Tu-144: Ahead of Sound and the World
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Tu-144 (Crane)
History of the creation of a supersonic passenger airliner
On June 5, 1969, the Soviet airliner Tu-144 broke the sound barrier for the first time. Tu-144 (Crane) was ahead of not only sound, but also the entire world - the foreign supersonic passenger aircraft Concorde took off several months later. At the same time, the Tu-144 even surpassed its British-French "brother" in some parameters. Hundreds of Soviet enterprises took part in the development of advanced solutions for the first supersonic airliner, including those that are part of Rostec today. About the history of the Tu-144 and its difficult fate.
Supersonic Race
The first projects of supersonic civil aircraft appeared in the post-war years on the wave of success with combat fighters and later supersonic bombers overcoming the speed of sound. However, further study of the issue showed that it is extremely difficult to make a passenger supersonic aircraft based on a combat one, since they differ significantly in requirements and conditions of use.
In the early 1960s, Great Britain and France launched a joint project to create a supersonic airliner, called Concorde. The miracle machine was supposed to carry about a hundred passengers across the Atlantic in just three hours, compared to the previous six to eight on conventional jet aircraft.
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Concorde, March 2, 1969
In 1963, the USA and the USSR joined the race. The Soviet government assignment implied the creation of a domestic supersonic airliner with a cruising speed of over 2,300-2,700 km/h and a flight range of up to 4,500 km with up to 100 passengers on board or up to 6,500 km with 50 passengers and additional fuel. By 1967, it was planned to build five examples.
For the next 10 years, the creation of a supersonic airliner became one of the main projects of the USSR Ministry of Aviation Industry. Work on the aircraft was entrusted to the Tupolev Design Bureau. The project was headed by the son of the outstanding designer, Alexei Andreevich Tupolev.
The Beauty of Speed
In developing the Tu-144, Soviet designers solved a number of complex scientific and technical issues that the domestic aviation industry had encountered for the first time. In 1965, the main design solutions were defined, and the aircraft model was demonstrated at the Le Bourget Air Show. In 1966, a full-size mock-up of the airliner was approved.
The requirements for flight range at supersonic speeds influenced the design features of the Tu-144. The airframe was made according to the tailless scheme with a low-aspect-ratio delta wing, with a complex leading edge and a single-fin empennage. The unusual, rapid appearance of the aircraft was complemented by a striking feature that distinguished it from other models - a drooping nose section of the fuselage, similar to a bird's beak. This solution provided pilots with a high-quality view during takeoff and landing with a high angle of attack, typical for aircraft of this design.
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Tu-144
The lion's share of success in overcoming the sound barrier by the new aircraft was to be provided by the engine. It was built by the N. D. Kuznetsov Design Bureau. A bypass turbofan engine NK-144 with afterburners was developed specifically for the Tu-144. The latest aluminum-based materials were used in the aircraft, and titanium was widely used for the first time.
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NK-144
The Tu-144 used the most advanced avionics of its time. The autopilot and onboard computer provided automatic takeoff and landing at any time of day. The passenger compartment and four-seat cabin were made according to the latest design with an increased level of comfort. Like many other Tupolev aircraft, the Tu-144 was distinguished by its elegance and beauty, confirming the designer's thesis that "ugly planes do not fly."
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The first production Tu-144 rolls out of the assembly shop of the Voronezh Aviation Plant, 1972.
First in the Sky
In December 1967, the Anglo-French Concorde was shown to the public for the first time, and the USSR leadership demanded that the Tu-144 developers get the Soviet aircraft into the air before its competitors at all costs.
By the end of 1968, the Tu-144 was ready for its first flight. The crew was led by the honored test pilot of the Tupolev Design Bureau Eduard Elyan. Due to the unusual nature of the aircraft, ejection seats were installed in the cockpit for the safety of the crew, for the first time in an experimental passenger aircraft.
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Since mid-December, the Tu-144 was in pre-launch readiness, but bad weather did not allow it to take off. And only on the last day of 1968, the plane "slipped through" despite the bad weather and was able to take off. Just 25 seconds after the start was announced, the Tu-144 took off from the runway. The first flight lasted 37 minutes.
At this stage, the Soviet Union asserted its priority in the development of supersonic civil aircraft. Concorde took off for the first time only on March 2, 1969.
Overcoming the Mach Limit
The next step was overcoming the sound threshold. On June 5, 1969, the experimental Tu-144 at an altitude of 11 thousand meters developed supersonic speed for the first time. In May of the following year, the plane crossed the Mach 2 threshold at an altitude of 16.3 thousand meters at a speed of 2150 km/h.
During the tests it became clear that the experimental NK-144 engines did not provide the required flight range without afterburner. The Tu-144 was able to cover 2920 km at supersonic speed, which was significantly less than the stated requirements. In addition, design flaws were identified during the tests. Nevertheless, the experimental Tu-144 fulfilled its mission, proving the possibility of supersonic civil flights.
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Tu-144 in Hanover in April 1972.
The next model Tu-144 No. 01-01 was completed in 1971, and it was decided to start serial production on its basis. The Voronezh Aircraft Plant was chosen to launch the series. The designers continued to improve the aircraft, and each new series was updated by about 20%. The strength of the structure increased, its weight decreased. In March 1972, the first serial Tu-144 took off.
The Tu-144 was tested for cargo transportation and prepared for use on passenger airlines. The aircraft continued to be fine-tuned, it flew to Prague, Berlin, Warsaw, Sofia, and was demonstrated at the Le Bourget air show. It was at the famous French air show that the first supersonic airliner crashed. On June 3, 1973, the first serial Tu-144 broke up in the air and fell on a residential area. The entire crew and eight residents of the village died. As a result of the investigation, no technical faults were found in the aircraft, and the exact cause of the Tu-144 crash was never established (Crew error, maybe sabotage, nothing can be proven now). But the investigation from the European and Soviet sides did not find any faults.
Disappointing results
Despite the disaster, the development of the aircraft continued. In 1977, the first passenger flight of the Tu-144 Moscow - Alma-Ata was finally opened. The flight took place at an altitude of 16-17 thousand meters over a distance of 3260 km at a speed of 2000 km / h. The aircraft flew once a week and carried 80 people. According to passengers, they felt like astronauts during the flight.
In 1976, construction began on the Tu-144 with a new RD-36-51A engine, which was supposed to provide a longer supersonic flight. The accident with the first experimental model of this series became decisive in the fate of the Tu-144. In May 1978, during tests in the Moscow region, the aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing due to a fire in one of the engines. Two crew members died.
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In the same year, a decision was made to suspend passenger transportation. The aircraft development program was curtailed, and production of the Tu-144 ceased in 1981. Later, the aircraft were used for cargo transportation, training, and test flights.
The USSR did not have the appropriate infrastructure or sufficient routes for it, and there were major obstacles to sales abroad. Its European competitor, the Concorde, which flew until 2003, experienced approximately the same difficulties and yielded the sky to more economical subsonic airliners.
The results of the implementation of the supersonic passenger airliner program are still being debated. One thing is certain: domestic aircraft manufacturers have once again confirmed their world leadership by winning the supersonic race. Work on the Tu-144 helped raise the level of the Soviet aviation industry and related areas. The experience of development was later used in the creation of heavy supersonic aircraft Tu-22M and Tu-160.
Recent history of the Tu-144
In the summer of 1991, another very important event occurred in the "biography" of the Tu-144: at a meeting in Paris, the heads of the American company Rockwell and the Tupolev Design Bureau signed a protocol of intent to conduct joint research on the SPS-2 program (supersonic passenger aircraft). The choice in favor of the Tu-144 aircraft (and not the Concorde) was made due to its higher maximum flight speed, the presence of a retractable front horizontal tail.
The first flight of the Tu-144LL flying laboratory took place on November 29, 1997. During the experiments, which ended in March 1998, 19 flights were carried out for a total duration of 38 hours 52 minutes, including 8 hours 40 minutes at supersonic speed. A speed corresponding to Mach 2.02 and a flight altitude of 16,900 m were achieved.
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Tu-144 "Flying Laboratory", 1997
In June 1999, the American company Boeing and the A.N. Tupolev Scientific and Technical Complex successfully completed a joint research program on the Tu-144LL to create a promising supersonic passenger aircraft SPS-2. Work on creating a second-generation supersonic passenger aircraft project is already underway.
Tu-144 was better than Concorde in some respects.
Some differences:
Retractable wings in the cockpit area. They made it easier to control at low speeds and allowed the aircraft to take off from the runway earlier than Concorde.
Engine arrangement. The Tu-144 had the NK-144 units under the fuselage next to each other, while the Concorde had them in twin engine nacelles at about half the wing span.
Maximum speed. Concorde accelerated to 2500 km/h, while the Tu-144 reached 2300 km/h.
Ceiling altitude. Concorde had 18.3 km, while Tu-144 had 20 km.
Cruising range. Concorde had about 6 thousand kilometers, while Tu-144 had 3500 km.
However, later a modification of the Tu-144D appeared with an increased flight range, which made it possible to equal the Concorde in this parameter.
Important differences were also hidden in the chassis of the two aircraft. And here the Soviet Tu-144 seriously beat its French colleague. The Concorde was an extremely demanding aircraft in terms of the quality of the runway. At the same time, the 144th could be landed almost on a dirt surface. In addition, the Soviet aircraft was simpler from a technical point of view, cost less to maintain and was easier to repair. At the same time, the crew of the "European" consisted of only 3 people, against 4 people in the Soviet crew.
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