History of Tupolev Tu-144 (Charger)

Supersonic passenger travel has dominated people for some time, especially since jet propulsion became a reality in the 1940s and 1950s. After that, two major programs emerged that produced viable supersonic passenger airline candidatesone proved more successful than the other.

In Europe, this became the BA/BAC "Concorde" (described in detail elsewhere on this page), of which twenty aircraft were eventually built (six for non-commercial purposes). In the Soviet Union, the competing design became the oft-forgotten Tupolev Tu-144, known by NATO as the "Charger" and in some circles as the "Concordski".

Compared to the Concorde, the Tu-144 was the first to fly and was larger and faster in both designs. It was an aerospace marvel at the time, before the wheel fell off the Soviet program.

However, this hasty design came at a high price: the Tu-144 had a very turbulent and sometimes deadly life span, spanning only 16 aircraft in total. It flew from 1977 to 1983, and its record was marred by high-profile crashes, budget constraints, low market demand, maintenance and reliability issues.

The then advanced aircraft completed just 102 commercial flights, ending its era as little more than a high-speed cargo transport aircraft. Only 55 flights include commercial passenger services, operating for only 6 months.

The Cold War era was both a technology race and an arms race, and supersonic passenger transport was just one item on both sides agendas. France's Sud Aviation (later Aerospatiale) and Britain's BAC (later BAe) joined forces to develop a European solution (the Boeing-led program was eventually abandoned by the U.S. government in 1971).

Equipped with an under-mounted turbojet nacelle, a delta-wing layout and a pointed nose, the aircraft first flew on March 2, 1969a technological marvel in its own right, and for a time the pride of European aviation.

Work began on a similar aircraft in the USSR, the design of which was led by the Tupelov OKB of Alexei Tupolev. Built by the Voronezh Aircraft Production Association (Voronezh, Russia), this aircraft is very similar in appearance - probably due to the aerodynamic/technical limitations of high-speed flight that require such a conical instrument, with few protrusions.

Preparations had been made on the drawing board as early as the early 1960s, and it was officially committed in July 1963. About five airworthy aircraft are on order at this early stage, expected by the middle of the decade.

A full-scale prototype was completed using the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 "Fishbed" supersonic fighter to test various systems and subsystems in flight. Unlike the Concorde, the Tu-144 had a slightly different main-wing layout, and despite the obvious external similarities, the two were less technologically advanced. Retractable canards were also fitted to the Tu-144 to improve control, especially at low speeds and low altitudes - a feature the Concorde lacked.

Furthermore, the internal systems - from the navigation to the engine - are completely Soviet in design and finish. The Tu-144 carried a cone-shell parachute to delay runway reach on landing, and had the same Concord down-sloping nose cone for better visibility for pilots operating on the ground.

For propulsion, Kuznetsov NK-144 turbofans were chosen to power the new aircraft. This product provides the required thrust/power output for larger aircraft and is ready to use for the project.

The main drawback of this device is its fuel consumption, which limits the range to around 1,600 miles (for comparison, the Concorde can fly to 4,500 miles) and requires an afterburner to reach its supersonic flight envelope ( Concorde did not).

The afterburner capabilities of the engines provide the required take-off and cruise capabilities, four of which will power the aircraft in flight. Like the Concorde, the engines will be mounted under the wings and have automatic variable ramps/flaps to control airflow to the engines.

The original Tu-144 form was the Tu-144 prototype, which recorded its maiden flight on 31 December 1968 near Moscow. The European Concorde took second place when it first flew on March 2, 1969. However, the Concorde first entered service in January 1976, followed by the Tu-144 in November 1977. It first reached supersonic speed (four months ahead of Concorde) on June 5, 1969, and became the first airliner to exceed Mach 2 on May 26, 1970.

The Tu-144 made its first public flight at the 1971 Paris Air Show, and 20 were produced from 1965 to 1979.

An unauthorized display deviation at the 1973 Paris Air Show caused the Tu-144 to crash, killing the entire flight crew and all 6 and 8 bystanders on the ground (while destroying about 15 French houses). process). The crash was both a nightmare for the Soviet Union and an embarrassment on the world stage.

It appears that despite Soviet/Russian claims to the contrary, during a dive during the exhibition, the plane was pushed too far (and probably had its engine burned out) and fell apart (its wing was broken) - which affected attempts to A Tu-144 pilot trying to avoid a French Mirage fighter trying to shoot a supersonic Voyager. The Tu-144 program apparently never recovered from this tragic event.

The

prototype was followed by one, then a total of nine Tu-144S pre-production aircraft. The brand is equipped with 4 x NK-144A series engines. The Tu-144D brand switched to the new Kolesov RD-36-51 turbojet engine, which increased the operational range and is planned to increase further in future engine overhauls.

The final Tu-144D airframe was never completed when the program was canceled.

The Tu-144D carried a crew of three and accommodated 140 passengers in two cabins. The structure has an overall length of 215.5 feet with a span of 95 feet and a height of 41 feet. Empty weight reaches 218,500 lbs and MTOW is 456,000 lbs, powered by four Kolesov RD-36-51 turbojets, each providing 44,122 lbs of thrust. Top speed hits Mach 2.15 and cruise is close to Mach 2.0. Range is 4,000 miles and service is capped at 65,600 feet.

The reported rate of climb was 9,840 feet per minute.

The Tu-144S was the model that entered official commercial service on December 26, 1975, but was used for some time to deliver cargo and mail from Moscow to Almaty (now Almaty, Kazakhstan). Passenger operations finally began on November 1, 1977. On May 23, 1978, a pre-production Tu-144D crashed after a fire during delivery outside Moscow, killing two of her engineers in the ensuing operation.

By this time, Soviet officials were waning in interest in what had become a technological nightmare for their cherished Tu-144.

The writing of the plan was on the wall, and the Soviet authorities officially deleted it on July 1, 1983. The model remained in service only in a research role, but its days as a passenger and cargo transport aircraft are over.

Beginning in 1985, it served the Soviet space program with the space shuttle Blizzard, and in the mid-1980s converted a Tu-144D for research missions.

In an unprecedented agreement between two erstwhile foes, the United States and Russia agreed to use the Tu-144 in modified Tu-144LL executions for NASA's High Speed ??Research (HSR) flight test program, with the model carrying more Powerful NK-321 afterburner turbofan engines with 55,000 lbs of thrust (per unit). This was the last Tu-144D (this was in 1981).

The airframe was equipped with data acquisition equipment and a dedicated instrument panel for a series of high-speed tests in 1998-99.

Operating and maintenance costs aside, the Tu-144 encountered various problems during its turbulent life cycle: it was remembered by passengers as a noisy aircraft, and its range was inherently limited. Its supersonic nature limited it to a very remote route through Soviet territory, and structural weaknesses were found, showing fatigue cracks beyond acceptable (and safe) limits.

Combine all of this with increased operating costs (especially fuel and oil) and the Tu-144 is destined to be an aircraft destined to enter service quickly. Tupolev tried to sell the design (as the Tu-144MR) to the Soviet military, but even they ignored it.

The Tu-244 was the successor to the Tu-144, but was unsuccessful. Concorde, meanwhile, has its own history of high-profile tragic crashes, completing its final flight in 2003, but remains the true "winner" of the Cold War supersonic passenger cruise race.

Tupolev Tu-144 (Charger) Specification

Basic

Year:
1975
Staff:
3

Production

[16 units]:
Tupolev OKB - USSR

Roles

- Traffic

- Commercial Market

- X-Plane / Development

Dimensions

Length:

214.90 ft (65.5 m)

Width:

28.8m

Height:

10.5m

Weight

Curb Weight:

85,000 kg

MTOW:

180,000 kg

(Difference: +209.439lb)

Performance

4 x Kolesov RD-36-51 afterburning turbojets, each producing 44,122 lbf thrust.

Performance

Maximum Speed:

1,553 mph (2,500 km/h; 1,350 knots)

Service Limit:

59,055 ft (18,000 m; 11.18 mi)

Maximum range:

4,039 miles (6,500 km; 3,510 nautical miles)

Rate of climb:

2,999 m/min (9,840 ft/min)

Armor

No.

Changes

Tu-144 ("Charger") - name of the basic series; an example of a single prototype made.

Tu-144S ("Charger") - Improved production model; equipped with Kuznetsov NK-144 afterburner turbofan; limited options; parachute parachutes; one pre-production example and nine produced Production example.

Tu-144D ("Charger") - Experimental production variant; increased range through fuel efficiency and improved engines; equipped with Kolesov RD-36-51 turbojet; five copies made.

Tu-144LL - converted airline used as a flying laboratory; 1995 NASA/Tupolev agreement; equipped with 4 military-grade NK-321 series Kuznetsov engines; this project is considered was a success, although it was cancelled in 1999 due to budgetary issues.

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