As the world emerged from the brutal
onslaught of World War 2, it began its steep descent into the dreadful pits of the
Cold War. Across each side of the Iron curtain, military factions raced to produce the ultimate
strategic bomber, a massive long-range aircraft capable of piercing all enemy defenses
to deliver immense amounts of unspeakable nuclear devastation right into the hearts of their
opponent’s largest cities and population centers. With the Convair B-58 Hustler becoming the first
operational Mach 2 capable strategic bomber, the US appeared to have won the upper hand. Nevertheless, the Soviets were
devising their unique response, an aircraft so massive and fast that it could
eradicate New York City before being detected. With a ghastly flying-wing configuration and
powered by six turbojet VK-15М engines, the DSB-LK Dark Star strategic bomber was designed to pierce
into the United States at speeds above Mach 2.8, outclassing every American
interceptor in active service. The Dark Star’s ominous design seemed to come
straight out of a sci-fi movie. It also presented the United States and its allies with a very
real threat, that of nuclear annihilation… Interceptors During the 1950s and 1960s, the military aviation
industry was focused on producing faster aircraft. Most air defense systems were
based on radar detection, followed by the launch of interceptor
aircraft capable of catching the enemies and taking them out of the sky
before they could deal any damage. Emerging strategic bomber designs
sought to eliminate the enemy’s capacity to defend itself by being
so fast that by the time the radars detected it and sent an interceptor,
the aircraft would be already gone. As the Soviet Union and the US did everything in
their power to manufacture the fastest supersonic bombers, they had to simultaneously
build increasingly faster interceptors that could catch the enemy’s supersonic
strategic bombers in case of an attack. Speed was the name of the game; it was both
the mechanism through which bombers were meant to surpass enemy defenses and also the means
to defend a nation against that very threat. Developed during the 1950s for
the United States Air Force, the futuristic Convair B-58 Hustler
seemed to achieve a decisive victory. The aircraft was the first operational
nuclear-capable bomber to reach speeds above Mach 2, giving it the ability to outrun the fastest
Soviet interceptor at the time, the MiG-21. But just as the Hustler performed
its maiden flight in 1960, the Soviets had begun early research
on an utterly earth-shattering project: a massive strategic bomber that would be
able to reach speeds surpassing Mach 4. Such a feat of engineering would immediately give
the Soviet Union total supremacy in the skies. The Dark Star In 1957, the Leningrad Red Banner
Air Force Engineering Academy began designing what they envisioned as
the strategic bomber of the future. The orders came directly from
the Air Force General Staff, and the program was led by renowned aeronautical
engineer Aleksandr Sergeyevich Moskaliov. The project was named Dalniy Strategicheskiy
Bombardirovshchik – Letayushcheye Krylo or DSB-LK, which translates to Long Range
Strategic Bomber – Flying Wing. The engineering team theorized a series
of aeronautical configurations that would allow a massive strategic bomber to deliver over 40 tons of nuclear payloads at
speeds ranging from Mach 2 to 4. Flight models projected that a
propulsion system powered by 6, 8, or 10 turbojet engines could provide
flying speeds up to Mach 2 to 3.8. Even so, Moskaliov considered the possibility
of using a mixed configuration of ramjet engines that could theoretically push the
strategic bomber at speeds over Mach 4. With additional experimentation, speeds of up
to Mach 5 could be attained, and Moskaliov did not rule out the possibility of designing the
first hypersonic strategic bomber on Earth. The layout was ages ahead of its time, and
the early design occurred in parallel to the American Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, which
would eventually achieve Mach 3 speeds. To meet such ambitious expectations, the team led
by Moskaliov developed several specific layout diagrams for the aircraft’s fuselage, ranging
from conventional, “tailless,” “flying wing,” “duck” wing configurations as well as swept,
sickle-shaped wings and triangular, rectangular, trapezoidal wing designs. Each proposal was
more futuristic and unique than the last. In the end, they decided to go with a
flying wing configuration in which most of the fuselage would be part of
the wings structure, reducing drag significantly and further increasing
the speed projections of the aircraft. The airframe design was as long as
a football field from nose to tail, and with a 121-foot wingspan that would
have made it the largest flying wing on Earth and the most massive
bomber to take to the skies. Altitude and Range The ultimate strategic bomber would not only
need to be uniquely fast, but it would also need to be able to reach every corner of the
world from its bases in the Soviet Union. To achieve the maximum speed and range
possible, the Dark Star was devised to fly at incredibly high altitudes of up to
100,000 feet, with much lower air resistance. Soaring at such formidable heights, Moskaliov projected that the DSB-LK would
be able to reach targets at 10,000 miles, putting the entire world within its range
from different bases across the nation. For it to work, it had to be constructed
of uniquely durable and light material. As such, titanium was chosen as the
primary material for the aircraft instead of the conventional D-23 alloy
used in many Soviet airframes at the time. The uncommon material, often used for
spacecraft designs, was hard to find for most nations during the 1950s. Still, the USSR
had the most extensive available stockpiles, which would have made the manufacturing
process possible even in large numbers. Even when technically heavier than aluminum,
only a fraction of titanium is needed to achieve the same strength that aluminum can
provide, making it the ideal material for a high-speed and massive aircraft designed
to cruise 10,000 miles in a single flight. With the fuselage design, speed, range,
and altitude accounted for, Moskaliov then moved to the weapons capabilities
of the formidable strategic bomber. Airborne Arsenal The Dark Star was designed to have a vast
offensive and defensive arsenal at its disposal. To diminish the United States’ ability to wage
war, the bomber could hold a 20-ton payload inside its bomb bay. Considering that the largest
flying wing in the world, the B-2 spirit, has a maximum 18-ton payload capacity, the Dark Star’s
20-ton bomb bay was a remarkable design feat. Additionally, the Dark Star was equipped with
several hardpoints under the wing structure, which allowed it to carry up to
20 additional tons of warheads. With such an impressive capacity, the Dark Star
could hypothetically carry nuclear warheads as massive as the Tsar Bomba, the most powerful
thermonuclear weapon ever developed and tested. Considering it could reach Mach 5 and carry
thermonuclear warheads of up to 20 tons, the Dark Star could have turned the entirety of New York City into dust without ever
being detected by US defensive systems. As improbable as intercepting a
Mach 5 bomber was in the 1960s, even if a US fighter managed to engage the
Soviet strategic bomber, it was in for a fight. The Dark Star was to be equipped
with four remote-controlled turrets that could fire over 7,000 to 9,000
rounds per minute in every direction. The bomber design could also carry 4-5
guided air-to-air projectiles with a range of ten kilometers to engage approaching enemy
aircraft from a considerably safe distance. To further avoid detection, the bomber
was to be fitted with a series of jamming stations for enemy radar systems.
Combined with its remarkable speeds, it would render enemy radar operators ineffective
at identifying and tracking the Soviet aircraft. In addition to strike operations,
the DSB-LK was equipped with radio and photographic reconnaissance systems to conduct
high-altitude surveillance behind enemy territory. Ultimately, the Dark Star was meant
to be an extremely survivable aircraft with enough firepower to eradicate entire cities. Fate Despite its potential to become the
fastest and most powerful strategic bomber on Earth, the Dark Star never
went beyond the early design phase. Many historians argue that the USSR did not have
the capabilities to build such a wonder weapon, assuring that the project was more of a
theoretical layout than a feasible design. The Soviet Union’s military was indeed facing
severe challenges at the start of the 1960s. However, the demise of the Dark Star project
can also be explained by outside influence. The recent strides in intercontinental
ballistic missile technology rendered many of the supersonic and hypersonic
bomber projects useless on both sides of the Iron Curtain, as the missiles could
do the same job at a fraction of the cost. In addition, the development of supersonic
surface-to-air missile systems also made the use of supersonic bombers highly risky,
and aircraft engineers were soon looking for stealth instead of speed as a way to circumvent
the defenses a strategic bomber might face. The Dark Star was way ahead of its
time but also a decade too late to have had a chance at being built.
If all conditions had been met, perhaps the Soviets would have reigned
supreme in the strategic bomber race… Thank you for watching our video! Don’t
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