Four years of research. The result:
- in 1979 the beginning of the work on the heavily modernised Su-24BM Big Modernisation (new engines AL-31F, new longer centroplane for the internal weapons bay, new air intakes, stronger landing gear...) The project was approved by the VVS, full scale wooden mock-up was built and the initial preparation for the serial production begun in NAPO.
- 1980 - 1981 under the B-90 program the new perspective bombers are studied. Mikhail Simonov pressed the idea, that the new airplanes should be designed in TsAGI and then transferred to the OKBs for further development. TsAGI started to work on the new tactical bomber. It was the visual copy of the Sukhoi T-4MS, only smaller, with the two controversial solutions: double path jets from KB P. A. Kolosov and variable geometry wing that moved fully under the fuselage. It seems that the project was designated T-60 and in 1981 was transferred to OKB Sukhoi. The length of the aircraft was 40 meters.
- this eliminated the further works on the Su-24BM, strongly supported by the air force representatives. This made the conflict between Simonov and P. Kuthakov (strong supporter of Su-24BM). The radical action was made - Su-24BM received the fixed wing, two vertical tails and avionics developed for the T-60. The new aircraft was presented to the officials, but under the strong pressure from Simonov and Silayev the further work was stopped.
- after transfer of the T-60 to OKB Sukhoi, the project was completely reworked. Managed by Oleg Samoylovich the plane received the scheme of the double delta, internal weapons bay and two engines in the joint console on the upper side of the aft fuselage. Designation changed to T-60S (serial) and the plane was prepared for the manufacturing of the prototype. In may 1985 Simonov returned to OKB Sukhoi and forced Samoylovich to leave. He moved to the OKB MiG together with the group of other engineers and take the T-60S project with him. In the short time it was transferred to the MiG 7.01 MDP. The two versions were proposed: heavy range interceptor to replace MiG-31 and the tactical bomber.
- for the project of the tactical bomber in OKB Sukhoi there was made the new team, so they started once again from the beginning. They decided to use the already developed solutions from the previous projects. It seems, that the project received designation izdelije (object) 54. The airplane was the delta lifting body with the two vertical tails slanted inward, B-2 like centroplane, air intakes on the upper side of the fuselage, cockpit extended forward and once again variable geometry wing with the swept 28 - 65 degrees that in the maximal swept moved fully under the fuselage. The full scale mock-up of the half of the fuselage was made, in NAPO they built the new hall and started the preparations for the serial production. There are the rumours, that the aircraft was powered by the two Al-41F engines and that the flat 2D thrust vectoring nozzles, tested on the Su-27LL-UV (PS), were made for the izdelije 54. The construction of the prototype begun, but the project was by order of Sergey Yeltsin terminated in 1992. The prototype remained intact not far away from the completion (for example the engines were missing). The only official confirmation of its existence is from the Moscow aerosalon in 1993.
- because of the complications in the T-60/T-60S/izdelije 54 development, the interesting things happened with the T-10V/Su-27IB project. Originally it was ground attack aircraft, developed from the Su-27 two seater and approved in 1986, but as the project progressed, it took many solutions and technologies from the T-60S/izdelije 54. Namely all the studies of the cockpit and the front fuselage from T-60S were used also on the T-10V. The same happened with the Leninets B004 Predator radar and the result was, that there was the plane, that was able to do a lot of things that were planned for the izdelije 54, but because it was derived from existing Su-27 family, it was much cheaper and ready for production. Now it is in service and we know it as the Su-34.
Full article with the possible English (and other languages) machine translation here: http://www.hitechweb.genezis.eu/futurebombers2.htm
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