The Tupolev Tu-4 was a strategic bomber utilized by the Soviet Air Force during the late 1940s to mid-1960s. This aircraft, powered by piston engines, was a replica of the famed Boeing B-29 Superfortress. It was the OKB-156 design bureau, led by Andrei Tupolev, that was given the task of reverse engineering the B-29.

But, the Tu-4 (izdeliye R) was not an exact copy of the B-29, as it was fitted with different engines (the indigenous ASH-73TK) and had a heavier defensive armament.

The Tupolev Tu-4 bomber was produced by three factories in a standard long-range version. It was designed for delivering large bomb strikes against strategic targets located deep within enemy territory regardless of the time of day or weather conditions.

The following description and basic performance applies to the standard production Tu-4:

Dimensions

Parameter	Value
Length overall (less cannon barrels )	30.177m (99ft 0%in )
Wing span	43.047m (141ft 2%in )
Horizontal tail span	13.108m (43ft 0%in )
Height on ground	8.46m (27ft 9%in .)
Landing gear track	8.676m (28 ft 5in )
Landing gear wheelbase	10.444 m (34 ft 3 in)
Ground angle	2°
Maximum rotation angle	9°30'
Root chord	5.18 m (16 ft 11% in)
Tip chord	2.25 m (7 A 4°% in)
Mean aerodynamic chord (MAC)	4.001 m (13 ft 1% in)
Wing area	116,17 m2 (1,250.44 sq ft)
Aileron area (total)	12.01 m2 (129.27 sq ft)
Flap area (total)	30.79 m2 (331,42 sq ft)
Vertical tail area	22.01 m2 (236.91 sq ft)
Fin area (including root fillet)	15.94 m2 (171.58 sq ft)
Rudder area	6.1 m2 (65.66 sq ft)
Horizontal tail area	30.94 m2 (333.04 sq ft)
Stabiliser area	20.251 m2 (217.75 sq ft)
Elevator area (total)	10.683 m2 (114.87 sq ft)

Weights

Airframe weight	15,196 kg (33,501 lb)
Powerplant weight	14,270 kg (31,470 lb)
Weapons systems weight :
offensive (bomb racks ,release controls etc. )	407kg (897lb )
defensive (cannons ,barbettes etc. )	1,890kg (4,166lb )
Operating empty weight	35,270kg (77,760lb )
Take-off weight :
normal	47,500-47,600kg (104,720-104,940lb )
high gross weight configuration	54,500;60,900;61,500;65,000;
	66,000kg (120,150;134,260;
Landing weight :	135,580;143,300;145,500lb )*
normal	48,000kg (105,820lb )
maximum	60,000kg (132,280lb )
Payload, normal :	12,330kg (27,180lb )
crew (11)	990kg (2,180lb )
cannon ordnance	1,060kg (2,340lb )
fuel	3,480kg (7,670lb )
engine oil	800kg (1,760lb )
bombs	6,000kg (13,230lb )
Payload, high gross weight configuration :	19,230kg (42,390lb )
crew	990kg (2,180lb )
cannon ordnance	1,060kg (2,340lb )
fuel	8,150kg (17,970lb )
engine oil	1,030kg (2,270lb )
bombs	8,000kg (17,640lb )(eight FAB -1000bombs )

Power Plant

• Engine Model: ASh-73TK 18-cylinder radial engine.(For details on the ASh-73KT, you can read here)
• Engine Manufacturer: OKB-19 NKAP, MAP also known as Perm Motor-Building Design Bureau (PMKB) named after. P.A. Solovyov
  
• Propeller Manufacturer: OKB-120 MAP, GKAT at plant No. 120 also known as Stupino Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering (SKBM)
• Blade model designation: V3-A3, V3B-A5(Late-production)
• No. Blades: 4
• Propeller diameter: 5.056 m (16 ft 7 in)

Crew

Electronics

Navigation

The Radar RPB RPB Kobal’t or Kobal’t-M was used for navigation over the ground and target recognition. This was a copy of the US AN/APQ-13 re-engineered by NII-17.

An AP-5 autopilot was installed to reduce the burden on the pilots. This was a copy of the American S-1 autopilot. Copied by OKB-214 and produced by plant No.118

The Tu-4 was equipped with the SP-48 Instrument Landing System (ILS) that included:

Equipment	Soviet designation	Comment
Automatic direction finder (ADF)	ARK-4 or ARK-5 Amur.	By OKB-528, produced in Plant No.798
Low Range Radio altimeter	RV-2 "Lithium" (SCR-718) low-range radio altimeter (0-1,200 m/3,940 ft).	Copy of AN/PN-1 by NII-17
High Range Radio altimeter	RV-10 high-range radio altimeter (100-15,000 m/330-49,210 ft).	Copy of SCR-718
Marker Beacon transmitter	MRM-45
Marker Beacon Receiver	MRP-45

Tu-4s from c/ns 225501 and 230101 onwards, as well as c/ns 184232 and 184133, featured the SP-50 Materik Instrument Landing System (ILS) that consisted of the following components:

Equipment	Soviet designation
Distance Measuring Equipment (DME)	SD-1
Localiser (koorsovoy rahdio-priyomnik)	KRM
Localiser receiver	KRP-F
Glideslope beacon transmitter	GRM-2
Glideslope beacon receiver	GRP-2
Navigation computer	K-46B
Astrocompass	AK-53P
Marker Beacon transmitter	MRM-48
Marker Beacon receiver	MRP-48 Dyatel (Woodpeacker)

Communication

Equipment	Soviet designation	Comment
Liaison Radio Set	RSB-70 "Berkut" (AN/ART-13)	Copy of AN/ART-13, produced by plant No. 197
Command Radio Set	SCR-274H	Aircraft up to No. 222101 (Early production aircrafts)
Command Radio Set	12RSU-10 Koora	On aircraft up to No. 221901, before the installation of RSU-5,
Command Radio Set	RSIU-3	On aircraft with No. 221901
Command Radio Set	RSU-5	On aircraft after No. 221901
Interphone	SPU-14 or SPU-14M on later aircraft.
IFF Interrogator	Magniy ("Magnesium") (SCR-729) or Magniy-M	Copy of SCR-729 by NII-17. On aircraft up to No. 224501 Magniy, later, Magniy-M
IFF Transponder	Bariy ("Barium") (SCR-695) or Bariy-M	Copy of SCR-695 by NII-17

Armament

Defensive

The first three built Tu-4:

• PV-20 central fire control system
• 8 x 12.7-mm (.30 calibre) Berezin UBK machine-guns in four remote controlled turrets
• Tail turret with 3 x 12.7-mm (.30 calibre) Berezin UBK machine-guns

From the fourth aircraft (c/n 220102):

• PV-20 central fire control system
• 8 x 20-mm (.78 calibre) Berezin B-20E cannon in four remote controlled turrets
• Tail turret with 2 x 20-mm (.78 calibre) Berezin B-20E cannon

From c/ns 223201, 184309 and 230102 onwards:

• PV-23 “Zvezda” central fire control system
• 8 x 23-mm (.90 calibre) NR-23 cannon in four remote controlled turrets
• DK-3 tail barbette with 2 x 23-mm (.90 calibre) NR-23 cannon

Offensive

The Tupolev Tu-4 was fitted with a mixed complement of bomb racks, including the KD4-546A and KD4-546A. However, from Kazan’-built Tu-4 c/n 225701 onwards, a standardized set of bomb racks was introduced, enabling the aircraft to carry FAB-250M46 and FAB-500M46 bombs on two rows of shackles. This doubled the number of 250- and 500-kg bombs that the Tu-4 could carry.

Tu-4’s standardized set of bomb racks had four KD4-248 airborne cluster holders for FAB-1500 and FAB-3000 bombs, as well as eight KDZ-547 airborne cluster holders and four SDZ-248 twin holders. The KDZ-547 bomb racks had six stations and were designed to hold FAB-50, FAB-100, FAB-250, and FAB-500 bombs. The SDZ-248 twin holders had two stations that could be loaded with the same bombs as the KDZ-547 holders, but the FAB-500 bombs could only be suspended on the right station.

The Tu-4 also featured two BD5-50 beam holders, one in each compartment, for hanging FAB-5000 and BRAB-6000 bombs. These bombs were lifted using a BL-47 winch, with the FAB-50, FAB-100, and FAB-250 bombs being lifted by one winch using the PK-Der3-80 lifting hook. The FAB-500 bombs were lifted using the same lifting hook, but with two winches. The FAB-1500 and FAB-3000 bombs were lifted by the BL-47 winch using two types of lifting belts.

Bomb dropping is electric.

Possible Tu-4 payload options:

Payload	Rack type	Bomb type (conventional)	Quantity of bombs (forward bay/aft bay)	Warload kg (lb)
a) mixed set of bomb racks
Option 1	KD4-546A	FAB-250M43	24 (12/12)	6,000 (13,230)
	KD3-246A
Option 2	KD4-546A	FAB-250M46	24 (12/12)	6,000 (13,230)
	KD3-246A
Option 3	KD4-546A	FAB-500M43	12 (6/6)	5,830 (12,850)
Option 4	KD4-546A	FAB-500M44	12 (6/6)	6,000 (13,230)
		FAB-500M46
Option 5	KD4-546A	FAB-1000M44*	8 (4/4)	7,120 (15,700)
Option 6	KD4-248	FAB-1000M44*	8 (4/4)	7,120 (15,700)
Option 7	KD4-248	FAB-1500M44	8 (4/4)	11,840 (26,100)
Option 8	KD4-248	FAB-3000M44	4 (2/2)	11,930 (26,300)
b) standard set of bomb racks +
Option 1	KD4-547	FAB-50	48 (20/20+4/4)	2,000 (4,410)
	SD3-248
Option 2	KD3-547	FAB-100	48 (20/20 + 4/4)	5,900 (13,010)
	SD3-248
Option 3	KD3-547	FAB-250M46	48 (20/20+4/4)	10,600 (23,370)
	SD3-248
Option 4	KD4-547	FAB-500M46	28 (12/12 + 4/4)	12,000 (26,455)
	SD3-248
Option 5	KD4-547	FAB-250M43 or	24 (10/10+2/2)	6,000 (13,230)
	SD3-248	FAB-250M44
Option 6	KD4-547	FAB-500M43 or	14 (6/6 + 1/1)	6,800 (14,990)
	SD3-248	FAB-500M44
Option 7	KD4-248	FAB-1000M44	8 (4/4)	7,120 (15,700)
Option 8	KD4-248	FAB-1500M46	8 (4/4)	11,840 (26,100)
Option 9	KD4-248	FAB-3000M46	4 (2/2)	11,930 (26,300)
Option 10	BD5-50	FAB-6000M46	4 (2/2)	11,930 (26,300)
Option 11		FAB-250M44	24 (12/12)	6,000 (13,230)
Option 12		FAB-500M44	14 (7/7)	6,802 (14,995)
Option 13		FAB-1000M44	8 (4/4)	7,120 (15,700)

Performance

CG range	25.7-30.1%MAC
Maximum speed :
at sea level	420km /h (261mph )
at 10,000m (32,810ft )	558-578km /h (346-359mph )
Landing speed	172km /h (106mph )
Rate of climb :
at sea level	4.6m /sec (905ft /min )
at 1,000m (3,280ft )	4.6m /sec
at 2,000m (6,560ft )	4.6m /sec
at 3,000m (9,840ft )	4.6m /sec
at 4,000m (13,120ft )	4.5m /sec (885ft /min )
at 5,000m (16,400ft )	4.5m /sec
at 6,000m (19,685ft )	4.4m /sec (866ft /min )
at 7,000m (22,965ft )	4.1m /sec (807ft /min )
at 8,000m (26,250ft )	3.7m /sec (728ft /min )
at 9,000m (29,530ft )	3.1m /sec (610ft /min )
at 10,000m (32,810ft )	2.0 m/sec (393 f/min)
at 11,000 m (36,090 ft)	0.8 m/sec (157 ft min)
at 11,200 m (36,750 ft)	0.5 m/sec (98 ft/min)
Time to height
to 1,000m	3.6minutes
to 2,000m	7.2minutes
to 3,000m	10.9minutes
to 4,000m	14.5minutes
to 5,000m	18.2minutes
to 6,000m	22.0minutes
to 7,000m	25.9minutes
to 8,000m	30.1minutes
to 9,000m	35.1minutes
to 10,000m	41.6minutes
to 11,000m	53.3minutes
to 11,200m	58.0minutes
Service ceiling	11,200-12,000m (36,745-39,370ft )
Climb time to 5,000m (16,400ft )	18.2minutes
Maximum range	5,600km (3,479miles )
Range with maximum payload	5,000km (3,105miles )
Take -off run	960-2,210m (3,150-7,250ft )†
Landing run	1070-1750m (3,510-5,740ft )†
G limit :
with a 47,600-kg all -up weight	4.6
with a 55,000-kg (121,250-lb )AUW	4.05
with a 65,000-kg AUW	3.56

Further reading

• Boeing B-29 Superfortress Facts: 11 things to know
• Basic performance of a typical late-production Tupolev Tu-4
• Shvetsov ASh-73 Engine

Source

• Tupolev Tu-4: The First Soviet Strategic Bomber by Yefim Gordon and Dmitriy Komissarov
• Airplane Tu-4 Technical description, Book one, Basic Data, by Ministry of Defense of the USSR, State Publishing House of the Defense Industry, Moscow 1953