Tupolev Tu-143
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The Tupolev Tu-143 Reys (Flight or Trip, Russian: Рейс) was a Soviet reconnaissance drone.
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[edit] History
[edit] Development
The Tu-143 was introduced in the early 1980s and strongly resembled the Tu-141, but was substantially scaled-down. It was a short-range tactical reconnaissance system and had a low-level flight capability. It was truck-launched with RATO booster, recovered by parachute, and powered by a TR3-117 turbojet with 590 kgf (5.8 kN, 267 lbf) thrust. The initial version carried film cameras, but later versions carried a TV or radiation detection payload, with data relayed to a ground station over a datalink.
The Tu-143 was used by Syria in reconnaissance missions over Israel, as well as by Soviet forces in Afghanistan.
[edit] M-143 variant
A target drone version, the M-143, was introduced in the mid-1980s.
[edit] Tu-243 variant
The Tu-143 was followed into service in the late 1980s by the similar but improved "Tu-243 Reys-D", with a 25 centimeter (10 inch) fuselage stretch, to provide greater fuel capacity and about twice the range; an uprated TR3-117 engine with 6.28 kN (640 kgf, 1,410 lbf) thrust; and improved low-altitude guidance.
[edit] Tu-300 variant
Since 1995, Tupolev has been promoting the further refined "Tu-300 Korshun", which resembles its predecessors but is fitted with a nose antenna dome and nose fairings for modern sensors and electronic systems. It also features a centerline pylon for a sensor pod or munition.
As with most Soviet-Russian UAVs, details of the Tu-300 are unclear. New information on Soviet and Russian aircraft has been slowly leaking West since the fall of the USSR, hopefully more data will come to light to clarify the certainly incomplete and probably muddled information now available.
[edit] Specifications
Tupolev TU-143 Reys:
- wingspan 2.24 m (7 ft 4 in)
- length 8.06 m (26 ft 5 in)
- height 1.54 m (5 ft 1 in)
- launch weight 1,230 kg (2,710 lb)
- maximum speed 950 km/h (590 mph, 515 knots)
- service ceiling 5,000 m (16,400 ft)
- range 200 km (125 mi, 110 nmi)
[edit] References
This article contains material that originally came from the web article Unmanned Aerial Vehicles by Greg Goebel, which exists in the Public Domain.
