The Tupolev Tu-128 'Fiddler' was a long-range, all-weather interceptor and escort fighter aircraft, which was in service with the Soviet Air Force during the Cold War period. It was designed at the end of the 1950s to meet the needs of defending the Soviet vast air space against the new USA/NATO threat; the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. This Russian supersonic aircraft was developed from the Tu-98 'Backfin' and it was capable of carrying long-range missiles. Thus, it was a highly specialized interceptor, with no more than 200 aircraft being built. Also known as the Tu-28, it would be replaced by the MiG-31 at the end of the 1980s.
The prototype of the Tupolev Tu-128 first took to the air on March 18, 1961. The aircraft would go through a three-year period of flight tests, entering service with the Soviet Air Force on July 27, 1964. It was assigned for the Soviet home defense. Three variants saw service: the Tu-128A, Tu-128UT (trainer), and the Tu-128M. The aircraft huge size enabled it to carry all the avionic equipment and armament needed to intercept enemy bombers before they could penetrate the Soviet air space. Thus, a powerful radar scanner mounted in the nose allowed the Tu-128 to detect and locate intruders at long ranges. Twin afterburning jet engines enabled it to reach speeds of up to 2,085 km/h (1,296 mph) as it could take off with enough fuel for patrols lasting up to six hours.
Technical Description
The Tupolev Tu-128 Fiddler was a two-seat, twin-engine monoplane, whose fuselage was an all-metal, monocoque design. It was fitted with low, swept wing. The wing was made in three sections. The center section was integral with the fuselage, with massive girders bridging the body width, while the left and right panels extended to the tip of wing. The leading edge swept back from 58° to 70° over the inboard portion. Aside from the ailerons, the wing trailing edge had large-chord tracked slotted flaps in single sections inboard and outboard of the main landing gear. The wing had a static anhedral angle of -4°. The tail assembly horizontal stabilizer had a sweepback of 58°, while the vertical fin was large and had a leading edge sweep of 60°. Like the wing and tail movable surfaces, the fin rudder had thermal de-icing.
Specifications (Tu-128M)
Type: long-range interceptor and escort fighter.
Length: 30.49 m (100 feet)
Wing Span: 17.67 m (58 feet)
Wing Area: 96.94 m2 (1,043 square feet)
Height: 7 m (23 feet)
Power Plant: two Lyulka AL-7F-4 afterburning, turbojet engines, each one delivering 23,539-lb of thrust.
Maximum Speed: 2,085 km/h (1,296 mph)
Range: 2,565 km (1,594 miles), with allowances for combat.
Service Ceiling: 20,000 m (65,617 feet)
Armament: two R-4PM and two R-4TM air-to-air missiles
Crew: 2
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| Above, the Tu-128 armed with four air-to-air missiles. |
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| The prototype of the Fiddler in flight around 1961. |
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| The Tu-128 on the tarmac of an airbase in central Russia. |
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| The Tu-128M version |