Goal: Build an all-weather long-range interceptor for homeland air defense
Design Bureau: Sukhoi Design Bureau (ОКБ Сухого)
Experimental interceptor T-37
1958 At the beginning of the year, experts from the Sukhoi Design Bureau and the MiG Design Bureau together with A.M. Lyulka and С.К. Tumansky of the Central Air Fluid Research Institute (ЦАГИ,) and the Central Aeronautical Engine Research Institute (ЦИАМ) reviewed the use of Preliminary calculation data of the horizontal flight time at high altitude of a fighter-interceptor aircraft with Р-15-300 (RD-15) or АЛ-11A (AL-11) engine. Based on these calculated data, the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party and the Soviet Council of Ministers supplemented the draft resolution on the aircraft air defense equipment of the Sukhoi Design Bureau. On June 4, 1958, the Sukhoi Design Bureau was assigned the task of designing and building the T-3A interceptor (hereinafter referred to as T-37 according to the factory code). The interceptor aircraft destined for the T-3A-9 air target interception system should have extremely high flight performance.
T-3A-9 air target interception system includes:
- T-37 interceptor equipped with Р-15-300 engine designed by Tumansky Design Bureau ;
- "Beam-1" ground guidance system equipped with two K-9 semi-active radar-guided missiles Weapon system;
- "Barometer-Л" command receiving and sending system, navigation system, drive and landing system;
- "Silicon-2M" identification friend or foe system;
This system requires the discovery, interception and destruction of local air targets under all-weather conditions (day and night and various meteorological environments). The target altitude range is 10-25 kilometers and the speed is 1000-2500 kilometers per hour. The probability of aiming at a straight-flying target within the altitude and speed range should be at least 70% to 80%. At any angle, the probability of two K-9 missiles hitting the target (whether autonomous or manual) must reach 80% to 90%. When performing interception missions at maximum altitude, the combat radius is 400 kilometers. The interceptor aircraft is allowed to automatically withdraw from the attack, and the onboard computer and autopilot control the aircraft to fly back to the base and complete the landing independently. The "Beam-1" ground guidance station can guide the interceptor aircraft to the target area with an accuracy of ±10°, and at the same time realize the automatic steering of the airborne radar antenna to the target, discover the target, capture and automatically track the target. The
resolution requires the completion of the manufacturing of three prototypes by the following dates: aircraft design in May 1959, aircraft construction in November 1959, and flight testing in April 1961. According to the execution plan developed in 1960, factory testing would take place in the second quarter of 1960 and national testing in the first quarter of 1961.
In the spring of 1959, conceptual design began. The Sukhoi Design Bureau chose the aerodynamic layout solution proven by the T-3 or T-43 (Su-9). This is an all-metal mid-wing aircraft with triangular wings and swept tail, retractable landing gear on the first three wheels and an airtight cab. The airframe must be able to meet the requirements of high overload, high climb rate , high ceiling and long range, and withstand high operating loads and high speed pressure. To obtain the required properties, engineers developed and validated many original technical solutions. The automatic control system ensures that the aircraft can drive automatically in all flight modes. Sufficient fuel tanks are arranged in the fuselage and wings to ensure maximum range.
Experimental interceptor aircraft T-37
Experimental interceptor aircraft T-37
After completing the model manufacturing in 1958, the design bureau began to start the design and construction of the aircraft. The fuselage of the
T-37 consists of a cylinder of basic shape, such as a semi-monocoque (in the absence of stringer groups), with a head and a tail. The main materials of the fuselage are Д19, Д16 and АМГ6 alloys.
The front of the fuselage is technically divided into four compartments. In the nose section, a fixed cone (consisting of an easily removable radio-transparent fairing and a metal container), a fixed outer shell and four hydraulically controlled anti-surge flaps are installed. The shell of the front cabin is double-layered, the inner wall being the outer contour of the air channel. The entire cockpit is located in the middle of the air channel. The cab consists of the inner wall of the channel, the floor, the front wall (No. 4 body frame) and the rear inclined wall. Under the cockpit floor is the nose gear compartment.The fuel tank and the air passages through the tank are directly welded. In the upper part of the compartment, between the upper spars, there is a removable panel that houses the communication electronics. The middle compartment of the fuselage is the main landing gear compartment, fuel tank container and air channel. The tail of the fuselage is equipped with the engine extension tube of the afterburner and the braking parachute. Since both the extension tube and the afterburner need to withstand high temperatures, engineers innovatively used ОТ4 titanium alloy, ВТ6 alloy and steel.
Experimental interceptor T-37 structural diagram
The sweep angle of the leading edge of the wing is 60°, and the relative thickness is 4.2% to 4.7%. Both detachable wings have a three-spar structure with a forward spar and compartments containing two fuel tanks and main landing gear supports. Most of the wing skin is a single-piece rib plate, and the leading edge of the wing is a chemically milled plate, both made of Д19 alloy. Both wings are equipped with retractable target flaps and axially compensated ailerons. The tail consists of a full steering stabilizer and a keel with rudder. The main parts of the keel and stabilizer skin are stamped and chemically milled panels connected to the body frame by rivets and spot welds. On the
landing gear bracket, a KT-89 brake wheel with disc brake and 800x200V high-pressure pneumatic is installed. On the front stand there is a K283 non-braked wheel with high-pressure tires 570x140V. The wheel suspension of the front and rear landing gear is of the lever type. The landing gear shock absorbers are hydro-pneumatic brakes, front and rear. The nose landing gear is equipped with a shock absorber to eliminate vibrations.
The aircraft is equipped with an АП-39 autopilot, which is used for automatic and stable flight and is connected to the ground guidance station and airborne radar. In automatic flight stabilization, the booster is controlled via РА-15 servos. The shock absorber is integrated in the control line between the servo and the booster in the form of sliding thrust, as well as the same shock absorber installed in the rudder channel.
The hydraulic system consists of a power system and two booster systems designed to drive aircraft controls and takeoff and landing gear. If one of the booster systems fails, the other booster system provides uninterrupted driving. To increase the survivability of the aircraft, an electrically driven emergency pumping station was installed in the "second" pressurization system. The
Р-15-300 engine is installed on five fixed bases in the head of the fuselage. To cool the powerplant, air is blown into the engine bay using four high-velocity air inlets. A smooth plate closing the rear of the engine creates an annular channel through which air passes to cool the afterburner tubes. The rear of the engine was transformed into a injector to adjust the cooling air flow rate. Fuel for the engines is placed in fuel tanks No. 1 and 2 in the fuselage, soft fuel tank No. 3, and wing compartments, with two connected containers in each wing. The total fuel system capacity is 4800 liters. A auxiliary fuel tank of about 930 liters can be installed.
The aircraft is equipped with an emergency escape system, including an ejection seat with a parachute and portable emergency reserves. Protected by a flight suit and helmet, the pilot can eject from a convertible seat. The canopy is pushed open by two cylinders, rather than first depressurizing the cabin using emergency handles on the seats. The seat is ejected through a 38 mm caliber telescopic pyrotechnic mechanism, which ensures that the seat can safely pass through the keel at a speed of 1,200 kilometers per hour. Cascade control of the two stabilizing parachutes and the pilot's main parachute ensures that the seat decelerates from ejection speed to 600 km/h. A large stabilizing parachute ensures a stable descent to low altitudes for the pilot in the chair. The main parachute provides descent and landing after separating the pilot from the seat. The ВКК-4 negative pressure flight suit together with the АД-6Е pressure automatic device provides overload tolerance up to 8G. The ГШ-4М airtight helmet protects the pilot's face from airflow during ejection.
Aircraft communicate with the ground and other aircraft via the РСИУ-5В (ДУБ-5) VHF radio, which provides two-way telephone communications over 20 fixed-tuned channels. For close-range navigation and landing, the aircraft is equipped with the РСБН-2 airborne navigation and landing system, as well as the СОД-57М transponder, which is used in conjunction with the ground radar system Глобус-2 and the periscope . Identification of friend or foe via the СРЗО-2 ("Chromium Nickel") request response radar of the Silicon-2M system.
interception, targeting and attack equipment includes the airborne radio guidance device "Celestine", the ЦП-1 radar sight connected to the radar head of the K-9 missile and the missile launch system. The weapons system includes:
- Two K-9-51 (P-38) air-to-air missiles with proximity fuses;
- Airborne radar;
- Airborne computing equipment;
- Autopilot;
- APU-28 compliance pylon;
- Missile launch equipment;
Experimental interceptor T-37 Structural diagram
According to the decision of the Soviet Council of Ministers on August 17, 1956, the K-9 system was initially used as a supporting weapon system for the П-1 interceptor aircraft. It was required to complete the design in April 1959, complete the construction in July 1960, and complete the test in March 1961. Later, it was first tested on the T-47-6 (Su-11). When the Sukhoi Design Bureau began designing the T-37 aircraft, it made some modifications to the structure of the K-9 system, such as installing a three-stage cone on the missile head and adding anti-surge flaps. The air intakes cooling the engine were modified to have gated jet nozzles. The final drawings of the K-9 were handed over to the Chkalov Aviation Factory in Novosibirsk. According to the plan, by early February 1960, the "Zero" aircraft for static testing was completed, and the P-38 missile was also produced.
On January 29, 1960, Chairman of the State Aviation Technical Committee of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, П.В. Dementiev, introduced the research and development status of various types of long-range interceptor aircraft to Chairman of the Committee on Military Industry Issues of the Presidium of the Soviet Council of Ministers, Д.Ф. Ustinov. It was finally decided that among the long-range interceptor programs that had completed testing, only the Tu-128 aircraft of the Tupolev Design Bureau was approved to enter service with the Homeland Defense Air Force. On February 5, 1960, the Soviet Council of Ministers decided to stop the research and development of the T-37 aircraft and its supporting weapon systems. Some parts of the T-37 remained at the Novosibirsk factory until the mid-1960s.
Experimental interceptor T-37 Three views
Technical parameters
Model | Т-37 |
Wingspan (meters) | 8. 56 |
Aircraft length (meters) | 19.41 |
Aircraft height (meters) | 5.28 |
Wing area (m²) | - |
Weight, kg | |
-unloaded | 7260 |
- Normal takeoff | 10750 |
- Maximum takeoff | 12000 |
Engine type | 1 х ТРД Р-15-300 |
thrust Kg | 1 х 7600 |
Maximum speed, kilometers/hour | 3000 |
Maximum range, kilometers | No auxiliary fuel tank 1500 has auxiliary fuel tank 2000 |
maximum ceiling, m | 25000~27000 |
Crew members (people) | 1 |
Weapon system | Two УР К-9-51 (Р-38) |
