| R-21 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Turbojet |
| Manufacturer | Tumansky |
| First run | 1960 |
| Major applications | Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-8 |
| Developed from | Tumansky R-11 |
The Tumansky R-21 was a Soviet turbojet engine of the 1960s. Used for development only, the project was canceled.
The Tumansky R-21 was developed at Tushino motor plant (part of OKB-300), headed by Nikolai Georgievich Metskhvarishvili, as a twin-spool axial-flow afterburning turbojet. It was based on the Tumansky R-11 with the goal of increasing thrust and airflow, using a new six-stage compressor with a larger diameter and different rotor blades than its predecessor as well as a new afterburner chamber and variable exhaust nozzle. The increased pressure ratio and turbine inlet temperature required components to be fabricated from advanced alloys.[1] Several contemporary Soviet aircraft were planned to use the R-21, including the Sukhoi T-58, Sukhoi T-6 and the Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-8. On September 11, 1962 an R-21, fitted to a Ye-8, exploded in mid-air after compressor failure; test pilot Georgy Mosolov survived the ejection at Mach 1.78, but he never fully recovered.[2] Shortly afterward the Ye-8 program was cancelled along with R-21 development in favour of heavier fighter planes such as the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23, which required more powerful engines.