| Technical data | |
|---|---|
| Type | Tu-4 |
| Function | Bomber |
| Year | |
| Crew | |
| Engines | 4 * |
| Speed | |
| Ceiling | |
| Range | |
| Armament | |
Tu-4 ('Bull') by A.N.Tupolev
This was a copy of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. The US did not want to deliver the B-29 to the USSR, but some made emergency landings on Soviet territories during attacks on Japan. The USSR, then not at war with Japan, confiscated them.
The Tu-4 was not, as is often said, an exact copy of the B-29; changes were made to armament and construction, partly because of necessity to use as much as possible domestic parts and partly because the construction had to be adapted to metric measures.
But the study of its technology was a big step forward.
Comment by A.S. : 'Step Forward' in such a case is nothing but a step ... backwards. Copying of 4-5 years old technology (yes, very advanced at its time) instead of developing of a new one (specially in this case) was:
- removing intellectual and industrial resources from new projects;
- spending them on design soon to became obsolete;
- planting more seeds of a very bad habit - copying - into domestic science and engineering;
Modifications/Developments:
Tu-70 - airliner, no production;
Tu-85 - scaled-up intercontinental bomber version, no production;
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