Sukhoi T-60S

Read an article on Russias latest Continental Bomber, the T-60S. Looks somewhat like the AX-17 pictured on this board.

Designed around 20 years ago, but due to funds and changing political climate the project has stalled. Created with a 85,000 kg take off weight, range of 2200 km with full payload and a cruise altitude of 49,000 ft.

US DoD code was NOVO-C after the aircraft was sighted at Novosibirsk, Siberia.

Any more information on this project? Wondering if its still a valid project or gone due to funds.

The article was in Air Forces Monthly sometime ago.

Information that has surfaced to date indicates the aircraft is to replace the Tupolev Tu-22M during the first decade of the next century. It apparently incorporates low-observables technology and is powered by two state-of-the-art turbofan engines in an aft mounting above the fuselage (ala Tupolev Tu-22 Backfire).
The aircraft is quipped with canards, just ahead of a chined delta wing. Little else has surfaced concerning this aircraft. The status of the full-scale development is unknown."


"Although no photographs of the T-60S are available, Piotr Butkowski (Air International correspondent on Russian aviation) believes that the T-60S features a variable geometry wing, flat lifting fuselage and two engines, equipped with two-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles. The engine air intakes are believed to be shoulder mounted, slightly forward of the wing root. Armament is understood to include up to six Kh-101 stealthy cruise missiles, as well as AS-15 and AS-16 missiles, free-fall nuclear weapons and precision guided conventional munitions."

Sukhoi T-60S Project
Joint Continental Bomber Return to Index Page

The T-60S project was initiated by the Sukhoi bureau in 1984 and originally it was supposed to enter service in 2003. Very little information is available about technical characteristics of this aircraft, which remains to be classified by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. The project was briefly mentioned in the OKB Sukhoi - the semi-official history of the design bureau and its aircraft. The book was first published in English in 1996. The text reads (OKB Sukhoi, p. 277):
"T-60S Intermediate Range Bomber (Project)

Various sources indicate that Sukhoi, since the late 1980s, has had an advanced, supersonic intermediate range "Joint Continental Bomber" under development. Information that has surfaced to date indicates the aircraft is to replace the Tupolev Tu-22M during the first decade of the next century. It apparently incorporates low-observables technology and is powered by two state-of-the-art turbofan engines in an aft mounting above the fuselage (ala Tupolev Tu-22 Backfire).
The aircraft is quipped with canards, just ahead of a chined delta wing. Little else has surfaced concerning this aircraft. The status of the full-scale development is unknown."
The T-60S was briefly mentioned here and there with a few artist impressions appearing in the press, but factual information remains scarce. Recently an interesting article about T-60S and other perspective Russian bomber designs appeared in the Air International (Nov. 1998, pp. 274-278). The article suggests that the T-60S may be a high-altitude, high-speed bomber with a lifting body fuselage design and a swing-wing construction. It was also suggested that the aircraft is capable of supercruise at Mach 2 and its engines are equipped with two-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles.

"Although no photographs of the T-60S are available, Piotr Butkowski (Air International correspondent on Russian aviation) believes that the T-60S features a variable geometry wing, flat lifting fuselage and two engines, equipped with two-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles. The engine air intakes are believed to be shoulder mounted, slightly forward of the wing root. Armament is understood to include up to six Kh-101 stealthy cruise missiles, as well as AS-15 and AS-16 missiles, free-fall nuclear weapons and precision guided conventional munitions."
Looking at the two illustrations to the left it is difficult not to notice that the two configurations have absolutely nothing in common. The early configuration, with canards and the chined delta wing, however, is very similar to the early S-37 fighter design (not to be confused with the latest S-37 Berkut technology demonstrator.) The chined delta wing and canards also remind of the T-4 bomber design back from the 1970s and the S-21 business jet project which was design in co-operation with Gulfstream. The resemblance, however, is very general. So, where did this idea about a wide lifting fuselage and a variable geometry wing came from?

Sukhoi is not a traditional Russian bomber designer - this role was usually reserved for Tupolev. However, Sukhoi does have considerable expertise in designing ground strike aircraft (such as Su-22, Su-24, Su-25, Su-34). The design bureau also had one very promising bomber project in the works during the 1960s and early 1970s. This project was the T-4 supersonic, intercontinental bomber developed to counter the American XB-70 Valkyrie bomber. The aircraft was completed and successfully test-flown but then the program was abruptly terminated in 1973. The reasons for the termination are not very clear, some suggest that it was due to the termination of the XB-70, others - that it was a political decision. In any case, I think that it would be logical to look back on T-4 and its derivatives when considering a possible configuration of T-60S.

After seeing the Air International illustration I immediately remembered one visually similar development of the T-4 - the T-4MS (also known as "200".) As you can see from the illustration, there are some considerable similarities between this aircraft and the illustration from Air International - a variable geometry wing, a wide lifting fuselage, internal placement of weapons and auxiliary systems. The idea, that Sukhoi may be drawing on its past experience with bomber design, does not seem unreasonable.

A lifting fuselage design is not a very common feature in aviation, especially in Russian aviation. It would be reasonable to suppose that the idea of such a fuselage for the T-60S did not appear in the vacuum. It just so happens that the Myasishchev Design Bureau recently unveiled its new design for a high-altitude passenger/cargo/surveillance aircraft, featuring a wide lifting fuselage with two high bypass ratio turbofans installed side by side above the rear part of the fuselage. The aircraft is the M-60 (with a proposed GP-60D Katun *** cargo version) and was originally designed in 1980s and, therefore, is a contemporary of the T-60S project. The aircraft will be powered by two Perm PS-90A turbofan engines. It can cruise at 50,000ft (and can reach 65,500 ft) at Mach 0.7, has a range of between 5,000 and 15,000 km and can carry a load of up to 20 t. The GP-60 is a long way from being T-60S, nevertheless, there are some undeniable similarities.

Below is the table of T-60S estimated characteristics. To come up with this numbers I assumed that the T-60S is a flat lifting fuselage design that uses turbofan engines.

Sukhoi T-60S estimated characteristics

Type intermediate-range strike/interdiction aircraft
Powerplants two 23,500 kg (51,800 lb) turbofans
Max speed Mach 2.04
Cruising speed Mach 2.02
Max altitude 20,000 m (65,500 ft)
Cruising altitude 15,000 m (49,000 ft)
Max range 6,000 km (3,250 nm)
Range with max load 2,200 km (1,200 nm)
Weight (empty) 32,000 kg (70,500 lb)
MTOW 85,000 kg (188,000 lb)
Max load 20,000 kg (44,000 lb)
Wing span (extended) 37 m (121 ft)
Wing span (swept) 24 m (79 ft)
Wing angle (extended) 70 deg
Wing angle (swept) 30 deg
Length 38 m (125 ft)
Height 10 m (33 ft)
Armament maximum of 20,000 kg (44,000 lb) of free fall nuclear and conventional bombs, guided munitions, up to 8 cruise missiles, including Kh-101, Kh-55MS (AS-15 Kent) ALCM*, Kh-15P (AS-16 Kickback) SRAM**.

*ALCM - air launched cruise missile
**SRAM - short range attack missile
***GP - gruzo-passazhirsky (cargo/passenger)

T-60S early

As described in the "OKB Sukhoi" book, this configuration features canards and two aft-mounted engines.


T-60S later


This illustration is from Air International. This configuration features a lifting body fuselage and a variable geometry wing.


This is all the info I could scrap up.
Sorry if this is not very helpful but this looks like a well kept secret.

Out,
Russian

Thanks Russian, you've expanded on what Air Forces Monthly had at least. Bottom pic seems to be a consensus as its very simular to the one in AFM.

As you say it seems to be a well kept secret from both sides.

Originally posted by SectorGaza
Information that has surfaced to date indicates the aircraft is to replace the Tupolev Tu-22M during the first decade of the next century.

Hmmmm you mean in the period 2100-2110

Originally posted by vorazechul

Originally posted by SectorGaza
Information that has surfaced to date indicates the aircraft is to replace the Tupolev Tu-22M during the first decade of the next century.

Hmmmm you mean in the period 2100-2110

actually the latest info on this says after 2010/15

Originally posted by Russian

T-60S early

As described in the "OKB Sukhoi" book, this configuration features canards and two aft-mounted engines.

this is not t-60s.. this is mig 701 MDI that was supposed to replace mig-31.