The Tupolev Tu-330 was a proposed Russian medium-size
transport aircraft Transport aircraft is a broad category of aircraft that includes:
* Airliners, aircraft, usually large and most often operated by airlines, intended for carrying multiple passengers or cargo in commercial service
* Cargo aircraft or freighters, fix ...
developed by
Tupolev
Tupolev (russian: Ту́полев, ), officially Joint Stock Company Tupolev, is a Russian aerospace and defence company headquartered in Basmanny District, Moscow.
Tupolev is successor to the Soviet Tupolev Design Bureau (OKB-156, design off ...
since the early 1990s. The project was stopped around 2000s due to lack of funding and difficult economic situation of the
Russian aircraft industry at the time.
Design
The Tu-330 was to have a swept high-mounted wing design with two
high-bypass ratio
PS-90A
The Aviadvigatel PS-90 is a Russian high-bypass commercial turbofan rated at 16000 kgf (157 kN, 35,300 lbf) thrust. It powers Russian airliners such as the Ilyushin Il-96 and the Tupolev Tu-204/Tu-214 series and transport aircraft such as t ...
engines mounted below the wings. An optional powerplant system has also been proposed, using
NK-93 engines that can operate on
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 volu ...
(liquefied natural gas) fuel. The aircraft was also designed for commonality with the
Tu-204/Tu-214 civilian airliner series, in order to simplify production and minimize costs of manufacturing, maintenance and parts.
Variants
In addition to Tu-330, the following variants were proposed:
;Tu-330: Basic civilian cargo variant.
;Tu-330PS:
Search and rescue
Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
variant.
;Tu-330P:
Firefighting
Firefighting is the act of extinguishing or preventing the spread of unwanted fires from threatening human lives and destroying property and the environment. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter.
Firefighters typically ...
variant.
;Tu-330RL: A variant designed for long-range reconnaissance flights.
;Tu-330R: Communication relay aircraft.
;Tu-330VT: Strategic/Tactical
airlifter
A military transport aircraft, military cargo aircraft or airlifter is a military-owned transport aircraft used to support military operations by airlifting troops and military equipment. Transport aircraft are crucial to maintaining supply l ...
.
;Tu-330SE: Sanitary and evacuation aircraft.
;Tu-330TZ:
Aerial refueling
Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...
tanker.
;Tu-330K (Tu-338): A proposed liquid natural gas-fuelled variant with a
Samara NK-94 engine.
Specifications
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
External links
Information on the Tu-330, from Tupolev* http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/tu-330.htm
{{Tupolev aircraft
Proposed aircraft of Russia
Tu-0330
Tu-0330
Tu-0330