Pat Flannery wrote in news:w-
hdakotatelephone:

On 12/16/2010 3:58 PM, Damon Hill wrote:

Because they were jet engines.

However, the initial footage was not of the Buran orbiter but a
manned trainer/analog with four turbojet engines capable of making
a horizontal takeoff and powered landing. Engines were considered
for both Shuttle and actual Buran orbiters, but were deleted to
save weight and complexity.

The operational one would have had only the two top engines on the sides
of the vertical fin to allow it to fly for a considerable distance to a
landing, but was not able to take off under its own power.
Some translated info on the jet prototype and its engines he
http://tinyurl.com/2dodokr
http://tinyurl.com/2bhysn9
They were thinking of reinstalling the top jet engines on the orbiter at
some point down the line if the Buran shuttles had become operational.

Wondering if the four-engine version had any significant payload for
additional fuel, and/or if a version with the same rocket engines as
the flight version could have reached supersonic or even low hypersonic
speeds--perhaps with aerial refueling?

Transfer of LOX might have been tricky and probably no real point in the
whole exercise.

--Damon