Author Topic: Tu-91 Ideas and Inspiration  (Read 16847 times)

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Tu-91 Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #25 on: January 09, 2016, 04:58:42 AM »

Scalemates: DML 1/72 Modern Soviet Aircraft Weapons Set 2 - Air-to-Ground Missiles




This one has the following missiles (2 copies each):

Kh-23 (AS-7 Kerry)
Kh-25 (AS-10 Kerry)
Kh-25 (AS-12 Kegler)
Kh-29 (AS-14 Kedge)
Kh-58 (AS-11 Kilter)
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Offline The Big Gimper

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Re: Tu-91 Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #26 on: January 09, 2016, 06:10:40 AM »
Thanks for the additional research Greg.

And who is to say that after the Tu-91 was retired from the VMF it was refurbished and sold to other Soviet Bloc Air Forces.  8)
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Re: Tu-91 Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #27 on: January 09, 2016, 06:52:28 AM »
No reason to limit it to carrier ops, either. Maybe as a land based coastal defender.

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Re: Tu-91 Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #28 on: January 10, 2016, 02:54:45 AM »
And who is to say that after the Tu-91 was retired from the VMF it was refurbished and sold to other Soviet Bloc Air Forces.  8)


No reason to limit it to carrier ops, either. Maybe as a land based coastal defender.


Fair points in both cases.  If you note, right at the top, I did state "if you wish to do this as a Soviet operational Tu-91".  I would also take this to mean that it would operate in its originally intended environment which was as a long-range carrier-based strike aircraft.

That said, other nations could certainly have operated the aircraft well into the '80s, '90s and possibly beyond.  I would imagine the Indian Navy/Air Force could be a prime candidate as would China, especially if some had been delivered prior to the Sino-Soviet split.  Other candidates might be Poland and East Germany (or any of the WARPAC nations with coastal regions).

If you extend the life/operational service of the Tu-91 (possibly even considering engine updates - e.g. 14,000+ehp the Kuznetsov NK-12 for the Tu-95 noting that this engine is actually a development of the TV-2M in the Tu-91) you could add in the following Soviet missile developments:

Kh-29 (AS-14 'Kedge'):  This entered service in 1980 and weighed between 660 kg (1,460 lb) and 690 kg (1,520 lb) depending upon variant.  It came in bother laser guided and TV guided versions initially.  Like the earlier Kh25, this could be considered roughly equivalent to the US AGM-65 Maverick...but bigger.



Kh-31 (AS-17 'Krypton'):  A very distinctive missile that entered service in 1988, this would certainly give your Tu-91 a modern look.  Tis is a ramjet powered anti-ship and anti radiation missile that weighs around 600 kg (1,320 lb). It is roughly equivalent to the US AGM-88 Harm.  Interestingly, it is one of the few Soviet missiles to have been used by the USA in the MA-31 Target Drone form (see additional photo below).



Kh-58 (AS-11 'Kilter'):   Between the Kh-31 and earlier Kh-28 there was the Kh-58.  This entered service in 1982 and weighed 650 kg (1,430 lb).  It too is a anti-radiation missile and roughly equivalent to the US AGM-88 Harm.



Kh-59 (AS-13 'Kingbolt'/AS-18 'Kazoo'):  This entered service in 1980 and weighed around 930 kg (2,050 lb) depending upon variant.  It comes in both rocket powered and micro turbine powered variants (the Kh-59M/AS-18).  It is a anti-ship and land attack missile and could be considered roughly equivalent to the US AGM-84 Harpoon/AGM-84E SLAM or AGM-130:



Kh-35U ('AS-20 'Kayak'):  Sometimes called the 'Harpoonski', this anti-ship missile entered service in 2003.  It weighs around 610 kg (1,340 lb) and as you can guess is roughly equivalent to the USAGM-84 Harpoon.



All of these latest missiles are still in service today.
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Re: Tu-91 Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #29 on: January 10, 2016, 02:58:15 AM »
Interesting video showing the Tu-91:

https://youtu.be/BgrSFxCcSLc
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Re: Tu-91 Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #30 on: January 10, 2016, 03:02:13 AM »
By the way, if you wanted to take a different track, one could make the Tu-91 a German Luft46++ aircraft.  After all, the TV-2M engine powering it is actually a development of the German Jumo 012 and involved a German design team.  Perhaps use it as a new carrier based attack aircraft on German successors to the Graf Zeppelin...
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Re: Tu-91 Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #31 on: January 11, 2016, 02:13:32 AM »
That said, other nations could certainly have operated the aircraft well into the '80s, '90s and possibly beyond.  I would imagine the Indian Navy/Air Force could be a prime candidate as would China, especially if some had been delivered prior to the Sino-Soviet split.  Other candidates might be Poland and East Germany (or any of the WARPAC nations with coastal regions).

The Il-28 first flew in 1948 and went into service in 1950.  It was in service with the USSR until the 1980s and longer in other countries; I saw film of an Il-86 in Afghanistan (although I couldn't tell if it was a Russian or Afghan plane).

If the Tu-91 had been successful, a 30 year service life would not be unexpected, especially outside the USSR. I like the idea of upgrading the engine, since the NK-12 would give it commonality with the Tu-95. It looks like it would fit in the fuselage, although it may be longer than the TV-2M, the exhaust length could be made shorter to accommodate the difference.

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Re: Tu-91 Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #32 on: January 13, 2016, 05:58:45 AM »
Another idea might be to give the Tu-91 a bulbous under fuselage radar such as that seen on the Ka-25 below:



The resulting platform could be used in one of the following roles:

Some form of organic AEW for the Soviet carrier
An ASW platform - perhaps with added sonobuoys
A mid-course missile guidance platform, for ship- and submarine-launched missiles - much as the pictured Ka-25K was used for.
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Offline The Big Gimper

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Re: Tu-91 Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #33 on: February 28, 2016, 08:05:25 PM »
IPMS Deutschland has a Tu-91 Review here. Much better sprue shots than mine.

Translated summary: An exotic model has implemented very well in 1/72 Modelsvit . For the very experienced modeler, the Tu- 91 is highly recommended. (sic)
« Last Edit: February 28, 2016, 08:51:27 PM by The Big Gimper »
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