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A. N. Tupolev is a famous Russian aircraft designer, academician, three times Hero of Socialist Labor.

early years

A. N. Tupolev was born in a remote province on October 29, 1888 in the village. Pustomazovo, Tver province. The head of the family was a notary, a poor man, but his son still studied at the gymnasium and showed great ability in mathematics, physics and technology. In 1908, Tupolev began studying at the Imperial Moscow Technical School, where he discovered a serious interest in aerodynamics. This hobby led him to an aeronautical club, work in which provided additional knowledge and design skills.

While participating in the construction of the glider, he dreamed of flying. And the dream came true: it was on it that he made his first independent flight (1910). In 1911, his studies were interrupted: he was arrested and sent home from Moscow under police supervision for reading and popularizing illegal literature and participating in student unrest. Before he was allowed to return to school. He completed his studies in 1918 with excellent results.

Beginning of professional activity

While still at school, Andrei realized that his calling was aircraft construction. He actively worked in the first Russian aviation settlement bureau and was involved in the design of the first wind tunnels. N. E. Zhukovsky and A. N. Tupolev were the organizers and leaders of TsAGI (Central Aerohydronomic Institute), where Tupolev’s professional orientation for life was finally determined.

From 1918 to 1936, he purposefully carried out experiments in all-metal aircraft construction. As a result of experiments and scientific research, he proved that for aircraft construction, instead of fragile wood and heavy iron, it is necessary to use chain mail aluminum (as duralumin was then called - a light and strong metal produced by the Kolchuginsky plant in the Vladimir region).

Arrest

In October 1937, Tupolev was arrested under articles of sabotage and participation in counter-revolutionary activities. Then a large group of leading aircraft manufacturing specialists and directors of aircraft factories were arrested. At the end of May 1940, a sentence was passed: 15 years in forced labor camps.

The accusation was absurd: the creation of a sabotage organization that was engaged in transferring aircraft drawings to foreign intelligence services. Air Chief Marshal A.E. Golovanov testified that in a conversation with him, I.V. Stalin claimed that he appreciated Tupolev’s engineering talent and did not believe in his guilt. But NKVD investigator Gabitov based the accusation on facts that had nothing to do with Tupolev and his case. People's Commissar S. Ordzhonikidze worked for him.

Taking into account the relationship between Stalin and Ordzhonikidze, Andrei Nikolaevich, who was under investigation, continued to work and was appointed chief engineer and first deputy of the NKOP Main Directorate. In the same year (1936), a delegation led by Tupolev and Kharlamov was sent to the United States to purchase equipment and licenses for the aircraft industry.

IN THE USA

On the way to the USA, the delegation visited France, where they were familiarized with the products of the local aviation industry. Tupolev, thanks to his knowledge of French, was able to negotiate the purchase of aircraft engines there. In the USA, work with orders did not proceed so smoothly. The fact is that back in the 20s, the Soviet government created a trading company (AMTORG), through which orders were placed at several American factories, so the aircraft designer had to place this order through this company.

But after a meeting and negotiations with A. N. Prokofiev-Seversky (an American designer from Russian emigrants), Tupolev found it profitable to place orders not through AMTORG, but on the principle of economic calculation, and did this at his own discretion. On this occasion, a scandal arose with a member of the delegation, brigade commander P. I. Grokhovsky. It was with great difficulty that it was extinguished. As a result of the transaction, the delegation purchased licenses to produce several types of aircraft in the USSR (Consolidator PBY, Valti - IA, 2PA fighter from Seversky).

These aircraft were then produced in the USSR in limited quantities due to the complexity of their production or due to non-compliance with accepted strength standards. And with the support and initiative of V.M. Petlyakov, an aircraft designer who was also part of the delegation, we managed to obtain a license for an aircraft manufactured by Douglas DC-3.

Rehabilitation

During the years of imprisonment, Andrei Nikolaevich worked in the design bureau of the NKVD, a closed institution called TsKB-29, or “Tupolev sharaga”. In the summer of 1941, he was released early and even his criminal record was cleared. And complete rehabilitation occurred in April 1955.

Tupolev aircraft

Tupolev made an invaluable contribution to the history of Russian aircraft construction. In 1925, he created one of the best, at that time, aircraft in the world - the all-metal two-meter bomber TB-1, which had high flight performance. In 1932, he released an improved model of the TB-3 aircraft, on which in 1937 the Russian expedition landed at the North Pole.

In the same 1932, the team of P. O. Sukhoi, led by Tupolev, designed the ANT-25. In 1934, he supervised the creation of the multi-engine Maxim Gorky aircraft, which had eight engines, 100 sq. m. usable area and passenger capacity of about 60 people. After the war, the Tupolev Design Bureau designed and produced a new jet bomber, the TU-16, with a speed of 1,000 km/h, as well as the first Russian civil aviation jet, the TU-104.

In 1957, the first flight of the turboprop intercontinental passenger aircraft TU-114, developed by Tupolev, took place, and later the most elegant aircraft of Tupolev, TU-144. Andrei Nikolaevich died on December 23, 1972 in Moscow. The grave is located at the Novodevichy cemetery.

TUPOLEV ANDREY NIKOLAEVICH

Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev is the greatest Soviet aircraft designer, the father of Russian aviation, the general designer of the USSR.

The Tupolevs are descended from the Siberian Cossacks. Andrei Nikolaevich was named in honor of his great-grandfather, who received the honor of being elected to the atamans by the Cossack freemen. He made sure to provide a systematic education to all his six children. It was this generation that laid the foundation for the intelligentsia in the Tupolev family - they were doctors, teachers, engineers, builders. Andrei Nikolaevich’s grandfather was a teacher at the Tomsk gymnasium.

The Tupolevs ended up in the Tver region in connection with a tragic event for Russia - the explosion of a bomb that overthrew Tsar Alexander II. Nikolai Ivanovich Tupolev, the father of the future aircraft designer, was at that time studying at St. Petersburg University at the Faculty of Law. A wave of repression hit the students, and he, as a sympathizer of the revolutionaries, was expelled and expelled from St. Petersburg with deprivation of the right to reside in both capitals and even in provincial cities. The choice of the Tver region is due to the fact that this is where his wife came from - Anna Vasilievna, nee Lisitsyna, the daughter of a protopresbyter from Torzhok. She studied at the Tver Mariinsky Women's Gymnasium.

Anna Vasilievna and Nikolai Ivanovich Tupolev

At first, the young Tupolev couple settled in the small provincial town of Korcheva, however, after running around with the children in apartments, they decide to stay in the small estate of Pustomazovo on the river. Luzhmenka.

memorial to A.N. Tupolev on the site of a house in the village of Pustomazovo

The young couple believed that a large family was one of the most important conditions for a healthy life. That is why Anna Vasilievna had seven children.
In 1888, on November 10, the sixth child, Andrei, was born into the Tupolev family, and soon the youngest daughter, Natalya, who was one of the closest people to Andrei Nikolaevich.

Nikolai Ivanovich, Andrei’s father, had by that time managed to complete his university course as an external student. Having received a law degree and the rank of provincial secretary, he entered the service, becoming a rural notary. Nikolai Ivanovich took on the role of protector of the peasants, which led to the emergence of many ill-wishers among the landowners. Such service not only did not bring money, but also deprived of health.
In 1894, Anna Vasilievna wrote a petition addressed to the Director of the Tver Classical Gymnasium for exemption from tuition fees for her eldest son Nikolai, due to her difficult financial situation, because she had to pay for the education of four more children.
The fire of 1894 and the subsequent drought significantly worsened both the financial situation and the health of the parents.
Andrei studied at a three-level parish school in Ustinovo. In 1900, Andrei entered the Tver gymnasium for the second time. Andrey was an average student. A little reserved, but a lively, inquisitive boy, he hated subjects that required cramming for success. That is why the young student had problems with foreign languages ​​and penmanship. However, Andrei Tupolev had no equal in mathematics, physics, geography and history.

building of the former Tver classical gymnasium

In 1906, a group of students from the Tver gymnasium were awarded a trip by ship to Astrakhan and back. Andrey Tupolev was noted for his masterful crafts. The trip made a huge impression on him. Andrey was fascinated by sluices, how paddle wheels work in water, and other structures.

A.N. Tupolev high school student

In the summer of 1908, Tupolev graduated from high school and entered the Moscow Imperial Technical School. While still an applicant, he attended an aeronautical exhibition organized in Moscow by Professor N.E. Zhukovsky. Among the exhibits of the exhibition was the famous glider of the outstanding aircraft designer Otto Liventhal.

The result of the applicant Tupolev’s acquaintance with the professor was an invitation to a course of lectures “Fundamentals of Aeronautics.” In 1909, a circle was created, the purpose of which was to combine theory and practice, and already in 1910, at the request of Zhukovsky, an aerodynamic laboratory was created at the ITU. It was there that Andrei Tupolev created a flat wind tunnel in which it was possible to experiment with air flows at a speed of 16-20 m per second.

wind tunnel A.N. Tupolev

At the same time, in Lefortovo Park, Tupolev tested a glider designed by himself.

A.N. Tupolev - MITU student

Summer, as always, Andrei spends in Pustomazov, in his parents' house. Tupolev always loved hard rural work and simple village entertainment.
The next appearance of the future aircraft designer in his homeland was preceded by a message from the Tver provincial gendarmerie department to the lower one - Korchevskoe, dated June 2, 1911: “About the student of the Moscow Technical School Andrei Tupolev, exposed in providing his address for communication with city ... committees of higher educational institutions in Moscow and St. Petersburg, in order to unite the actions of these educational institutions to carry out a strike, the Minister of Internal Affairs decided: to prohibit Andrei Tupolev from living in the capitals, capital provinces and cities where there are higher educational institutions for 1 year.”
After his release from custody, Andrei Tupolev left Moscow for his native village of Pustomazovo, where he was under secret surveillance.
Meanwhile, the country was gripped by an aviation boom. And, apparently, Andrei could not stand it and left for Moscow for a month. The punishment for this offense was excommunication from school, now for 3 years.
It is a known fact that A. Tupolev, living in the village of Pustomazovo, helped peasants remove boulders, mowed a lot, but at the same time he did not forget his calling - to build complex structures. An example is the dam built by the future aircraft designer on the Luzhmenka River. True, local residents condemned him for the dam - the water on Luzhmenka overflowed high, flooded the meadows, and there was no place to graze the cattle anyway.
The teacher and friends did not forget about Tupolev and worked for his return.
But the First World War began, in which aviation began to play a huge role for the first time.
Andrei Tupolev arrived in Moscow, where all of Zhukovsky’s students immediately flocked. Nikolai Egorovich Zhukovsky clearly saw the shortcomings of the nascent Russian aviation, and he had a whole program of action to bring it to the forefront, which was also based on the capabilities of the close-knit team of young talents he created.

Nikolai Egorovich Zhukovsky

The first step was to organize theoretical aviation courses at the MTU, for which volunteers were recruited from among students who had graduated from high schools. For six months, the cadets received military, theoretical and flight training. Professor Zhukovsky and his students not only gave future pilots the necessary knowledge, but also infected them with their enthusiasm and devotion to aviation.
A. Tupolev also had a great desire to fly himself and he had already completed training flights on a Farman. However, to become a pilot, a certificate of political reliability was required, which Andrei Nikolaevich was denied.
On the recommendation of N.E. Zhukovsky Tupolev is invited to head the hydroplane department of the Dux aircraft manufacturing plant. In a short period of time, the bureau carried out strength calculations for six airplanes: Vausen, Farman-27, Farman-3, Nieuport-10, Nieuport-11, as well as the Kasyanenko brothers’ plane. According to modern experts, a small group, in which there were only 2 engineers, and the rest, including Tupolev, were students, carried out work that at that time was subject to large scientific teams equipped with the latest technology and equipment.

In May 1918, Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev defended his thesis entitled “Calculation of a hydroplane” and was based on a scrupulous analysis of the physical processes associated with take-off from and landing on the water surface.
According to his colleagues, Tupolev was a born researcher who did not rest until he unraveled the physical nature of the phenomenon that interested him.
The question of why the aircraft designer worked specifically on a seaplane can be answered as follows: “For such a huge country as Russia, aircraft were needed that could cover enormous distances. However, aircraft with a large payload also required good airfields, for which Russia, of course, did not have the money to create. Therefore, the idea of ​​using rivers and lakes as airfields, first proposed by Andrei Nikolaevich, was very relevant.
It is obvious that for Tupolev, defending his diploma was not a formal act certifying his entry into the engineering corps, but also an event stating his maturity as an engineer, designer and researcher.
On November 4, 1918, the “working part” of the board for the creation of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) met in Zhukovsky’s apartment. Professor Zhukovsky entered it as a “scientific specialist,” and Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev as a “technical specialist.” It was decided that the management of the institute would be carried out collectively.
Soon in Moscow, in the area of ​​the former Lefortovo Ponds, the construction of a hydraulic canal began, unprecedented in scope and equipped with special testing equipment.

TsAGI - Hydrokanal

This is what the childhood and youthful amusements of a youth from the banks of the Luzhmenka River turned out to be. Neither the toy working lock he built in his father’s house, nor the Pustomazovsky waterworks with a homemade ship, nor the small structures that flew loudly over the fields were accidental in the fate of the future General Aircraft Designer. One can imagine with what feelings Andrei Nikolaevich now returned to Pustomazovo, having broken away from the turbulent life of TsAGI and the worries of young aviation.
Meanwhile, the Tupolev family creates the agricultural artel “Batrak” on the estate, uniting the former owners with former hired workers. However, there were ill-wishers, the consequence of whose actions was the resolution of the Suvorov volost executive committee of January 30, 1919 “On the admission of the village of Pustomazovo to special registration.” The Tupolevs were suspected of creating an agricultural artel as a cover for their machinations. At the end of 1921, Nikolai Egorovich Zhukovsky, who became a second father for Tupolev, dies. After the re-election of the leadership of TsAGI, Tupolev was again confirmed as deputy director of the institute and at the same time head of the aviation department of TsAGI. By this time, largely thanks to his persistence, a huge step had been taken in the use of a new structural material - duralumin, from which the design team learned to make high-speed snowmobiles, gliders, and torpedo boats.

Snowmobile ANT-IV

Planing torpedo boat “G-5”

planing torpedo boat “G-5”

The tests of the ANT-5 literally delighted the authorities - the boat with

with torpedoes it developed a speed of 58 knots (107.3 km/h), and without torpedoes - 65.3 knots (120.3 km/h). Boats from other countries could not even dream of such speeds.

In 1922, Tupolev completed the development of the design of his first-born aerial product, and already in the summer Andrei Nikolaevich and his team began building the ANT-1 aircraft.

But even at this crucial moment he does not forget about Pustomazov. With the entire design team, Tupolev goes to the “Batrak” artel, where throughout the fall they worked both in the field and in the workshop. According to the testimony of local residents, the “Batrak” artel, thanks to connections with TsAGI, had auxiliary mechanisms in service that accelerated peasant labor.
The first Tupolev aircraft took off on October 21, 1923. The designer took him into flight, standing at the edge of the runway. Since then it has become a tradition.

ANT-1

Main characteristics of the ANT-1 aircraft:

aircraft length - 5.4 m; wingspan -7.2 m; aircraft height -1.7 m;

wing area - 10 m2; normal take-off weight - 360 kg;

maximum ground speed - 125 km/h; practical ceiling - 600 m;

flight duration - 4 hours; crew - 1 person

In May 1924, the ANT-2, the first domestic aircraft built entirely of metal, took off. He opened a completely new page in the history of domestic aviation.

ANT-2

Basic data of the prototype ANT-2 aircraft:

aircraft length - 7.6 m; wingspan - 10.45 m; aircraft height - 2.12 m;

wing area - 17.89 m2; normal take-off weight - 837 kg;

maximum ground speed - 207 km/h; practical ceiling -3300 m;

technical flight range - 750 km; crew - 1 person;

number of passengers - 2 people.

Chief of the Red Army Air Force P.I. Baranov became interested in the work of TsAGI and urgently formalized an agreement with TsAGI for the construction of the ANT-3 (R-3) reconnaissance aircraft and issued an order for the design of an all-metal bomber ANT-4 (TB-1). By 1925 the order was completed.

Pyotr Ionovich Baranov

In 1925, Tupolev was the first in the aircraft industry to introduce structural prototyping in his design bureau. First, a life-size wooden model of the new aircraft was made from ready-made drawings, which made it possible to carefully work out all the details of the layout, placement of instruments and equipment. The prototyping method made it possible to minimize the time required to produce the structure.
To Tupolev in the second half of the 1920s. deserved glory comes.

ANT-3 “Proletary”

In 1929, pilot Shestakov flew a serial ANT-4, called “Country of Soviets,” along the Moscow-New York route across the Pacific Ocean. On the same plane, pilot Tomashevsky set several world records.

ANT-4 (TB-1)

However, in Andrei Nikolaevich’s homeland, things were not going so well. The "Batrak" artel was soon renamed the "Pustomazovo" partnership. In June 1924, the issue of Pustomazov was considered by the Kimry County Land Commission and decided: “Recognize the Tupolev estate as state property.”
However, neither the description nor the petition of the head of the Red Army Air Force P.I. Baranov’s request for Tupolev to leave a plot of land with a garden did not help. In exchange, the Tupolevs were offered a choice of the Nikolskoye estate in Tverskoy district or the Otradnoe farmstead in the Vyshnevolotsky district of the Brusov volost. Citing impassability, Andrei Nikolaevich asks for the Tsedilovo estate in the Kashin volost, and his request was granted.
Already when fellow countrymen expelled the chief designer of the Proletary and Country of Soviets aircraft from his father’s house, they wrote in the French magazine Wings: “The famous Tupolev, whose booming laughter spreads throughout Europe.”
In the 1930s, the famous science fiction writer Herbert Wells, who accurately predicted dozens of the most important discoveries of the 20th century, sought a meeting with Tupolev. Wells and Tupolev met on the ocean liner Bremen, on which a government commission of Soviet aviation specialists was en route to New York.

A.N. Tupolev and A.A. Arkhangelsky on the ship on the way to New York

Andrei Nikolaevich played billiards with the writer, walked with him for a long time on the deck, communicating through an interpreter, who was his wife Yulia Nikolaevna. In 1932, an improved TB-3 aircraft was designed, with the help of which in 1937 the expedition landed on North Pole.

expedition to the North Pole “SP-1”

In 1934, a multi-engine aircraft of the Maxim Gorky model appeared, which had eight engines, a useful area of ​​more than 100 m² and a passenger capacity of up to 60 people.

ANT-20 “Maxim Gorky”

In 1933, the first flight of the new ANT-25 aircraft took place. The chief pilot who tested the ANT-25 aircraft was MM. Gromov .

This aircraft was used for the legendary flights Moscow - Franz Josef Land - Petropavlovsk-on-Kamchatka by V. Chkalov, G. Baidukov and A. Belyakov on July 22, 1936 and Moscow - North Pole - USA by the crews of V. Chkalov and M. Gromov .

crew of Mikhail Mikhailovich Gromov

Fate gave A.N. Tupolev has two creative lives, as it were. The first is everything connected with the birth of ANT aircraft, which ended in the arrest in 1937, together with members of a group of TsAGI workers, who had recently visited France and the USA, where, in particular, a license was purchased for the construction of a world-famous passenger aircraft in the USSR “ Douglas". This fact was perceived by Stalin as “sabotage.”

arrest warrant for A.N. Tupolev

building TsKB-29 (Berievskaya “sharaga”) on the street. Radio in Moscow

The second creative life of aircraft designer A.N. Tupolev began behind the keys of Beria’s “sharaga” wire (1937-1941), where he and his comrades created the first TU brand aircraft. It was a TU-2 front-line bomber, which managed to fight at the front and was recognized by experts as the best machine in its category during the Great Patriotic War.

Continued on the website: For Advanced - Generals - A.N. Tupolev Part II

Tupolev Andrey Nikolaevich Encyclopedia "Aviation"

Tupolev Andrey Nikolaevich- A. N. Tupolev Tupolev Andrey Nikolaevich (18881972) Soviet aircraft designer, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1953; corresponding member 1933), colonel general engineer (1968), three times Hero of Socialist Labor (1945, 1957, 1972), Hero of Labor … … Encyclopedia "Aviation"

Tupolev, Andrey Nikolaevich- Andrey Nikolaevich Tupolev. TUPOLEV Andrey Nikolaevich (1888 1972), aircraft designer. The founder of the construction of all-metal aircraft in the USSR. Since 1924, under the leadership of Tupolev, over 100 types of aircraft (civilian and... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

TUPOLEV Andrey Nikolaevich- (1888 1972) Soviet aircraft designer, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1953; corresponding member 1933), colonel general engineer (1968), three times Hero of Socialist Labor (1945, 1957, 1972), Hero of Labor of the RSFSR (1926). In 1908 he entered the Imperial Technical... ... Military encyclopedia

Soviet aircraft designer, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1953), colonel general engineer (1968), three times Hero of Socialist Labor (1945, 1957, 1972) ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- (1888 1972) Russian aircraft designer, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1953), colonel general engineer (1968), three times Hero of Socialist Labor (1945, 1957, 1972). In 1937 41 was repressed. Under the leadership of Tupolev, St. 100 types of military and... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (1888 1972) Soviet aircraft designer, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1953; corresponding member 1933), colonel general engineer (1968), three times Hero of Socialist Labor (1945, 1957, 1972), Hero of Labor of the RSFSR (1926). In 1908 he entered the Imperial... ... Encyclopedia of technology

- (1888 1972), aircraft designer, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1953), colonel general engineer (1968), Hero of Socialist Labor (1945, 1957, 1972). In 1937, 41 was unreasonably repressed. Under the leadership of Tupolev, over 100 types of military and... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

- [R. Oct 29 (November 10) 1888] owls. aircraft designer, academician (since 1953; correspondent member since 1933). Lieutenant General Engineering and Technical. service, Hero of Socialist. Labor (1945). Honored activities n. etc. RSFSR (1933). Dep. Top. Soviet of the USSR 3rd 5th convocations. In 1909... ... Large biographical encyclopedia

- (1888, village of Pustomazovo, Tver province 1972, Moscow), aircraft designer, academician (1953), colonel general engineer (1968), Hero of Socialist Labor (1945, 1957, 1972), Hero of Labor of the RSFSR (1926). Graduated with honors (1918). Together with was... ... Moscow (encyclopedia)

Andrey Tupolev - high school student, 1907

“...The biography of a designer is the biography of the machines he created,” this idea was expressed by the famous test pilot Mark Gallay, discussing the life path of Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev. Not many people walked this earth who made such a significant contribution to the development of aviation, from its origins to the era of “jet jets.” Each aircraft created by this aircraft designer is a milestone in the history of not only Soviet, but also world aviation. Tupolev’s talent extended both to his aircraft, their design, and to the organization of scientific work and research in the field of aviation, materials science, construction of production facilities and the social sphere for the teams subordinate to him. In a word, this was the General Designer.

Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev was born on October 29 (November 10, new style) 1888 in the village of Pustomazovo, Tver province, Korchevsky district, Suvorov volost. Father - Tupolev Nikolai Ivanovich - was from the Surgut Cossacks. After graduating from the Tobolsk gymnasium in 1860, he worked as a teacher. Then he entered Moscow University, but in 1867 he was expelled for participating in student unrest and returned to teaching. Later, while under the secret supervision of the police, he left for the Tver province, where he worked as a court notary. Andrei Nikolaevich's mother, Anna Vasilievna (nee Lisitsina), grew up in an intelligent family, spoke several languages, played music, painted, and taught her children herself. In 1876, the Tupolev family acquired a small plot of land near Kimry. This is where the future aircraft designer was born. Andrei Nikolaevich received his primary education at home. He recalled:

“Our family was very friendly and large. Older brother Sergei, then Tatyana, Maria, Nikolai, Vera, me and Natalya. The mother gave all her strength and all her soul to the family. I would not say that the family was patriarchal, the family was undoubtedly progressive. Life in the family was modest...

When I needed to study, I took the exam for the Tver gymnasium, I took it in the spring, I did it poorly. My first score that I received was one for written dictation. Failed. I had to study in the summer, took exams again in the fall and entered...

While at the gymnasium, I felt that I had to go into technology, because I loved technology. When I was in Pustomazov, I didn’t have any toys. They were expensive, so I made them from wood myself. As a rule, these were technical toys: either, according to some book, I made a ship made of wood of a fairly large size with equipment, then I made a lock and raised the water by some 400 millimeters, then I built a boat that was controlled using hands, with two wheels."

Students and aeronautical circle

In 1908, he graduated from high school and applied simultaneously to the Imperial Moscow Technical School and the Institute of Railway Engineers. Having passed the competition to both universities, he finally chose IMTU. Despite constant problems with money, student Tupolev studied very diligently, and already in the first year of study he managed to pass ten exams and tests. Here it must be said that in the old days it was not easy for a student to study - he was given wide freedom of action, the emphasis in his studies was on independent study of disciplines, and, as the professors of that time correctly said, - if you were able to master the subject of study yourself, you will become a specialist.

In October 1909, an aeronautical circle was formed at the school, and Professor Nikolai Egorovich Zhukovsky, who gave lectures on the theory of aeronautics at IMTU, was elected honorary chairman. At first, Tupolev did not show much interest in this subject, but chance changed his fate. In December 1909, having once entered the room where members of the aeronautics circle were preparing their exhibition for the 12th Congress of Naturalists and Doctors, he helped students and teachers lift the glider. This is where they introduced Tupolev to Zhukovsky:

“I was drawn to him the way a young man should be drawn to an old man, and besides, this old man was famous. It never occurred to me to allow myself to make fun of or treat Nikolai Yegorovich with disrespect. But this does not mean that I was afraid to utter an extra word, timid or lost in front of it. The fact is that he knew how to create an atmosphere of benevolent trust around himself.... He infected me with one of the strongest passions - a passion for science.”

In life, Tupolev was an extremely active and purposeful person; any business he took on was completed “without fear or reproach.” It was for this quality that Zhukovsky valued and respected him. Already in April 1910, Tupolev was among the most active students preparing the first aeronautical exhibition. He took upon himself not only organizational issues, but also exhibited his works at the stand - a flat wind tunnel and a model airplane. These products were made with such care and detail that they aroused sincere admiration among visitors. Zhukovsky, opening the exhibition, prophetically said that he “sees in the aeronautics circle the core of future scientists who will help direct aviation in Russia to the proper path.”

After the exhibition, Zhukovsky appointed Tupolev head of the newly created aerodynamic laboratory, briefly commenting on his decision - “his hands work well,” and instructed him to design and build a large flat wind tunnel. Soon a wind tunnel appeared in the aerodynamic laboratory, which, according to the future famous hydroaerodynamicist S.A. Chaplygin, “faithfully” served the researchers until 1923.

Simultaneously with the construction of the pipe, Tupolev and his circle comrades B.N. Yuriev (future academician) and A.A. Komarov, began to create a balanced glider.

“The constructed glider was tested first of all by its creators: me, Yuryev and Komarov. We went out to the bank of the Yauza opposite the school. The sun was already hot like spring... Our glider was controlled by the movements of the pilot’s body, hanging on two wings. And he was accelerated by the physical strength of another person. Yuriev “harnessed” into the harness and ran. I felt the ground disappear from under my feet, and I flew. Someone managed to take a photo... I fell to the ground, but without consequences. Then Yuriev became a pilot, and I drove him...” Andrei Nikolaevich later recalled.

Feeling confident in their abilities, the circle members decided to build an airplane of their own design, using as a base the Bleriot XI, the conqueror of the English Channel, which was popular at that time. This decision was greatly facilitated by the fact that during the exhibition it was possible to accumulate a small capital from the sale of tickets and donations from individuals, which was quite enough to purchase a French engine and the necessary materials. Things moved quickly, and soon the airplane's glider was ready; all that was left was to wait for the engine to arrive. And here difficult times came for Tupolev.

In the spring of 1911, Russia celebrated the 50th anniversary of the abolition of serfdom, and the progressive part of the student community celebrated this date with demonstrations demanding the abolition of autocracy. Many students were arrested or expelled from universities. Tupolev also belonged to the latter; he was expelled from IMTU for a year. Moreover, he was ordered to go home to the Tver province. Only two and a half years later, the “police wanted” regime was lifted for him. Tupolev managed to recover at the school and return to Moscow, where he plunged headlong into work in the aerodynamic laboratory.

In 1914, Zhukovsky’s student V.A. Slesarev created the huge aircraft “Svyatogor”, which at that time was the largest in the world, surpassing in size the “Ilya Muromets” by I.I. Sikorsky. At the final stage of work, Slesarev experienced financial difficulties and turned to the military for help. They, in turn, asked Zhukovsky to give an expert assessment of “Svyatogor”. For this work, a commission was created consisting of V.P. Vetchinkina, G.I.Lukyanova, A.A. Arkhangelsky and A.N. Tupolev. The commission carried out an aerodynamic calculation of the airplane, and also purged some of its structural components in a wind tunnel. The commission’s conclusion stated that “the flight of an airplane... is possible, and therefore the completion of the construction of Slesarev’s apparatus is desirable.” Unfortunately, revolutionary events in Russia did not give Slesarev the opportunity to complete the construction of Svyatogor.

Tupolev’s first attempt to try his hand at designing aircraft dates back to this period. The management of the Dux aviation plant turned to Zhukovsky to find for them a specialist capable of creating a number of seaplanes, and he recommended Tupolev as “one of his best students.” To study the issue, Tupolev went to the seaplane base of the Baltic Fleet, where he carefully examined the designs of the aircraft. Tupolev did not have enough experience to work independently, so hydroplane designs were constantly being reworked. This created big problems for N.N. Polikarpov, a future outstanding aircraft designer, who at that time, as a student, worked on the Dux as a supply engineer and at the same time was coordinating the technical requirements of the Tupolev project in the military department. In the end, the director of Dux decided to stop this work and purchased a license from the French to build Tellier flying boats.

In 1916, a Calculation and Test Bureau (RIB) was created at the aerodynamic laboratory “... to carry out test calculations of airplanes, research in the field of propellers and to resolve some issues in the study of air resistance and materials.” The creation of the RIB was due to the military department’s attempt to streamline expert assessments of newly created aircraft and to concentrate aviation scientific, technical and engineering potential in one place. Professor Zhukovsky was appointed head of the RIB, and V.P. was appointed as staff. Vetchinkin, G.I.Lukyanov, A.A. Arkhangelsky, N.I. Ivanov and A.N. Tupolev.

Revolutionary events did not interrupt the work of the organization. In 1917, Tupolev became head of aerodynamic calculations at the RIB. With his leadership and direct participation, the crews of the fighters of the Kosyanenko brothers, Nieuport XI and Anatra were carried out.

In May 1918, Tupolev defended his graduation thesis with honors: “Experience in developing a hydroplane based on wind tunnel testing data” and received the specialty of mechanical engineer.
Since 1920, Tupolev began to teach the course “Fundamentals of Aerodynamic Calculation” at the Moscow Higher Technical School, and since 1921 - “Theory of Airplanes” and “Theory of Hydroplanes”.

Creation of TsAGI

Even in “pre-revolutionary times,” Zhukovsky and his associates discussed plans to create a special aerodynamic institute. In 1918, the Scientific and Technical Department was created under the All-Russian Council of National Economy (NTO VSNKh), and Zhukovsky took the initiative to the leadership of the NTO to create such an institute. Chairman of the NTO N.P. Gorbunov immediately appreciated the significance of this proposal and agreed to organize the institute. On December 1, 1918, in accordance with the resolution of the Scientific and Technical Organization of the Supreme Economic Council, the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) was created.

N.E. was appointed director of the institute. Zhukovsky, the head of the general theoretical department is Vetchinkin, the aerodynamic department is Yuryev, the aviation department is Tupolev, and the propeller department is Stechkin.

In mid-1919, TsAGI received an order to build snowmobiles. The work on their creation was headed by Tupolev. During 1919-1922, two snowmobiles of mixed construction and three all-metal ones were built in the TsAGI workshops. The design of the snowmobiles turned out to be successful; they were used for a long time, and even participated in the suppression of the Kronstadt rebellion. Later, Tupolev returned more than once to designing snowmobiles.

In addition to the current scientific and experimental work related to aerodynamic calculations of aircraft, blowing wing profiles, etc., TsAGI’s first practical “test of the pen” was the participation in the early 20s of its specialists in the creation of a heavy aircraft, which was supposed to replace outdated "Ilya Muromets". The Heavy Aviation Commission (COMTA), created at TsAGI to design this aircraft, which included Tupolev, chose the triplane design, which Tupolev resolutely opposed. He practically did not take part in further work on the aircraft. The plane turned out to be unsuccessful, and soon work on it was stopped.

First plane

In March 1921, N.E. died. Zhukovsky, the place of director of TsAGI was taken by the famous scientist Sergei Alekseevich Chaplygin, and Tupolev was appointed his deputy. By this time, the young scientist Tupolev was well known among the country's aviation specialists; he had accumulated considerable experience in the study of aerodynamic and structural designs of aircraft of that time. At the same time, Tupolev carefully studied the materials used in the construction of aircraft. In the early twenties, the Gospromtsvetmet plant in Kolchugino produced a light and durable metal - chain mail aluminum. Tupolev immediately appreciated the prospects for using this metal in aircraft construction. In October 1922, a Commission on Metal Aircraft Manufacturing was created at TsAGI, headed by Tupolev. Later, at his suggestion, it was the date of creation of this Commission that became the date of formation of the OKB A.N. Tupolev.

The idea of ​​building an aircraft of his own design had long been in Tupolev’s thoughts. He experimented a lot with the choice of aircraft design, and quite consciously settled on a cantilever monoplane.

The project was designated ANT-1. The aircraft was a small sports monoplane of mixed design with a cantilever wing with a span of 7.2 meters. As an engine, for lack of a better one, it was decided to use an old Anzani with a power of 35 hp. s., which was still on the first Bleriot-type aircraft, created in the aeronautical circle of IMTU in 1911. In October 1923, the aircraft was built. In the design of the aircraft airframe, at the insistence of Tupolev, some parts were made of chain mail aluminum. They decided to test the aircraft in flight at the Cadet Parade Ground, where on October 21, 1923 it was carried in their arms.

Former pilot, active participant in the construction of ANT-1 Evgeny Ivanovich Pogossky was appointed test pilot. He got into the car, stepped on the gas, and after a short run, easily took off into the air. Having made several circles over the parade ground, to the jubilant screams of the participants in this historic event for the young designer, Pogossky accurately landed the plane. It was a victory! A note in one of the Moscow newspapers said that “a number of Russian-designed aircraft were tested at the airfield named after Comrade Trotsky /Khodynka”, among them the ANT-1 by A.N. was mentioned. Tupolev.

The first all-metal aircraft

In May 1923, Tupolev began developing a new aircraft, designated ANT-2. As conceived by the designer, it was a passenger all-metal high-wing aircraft with a 100 hp Bristol Lucifer radial engine. With. The passenger cabin was designed for two people, the pilot sat in an open cockpit. The aircraft's skin was made of corrugated chainmail aluminum. On May 26, 1924, pilot Petrov performed the first flight on the ANT-2. Tupolev later wrote about this:

“The day of May 26, 1924 should, in fairness, be noted in the history of Soviet aviation. On this day, the first Soviet all-metal aircraft made its first flight at the Central Airfield.”

In the magazine “Bulletin of the Air Fleet” for 1924 it was said: “On May 26 at the Central Airfield named after. Comrade Trotsky in Moscow tested a new passenger aircraft ANT-2, built by the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute according to the design of engineer. A.N. Tupolev. The plane is built entirely from Russian metal - chain mail aluminum; it is a cantilever monoplane with very original, beautifully streamlined outlines... The plane showed excellent flight qualities.”

In July 1924, NTK UVVS issued TsAGI an order to build a two-seat reconnaissance aircraft. Having familiarized himself with the technical specifications, Tupolev “stepped on his own throat” - he had to make a biplane. The reason was simple and banal - the country did not have an engine of the required power capable of providing the monoplane with the required flight characteristics. A year later, the all-metal ANT-3 was put into testing, which confirmed the specified characteristics, and the aircraft under the designation P-3 was put into production. In total, about 100 cars were built. The ANT-3, the first of the Soviet aircraft, carried out impressive international flights to European capitals, as well as to Tokyo and back.

Heavy bomber

In November 1924, the Leningrad Ostekhbyuro (Special Technical Bureau for Military Inventions), which was developing anti-ship weapons, issued an order for the creation of a heavy-duty aircraft with a prototype production time of nine months. The Air Force leadership, having learned about the Ostekhburo initiative, supplemented their technical requirements with their own, which turned the project into a full-fledged bomber. Tupolev immediately decided to make a twin-engine cantilever monoplane.

Work on the design and production of an experimental bomber, called ANT-4, proceeded at an accelerated pace and was completed on time. On November 26, 1925, pilot A.I. Tomashevsky performed the first test flight. During tests on the ANT-4, two world records for flight duration with different loads were set, although not recorded by the FAI due to the fact that the USSR was not a member of this organization.

Soon the aircraft, designated TB-1, was put into production. A total of 216 devices of various modifications were manufactured: with wheeled and ski chassis, on floats, etc. The ANT-4 “Country of Soviets” aircraft, whose commander was pilot S.A. Shestakov, in 1929, performed an ultra-long flight from Moscow to New York, covering 21,242 km in 142 hours.

The design of the ANT-4 was so advanced in all respects that it became the basis for the creation of multi-engine aircraft in the design bureaus of the leading aviation powers of the world. No country in the world possessed such bombers at that time. Without any stretch, we can say that Tupolev’s creation of this aircraft is the clearest evidence of the organizational abilities and talent of this designer.

First passenger

By the end of the twenties, military themes became dominant in the projects of AGOS Tupolev. And here, quite unexpectedly, at the TsAGI board, a proposal was made by the head of the Red Army Air Force Ya.I. Alksnis about the creation of a passenger car. The accumulated experience and design solutions found during the development of military aircraft allowed the Tupolev team to solve this problem in the shortest possible time.

The design of the ANT-9 passenger aircraft used the technical developments of the R-6 (ANT-7) reconnaissance aircraft, the size of which was close to the required airframe. In May 1929, the plane was first flown into the air. The tests were successful, and soon the ANT-9 was put into production in two versions - a three-engine version, of which 66 vehicles were produced, and a two-engine version, about 60 vehicles. On passenger routes the aircraft received the designation PS-9.

Four-engine giant

The four-engine giant ANT-6 shocked the imagination of all aviation specialists in the world at that time. Tupolev began work on the new machine on his own initiative as soon as the test results of the ANT-4 were received, and in particular, the ideas put forward in the creation of a cantilever monoplane wing were confirmed in practice. Later, representatives of the Air Force became involved in the development of technical specifications for the ANT-6. In 1929, work on the project at the design bureau was launched on a full scale. Groups of designers led by Petlyakov, Arkhangelsky, Myasishchev and Belyaev took part in it.

On December 22, 1930, TsAGI chief pilot M.M. Gromov lifted the car into the air. Flight tests of the TB-3 prototype were successfully completed by the end of February 1931. In the final report on the test results, it was said, in particular: “The TB-3-4 Curtis-Conqueror is, according to its data, a modern bomber, standing at the level of the best foreign aircraft. It is considered necessary to put the aircraft into serial production with the replacement of Curtis-Conqueror engines with M-17s.”

In 1932, the TB-3 was adopted by the Air Force. In serial production, the aircraft was modernized many times - engines were changed, the tail and landing gear were modified, various weapons, flight instruments were installed, etc. The experiments that began back in December 1931 with the participation of the TB-1, to create different versions of the “Team Aircraft” based on the TB-3, turned out to be very interesting and promising. One of these options, adopted before the war, showed high effectiveness in destroying a bridge and an oil pipeline in Romania at the beginning of the war. Two TB-3s took part in this operation, each of which carried two I-16s under its wing, armed with two 250 kg bombs. As they approached the target, the fighters detached from the aircraft and launched an accurate bomb strike.

In total, the factories produced 873 cars. TB-3s took part in a number of conflicts unleashed on the borders of the USSR, but by the beginning of the Second World War they were already obsolete and were used mainly in second-line units. TB-3s removed from service were transferred to the Civil Air Fleet, where they received the designation G-2, and were operated as transport aircraft for a long time. TB-3 has proven itself very well in the development of the North and provision of polar stations.

Supergiants

A separate page in Tupolev’s biography is played by the “supergiants” created under his leadership in the mid-thirties - ANT-14, ANT-16 (TB-4) and ANT-20 “Maxim Gorky”. In 1929, it was decided to build a large aircraft for civil aviation, capable of operating on the Moscow-Vladivostok route. To speed up the process of development and production of a prototype, the five-engine ANT-14 was created based on the design of the TB-3 bomber. The plane was built in a single copy and flew well and for a long time in the propaganda squadron named after M. Gorky.
This was followed by the six-engine giant ANT-16 (TB-4), which made its first flight on July 3, 1933. Four engines of this ship were located along the wingspan, and two were in a tandem pair above the center section. The presence of a tandem propulsion system was dictated by the lack of serial engines of the required power in the country. MM. Gromov described this plane as follows: “The takeoff is simple, there is no tendency to turn around. The run-up is short. When climbing, the plane is stable and gains altitude well. When flying, it is stable and easy to control. When gliding, it is stable and reinstallation of the stabilizer is almost not required. The landing is very simple, you almost don’t feel any twists during the run.”

In 1932, the fortieth anniversary of Maxim Gorky's literary activity was celebrated. On this occasion, the editor of the Ogonyok magazine, Mikhail Koltsov, put forward the idea of ​​​​building a giant airship. A fundraiser was announced in the country for the implementation of this idea, and the construction of this aircraft was entrusted to Tupolev. Within 14 months, the eight-engine giant ANT-20 Maxim Gorky was built. Six engines were located in the wing and two in tandem. On July 17, 1934, Gromov, to the delight of everyone present at the airfield, lifted the car off the ground and easily took off on its first flight. He wrote later: “An amazing car. It is exceptional in its flight qualities, in its aerodynamics, impeccable steering, engine and braking systems, stabilizer, which, however, almost never had to be used. The world’s greatest aircraft is controlled comfortably and simply.”

The plane flew a lot as part of a propaganda squadron. In one of the demonstration flights, pilot Blagin, who was accompanied by an I-5 fighter, decided to spin a “loop” around the wing of the ANT-20. The “loop” failed, the fighter crashed into the wing of the Maxim Gorky, and two planes crashed to the ground... Another ANT-20 was built, without a tandem installation, which served in Aeroflot until 1941.

ANT-25

In the 1920s and 30s, a “struggle for records” unfolded in the aviation world. The Soviet Union did not remain aloof from this “fever”. In 1931, Tupolev was given the task of developing a record-breaking aircraft for ultra-long-range non-stop flight.

The project of the record-breaking ANT-25 was carried out by the Sukhoi brigade. The plane had an M-34 engine and a wingspan of 34 meters. On June 22, 1933, the plane was lifted into the air. The first long-range test flights brought success: in September 1934, Gromov set a range record, flying 12,411 km. It was decided to prepare for a flight along the route Moscow - North Pole - USA, and the assault began.

On August 3, 1935, the crew of S.A. Levanevsky (Gromov was ill) started for America, but an oil spill was discovered over the Barents Sea and Levanevsky turned back. To determine the limits of the aircraft's reliability, a complex route was chosen: Moscow - Victor Island (Spitsbergen) - Franz Josef Land - Severnaya Zemlya - Tiksi Bay - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, then, if everything is in order, to Nikolaevsk-on-Amur. Crew V.P. Chkalova passes the distance without any comments, the car behaved impeccably.

On June 18, 1937, Chkalov’s crew went on a historic flight to America, and after 63 hours 25 minutes, having covered about 9,130 ​​km, they landed at the Vancouver airfield in the USA. Three weeks later, Gromov’s crew on the second ANT-25 confirmed the aircraft’s unsurpassed qualities, flew 10,148 km and landed in San Jacinto (USA). America and the whole world were in shock.

On the eve of the big war

In the mid-thirties, the world smelled of war, and Tupolev returned to creating combat aircraft. In January 1934, the military received an order to develop a high-speed bomber, and Tupolev entrusted this work to Arkhangelsky’s brigade, and already on October 7, 1934, the ANT-40 (SB) aircraft was lifted into the air.

The new aircraft incorporates the latest advances in aerodynamics, engine engineering and materials science. In test flights, the SB (high-speed bomber) demonstrated outstanding performance in flight speed. A paradoxical situation arose - not a single fighter in the world could catch up with this plane in the air. The Security Council confirmed its combat qualities in Spain and China, where it flew on combat missions without fighter escort. In the second half of the 30s and the initial period of the Great Patriotic War, the SB was the main front-line bomber of the Air Force. The series produced 6,656 vehicles.

In 1934, the Air Force developed technical requirements for a heavy bomber, which was supposed to replace the TB-3. Work on the ANT-42 aircraft project was entrusted to the team of V.M. Petlyakov OKB Tupolev. This was another milestone Tupolev aircraft, which became the ancestor of high-altitude long-range heavy bombers - “flying fortresses”.

Four AM-34 engines with a supercharging system made it possible to reach a speed at an altitude of 8000 meters that was inaccessible to fighters of that time. To create this aircraft, the best factories and specialists in the country were involved, who developed modern equipment and instruments.

On December 27, 1936, TsAGI chief pilot M.M. Gromov made the first flight on the ANT-42 (TB-7). The characteristics of the bomber made a great impression on the military - at the initial stage they were superior even to the American four-engine Boeing B-17, which was tested at the same time as the TB-7. Therefore, without waiting for the end of the tests, it was decided to launch the aircraft into production. At this time, Tupolev was arrested, followed by Petlyakov. The introduction of the TB-7 into the series (since 1942 - Pe-8) slowed down sharply, and the question of removing it from production was repeatedly raised. By the beginning of the war, only about 30 modern heavy bombers, so needed for the country, had been produced, and a total of 93 of them were produced. The remaining vehicles after the war were transferred to the Civil Air Fleet, where they were used for transport.

Years in the “sharag” and belated recognition of merits

On October 21, 1937, Tupolev was arrested on trumped-up charges. He spent a year in prisons in Lubyanka and Butyrki, and then was sent to the Central Design Bureau No. 29 of the NKVD, the so-called “sharaga”, where he was ordered to head a team of designers developing a new front-line bomber of Project 103. The prison did not break Tupolev’s spirit, and he energetically took up work in those difficult conditions of captivity.

In October 1940, test pilot Nyukhtikov performed the first flight on the Tu-2. In all respects, it was a modern combat vehicle, worthily ranking among the best aircraft of the Second World War.

On July 22, 1941, Tupolev was released from custody and reinstated as head of his design bureau.

On September 16, 1945, by decree of the Supreme Council “For work in the field of national defense during the Great Patriotic War against the Nazi invaders,” Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor with the Order of Lenin and the Hammer and Sickle gold medal.

After the war, Tupolev was tasked with creating an atomic bomb carrier based on the design of the American heavy bomber Boeing B-29, which had already been “marked” by atomic strikes on Japan. It was a powerful fighting machine, stuffed with modern equipment and weapons. The design of the B-29 was reproduced to the smallest detail in the new Tu-4 bomber.

The introduction of the Tu-4 into the series required a radical restructuring of aircraft factories and related industries. New modern production facilities were created in instrument making, chemistry, metallurgy, machine tool building, etc. For this aircraft, it was necessary to master new technological assembly processes and build related equipment and accessories. To solve all these complex problems, Tupolev was given extraordinary powers as the General Designer - the country was waiting for the carrier of an atomic bomb capable of balancing the threatening American onslaught in the international arena. In July 1947, the Tu-4 was lifted into the air.

Jet age

Post-war aviation quickly switched to jet “rails”. The jet engine significantly improved all aircraft characteristics. OKB-156 (Tupolev), busy introducing the Tu-4 into production, later than others began to develop the new engine in its designs. Having created a number of intermediate aircraft with jet and turboprop engines - Tu-12, Tu-14, Tu-82 and Tu-91 - on which various design solutions for wings, fuselage, etc. were tested, Tupolev began to implement the long-range bomber project . The technical requirements for the new jet bomber were formulated in mid-1950. In parallel, OKB-240 (Ilyushin) was also involved in the work on the bomber project, which introduced a useful stream of competition and competitiveness into the work of the two teams.

The Ilyushinites built their car on the basis of the successful design of the Il-28 front-line bomber with a straight wing. Tupolev ordered to take as a basis the solutions laid down in the project “82” with a swept wing and change the layout of the engines, and he was not mistaken. On April 27, 1951, the Tu-16, as the experimental aircraft was named, performed its first flight. After a number of modifications, the aircraft was put into production and for many years formed the basis of the country's long-range aviation. The Tu-16 was produced as a bomber and missile carrier and was in service until the mid-90s.

Based on the Tu-16 design, the first-born of civil aviation, the Tu-104, was created, which looked worthy on international routes. The first flight of the Tu-104 prototype took place on July 17, 1955, and in March 1956 the aircraft was presented at the London International Air Show, where it aroused great interest among the aviation community.

The vast accumulated experience in designing heavy aircraft allowed Tupolev to take on the design of the ultra-long-range strategic missile carrier Tu-95, despite intense competition from the design bureau of his student Myasishchev. Work on the new aircraft began in 1951. Four powerful turboprop engines made it possible to deliver weapons anywhere in the world. The first flight took place on November 12, 1952. Not everything went well with the introduction of the aircraft into series, and Myasishchev was hot on its heels with his M-4. And only the iron will of the Chief Designer brought the Tu-95 to mass production. The aircraft still serves Russia well today. Based on the ideas embedded in the design of the Tu-95, the Tu-114 passenger turboprop intercontinental aircraft was created.