OKB-1 140

The OKB‑1 140 was a prototype high‑altitude jet developed in the early 1960s by the S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, best known for its space‑flight programmes. Initiated in 1961 as part of a secret Ministry of Aviation project, the aircraft was intended to explore the aerodynamic and propulsion limits of thin‑air flight, providing a testbed for technologies that could later be applied to both reconnaissance aircraft and the aerodynamic shaping of re‑entry vehicles. Its airframe combined a titanium‑alloy semi‑monocoque fuselage with a swept‑wing layout of 38 degrees, and it was powered by two Lyulka AL‑31F afterburning turbojets, delivering a maximum thrust of 13 000 kgf. The OKB‑1 140 featured a pressurised, climate‑controlled cockpit, an advanced fly‑by‑wire control system, and a modular avionics suite that allowed real‑time telemetry of aerodynamic data. Although only two prototypes were built and the program was cancelled in 1965 due to shifting defence priorities, the aircraft’s experimental data informed the design of later Soviet high‑speed platforms such as the MiG‑25 and the development of aerodynamic heating models used in the Buran space shuttle. Consequently, the OKB‑1 140 occupies a niche but important place in aviation history as a bridge between conventional jet design and spacecraft engineering.

S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia

Classification

Production & History

Design & Classification