Tupolev Tu-80: Soviet Ultrafortress

WalletWorrier · March 29, 2025, 11:55pm

A brief preface
Hello and welcome to Heavy Bomber March suggestion #1! This month I’m cranking out suggestions for heavy bombers, starting with Soviet equivalents of already suggested American bombers. Starting out, the Soviet counterpart to the B-50D!

Overview
The Tupolev Tu-80 was an upgraded model of the Tu-4 developed in response to the American B-36. Featuring improved aerodynamics, more powerful engines, and a pressurized cockpit, its range was still insufficient and only a single prototype was produced before development continued on the improved Tu-85.

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History

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The Tu-4
The story of the Tu-85 begins with the Tu-4, or rather, the B-29. The B-29 was an American heavy bomber entering service in 1944. At the time, it was the most powerful, advanced, and expensive bomber in the world. It far outclassed the Pe-8 that the Soviets operated. Naturally, the Soviets were very interested in getting their hands on the B-29, but were twice refused by the US- even before the end of the war, there was a growing rift between the western Allies and Soviets. However, the Soviets would soon have B-29s literally landing in their lap.
B-29s conducting operations against Japan would occasionally take damage and be forced to land in the Soviet Union instead of turning back to American airfields. Four such instances occurred, with a fifth B-29 crashing in Soviet territory. At the time the Soviets were neutral in the pacific war, so the four intact B-29s were interned. One would be returned to the US, one dismantled, one used for flight testing, and the last left intact for reference as the Soviets began construction of a reverse-engineered copy of the aircraft, the Tu-4. Because of how advanced the B-29 was, the Tu-4 was to copy it as exactly as possible- famously with initial batches being pre-built with bullet hole patches and requiring special authorization to use Soviet parachutes instead of copying American ones.
The Tu-4 was revealed at the 1947 Tushino Airshow, where a trio of Tu-4s were flow in formation, presumed by western observers to be the captured B-29s. These three aircraft were shortly followed by a fourth, revealing the Soviets were building their own B-29s. I just gotta say, what a power move.

The Tu-80
While the Tu-4 was one of the best bomber ls in the world at the time it simply wasn’t enough. American bases in Europe and Asia could be targeted by the Tu-4 but the mainland US itself was solidly out of range. Meanwhile, American B-29s could strike anywhere in the Soviet Union from airbases in Europe or Japan, and the new B-36 could even do so from bases in the continental US.
So in February 1948 work began on an improved long-range development of the Tu-4, or more accurately the pressurized Tu-70 prototype transport aircraft based on the Tu-4. This new aircraft would be designated the Tu-80. It featured a redesigned, more aerodynamic fuselage with the aforementioned pressurized interior, a longer, more aerodynamic wing, and more powerful and fuel efficient ASh-73TKFN engines. Jet propulsion was considered early on, but the idea was quickly abandoned due to the poor fuel efficiency of available jets. The first prototype was completed in July 1949.

Cancellation and Testing
Even before the completion of the Tu-80 prototype, it was clear that its performance would be insufficient. Despite its many improvements, it was still limited by the ASh-73TKFN engines. They were more powerful than the ASh-73TK of the Tu-4, but not nearly as powerful as the ASh-2TKs the Tu-80 was originally intended to use. Maximum range was estimated to be around 8,000km- a 33% increase over the maximum range of the Tu-4. This meant that technically the US was within range of the Tu-80, but only for a one-way mission with the crew bailing out over the Atlantic and being recovered via submarine.
In September 1949, work on the Tu-80 was cancelled and development of an upgraded version, the Tu-85, began. The Tu-80 nonetheless made its first flight on December 1st 1949, flight testing being used to help refine the design of the Tu-85. The Tu-80 prototype would end its life as a bombing target.

Specifications

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Airframe
Length: 34.37m
Span: 43.58m
Height: 8.91m
Wing Area: 173.1m^2
Empty Weight: 41,030kg
Loaded Weight: 51,500kg
MTOW: 67,200kg
Crew: 11

Propulsion
4x ASh-73TKFN 18-cylinder radial engine
2,650hp each
10,600hp total
Max HP/weight: 0.258

Flight Performance
Max speed (10,500m): 598km/h
Ceiling: 11,180m
Time to 5km: 22.5min (3.7m/s average climb rate)
Time to 10km: 42.5min (3.9m/s average climb rate)
Unfortunately, further performance data isn’t available

Armament
Defensive:
5x2 NR-23 remote-controlled twin turrets
2x retractable dorsal turrets, 2x retractable ventral turrets, 1x tail turret
Ammunition count likely identical to Tu-4

Offensive:
Up to 12,000kg of bombs
250, 500, 1000, 2000kg, or 9,000kg bombs, potentially other large bombs as well (FAB-5000, FAB-3000, BrAB-6000, as examples)

Avionics
“Rubidium” radar bombing system

The Tu-80 in-game

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The Tu-80 would be a direct, albeit rather minor upgrade to the Tu-4, flying faster, higher, and with heavier payload. It roughly corresponds to the American B-50D, with a heavier payload and defensive armament but lower flight performance

Gallery

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