Tu-141 (VR-2 Strizh) Unmanned aerial vehicle

In numbers  Through the lens  Video

It is a delta-winged monoplane (tailless aircraft), metal structures with canard fins and a turbine engine, which was developed by the design office Tupolev.

Launch: by solid-propellant rocket booster from TPU-141 vehicle (launcher / transporter trailer), parachute recovery to three-skid landing gear. Reconnaissance method – aero surveying. On the basis of the Tu-141 drone the target-aircraft M-141 was developed.

Equipment: aerophotographic wet-film, type A-86P and panoramic type PA-4/90, IR sensor.

Serial production in Ukraine (Kharkiv), 152 were built.

 Layout Ту-141: 1 Main pitot probe. 2 Canard foreplane. 3 The front part of the fuselage is made of composite materials absorbing radio waves. 4 Fuselage of a circular shape with a diameter in the cylindrical part of 950 mm. 5 The subsonic air intake is S-shaped. Installed above the fuselage. 6 Power plant type turbojet KR-17A. The power plant installed at an angle of 4.5 degrees to the axis of the aircraft. 7 The vertical tail has sweepback (angle) at leading edge 52^o (Vertical tal – sweep angle 52^o). 8 Landing parachute, approximately area 900 m². 9 Brake parachute. 10. Cameras: type A-86P and panoramic type PA-4/90. 11 Noise landing gear (heel type). 12 Delta wing – sweepback (angle) at leading edge 58^o. The wing is folded to reduce the size during transportation. 13 Main landing gear (heel type). 14 Starting solid propellant booster (booster ejection). 15 Exhaust nozzle. 

Special towed unit SPU-141.

Three-view drawing

Technical specifications

Photos Tu-141 "Strizh" (VR-2 "Strizh"), central air force museum, Monino 2007, Russia.

Tu-141 "Strizh" (VR-2 "Strizh"), Ukraine stste aviation museum 2008, Kyiv.