Tupolev Tu-119
| Tu-95LAL | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| The Tu-95LAL test aircraft. The bulge in the fuselage aft of the wing covers the reactor. | |
| Role | Experimental nuclear aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Tupolev |
| First flight | 1961 |
| Number built | 1 |
| Developed from | Tupolev Tu-95 |
The Tupolev Tu-95LAL, (Russian: Летающая Атомная Лаборатория – Letayushchaya Atomnaya Laboratoriya – literally: flying atomic laboratory), was an experimental aircraft that was a modified Tupolev Tu-95 Soviet bomber aircraft, which flew from 1961 to 1965, analogous to the United States' earlier Convair NB-36H Crusader. It was intended to see whether a nuclear reactor could be used to power an aircraft, primarily testing airborne operation of a reactor and shielding for components and crew.
During the Cold War the USSR had an experimental nuclear aircraft program, like the USA. Without the need to refuel, a nuclear-powered aircraft would have greatly extended range compared to conventional designs.
On 12 August 1955 the Council of Ministers of the USSR issued a directive ordering bomber-related design bureaus to join forces in researching nuclear aircraft. The design bureaus of Andrei Tupolev and Vladimir Myasishchev became the chief design teams, while N. D. Kuznetsov and A. M. Lyulka were assigned to develop the engines. They chose to focus on the direct-cycle system from the start, testing ramjets, jet engines and even turboprops.
The Tupolev bureau, knowing the complexity of the task assigned to them, estimated that it would be two decades before the program could produce a working prototype. They assumed that the first operational nuclear-assisted airplane could take to the air in the late 1970s or early 1980s. In order to gain experience with the operational problems, they proposed building a flying testbed as soon as possible, mounting a small reactor in a Tupolev Tu-95M to create the Tu-95LAL.
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