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Tupolev Tu-134 (Crusty)

1967 COLD WAR MODERN AIRCRAFT

Tupolev Tu-134 (Crusty) History

In order to serve local, regional and international passengers and cargo during the Cold War (1947-1991), the Soviet aviation industry was forced to develop in-house solutions to meet the demands. The product of this period became the Tu-134, known to NATO under the codename "Crusty", which has been in service for decades since its introduction in 1967 due to its versatility, with some users still active today (2018) examples . At peak usage, the Tu-134 may have many operators in over 40 countries around the world.

The development of the Tu-134 was driven by French progress in moving the aircraft's prime mover from the wing main aircraft to the rear of the fuselage. This affects two key qualities of a passenger-oriented aircraft - it reduces cabin noise by moving the engine away from the center of the passenger, and it reduces excessive drag in main-wing aircraft. Leading Soviet aircraft manufacturer Tupolev, known for its contributions to the military bomber category, was commissioned by the Soviet government to produce a design similar to the groundbreaking Sud Aviation "Caravelle", thus beginning the history of the Tu-134.

The new plane was designed to replace the older propeller-driven airliners that were in service in the Soviet Union at the time, and its main market was short-haul flights across the Soviet sphere of influence, including East Germany.

Tupolev responded with the prototype Tu-124A, which first flew on July 29, 1963. The aircraft features swept-back planes on both the main and tail components. The engines were mounted on a short tail fin at the rear of the fuselage, and the main aircraft (returned at an angle of about 35 degrees) was mounted low in the midship. The cockpit was arranged in the usual way behind the short nose cone (two pilots seated side by side), the aircraft was given a "T-shaped" tail arrangement that kept the aircraft level, and the support structure was designed to be a vertical tail itself. The three-wheel landing gear was used for Ground operations, interestingly, drag parachutes were used to delay the descent of the aircraft as it landed on the runway (later replaced by more traditional thrust reversers, when these were added to the engines of future D-30 models).

The nose section was initially glazed for the navigator's position, but was later covered as the series matured to accommodate radar.

Service introduction took place in September 1967, while serial production took place from 1966 to 1989. A total of 854 aircraft were built, including two prototypes. The series was hugely popular at the time, especially compared to previous Soviet-produced passenger tugs. However, as Europe began to suppress aircraft noise at airports, the Tu-134 was targeted and its value declined west of Moscow.

Age quickly caught up with the fleet, and the line was gradually removed from many routes around the world.

The original production model (originally called "Tu-124A") was built to basic Tu-134 standards and was known for its glass nose. There are a total of sixty-four seats inside. Then there was the Tu-134A, which introduced improved avionics and engines and could seat up to 84 people.

Most of these brands continue to use glass nose cones. Eventually, the Tu-134A-2 replaced the glass nose with a solid structure to mount the radar mount. The Tu-134A-3 used an upgraded D-30 turbofan engine, while the Tu-134A-5 was introduced as a modernized Tu-134 airliner.

The line eventually evolved into the Tu-134B variant, which had a sturdier nose (chassis radar), seating for 80 people, and a larger supply of onboard fuel for longer range. The Tu-134BV served the Soviet space shuttle program, and the Tu-134LK was modified to aid in astronaut training.

The Tu-134UBL was intended as a crew training platform for the Tu-160 series of strategic bombers in service with the Soviet Air Force. The Tu-134 UBK became a "one-off" naval version of the Tu-134 based on the Tu-134UBL - it was not mass produced. The Tu-134BSh is another crew training aircraft, but this time with the Tu-22M series bombers operating with the Soviet Air Force. Another form of bomber trainer became the Tu-134Sh-1, which had bomb racks for the role, and the successor, the Tu-134Sh-2, for navigation training.

The Tu-134SKh was deployed in a crop gathering role and was modified with appropriate equipment.

It turns out that the Tu-134 family has a large number of operators worldwide, from Afghanistan and Bulgaria to Ukraine and Yugoslavia (mostly all the Soviet allies at the time). North Korea's Air Koryo still operates the model (2018), as does some local passenger services in Russia and Kazakhstan. The Syrian Army (Air Force) continues to use this type, as does the Ukrainian Air Force.

Some people find that passenger transport modified as a VIP has a longer lifespan.