The Tupolev Tu-144 | Supersonic passenger aircraft | Techday, December 31st
On this TECHDAY in history, on December 31st 1968, the Tupolev Tu-144 prototype made its maiden flight from Zhukovsky Airport. The Soviet Union developed the Tu-144, a supersonic passenger airliner, which remained in use from 1968 to 1999.
The Tupolev Tu-144 was the first Russian world commercial transport airplane that was capable of supersonic speeds. It, actually, had its first flight before the Concorde (the supersonic aircraft developed by the British and French). Due to safety issues, problems with its development and the rise in fuel prices, the Tupolev was gradually withdrawn from regular use in passenger service. It remained in use commercially as a cargo aircraft until the Tu-144 program’s termination in 1983. It was later in use, until 1999, in pilot training and supersonic research by the Soviet space program and NASA.
Overall, the Voronezh Aircraft Production Association produced 16 aircrafts. In operation between the 1968-1999 the airline conducted 102 commercial flights at an average altitude of 16.000 metres and 2.200 kilometres per hour! Amazing!
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Author: PC-GR
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