Stalin's Bomber; the Remarkable Tupolev Tu-4
This next addition to my site is the newest Aircraft Focus; it is the remarkable Tupolev Tu-4; the 'Soviet Superfortress' that was championed by Premier of the Soviet Union himself, Josef Stalin. It was on his direct order that the B-29 be copied in an instruction to Andrey Tupolev that he cease development of his 'Aircraft 64' four engined heavy bomber. According to inside sources, Tupolev was incensed by the order, but no one would dare countermand Stalin, and so the porcess of reverse engineering the B-29 began, from captured examples interned in 1944 and 1945. Stalin was also responsible for the Tu-4's introduction into service as, after the type's State Acceptance Trials, the final report was not signed and therefore the air force refused to accept it. A copy of the document was hurriedly rushed to the Kremlin and for the first time ever and never since, the Soviet Premier himself signed the official order for the Tu-4 to enter service. Building the Tu-4 was an incredible feat for the Russian aviation industry; the B-29 was far in advance of anything the Soviets had, and it introduced many unprecedented pracises and materials to the Russians, casting a long shadow over subsequent long range aircraft developments. So, on the Aircraft Focus page is an overview of the Tu-4 story, as well as captions to images detailing aspects of its design and construction. Click on the image below to go to the Aircraft Focus page on the Tupolev Tu-4.
