Tupolev 144

RE: Tupolev 144

You’ve got to admit that it was an incredible achievement bearing in mind how little time they took to design it and get it airborne.

RE: Tupolev 144

The NK-144 turbofans in the Tu-144 prototype and Tu-144S series-produced aircraft were viciously inefficient (like that? hehe). The prototype had something like a riduculously low 1900 mile range with max payload. The Tu-144S had modified engines and better performance (4030 miles with max payload), but it was still less than what they wanted. The RD-36-51 turbojets in the Tu-144D were light years better. They enabled the Tu-144 to supercruise w/out afterburner, extending range to 4300 miles with max payload. The Tu-144LL that NASA leased used NK-321 turbofans from the Tu-160 strategic bomber, and had an effective range of around 3500 miles (again, you guessed it, with max payload).

For comparison, Concorde’s range is 3870 miles with max payload. 100 passengers are typically carried (131 max), compared to 140 for the Tu-144S and Tu-144D. Obviously both aircraft would be able to fly farther with less payload and more fuel (if you have max payload, you usually can’t carry max fuel and still take off under the MGTOW limit).

Yes, the canard foreplanes were there to improve low-speed handling and agility. Great addition. Concorde does have two small strakes near the nose for a similar purpose, but it doesn’t need anything as elaborate as its aerodynamics are more refined.

Regardless, the Concorde will get all the glory because it is still in service. The Tu-144D, however, was arguably a more capable SST, and the Russian aerospace industry should get a huge gold star for this accomplishment. Had the Tu-144D been the aircraft that flew on Decmber 31, 1968, the SST race might have turned out a lot different.

SOC

“Peace through kinetic solutions”

RE: Tupolev 144

I had heard that the engines in the Concordski were not as impressive as the Olympus engines used by the Concord.
The result was that the Tu-144 had to carry and also burn more fuel.
The problem was reduced in the Tu-144M but not eliminated.
THe Tu-144L that the US borrowed had NK-321s (as used in the Tu-160) which greatly improved performance but sonic booms were a problem.
(Broken windows were a common event on the ground along the Tu-144s flightpath.)

RE: Tupolev 144

The canards were a later add-on to improve low speed handling as you cannot fit conventional flaps to a delta wing.

RE: Tupolev 144

This is possibly my favourite airliner also! I think it looks even more aggressive than the concorde, and i like the small wings that pop out of the fuselage during landing and take-off.

RE: Tupolev 144

Damn, a Tu-144 thread I missed.

The Tu-144 was faster and, in the D model, longer ranged than Concorde by a few hundred miles. Interestingly enough a group of NASA and industry personnel who visited the Voronezh plant in the late 60’s or early 70’s claim that it was more environmentally friendly than Concorde as well.

The Tu-144 crashed at Paris due to the French snooping and the fact that Elyan and company in the cockpit were dealing with the last-minute French decision to cut the display time in half-Concorde flew directly before it.

The Tu-144 was put into passenger service between Moscow and Alma Ata, but only flew 100 flights or so. Passenger service was cancelled after a crash of an improved D model on a proving flight (fuel leak in the wing tanks, indicator light didn’t come on, pilot tried to relight the engines that had flamed out as a result, cause massive amounts of flame).

There was espionage involved but not in the way you think. The airframe design was essentially original, the Russians were busy trying to get data on the Olympus engines and the construction techniques mostly. Interesting story-they wanted to get a few tire shavings from a runway to duplicate the rubber in Concorde’s tires for the Tu-144. The French came up with the brilliant idea to plant some odd substance on the runway (they had ID’ed the spy) and had a good laugh imagining idiot scientists trying to make tires out of something that was essentially modified, burnt to a crisp chewing gum.

Good places to go for more Tu-144 info:
Supersonic Spies video by Nova. Great stuff there on the espionage aspect.
Soviet SST-great book by Howard Moon, although not too up to date nowadays with regard to some of the later details.
Concorde-book by Gunter Endres, has a whole mess of info in a chapter devoted to the Tu-144.

Definitely my favorite airliner of all time. Got quite a few souvenirs! You can see one below.

SOC

“Peace through kinetic solutions”
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RE: Tupolev 144

Oh yes I , the crash cause is now well known, even if the french airforce had hardtime to admit it.

I mean that I don’t buy the claim there was no espionnage in TU144 design!!!

RE: Tupolev 144

That’s right, about the aircrash.

The Mirage was hiding over the cloudcover, so people on the ground could’nt see it. Many think the 144 got caught in the Mirages jet thrust. I’ve seen that on discovery now that i think about it, it looks pretty crazy as the 144 is just below the clouds, and all of a sudden it turns down and tries to pull up, bit it falls apart.

Looks pretty crazy.

RE: Tupolev 144

Arthur , I don’t buy this version LOL!!

RE: Tupolev 144

Thanx for that Arthur. never knew you looked at AW forum as well. 🙂

RE: Tupolev 144

The Tu-144 had no problems in going supersonic, yet it was not all too populair doing so since it only flew overland routes.

There was hardly any espionage in the 144’s design, and it is by no means a copy of the Concorde. The only aerodynamic design feature which was stolen in combination with the Tu-144 is the aerodynamic shape of the canard (moustache is a better word here), which Dassault in fact stole from the 144 for one of it’s Mirage III updates. The reason the 144 crashed at LBG was in fact because it had to divert to avoid crashing into a Mirage IIIB flying there as well which wanted to photograph it. The resulting maneuvre proved to be too much for the not-too strong airframe of the 144 causing it to break up in flight.

RE: Tupolev 144

hehe now they sell aircrafts through E-Bay. 🙂

RE: Tupolev 144

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 16-09-02 AT 01:13 PM (GMT)]Roger that’s right. however the russian engines of the TU144 were not really reliable and this thing had hard time to be supersonic.

RE: Tupolev 144

The last flying 144 (the one with the American engines and the NASA testbed) was sold via E-Bay earlier this year. It will make a last flight to the USA where it will be put on show. The engines are going back to Russia, they weren’t in the deal. And yes, the 144 was earlier, longer, faster and more beautifull (the final variant with the canard wings)than than the Concorde. Saw it only twice in the air. In 1973 when it crashed, and 2 years later. Both times in Paris. There is one on show in Germany, in Sinsheim. It is standing on top of the museum in take off position. Great sight !

RE: Tupolev 144

TU 144 was build before the Concorde. Yup and its a great looking a/c. After that fatal crash it seized operation. Boeing uses it as a testbed with colaboration with NASA.

RE: Tupolev 144

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 16-09-02 AT 09:10 AM (GMT)]The answer at your first question is quite obvious. It was not the first time that soviets got their inspiration from western companies (see TU154 for intance).

TU144 experienced a crash at Paris Air show lid 70’s killing dozens.

It was used from freight (!!!!!) and now as far as I know boeing acquired one , refurbished it with modern engines and makes tests with it.

PS : TU144 aka Concordky !!!! 🙂

For pictures take a look on : www.airliners.net