Tupolev Tu-144: World’s First Supersonic Passenger Jet
It is easy for people to recognize the Concorde, that divisive but groundbreaking piece of aviation engineering, yet only some can name its supersonic rival. The Soviet Tupolev 144 was the first supersonic flight commercially designed aircraft to break the sound barrier and the first to use it for commercial purposes.
Overview
Tupolev Tu-144, the world’s first supersonic transport aircraft. It was designed by veteran Soviet aircraft designer Andrey N. Tupolev and his son Aleksey A. Tupolev. It was tested on 31st December 1968, exceeded the speed of sound in June 1969, and was first publicly shown in Moscow in May 1970.
Tupolev Tu-144 flew first on 5th June 1969 and made its last flight on 26th June 1999. One of the significant issues that led to its discontinuation was many crashes. In its early service period, 226 failures were reported against the aircraft, out of which 80 were during flight and were crucial. The airplane was also discontinued because of its loud engines, cabin noise, and the sonic boom from the aircraft back then.
General characteristics
It was one of the fastest commercial aircraft, with 3 three crew members and a passenger capacity of up to 150 (11 first class and 139 in economy). The length of the aircraft was 65.7 m, with 28.8m of wingspan and a height of 12.5m.
The total gross weight was 12500 kg with a maximum take-off weight of 207000 kg. It had a fuel capacity of 93000kg, which can help to travel around 6500 km in one shot.
The aircraft uses 4 Kulesov RD-36-51 turbojets, which produced 240kN thrust each and had an Ogive-wing style.
Performance
The aircraft provided a cruise speed of 2,125 km/hr (1,147 Kn/ 2 Mach), with a max speed of up to 2500 km/hr (2.15 Mach). It flies up to the altitude of 66000ft with a rate of climb of 9800 ft/min.
Legacy
Ultimately, NASA also used the Tu-144 for research purposes along with the American discontinued Concorde. The two were great rivals back then. These were the only supersonic passenger aircraft that reached the skies and stayed in their service. Even though they reduced the flight time and flew faster than other aircraft, they were discontinued due to many factors. The aircraft can be researched appropriately again and brought back to service after many reforms. After some passenger carrying, the aircraft was only used for cargo purposes and eventually was discontinued.\
