Tu-141 (VR-2 Strizh) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). First flight: 1974 © Konstantinos Panitsidis

Photo from the personal collection of Kostas Panitsidis


 Technical specifications      Photos      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.

 

Tu-141: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, “141” version 07 © Konstantinos Panitsidis

 

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.

 

Tu-141: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, “141” version 08 © Konstantinos Panitsidis

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

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

 

Tu-141 (VR-2 Strizh) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) © Konstantinos Panitsidis

Layout Ту-141:  Main pitot probe.   Canard foreplane  3  The front part of the fuselage is made of composite materials absorbing radio waves.  Fuselage of a circular shape with a diameter in the cylindrical part of 950 mm.   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 degrees. (Vertical tal – sweep angle 52 degrees).  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 degrees. 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 © Konstantinos Panitsidis

Special towed unit SPU-141.

 


THREE-VIEW DRAWING

Tu-141 (VR-2 Strizh) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) © Konstantinos Panitsidis

 


TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 

DESIGNER
OKB Tupolev
COUNTRY
Russia
TYPE
UAV
POWER PLANT
KR-17A
Thrust, kgf
3.100
DIMENSIONS
 
Length, m
14,33
Height, m
2,435
Wing span, m
3,875
Wing area, m2
10,00
WEIGHT
 
Maximum take-off, kg
5.370 (6.390)
Internal fuel, kg
2.145
PERFORMANCE
 
Maximum speed, km/h
1.030-1.070 (1.100)
Cruising speed, km/h
-
Rate of climb, m/s
-
Service ceiling, m 6.000
- height flight, m 50-600
Range, km 905-965 (1.100)
Autonomy, min 55
Fast responce time, min 15
ARMAMENT
-

 

 


PHOTOS Tu-141 "Strizh", Central Air Force Museum, Monino, 2007



Tu-141 "Strizh", Ukraine State Aviation Museum, 2008