M-55 (aircraft)

After the Powers plane was shot down in the USSR, an attempt was made to copy the U-2. Designing the machine, which received the designation C-13, was engaged in the Design Bureau of Beriev. Work on it was discontinued in May 1962. The development of a high-altitude interceptor aircraft was started at the V.M. Myasishchev Design Bureau in the late 1960s. The purpose of the creation of such an aircraft was to intercept high-altitude reconnaissance balloons , regularly launched by American intelligence agencies and sometimes flying long distances deep into the USSR. For various reasons, the construction of the first aircraft was delayed until the 1980s and the first prototype M-17 Stratosphere with registration number USSR-17103 took off on May 26, 1982.

By this time, the problem of reconnaissance balloons had already lost its relevance, and a decision was made on the basis of M-17 to create a high-altitude reconnaissance and strike complex, consisting of the reconnaissance aircraft itself and a ground guidance and control station providing target designation for ground-to-ground missiles and strike to airplanes. The modified M-17RM aircraft completed its first flight on August 16, 1988. In the design bureau, the aircraft received the designation M-55 "Geophysics". A two - seat training modification of the M-55U aircraft has been developed.

Work was underway to create a two-seat aircraft high-altitude surveillance "Geophysics-2", which has improved aerodynamics and an elongated fuselage.

By order of foreign private companies, the creation of ^{[ when? ]} version of the aircraft for launches by air launch of a suborbital space plan for space tourism .

Built according to the scheme of an all-metal semi- monocoque high-wing with a free -flying wing of a normal aerodynamic scheme .

The aircraft has a two-beam design with a highly located wing of large elongation, recruited from supercritical highly-bearing profiles. In the bow of the fuselage is the cockpit and a compartment with reconnaissance equipment, weighing about 1.5 tons. The entire tail of the fuselage is the engine compartment, where two dual-circuit highly efficient D-30V12 engines are located (on the M-17 there was one RD-36-51V engine ).

The capacity of the fuel system is 8300 liters.

Data source: Udalov, 1993.

Specifications

• Crew : 1 pilot
• Length : 22.67 m
• Wing span : 37.46 m
• Height : 4.83 m
• Wing Area: 131.6 m²
• Wing Profile : P-173-9
• Chassis base: 5.735 m
• Track track: 6.6 m
• Empty weight: 14 000 kg
• Normal take-off weight: 23,400 kg
• The mass of fuel in internal tanks: 7900 kg
• Payload mass: 1,500 kg
• Powerplant: 2 × turbofan D-30-10V
• Thrust : 2 × 88.26 kN (9,000 kgf) (nominal)
  • take-off: 2 × 186.3 kN (19000 kgf)
  • at an altitude of 21,000 m: 2 × 6.57 kN (670 kgf)

Flight characteristics

• Maximum speed:
  • at an altitude of 20,000 m: 743 km / h
  • at an altitude of 5000 m: 332 km / h
• Cruising speed : 0.7 M
• Takeoff Speed: 175 km / h
• Landing speed: 188 km / h (with landing weight 23,400 kg)
• Practical range: 1220 km
  • maximum flight range on the ceiling: 1315 km (from a height of 20,250 m to 20,620 m)
  • maximum range at 17,000 m: 5,000 km
• Ceiling Duration: 2 hours 14 minutes
• Duration of flight at 17,000 m: 6.5 hours
• Patrol Time: 48 minutes
• Practical ceiling : 21,550 m
• Ceiling Climb Time: 35 minutes
• Takeoff run: 340 m
• Mileage length: 875 m

• Martin B-57 Canberra
• Lockheed u-2

• Udalov K.G .; Brooke A.A .; Smirnov S.G. Aircraft M-17. - M .: Aviko Press, 1993 .-- 56 p. - (Airplanes EMZ named after V.M. Myasishchev).

• (Russian) M-55 "Geophysics" on the manufacturer's website
• (Russian) M-55 on the pages of the aviation encyclopedia "Corner of the sky"
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• Photos of the M-55 aircraft on russianplanes.net
• Photos of the M-55 aircraft at airliners.net