Tupolev Tu-91

Tupolev · Soviet Union · first flew 1955 · light aircraft

The Tupolev Tu-91 'Boot' was a Soviet single turboprop-powered carrier-borne torpedo and strike aircraft designed in the early 1950s for the Soviet Navy's planned aircraft carriers. It was a sophisticated design but was cancelled when the Soviet carrier programme was abandoned after Stalin's death.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × turboprop, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	17.7 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Soviet carrier-based torpedo-strike aircraft prototype, 1955
Single turboprop with contra-rotating propellers
Folding wingtips designed for carrier stowage

Mid-wing monoplane with a large single turboprop engine and contra-rotating propellers, folding wingtips for carrier stowage, and a glazed navigator/bombardier nose; broadly comparable in concept to the British Westland Wyvern.

Specifications

The Tupolev Tu-91 has a length of 17.7 m (58 ft).
It has a wingspan of 16.4 m (54 ft).
Its maximum speed is 800 km/h (497 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Developed at Tupolev's design bureau between 1951 and 1955, the Tu-91 was intended to operate from large carriers that the Soviet Navy planned under Stalin. After Stalin's death in 1953 the carrier programme was suspended, and the Tu-91 prototype flew in 1955 without a future. NATO assigned it the reporting name 'Boot'. Only one prototype was completed.

Variants

Single prototype; torpedo-bomber and anti-submarine attack variants were studied but not built.

Where you'll see it

Never entered service; cancelled after a single prototype following the abandonment of the Soviet carrier programme.

Related aircraft

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