Summary

  • Tupolev's Tu-144 was the first supersonic passenger jet, taking to the skies just two months before Concorde.
  • Despite its early launch, the aircraft had a short operational history following two crashes and poor operational reliability.
  • Several Tu-144 variants have been preserved across Russia, while one example is on display in Germany with the Concorde.

In the 1960s, the Soviet government looked to compete against Europe and the United States in the race to build the first supersonic passenger jet. Development officially launched for the Tupolev Tu-144 in July 1963, with developers calling for a prototype to take to the skies by 1967.

While development fell slightly behind schedule, the first Tu-144 made its maiden flight from Moscow's Zhukovsky International Airport (ZIA) on December 31, 1968, a full two months before the Anglo-French Concorde was even ready for take-off.

Dubbed the "Concordski" due to its very striking resemblance to the jet, the Tu-144 offered significantly improved specifications, including more seating and the ability to hit speeds of Mach 2.04.

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A (very) short operational history

During the 1973 Paris Air Show, the aircraft went into a steep climb at the end of a demonstration flight before making a violent downward maneuver. The plane broke apart and crashed, killing all six people onboard and eight people on the ground.

The infamous crash and ever-increasing fuel prices of the era limited the Tu-144's commercial success. The jet entered into service with Soviet state carrier Aeroflot on December 26, 1975, serving on just one route between Moscow and Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Due to a range of technical setbacks and poor reliability, Aeroflot pulled the Tu-144 from service in May 1978 after a second crash during a test flight, resulting in two engineers' deaths.

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A Tu-144 on display at the Central Air Force Museum of Russia in Monino. Photo: Maartens via Flickr.

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In total, 16 airworthy Tu-144 airplanes were built, with the Tu-144 conducting 102 commercial flights, of which only 55 had passengers.

The decision to cease Tu-144 production was issued on January 7, 1982, followed by a USSR government decree dated July 1, 1983, to terminate the entire Tu-144 program.

Where to see a Tu-144

In retrospect, the Tu-144 was unintentionally sabotaged by the government's rush to get it up and running as soon as possible. The plane's parts quality and construction have also been deemed to blame for its ultimate failure.

Despite the end of commercial operations, the Tu-144 found a second life as a trainer for potential Buran Cosmonauts and a research center for high-altitude biological testing. After the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, manufacturer Tupolev teamed up with NASA, Rockwell, and Boeing, with the jet deployed as a testbed for a potential second-generation supersonic commercial airliner. After the cancellation of the project in 1999, the Tu-144 was officially retired from operations, making its final flight on June 26, 1999.

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As of 2024, the Tu-144 is on display at various airports and transport museums across Russia.

  • Two Tu-144s with the tail numbers СССР-77114 and СССР-77115 are displayed outdoors at the LII aircraft testing facility in Zhukovsky, 24 miles southeast of Moscow.
  • Tail number 77115 was bought in 2005 by the Heros Club of Zhukovsky and remains on display at the MAKS International Aviation and Space Show.
  • Tail number 77114 was repainted in Aeroflot livery and put on display at Zhukovsky International Airport.
  • Tu-144 registration СССР-77106 is on display at the Central Air Force Museum of Russia in Monino in Shchyolkovsky Oblast.
  • Tu-144, tail number СССР-77107, is on open display in Kazan in the Republic of Tatarstan.
  • TU-144S, tail number СССР-77110, is on display at the Museum of Civil Aviation in Ulyanovsk, Oblast, 483 miles east of Moscow on the Volga River.

The only Tu-144 on display outside the former Soviet Union was acquired by the Auto & Technikmuseum Sinsheim in Germany. Painted in Aeroflot livery tail number СССР-77112, it was shipped to the German museum in 2001 and put on display next to its Anglo-French rival, the Concord. The Technikmuseum Sinsheim in the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg is the only place with the Tu-144 and the Concord on display together.

Have you been to see a preserved example of the Tu-144? Let us know in the comments.