The Kuznetsov Design Bureau (russian: СНТК им. Н. Д. Кузнецова, also known as OKB-276) was a Russian

design bureau OKB is a transliteration of the Russian initials of "" – , meaning 'experiment and design bureau'. During the Soviet era, OKBs were closed institutions working on design and prototyping of advanced technology, usually for military applications ...

for

aircraft engine An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbines, although a few have been rocket powered and in recent years ma ...

s, administrated in Soviet times by Nikolai Dmitriyevich Kuznetsov. It was also known as (G)NPO Trud (or NPO Kuznetsov) and Kuybyshev Engine Design Bureau (KKBM). NPO Trud was replaced in 1994 by a Joint Stock Company (JSC), Kuznetsov R & E C.Shahab-5/IRSL-X-3, KOSAR/IRIS
/ref> By the early 2000s the lack of funding caused by the poor economic situation in Russia had brought Kuznetsov on the verge of bankruptcy. In 2009 the Russian government decided to consolidate a number of engine-making companies in the Samara region under a new legal entity. This was named JSC Kuznetsov, after the design bureau.

Products

The Kuznetzov Bureau first became notable for producing the monstrous Kuznetsov NK-12

turboprop engine A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake an ...

that powered the

Tupolev Tu-95 The Tupolev Tu-95 (russian: Туполев Ту-95; NATO reporting name: "Bear") is a large, four-engine turboprop-powered strategic bomber and missile platform. First flown in 1952, the Tu-95 entered service with the Long-Range Aviation of t ...

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped ...

beginning in 1952 as a development of the Junkers 0022 engine. The new engine eventually generated about 15,000

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are th ...

(11.2

megawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after Jame ...

s) and it was also used in the large Antonov An-22

Soviet Air Force The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...

transport. Kuznetsov also produced the Kuznetsov NK-8 turbofan engine in the class that powered the

Ilyushin Il-62 The Ilyushin Il-62 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-62; NATO reporting name: Classic) is a Soviet long-range narrow-body jetliner conceived in 1960 by Ilyushin. As successor to the popular turboprop Il-18 and with capacity for almost 200 ...

and

Tupolev Tu-154 The Tupolev Tu-154 (russian: Tyполев Ту-154; NATO reporting name: "Careless") is a three-engined, medium-range, narrow-body airliner designed in the mid-1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. A workhorse of Soviet and (subsequently) Rus ...

airliner An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ...

s. This engine was next upgraded to become the about Kuznetsov NK-86 engine that powered the Ilyushin Il-86 aircraft. This Bureau also produced the Kuznetsov NK-144 afterburning turbofan engine. This engine powered the early models of the Tupolev Tu-144 SST. The Kuznetsov Design Bureau also produced the

Kuznetsov NK-87 The Kuznetsov NK-87 is a low-bypass turbofan engine rated at 127.5 kN (28,700 lbf) thrust. It powers the Lun-class ekranoplan. It is made by the soviet Kuznetsov Design Bureau (now JSC Kuznetsov). Applications * Lun-class ekranoplan * Spasatel ...

turbofan engine that was used on the

Lun-class ekranoplan The ''Lun''-class ekranoplan (also called Project 903) is the only ground effect vehicle (GEV) to ever be operationally deployed as a warship. designed by Rostislav Alexeyev in 1975 and used by the Soviet and Russian navies from 1987 until ...

. (Only one such aircraft has ever been produced.) Kuznetsov's most powerful aviation engine is the

Kuznetsov NK-321 The Kuznetsov NK-32 is an afterburning three-spool low bypass turbofan jet engine which powers the Tupolev Tu-160 supersonic bomber, and was fitted to the later model Tupolev Tu-144LL supersonic transport. It produces of thrust in afterburne ...

that propels the

Tupolev Tu-160 The Tupolev Tu-160 (russian: Туполев Ту-160 Белый лебедь, translit=Belyj Lebeď, translation= White Swan; NATO reporting name: Blackjack) is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber designed by the Tupole ...

bomber and was formerly used in the later models of the Tu-144

supersonic transport A supersonic transport (SST) or a supersonic airliner is a civilian supersonic aircraft designed to transport passengers at speeds greater than the speed of sound. To date, the only SSTs to see regular service have been Concorde and the Tupo ...

(an SST that is now obsolete and no longer flown). The NK-321 produced a maximum of about of thrust.

Aircraft engines

The Kuznetzov Bureau first became notable for producing the monstrous Kuznetsov NK-12 turboprop engine that powered the Tupolev Tu-95 bomber beginning in 1952 as a development of the Junkers 0022 engine. The new engine eventually generated about 15,000 horsepower (11.2 megawatts) and it was also used in the large Antonov An-22 Soviet Air Force transport. Kuznetsov also produced the Kuznetsov NK-8 turbofan engine in the 20,000-pound-thrust (90 kilonewton-thrust) class that powered the Ilyushin Il-62 and Tupolev Tu-154 airliners. This engine was next upgraded to become the about 28,000-pound (125-kilonewton) Kuznetsov NK-86 engine that powered the Ilyushin Il-86 aircraft. This Bureau also produced the Kuznetsov NK-144 afterburning turbofan engine. This engine powered the early models of the Tupolev Tu-144 SST. The Kuznetsov Design Bureau also produced the Kuznetsov NK-87 turbofan engine that was used on the Lun-class ekranoplan. (Only one such aircraft has ever been produced.) Kuznetsov's most powerful aviation engine is the Kuznetsov NK-321 that propels the Tupolev Tu-160 bomber and was formerly used in the later models of the Tu-144 supersonic transport (an SST that is now obsolete and no longer flown). The NK-321 produced a maximum of about 55,000-pounds (245 kilonewtons) of thrust. Kuznetsov aircraft engines include: * RD-12 turbojet. * RD-14 turbojet. * RD-20 turboprop. BMW 003; powered the MiG-9. * TV-022 turboprop. Reproduction of the Junkers Jumo 022. * TV-2 turboprop. Improved version of TV-022. * NK-4

turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. ...

. Powered the early

Antonov An-10 The Antonov An-10 Ukraina ( ua, Антонов Ан-10 Україна, , Ukraine; NATO reporting name: Cat) is a four-engined turboprop passenger transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Design and development Development of a four-e ...

and

Ilyushin Il-18 The Ilyushin Il-18 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-18; NATO reporting name: Coot) is a large turboprop airliner that first flew in 1957 and became one of the best known and most durable Soviet aircraft of its era. The Il-18 was one of the wor ...

. * NK-6 afterburning

turbofan The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the ''turbo'' portion refers to a gas turbine engine which achieves mechanical ...

. Tested on the Tupolev Tu-95LL and was considered for the

Tupolev Tu-22 The Tupolev Tu-22 ( NATO reporting name: Blinder) was the first supersonic bomber to enter production in the Soviet Union. Manufactured by Tupolev, the Tu-22 entered service with the Soviet military in the 1960s. The aircraft was a disappoint ...

and Tupolev Tu-123, but this never happened. * NK-8

. Powers the original

, A-90 Orlyonok

ekranoplan A ground-effect vehicle (GEV), also called a wing-in-ground-effect (WIG), ground-effect craft, wingship, flarecraft or ekranoplan (russian: экранопла́н – "screenglider"), is a vehicle that is able to move over the surface by gainin ...

and the

A and B models. *

NK-12 The Kuznetsov NK-12 is a Soviet turboprop engine of the 1950s, designed by the Kuznetsov design bureau. The NK-12 drives two large four-bladed contra-rotating propellers, diameter (NK-12MA), and diameter (NK-12MV). It is the most powerful tu ...

contra rotating

. Powers all the versions of the

, Tupolev Tu-114, Tupolev Tu-126, Antonov An-22 and the A-90 Orlyonok ekranoplan. Initially designated as TV-12, but renamed to NK-12 in honor of company founder Nikolai Kuznetsov. * NK-14 nuclear-powered engine. Powered the inboard engine of the prototype Tupolev Tu-119 nuclear-powered aircraft; a modified version of the Tupolev Tu-95. * NK-16

. Was to power the

Tupolev Tu-96 The Tupolev Tu-95 (russian: Туполев Ту-95; NATO reporting name: "Bear") is a large, four-engine turboprop-powered strategic bomber and missile platform. First flown in 1952, the Tu-95 entered service with the Long-Range Aviation of the ...

. * NK-22 afterburning

. Powered the

Tupolev Tu-22M The Tupolev Tu-22M (russian: Туполев Ту-22М; NATO reporting name: Backfire) is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Tupolev Design Bureau in the 1960s. According to so ...

0, M1 and M2. * NK-25 afterburning

. Powers the

3. * NK-26

. Intended for ekranoplans. * NK-32 afterburning

. Powers the

and the later models of the Tupolev Tu-144. : NK-321 (136 kN cruise 245 kN , NK321M 280 to 300/350 kN ,max 386) : NK-32-02 for

An-124 The Antonov An-124 Ruslan (; russian: Антонов Ан-124 Руслан, , Ruslan; NATO reporting name: Condor) is a large, strategic airlift, four-engined aircraft that was designed in the 1980s by the Antonov design bureau in the Ukra ...

Tu-160 The Tupolev Tu-160 (russian: Туполев Ту-160 Белый лебедь, translit=Belyj Lebeď, translation= White Swan; NATO reporting name: Blackjack) is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber designed by the Tupolev ...

and PAK DA ** Kuznetsov PD-30 , a geared high-bypass turbofan variant for the

transport or airliners, derived from the NK-32 300 kN (max 328/350) * NK-34 projectural

turbojet The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, ...

. Intended for seaplanes. * NK-44

. 400 kN (max up to 450 kN) * NK-46

. Cryogenic design intended to power the Tupolev Tu-306 (a 450-seat derivative of the Tu-304). * NK-56

. Was to power the Ilyushin Il-96, but was cancelled in favor of the Aviadvigatel PS-90. * NK-62

propfan A propfan, also called an open rotor engine, or unducted fan (as opposed to a ducted fan), is a type of aircraft engine related in concept to both the turboprop and turbofan, but distinct from both. The design is intended to offer the speed an ...

. Sporting

contra-rotating propellers Aircraft equipped with contra-rotating propellers, also referred to as CRP, coaxial contra-rotating propellers, or high-speed propellers, apply the maximum power of usually a single piston engine, piston or turboprop engine to drive a pair of ...

(four blades per propeller) of in diameter, the engine had a thrust of and a thrust-specific fuel consumption (TSFC) of at

takeoff Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle leaves the ground and becomes airborne. For aircraft traveling vertically, this is known as liftoff. For aircraft that take off horizontally, this usually involves starting with a ...

. The NK-62 was the most powerful turboprop or

ever built, though it never entered service. Tested from 1982 to 1990, the engine was designed for a

cruise A cruise is any travel on a cruise ship. Cruise or Cruises may also refer to: Tourism * Booze cruise * Music cruise * River cruise Aeronautics and aircraft * Cruise (aeronautics), a distinct stage of an aircraft's flight * Aviasouz Cruise, a R ...

speed of Mach 0.75 at an altitude of . Cruise thrust was , and cruise TSFC was . The NK-62 was briefly considered for early designs of the Antonov An-70 and for a re-engine of the Antonov An-124. * NK-62M

. Developed in 1985–1987, this was an uprated thrust version of the NK-62, with of emergency thrust available. Its TSFC was during takeoff and during cruise. The engine was proposed for use on the Myasishchev M-90 giant detachable aircraft. * NK-63

. Ducted propfan based on the NK-32. * NK-64

. 350 kN intended for Tu-204 * NK-65

. Intended for PAK DA * NK-74 270 kN engine for a modified Tu-160 for extended range * NK-86

. Upgraded version of the NK-8, powers the Ilyushin Il-86. *

NK-87 The Kuznetsov NK-87 is a low-bypass turbofan engine rated at 127.5 kN (28,700 lbf) thrust. It powers the Lun-class ekranoplan. It is made by the soviet Kuznetsov Design Bureau (now JSC Kuznetsov). Applications * Lun-class ekranoplan * Spasatel ...

. Based on the NK-86, powers the

. * NK-88 experimental

. Powers the Tupolev Tu-155 hydrogen and

LNG Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the vol ...

powered aircraft. * NK-89 experimental

. Was to power the unbuilt

Tupolev Tu-156 The Tupolev Tu-155 is a modified Tupolev Tu-154 (СССР-85035) which was used as an alternative fuel testbed, and was the world's first experimental aircraft operating on hydrogen and later liquid natural gas. The similar Tu-156 was never bu ...

. * NK-92

(modified to NK-93 further on). 220 to < 350 kN * NK-93

. Ducted, geared propfan intended for the Ilyushin Il-96,

Tupolev Tu-204 The Tupolev Tu-204 (russian: Туполев Ту-204) is a Twinjet, twin-engined medium-Range (aircraft), range Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body jet airliner capable of carrying 210 passengers, designed by Tupolev and produced by Aviastar-SP a ...

and Tupolev Tu-330. * NK-94

Cryogenic In physics, cryogenics is the production and behaviour of materials at very low temperatures. The 13th IIR International Congress of Refrigeration (held in Washington DC in 1971) endorsed a universal definition of “cryogenics” and “cr ...

liquefied natural gas Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the v ...

(LNG) version of the NK-93. Proposed for the 160-seat

M2, Tu-214, and Tu-338. * NK-104 * NK-105A * NK-108

. Like the NK-110, except in tractor instead of pusher configuration. * NK-110

. Like the NK-62, this engine had four-bladed contra-rotating propellers of in diameter, and it supported a cruise speed of Mach 0.75 at altitude. The NK-110 had a takeoff thrust of and TSFC of . In cruise it provided thrust with a TSFC of . The engine was tested in December 1988 but was never certified because of funding problems. Intended for the

Tupolev Tu-404 The Tupolev Tu-404 was a wide-body superjumbo blended wing jet airliner proposed by Russian aerospace company Tupolev. Development Work on the Tu-404 was initiated in 1991 in parallel with another widebody design, the Tupolev Tu-304. The ...

. * NK-112

. Cryogenic design intended to power the twin-engine Tupolev Tu-336 (a 120-seat stretched derivative of the Tu-334). * NK-114

. Derived from the NK-93. * NK-144 afterburning

. Powered the early models of the Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic transport. * NK-256 projectual engine with take-off thrust up to 200-220 kN * NK-301

Industrial gas turbines

Kuznetsov industrial gas turbines include: * NK-12ST. Derivative of the

turboprop. Serial production started in 1974. The engine is designed for gas pipelines. * NK-14ST. (8 MW) 32 percent efficiency, pressure ratio of 9.5, turbine inlet temperature of , exhaust gas flow rate of , fuel gas consumption of , and weight of . * NK-16ST. Derivative of the NK-8 turbofan. Serial production started in 1982. Used in gas compressor stations. * NK-17ST/ NK-18ST. Uprated versions of the NK-16ST gas turbine. * NK-36ST. (25 MW) Derivative of the NK-32 turbofan. Development tests conducted in 1990. * NK-37. (25 MW) Modification of the NK-36ST gas turbine. Designed for electric powerplants with a steam-gas plant. 36.4 percent efficiency, pressure ratio of 23.12, turbine inlet temperature of , exhaust gas flow rate of , fuel gas consumption of , and weight of . * NK-38ST. (16 MW) Derivative of the NK-93 propfan. Development tests conducted in 1995. Serial production started in 1998. * NK-39. (16 MW) Modification of the NK-38ST gas turbine. Designed for electric powerplants with a steam-gas plant. 38 percent efficiency, pressure ratio of 25.9, turbine inlet temperature of , exhaust gas flow rate of , fuel gas consumption of , and weight of .

Rocket engines

In 1959, Sergey Korolev ordered a new design of

rocket engine A rocket engine uses stored rocket propellants as the reaction mass for forming a high-speed propulsive Jet (fluid), jet of fluid, usually high-temperature gas. Rocket engines are reaction engines, producing thrust by ejecting mass rearward, i ...

from the Kuznetzov Bureau for the Global Rocket 1 (GR-1) Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS)

intercontinental ballistic missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons ...

(ICBM), which was developed but never deployed. The result was the NK-9, one of the first staged-combustion cycle rocket engines. The design was developed by Kuznetsov into the NK-15 and NK-33 engines in the 1960s, and claimed them to be the highest-performance rocket engines ever built, which were to propel the N1 lunar rocket—one that was never successfully launched.Lindroos, Marcus
THE SOVIET MANNED LUNAR PROGRAM
'' MIT''. Accessed: 4 October 2011. As of 2011, the aging NK-33 remains the most efficient (in terms of thrust-to-mass ratio) LOX/Kerosene rocket engine ever created. The

Orbital Sciences Orbital Sciences Corporation (commonly referred to as Orbital) was an American company specializing in the design, manufacture, and launch of small- and medium- class space and launch vehicle systems for commercial, military and other governmen ...

Antares light-to-medium-lift launcher has two modified NK-33 in its first stage, a

solid Solid is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being liquid, gas, and plasma). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together and contain the least amount of kinetic energy. A solid is characterized by structura ...

second stage and a hypergolic orbit stage. The NK-33s are first imported from Russia to the United States and then modified into Aerojet AJ26s, which involves removing some harnessing, adding U.S. electronics, qualifying it for U.S. propellants, and modifying the steering system. The Antares rocket was successfully launched from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on April 21, 2013. This marked the first successful launch of the NK-33 heritage engines built in early 1970s. Kuznetsov rocket engines include: *Kuznetsov oxygen-rich stage-combustion RP1/LOX rocket engine family. Including NK-9, NK-15, NK-19, NK-21, NK-33, NK-39, NK-43. The original version was designed to power an ICBM. In the 1970s some improved versions were built for the ill-fated Soviet Lunar mission. More than 150 NK-33 engines were produced and stored in a warehouse ever since, with 36 engines having been sold to Aerojet general in the 1990s. Two NK-33 derived engines (Aerojet AJ-26) are used in the first stage of the Antares rocket developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation. The Antares rocket was successfully launched from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on April 21, 2013. This marked the first successful launch of the NK-33 heritage engines built in the early 1970s. TsSKB-Progress also uses the stockpile NK-33 as the first-stage engine of the lightweight version of the Soyuz rocket family, the Soyuz-2-1v. * RD-107A rocket engine. Powers the boosters of the R-7 family including the Soyuz-FG and Soyuz-2. * RD-108A rocket engine. Powers the core stage of the R-7 family including the Soyuz-FG and Soyuz-2.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{Kuznetsov aeroengines Aircraft engine manufacturers of Russia Aircraft engine manufacturers of the Soviet Union Gas turbine manufacturers Marine engine manufacturers Space industry companies of Russia Rocket engine manufacturers of Russia Companies based in Samara, Russia Engine manufacturers of Russia Design bureaus