Stealing the Superfortress

[SlingShot]

Amazing story of how the Soviets reverse engineered the B-29, part for part, and produced the TU-4. A precise copy.

 

[Mikey-101234]

not a precise copy, as in, not same guns used for defensive armament, but same placement.

 

[quorneng]

The really nice element of this story is how at the 1947 Moscow air display (and in front of western observers) the Russians first flew a single TU4 down the display line so that it would be assumed it was one of the three B29s they had 'stolen'. It was then followed by three more in formation thus clearly demonstrating they had actually made some. This was a considerable publicity coup as it demonstrated they had the potential for 'strategic' bombing which the Americans assumed only they had.

 

[cyclone3350]

I heard that Stalin orders was to copy it exactly without any deviations what so ever. The legend behind this story is, that there were a couple of patches on the the fuse from bullet holes and the production TU-4 had those patches. Does anyone know if that was true?

 

[Piotrsko]

Yup, they thought the wing patches were a airfoil mod so even later production models had them installed, verification with recon pictures by interceptors.

And in some soviet boneyard are examples with the patches still in place. Must be true, I saw it on the internet.

 

[cyclone3350]

Yup, they thought the wing patches were a airfoil mod so even later production models had them installed, verification with recon pictures by interceptors.

And in some soviet boneyard are examples with the patches still in place. Must be true, I saw it on the internet.

Thanks.