Top speed 1,100 km/h Length 14 m | Wingspan 3.88 m First flight 1974 | |
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Similar Tupolev Tu 123, Tupolev Tu 143, Tupolev Tu 1 | ||
The Tupolev Tu-141 Strizh (Swift, Russian: Стриж) was a Soviet reconnaissance drone in service with the Soviet Red Army and with a number of its Warsaw Pact and Middle East allies during the late 1970s and 1980s.
Contents
Development
The Tu-141 was a follow-on to the Tupolev Tu-123 and was a relatively large, medium-range reconnaissance drone. It was designed to undertake reconnaissance mission at a depth of several hundred kilometers from the front lines at transonic speeds. It could carry a range of payloads, including film cameras, infrared imagers, EO imagers, and imaging radar.
As with previous Tupolev designs, it had a dart-like rear-mounted delta wing, forward-mounted canards, and a KR-17A turbojet engine mounted above the tail. It was launched from a trailer using a solid-propellant booster, and it landed with the aid of a tail-mounted parachute.
The Tu-141 was in Soviet service from 1979–1989, mostly on the western borders of the Soviet Union.
Combat Usage
The TU-141 was pressed back into service by the Ukrainian Air Force for the War in Donbass. Unverified reports from the separatist forces claim to have shot down one unit operated by the Ukrainian Air Force.
Specifications
Data from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Directory: Part 2
General characteristics
Performance
