Roscosmos Becomes Owner of Tu-204 with Non-Standard Wing
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Roscosmos Becomes Owner of Tu-204 with Non-Standard Wing

The state corporation Roscosmos has expanded its aircraft fleet. A division of the Cosmonaut Training Center has received aircraft Tu-204-100V with registration number RA-64053.


The liner has already become the third representative of the Tupolev family at the corporation's disposal. The main purpose of the machine will be the transportation of employees, as well as members of the State Commissions participating in the implementation of the space programs of the Russian Federation.

This particular example stands out for its improved aerodynamic characteristics. First of all, the latter are improved by an unusual wing with a supercritical profile. Despite the ambiguous meaning of the name, in the context of aircraft design it means "ultimate".

Roscosmos Becomes Owner of Tu-204 with Non-Standard WingTu-204-100V for Roscosmos received a supercritical profile wing. Photo: YouTube.com

Unlike the traditional laminar profile, the supercritical one has a flatter upper surface. The lower one, in turn, is curved and vaguely resembles the letter "S". This format reduces the intensity of compression shocks (shock waves from air flows). In addition, it provides greater stability in horizontal flights, even without active use of the tail unit.

The driving force of the transferred Tu-204-100V is the Perm turbojet engines PS-90A. Their main characteristics are as follows:

✅ takeoff and cruise thrust – 16 thousand and 3,5 thousand kgf
✅ specific fuel consumption – 0,6 kg/kgf*h
✅ flight altitude – up to 13 km
✅ dry weight – 2,9 tons

The configuration allows for the transportation of up to 94 passengers, and the flight range can reach 6,2 thousand km. A modern digital control system is installed on board, which increases the accuracy of piloting and reduces the workload of the crew.

This is what the PS-90A engine looks like in section. Photo: YouTube.com

Roscosmos currently operates two more Tu-204 aircraft. The first of them was accepted into service in 2019. Both aircraft are used to transport personnel and equipment to the Baikonur and Vostochny cosmodromes.

The RA-64053 aircraft was laid down at the Aviastar-SP plant and subsequently converted into the 300-100 modification for the special flight detachment "Russia". The aircraft only received a fitness mark and was not transferred to the SLO due to the lack of certification.

The airliner was later returned to its original 100B configuration. The first flight of the aircraft took place in 2016. Until recently, the aircraft was operated by Red Wings Airlines.
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