Tu-2000 - wtf, Aurora copy?

It's a Lego man. I was raised on Lego.

Tupolev Tu-2000 is really a copy of X-30 NASP. But it is a better copy than original. Russians wanted to build three diferent versions - reconnaissance, transport and bomber. It is better idea than create an all-in-one plane, which X-30 was. Its complicated concept was a reason, why it was cancelled. Yakovlev and MiG did competiting concepts.

Tu-360 is the young concept, it is a hypersonic bomber but was quickly cancelled due to a lack of funding.

X-30 link: www.hitechweb.szm.sk/x-venture-star.htm
Tu-2000 link: www.hitechweb.szm.sk/spacefighters3b.htm
Tu-360 link: www.hitechweb.szm.sk/bombers2b.htm

Interesting. Do you have information to back this up?

Here is official concept drawing of Tupolev Tu-2000A MVKS...




...and of MiG-2000 MVKS.




I dont have drawing of Yakovlev MVKS yet.

originally posted by: Lampyridae
Interesting. Do you have information to back this up?

Although this thread to 19 years old, I found additional webpages about the Tupolev Tu-2000 aerospaceplane and '360' hypersonic bomber project:
www.testpilot.ru...
www.secretprojects.co.uk...
testpilot.ru...
www.testpilot.ru...

Although some non-Russian publications in the 1990s referred to the Tupolev '360' as "Tu-2000B", this is incorrect because the '360' was not designed for orbital missions. The MVKS requirement issued in 1986 by the Soviet government had the same parameters as the NASP program in terms of calling for a single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane capable of horizontal take-off and landing. The geocities.com..." target="_blank" class="postlink">Tupolev drawing of the Tu-2000 at an archived Geocities webpage shows the technology demonstrator version, which was 40 feet smaller than the ultimate Tu-2000 single-stage-to-orbit vehicle. The books Unflown Wings and Soviet Secret Projects: Bombers Since 1945 can also be consulted for technical specifications for the '360' bomber.

artist conception.

something malignant about this. glad they never made them.

thanks for the update Potlatch



I kind of wonder what else was on those Soviet drawing boards