Torikov To-13 Botan (Pacifica)
| To-13 Botan | |
|---|---|
| Role | Attack/interdictor aircraft |
| National origin |  Pelinai
|
| Manufacturer | NPO Torikov |
| First flight | June 2, 2009 |
| Introduction | January 27, 2012 |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user |  Royal Pelinese Air Force
|
| Produced | February 8, 2009 – present |
| Number built | 806 To-13, 281 To-13EB (as of 2025) |
The Torikov To-13 Botan (Pelinese: 牡丹, Peony) is a Pelinese twin-engine all-weather multipurpose interdictor and Surface attack aircraft manufactured by NPOMTorikov. Developed during the 2000s as a medium-range tactical bomber for the maritime strike role, it currently serves as one of the principal anti-surface aircraft of the Royal Pelinese Air Force. Full-rate production of both standard To-13 airframes and To-13EB dedicated EW/SEAD variants is ongoing as of 2026.
Initially developed in response to a requirement for a lighter-weight aircraft capable of performing medium-range anti-surface warfare missions over the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Ocean, the To-13 has proven to be a highly adaptable aircraft capable of performing a great variety of battlefield tasks such as terrestrial tactical bombing and air interdiction, electronic warfare support, and strikes against air defense systems.
Development
Background
The territory of Pelinai is long, narrow, and situated alongside the ocean: the vast majority of the country is within 250 kilometers of the Mediterranean Sea and/or the Eastern Ocean; this condition affords no significant strategic depth concerning maritime threats and allows for the possibility of sea-based attacks on its core territory. Since rearmament planning in the early 1990s, the favored manner of avoiding such a situation has been to pursue an anti-access strategy by establishing a dense, overlapping reconnaissance-strike complex of sensors, land-based aircraft, coastal artillery, and naval forces.
The Pelinese General Staff first created a doctrinal requirement for a land-based medium strike aircraft in 2001 in accordance with this plan; the notional aircraft was to support the reconnaissance-strike complex and close gaps in sea-based surface fire zones by providing a quickly deployable long-range air-to-surface attack capability that could be employed in numbers. Following further development and evaluation of the concept it was transferred to the Royal Pelinese Material-Technical Support Service in 2002 for implementation.
Maritime Interdictor program
After transfer, development of the land-based strike aircraft program was initiated as the Maritime Interdictor. Implementation of the concept was to take the form of a long-range, land-based strike aircraft capable of effectively deploying heavy anti-ship missiles against up surface combatants. Payload requirements were to deploy a minimum of three 3,300kg anti-ship cruise missiles at a range of 2,000 kilometers and five identical missiles at a range of 800 kilometers, while survivability and stealth requirements mandated the ability to safely approach cruiser-type surface combatants to a proximity of 250 kilometers.
Production
Later upgrades
Design
Overview
The Torikov To-13 Botan is a land-based twin-engine strike aircraft and tactical bomber built for the missions of air interdiction and Air_ASuW|maritime strike at up to 2,000 kilometers range. It incorporates the same stealth and construction improvements utilized on Pelinese tactical fighters such as the Ae-15 Ayame and the Ae-16 Fuyuhana in order to maximize payload/range capabilities and maximize combat effectiveness in approaches against heavily protected groups of surface combatants.
The Botan is notable as one of the largest tactical aircraft in operation today, with an empty weight of just over 24,000kg and a maximum takeoff mass of 53,900kg; this large size translates to an excellent posted combat radius and a payload capacity of up to 18,000kg, allowing it to fulfill a medium-weight attack role situated between that of the strike fighter and that of the heavy bomber.
Airframe
Armament
Avionics
Control systems
Engines
The To-13 utilizes two Tsukigawa TLA-15V low-bypass turbofan engines developed specially for the aircraft. Each engine is exceptionally powerful for a twinjet tactical aircraft engine, capable of developing 105kN of thrust at military power and 159kN when afterburners are enabled; this gives the To-13 a thrust/weight ratio of just over 0.6 at maximum takeoff mass and a maximum speed of mach 1.7. Much of the stealth, materials, and other aircraft engine technologies utilized on aircraft such as the Ae-15 Ayame and the Ae-16 Fuyuhana were used to improve the performance of the TLA-15V, giving it higher thrust-to-weight and thrust-to-volume ratios while reducing specific fuel consumption and observable radar and thermal signatures.
The structure and equipment of the To-13’s engine systems is described in Pelinese sales and technical documentation as follows. Each TLA-15V turbofan measures approximately 530cm in length, 98cm in diameter at inlet, and 132cm at its widest point and is mounted to the wider airframe using tree mounting brackets: one located at the top of the engine near the front and two located at the front-to-back midpoint on either side near the combustion chamber. The engine itself is a two-spool design constructed primarily of titanium alloys and nickel-based superalloys with titanium aluminide used in the high-pressure compressor and low-pressure turbine assemblies. Control of each engine is performed by a full-authority digital engine controller (FADEC) unit utilizing a dual-duplex configuration of two dual-channel controllers, while fuel flow for each engine is regulated using an electronic fuel control unit connected to the FADEC. The FADEC is connected to the aircraft’s stores management system in order to allow for active anticipation and mitigation of thrust disturbances caused by ingestion of rocket/missile exhaust.
Each engine is fitted with an airframe-mounted accessory drive (AMAD) performing several flight-critical functions. each drive mounts a 35MPa engine-driven hydraulic pump, a 270V DC starter-generator, one low-pressure and one high-pressure fuel pump, one low-pressure and one high-pressure oil pump, an oil breather to remove absorbed air from engine oil, 2 28V DC permanent magnet alternators (each powering one half of the associated engine’s FADEC module), and engine telemetry equipment.
Fuel system
The aircraft fuel system of the To-13 is structured as follows. Four major fuel tanks are present: a fore and aft fuselage tank and left-right wing tanks, all self-sealing. System connection provisions have been made to allow for the attachment of a conformal fuel tank on each side under the wing root as well as three normal drop tanks (one on each wing and one under the fuselage). The system is fitted for use as a single whole but can be divided into left-hand and right-hand sides using valves for the purposes of fault isolation, with each side possessing one engine-driven fuel pump attached to its corresponding engine’s airframe-mounted accessory drive for engine feed usage as well as several secondary electrical pumps for movement between tanks. An inerting system, consisting of an On-Board Inert Gas Generation System (OBIGGS), is fitted to all internal fuel tanks in order to prevent an air-fuel vapor explosion by separating nitrogen-enriched air from the aircraft’s bleed air system and placing it into any partially empty fuel tanks.
Capabilities
Combat radius
Below is a table showing the combat radius of the To-13 performing a hi-lo-hi ground attack mission in the MTOM condition as a function of payload carried. Conditions assumed include half deployment of payload, 2% reserve fuel, and 1% inaccessible fuel.
| Payload (kg) | Fuel (kg) | Fuel carrying condition | Combat radius (km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 (1-way ferry range) | 25,050 | Max internal + 2 CFTs + 3 drop tanks | 7,200 |
| 10,000 | 19,500 | Max internal + 2 CFTs | 2,000 |
| 16,000 | 13,500 | Max internal | 1,100 |
| 18,000 | 11,300 | 85% internal | 800 |
Upgrades
Operational history
Variants
To-16A
Initial operational testing and LRIP variant; 27 airframes built in total.
To-16V
Refined variant for mass production; continuing production. Incorporated new TLA-15V turbofan engines in addition to fixes for many of the galvanic corrosion issues that presented on the To-16A.
To-13EB
Heavily modified To-13 variant for deployment in the electronic warfare, suppression of enemy air defenses, electronic countermeasures, and similar roles. Integrates substantially larger and more capable combat electronics in the rudder, wingtips, internal weapons bay, and original electronic warfare compartment.
Operators
- Pelinai
- The Royal Pelinese Air Force has operated the To-13 since 2012; its inventory as of 2026 is 631 To-13V Botans and 218 To-13EB Tumans.
- The Registered Cossacks of the Kingdom of Pelinai together operate 151 To-13V Botans and 28 To-13EB Tumans as of 2026.
Specifications (To-13V)
Parameters varying by aircraft mass are given for MTOM conditions; combat range given for 10,000kg payload and max internal fuel plus CFTs.
General characteristics
- Crew: two (pilot and weapon systems officer)
- Length: 22.9 m (75 ft 2 in)
- Wing area: 71.1 m2 (765 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 24,080 kg (53,087 lb)
- Gross weight: 39,540 kg (87,171 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 53,900 kg (118,829 lb)
- Fuel capacity: 13,500kg internally; 19,500kg with conformal fuel tanks; +1850kg per drop tank carried
- Powerplant: 2 × Tsukigawa TLA-15V afterburning low-bypass turbofan engines, 105 kN (24,000 lbf) thrust each dry, 159 kN (36,000 lbf) with afterburner
Performance
- Maximum speed: 1,800 km/h (1,100 mph, 970 kn)
- Maximum speed: Mach 1.7
- Cruise speed: 1,400 km/h (870 mph, 760 kn)
- Combat range: 2,000 km (1,200 mi, 1,100 nmi)
- Ferry range: 7,200 km (4,500 mi, 3,900 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 20,000 m (66,000 ft)
- Wing loading: 758.1 kg/m2 (155.3 lb/sq ft)
- Thrust/weight: 0.6
Armament
- Guns: 1 x 30mm autocannon with up to 600 rounds
- Hardpoints: 13 external hardpoints with a capacity of 18,000kg,with provisions to carry combinations of:
- Rockets:
- S-80 80mm unguided rockets
- S-120 120mm unguided rockets
- S-240 240mm unguided rockets
- Missiles:
- Bombs:
- BVN-100, BVN-250, BVN-500, BVN-750, BVN-1000 gravity bombs
- Laser, satellite guided bombs
- Cluster bombs
- N91B Prasiolite anti-runway bombs
- N12B Rose Quartz guided anti-fortification bombs
- Other: up to 3 external fuel tanks
- Rockets:
- Bombs: 1 internal weapons bay with a maximum capacity of 9,000 kilograms of ordnance.
See also
- List of active Pelinese military aircraft
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era