of the target. And the long duration of its flight made it possible to simulate targets from a cruise missile to a heavy bomber.
For example, the installation of corner reflectors (Luniberg lenses) made it possible to change the effective scattering surface (EPR) and "create" targets on the radar screens that simulate front-line and strategic bombers.
In 1962, in accordance with the November 1961 government decree, the La-17 was modernized again. The industry was given the following tasks: to expand the range of altitudes of the target application from 3-16 km to 0.5-18 km, to change the reflectivity of the target in the 3-cm wavelength range to simulate, in particular, the FKR-1 cruise missile, as well as Il -28 and Tu-16. For this, a high-altitude engine RD-9BKR was installed, and a Luniberg lens with a diameter of 300 mm was installed in the aft fuselage. The target tracking range of the P-30 ground radar has increased from 150-180 km to 400-450 km. The range of simulated aircraft has expanded.
To reduce the loss of unbroken vehicles upon landing, its landing gear was modified. Now, at the minimum design height, a load was thrown from the tail of the fuselage, connected by a cable with a check, when pulled out, the autopilot moved the target to a large angle of attack. Parachuting, the target landed on skis with shock absorbers placed under the turbojet engine gondola. State tests of the target took three months and ended in December 1963. The following year, the target under the designation La-17MM (product "202") was launched into mass production.
But the story of the La-17 radio-controlled targets did not end there. The reserves of the RD-9 engines were quickly depleted, and in the 1970s, there was a proposal to replace them with the R11K-300, converted from the R11FZS-300, installed on the MiG-21, Su-15 and Yak-28 aircraft. By this time, the enterprise bearing the name of S. A. Lavochkin, completely switched to the space theme, and it was supposed to transfer the order to the Orenburg production association "Strela". But due to the low qualifications of the employees of the serial design bureau in 1975, the development of the last modification was entrusted to the Kazan Design Bureau of Sports Aviation "Sokol".
Target La-17 under the wing of Tu-4 in the stowed position
Drawing of the target La-17M
Target La-17 before launch went down using a parallelogram mechanism
The modernization, which outwardly seemed simple, dragged on until 1978, and the target under the designation La-17K was mass-produced until mid-1993.
By the mid-1970s, there were still quite a few La-17Ms at the test sites, although they were considered obsolete, they were used for their intended purpose. The reliability of the telecontrol system left much to be desired, and often the radio equipment failed. In 1974, I witnessed when a target launched at the Akhtubinsk test site, standing in a circle, refused to obey the ground operator and, being blown away by the wind, moved towards the city. The consequences of its soaring flight after running out of fuel could only be guessed at, and a MiG-21MF with an experimental "Wolf" telescopic sight was raised to intercept the "rebellious" target. Four "blanks", as in everyday life armor-piercing shells, fired from a distance of 800 m, were enough for the La-17M to turn into a heap of shapeless debris.
The latest modifications of the La-17K targets are still used in various exercises and training of air defense systems.
Targets La-17 could be found on training grounds of friendly countries. For example, in the 1950s, a lot of La-17s with ramjet engines were delivered to the PRC, and in the late 1960s, the Chinese aviation industry mastered their production at their factories, but with a WP-6 turbojet engine from a Q-5 aircraft (a copy of the Soviet MiG -19C). The target is launched using solid propellant boosters, and the rescue is carried out using a parachute system. Tests of the target, designated SK-1, were completed in 1966, and in March of the following year it was put into service.
After the La-17 landed, the power plant had to be replaced for reuse.
Tu-4 carrier aircraft with La-17 targets
Separation of La-17 from the Tu-4 carrier aircraft
In May 1982, testing of the SK-1 B target with a low-altitude flight profile began, and the following year, the development of the SK-1 S with increased maneuverability began, designed for firing guided missiles at it. The latter required the creation of a new control system. But the "biography" of the car did not end there, an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft was created on its basis.
Tactical scout La-17R
In accordance with the June 1956 government decree, OKB-301 was ordered to develop and transfer to July 1957 for testing a pair of photo reconnaissance "201-FR" with the same RD-900 engine. An AFA-BAF-40R aerial camera was placed in the nose of the fuselage on a swinging installation, providing for the possibility of replacing it with a more modern AFA-BAF / 2K. They removed now unnecessary corner reflectors, hiding under the radio-transparent fairings of the wing tips and fuselage, replacing the latter with metal ones.
The estimated range of the reconnaissance aircraft, designed for flights at altitudes up to 7000 m, exceeded 170 km, which, in clear weather, made it possible to look not only at the positions of the advanced troops, but also its immediate rear. The bend radius was within 5, 4-8, 5 km with a roll angle of about 40 degrees and an angular velocity of 1, 6-2, 6 radians per second. The gliding range from an altitude of 7000 m reached 56 km.
The La-17M target was still being tested, and in November 1960, on its basis, in accordance with the November 1960 decree of the USSR Council of Ministers, OKB-301 was asked to develop another front-line reconnaissance aircraft (product "204") of reusable autonomous control and turbojet engine RD-9BK thrust 1900 kgf. The aircraft was intended for daytime photo and radar reconnaissance of the front line up to 250 km deep. This work was headed by chief designer M. M. Pashinin. Calculations have shown that while maintaining the geometry of the La-17M, a reconnaissance aircraft with a starting weight of 2170 kg will be able to fly at a speed of 900-950 km / h for one hour.
In addition to the previously installed cameras, the reconnaissance equipment included a low-altitude AFA-BAF-21. The autopilot was replaced with the AP-63. For convenience when transporting the scout, the wing consoles were made foldable. The T-32-45-58 transport and launcher on the ZIL-134K chassis was designated SATR-1. The reconnaissance was launched using two PRD-98 solid-propellant launch boosters, and the rescue was carried out by parachute with landing on the engine nacelle.
Joint tests between the customer and the industry, completed at the end of July 1963, showed that the vehicle is capable of carrying out photographic reconnaissance at a distance of 50-60 km from the launch position, flying at altitudes up to 900 m, and up to 200 km - at an altitude of 7000 m. was in the range of 680-885 km / h.
Assembling the La-17M target
Launch La-17MM
As follows from the act based on the results of state tests, the La-17R fully complied with the government decree and the tactical and technical requirements of the Ministry of Defense, with the exception of reusable ™ use. It was allowed to conduct daytime tactical photographic reconnaissance from an altitude of 3-4 km, as well as large-scale and area targets from an altitude of 7000 m.
La-17MM on a transport and launcher
La-17K on a transport and launcher before launch
Remotely piloted reconnaissance aircraft La-17R
“Considering that the La-17R photo reconnaissance aircraft,” the document said, “is the first model of an unmanned photo reconnaissance aircraft of army subordination, and bearing in mind the prospects of this type of aerial reconnaissance, as well as the need to accumulate experience in combat use, it is recommended to adopt the complex with the complex field auto-photo laboratory PAF-A.
In 1963, serial plant No. 475 produced 20 La-17R reconnaissance aircraft. In this form, the car in 1964 was adopted by the Air Force under the designation TBR-1 (tactical unmanned reconnaissance aircraft), and it was operated until the early 1970s.
Initially, specialists from individual aviation squadrons of unmanned reconnaissance aircraft (UAEDS) were trained in the 10th research department of the UAV (stationed near the city of Madona of the Latvian SSR) of the 4th Center for Combat Use and Retraining of Flight Personnel (Lipetsk) and in the 6th Research Department Center for Army Aviation (Torzhok, Kalinin Region). There was also the 81st airborne missile brigade of the Air Force.
In this form, the La-17R was demonstrated at the exhibition of aviation technology in Moscow on the Khodynskoe field.
Under the designation UR-1, scouts were delivered to Syria, but there are no known cases of their use in a combat situation. Subsequently, a modernized version of La-17RM (product "204M") was developed.
Targets and scouts of the La-17 family became the last aircraft bearing the name of the talented engineer, designer and organizer of the aviation industry, Semyon Alekseevich Lavochkin.
The latest modifications of the La-17K targets are still used in various exercises and training of air defense systems.
