supersonic aviation. Supersonic aircraft - the history of development. Passenger supersonic aircraft

Successes in the creation of supersonic combat aircraft in the 1950s, including heavy ones, created a favorable environment for studying the possibility of creating a supersonic passenger aircraft (SPA). The history of the appearance of the first SPS projects goes back to the first post-war years, when several hypothetical projects were proposed in the USA and Great Britain, which were very far from practical implementation in terms of their technical solutions. In the second half of the 1950s, first experimental and then serial supersonic heavy military aircraft appeared on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and, almost immediately, on their basis, the world's leading aviation firms prepared projects of ATP of various aerodynamic and layout schemes. A detailed analysis and further study of the proposed SPS projects based on the first supersonic bombers showed that the creation of an effective competitive SPS by modifying a military prototype is an extremely difficult task (unlike the process of creating the first jet bombers). passenger aircraft based on subsonic heavy combat aircraft).

The first supersonic combat heavy aircraft, in terms of their design solutions, basically met the requirements of a relatively short-term supersonic flight. For ATP, it was required to ensure a long cruising flight at speeds corresponding to at least M = 2, plus the specifics of the task of transporting passengers required a significant increase in the reliability of all elements of the aircraft structure, subject to more intensive operation, taking into account the increase in the duration of flights in supersonic modes. Gradually, analyzing all possible options for technical solutions, aviation specialists, both in the USSR and in the West, came to the firm opinion that an economically efficient SPS should be designed as a fundamentally new type of aircraft.

Andrey Nikolaevich decided to entrust the design of the Tu-144 to Department "K", which had previously dealt with unmanned vehicles and had sufficient experience in the development of long-term flight at speeds exceeding M = 2 (attack unmanned aircraft Tu-121, unmanned reconnaissance aircraft - serial Tu-123 and experienced Tu-139). Andrey Nikolayevich appointed A.A. Tupolev as the chief designer and head of work on the Tu-144. It was under his leadership, with the involvement of the best forces of domestic aviation science and technology, that the ideology and future appearance of the Tu-144 was born in the K Department. In the future, after the death of A.N. Tupolev and the appointment of A.A. Tupolev as the head of the enterprise, the topic of the Tu-144 was led by Yu.N. Popov and B.A. Gantsevsky. Soon, the Tu-144 becomes one of the main and priority topics in the activities of the Design Bureau and the entire MAP for the next 10 years.

The aerodynamic appearance of the Tu-144 was determined mainly by obtaining a long flight range in supersonic cruising mode, provided that the required stability and controllability characteristics and the specified take-off and landing characteristics were obtained. Based on the promised specific costs of the NK-144, at the initial design stage, the task was set to obtain Kmax = 7 in the cruising supersonic flight mode. According to the total economic, technological, weight considerations, the number M of a cruise flight was taken to be 2.2. During the study of the aerodynamic layout of the Tu-144 in the Design Bureau and TsAGI, several dozen possible options were considered. The "normal" scheme with horizontal tail in the rear fuselage was studied, it was abandoned, since such tail gave up to 20% in the overall balance of the aircraft's drag. They also abandoned the "duck" scheme, evaluating the problem of the influence of the destabilizer on the main wing. Finally, based on the conditions for obtaining the required aerodynamic quality and obtaining minimal focus differences at subsonic and supersonic speeds, we settled on a low-wing scheme - "tailless" with a composite delta wing of an ogival shape (the wing was formed by two triangular surfaces with a sweep angle along the leading edge of 78 ° - for the front influx parts and 55 ° - for the rear base part), with four DTRDFs located under the wing, with vertical tail located along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, and a tricycle retractable landing gear.

The design of the airframe mainly used traditional aluminum alloys. The wing was formed from symmetrical profiles and had a complex twist in two directions: in the longitudinal and transverse. This achieved the best flow around the wing surface in supersonic mode, in addition, such a twist contributed to the improvement of longitudinal balancing in this mode. Elevons were placed along the entire trailing edge of the wing, consisting of four sections on each half-wing. The wing structure is multi-spar, with a powerful working skin made of solid plates made of aluminum alloys, the central part of the wing and elevons were made of titanium alloys. The elevon sections were powered by two irreversible boosters. The rudder was also deflected with the help of irreversible boosters and consisted of two independent sections. The aerodynamic shape of the fuselage was chosen from the conditions for obtaining the minimum drag in supersonic mode. In order to achieve this, they even went to some complication of the design of the aircraft.

A characteristic feature of the Tu-144 was the descending, well-glazed nose of the fuselage in front of the pilot's cabin, which ensured good review at high takeoff and landing angles of attack inherent in an aircraft with a low aspect ratio wing. The lowering and lifting of the forward fuselage was carried out using a hydraulic actuator. When designing the deviating non-pressurized part and its units, it was possible to maintain the smoothness of the skin at the joints of the movable part with the pressurized cabin and the rest of the fuselage surface. The shape of the engine nacelles was determined mainly by layout considerations and the conditions for the reliability of the operation of the power plant. Four DTRDF NK-144 were placed under the wing close to each other. Each engine had its own air intake, and two adjacent air intakes were combined into a common unit. Underwing air intakes - flat with a horizontal wedge. The flow deceleration at supersonic flight speeds was carried out in three oblique shocks, in a direct closing shock, and in a subsonic diffuser. The operation of each air intake was provided by an automatic control system that changed the position of the wedge panels and the bypass flap depending on the operating mode of the NK-144 engine. The length of the engine nacelles was determined by the size of the engines and the requirements of TsAGI and CIAM to ensure the necessary length of the air intake channels for the normal operation of the engines. It should be noted that, unlike the design of the air intakes and engines of the Concorde, where this process went as a single whole, the design of the NK-144 and engine nacelles with air intakes went as two largely independent processes, which to some extent led to oversized engine nacelles and in the future to many mutual inconsistencies in the operation of engines and air intake systems.

It was supposed, as on the Concorde, to introduce a landing braking system due to the engine reverse, it was planned to install the reverse on the two extreme engines (the reverse system was not completed, as a result, the experimental and production vehicles were operated with a braking parachute). The main landing gear retracted into the wing, the front landing gear retracted into the front of the fuselage in the space between the two air intake blocks. The small construction height of the wing required a reduction in the size of the wheels; as a result, a twelve-wheeled bogie with relatively small diameter wheels was used in the main landing gear. The main fuel supply was located in the wing caisson tanks. The front caisson tanks of the wing and an additional keel tank served to balance the aircraft. The main work on the choice of the optimal aerodynamic scheme of the Tu-144 in the Design Bureau was headed by G.A. Cheremukhin, the unit headed by V.M. In particular, the steering units of the drive of the aircraft controls worked out the signals of the system for improving stability and controllability along the longitudinal and track channels. In some modes, this measure made it possible to fly with static instability.

The choice of the ideology of the Tu-144 control system is largely the merit of G.F. Naboyshchikov. In creating and bringing this fundamentally new system L.M. Rodnyansky, who previously worked on control systems at the OKB of P.O. The cockpit was designed taking into account the requirements of modern ergonomics, it was carried out for four: the first and second pilots occupied the two front seats, the flight engineer was placed behind them, the fourth place on the first experimental machine was intended for the experimental engineer. In the future, it was supposed to limit the crew to three pilots. The decoration and layout of the Tu-144 passenger compartment corresponded to the world requirements for modern design and comfort; the latest finishing materials were used in their decoration. The flight and navigation equipment of the Tu-144 was equipped with the most advanced systems that domestic avionics could give at that time: a perfect autopilot and on-board electronic computer automatically maintained the course; the pilots could see on the screen located on the dashboard where the aircraft was currently located and how many kilometers were left to the destination; landing approach was carried out automatically at any time of the day under difficult weather conditions, etc. - all this was a serious leap forward for our aviation.

The construction of the first experimental aircraft Tu-144 ("044") began in 1965, at the same time a second copy was built for static tests. The experimental "044" was originally designed for 98 passengers, later this figure was increased to 120. Accordingly, the estimated take-off weight increased from 130 tons to 150 tons. The experimental machine was built in Moscow in the workshops of the MMZ "Experience", some of the units were manufactured at its branches. In 1967, the assembly of the main elements of the aircraft was completed. At the end of 1967, the experimental "044" was transported to ZHLI and DB, where throughout 1968 finishing work was carried out and the machine was completed with the missing systems and assemblies.

At the same time, flights of the MiG-21I analogue aircraft (A-144, "21-11"), created on the basis of the MiG-21S fighter, began at the LII airfield. The analogue was created in the Design Bureau of A.I. Mikoyan and had a wing geometrically and aerodynamically similar to the wing of the experimental "044". In total, two 21-11 machines were built, many test pilots flew them, including those who were to test the Tu-144, in particular E.V. Elyan. An analogue aircraft was successfully flown up to a speed of 2500 km/h and the materials of these flights served as the basis for the final adjustment of the Tu-144 wing, and also allowed the test pilots to prepare for the behavior of an aircraft with such a wing.

At the end of 1968, the experimental "044" (tail number 68001) was ready for the first flight. A crew was appointed to the car, consisting of: the commander of the ship, Honored Test Pilot E.V.E-lyan (who later received the Hero of the Soviet Union for the Tu-144); co-pilot - Honored Test Pilot Hero of the Soviet Union M.V. Kozlov; lead test engineer V.N. Benderov and flight engineer Yu.T. Seliverstov. Taking into account the novelty and unusualness of the new car, the Design Bureau made an extraordinary decision: for the first time, it was decided to install ejection seats for the crew on an experimental passenger car. During the month, there were engine races, runs, final ground checks of systems. From the beginning of the third decade of December 1968, "044" was in pre-launch readiness, the car and crew were completely ready for the first flight, during all these ten days there was no weather over the LII airfield and the experimental Tu-144 remained on the ground. Finally, on the last day of the outgoing 1968, 25 seconds after the moment of launch, "044" for the first time broke away from the runway of the LII airfield and quickly gained altitude. The first flight lasted 37 minutes, in flight the car was accompanied by an analogue aircraft "21-11".

A supersonic passenger aircraft, and it was an aircraft built in the USSR, the first Concorde would fly only on March 2, 1969. It has been proven in practice that heavy tailless aircraft have citizenship rights in the USSR (before this flight, everything was limited to a large number of heavy tailless aircraft projects). On June 5, 1969, the prototype aircraft exceeded supersonic speed for the first time at an altitude of 11,000 m; by May 1970, the aircraft flew at speeds M = 1.25-1.6 at altitudes up to 15,000 m. half an hour at a speed exceeding 2000 km / h, at an altitude of 16960 m, a maximum speed of 2430 km / h was reached. , where she first "met" with the Anglo-French Concorde. The 044 was powered by experimental NK-144 engines with a specific fuel consumption in supersonic cruising mode of 2.23 kg / kgf hour, with such specific costs in tests, the Tu-144 managed to reach a supersonic flight range of 2920 km, which was significantly less than the required range . In addition, during the tests, they encountered some design flaws: during flights, increased vibration and heating of the rear fuselage from a quad engine package were observed, even titanium structures did not help out. Having completed the test flight program "044" (about 150 flights in total), it remained in one prototype. Nothing more was required of her; she fulfilled her task of proving the technical feasibility of creating a supersonic passenger aircraft in the USSR. It was necessary to move further, improving the design of the aircraft and engines.

Work on the development of the basic design of the 044 aircraft went in two directions: the creation of a new economical non-afterburning turbojet engine of the RD-36-51 type and a significant improvement in the aerodynamics and design of the Tu-144. The result of this was to meet the requirements for the range of supersonic flight. The decision of the commission of the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the Tu-144 version with RD-36-51 was adopted in 1969. At the same time, at the suggestion of the MAP-MGA, a decision is made, until the creation of the RD-36-51 and their installation on the Tu-144, to build six Tu-144s with the NK-144A with reduced specific fuel consumption. The design of serial Tu-144s with NK-144A was supposed to be significantly modernized, to make significant changes in the aerodynamics of the aircraft, having received Kmax more than 8 in supersonic cruising mode. This modernization was supposed to ensure that the requirements of the first stage in terms of range (4000-4500 km), were later transition in the series to RD-36-51.

The construction of the pre-production modernized aircraft Tu-144 ("004") began at the MMZ "Experience" in 1968. According to the calculated data with NK-144 engines (Cp = 2.01), the expected supersonic range should have been 3275 km, and with NK-144A (Cp = 1.91) it should have exceeded 3500 km. In order to improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft in cruising mode M = 2.2, the shape of the wing in plan was changed (the swept part of the flowing part along the leading edge was reduced to 76 degrees, and the base was increased to 57 degrees), the shape of the wing became closer to the "Gothic". Compared to the "044", the wing area has increased, a more intense conical twist of the wing end parts has been introduced. However, the most important innovation in aerodynamics of the wing was the change in the middle part of the wing, which provided self-balancing in cruise mode with minimal losses quality, taking into account optimization for flight deformations of the wing in this mode. The length of the fuselage was increased, taking into account the accommodation of 150 passengers, the shape of the nose was improved, which also had a positive effect on the aerodynamics of the aircraft.

Unlike "044", each pair of engines in twin engine nacelles with air intakes was moved apart, freeing the lower part of the fuselage from them, unloading it from increased temperature and vibration loads, while changing the lower surface of the wing in the place of the calculated flow preload area, increasing the gap between the lower surface of the wing and the upper surface of the air intake - all this made it possible to more intensively use the effect of preloading the flow at the inlet to the air intakes at Kmax than it was possible to get on "044". The new layout of the engine nacelles required changes in the chassis: the main landing gear was placed under the engine nacelles, with their cleaning inside between the air channels of the engines, they switched to an eight-wheeled bogie, and the cleaning scheme of the nose landing gear also changed. An important difference between "004" and "044" was the introduction of a front multi-section retractable in flight wing-ka-destabilizer, which was extended from the fuselage in takeoff and landing modes, and made it possible to provide the required balancing of the aircraft with deflected elevons-flaps. Design improvements, an increase in the payload and fuel supply led to an increase in the take-off weight of the aircraft, which exceeded 190 tons (for the "044" - 150 tons).

The construction of the pre-production Tu-144 No. 01-1 (tail number 77101) was completed at the beginning of 1971, on June 1, 1971 the aircraft made its first flight. According to the program of factory tests, the machine performed 231 flights, lasting 338 hours, of which 55 hours the aircraft flew at supersonic speed. On this machine, complex issues were worked out - issues of interaction between the power plant and the aircraft in various flight modes. On September 20, 1972, the car made a flight along the Moscow-Tashkent route, while the route was completed in 1 hour 50 minutes, cruising speed during the flight reached 2500 km / h. The pre-production machine became the basis for the deployment of mass production at the Voronezh Aviation Plant (VAZ), which, by decision of the government, was entrusted with the development of the Tu-144 series.

The first flight of serial Tu-144 No. 01-2 (tail number 77102) with NK-144A engines took place on March 20, 1972. In the series, according to the results of tests of the pre-production machine, the aerodynamics of the wing was corrected and its area was slightly increased again. The take-off weight in the series reached 195 tons. The specific fuel consumption of NK-144A by the time of operational testing of serial machines was intended to be increased to 1.65-1.67 kg / kgf hour by optimizing the engine nozzle, and later up to 1.57 kg / kgf hour, while the flight range should was to increase to 3855-4250 km and 4550 km respectively. By 1977, during testing and refinement of the Tu-144 and NK-144A series, we were actually able to achieve Cp = 1.81 kg / kgf hour in the cruising supersonic thrust mode of 5000 kgf, Cp = 1.65 kg / kgf hour in the takeoff afterburner thrust mode 20,000 kgf, Ср=0.92 kg/kgf hour in cruising subsonic thrust mode of 3000 kgf and in maximum afterburner mode in transonic mode received 11800 kgf.

On June 3, 1973, the first production car crashed during a demonstration flight at Le Bourget. The crew led by test pilot M.V. Kozlov died (in addition to M.V. Kozlov, co-pilot V.M. Molchanov, Deputy chief designer V.N. Benderov, flight engineer A.I. Dralin, navigator G. N. Bazhenov, engineer B.A. Pervukhin). To investigate the disaster, a commission was created, in which experts from the USSR and France took part. According to the results of the investigation, the French noted that there was no failure in the technical part of the aircraft, and the cause of the disaster was: the presence of unfastened crew members in the cockpit, the sudden appearance of the Mirage aircraft in the field of view of the crew of the Tu-144 aircraft, the presence of a movie camera in the hands of one of the crew members , which, when falling, could jam the steering wheel. Apparently, at that moment, such a conclusion suited everyone. Perhaps E.V. Elyan spoke most succinctly and accurately about the Tu-144 disaster in Le Bourget in the 90s: “This disaster is a bitter example of how a combination of small, at first glance, insignificant negligence, in this French flight control services, led to tragic consequences.

Production of Tu-144 with NK-144A continued in Voronezh until early 1977. On these machines, a large amount of flight tests were carried out and flights with passengers were started. On Tu-144 No. 02-1 (tail number 77103), the first flight was made on December 13, 1973, the NPK-144 flight and navigation complex, the power supply system were worked out, tests were carried out on the rejected takeoff modes, technical flights were made around the cities of the USSR.

On the Tu-144 No. 02-2 (tail number 77144), first flight on June 14, 1974, studies were carried out on aerodynamics, strength, behavior at high angles of attack, the operation of aircraft systems and equipment was checked in abnormal flight situations, in 1975 the car flew at Le Bourget.

Tu-144 No. 03-1 (tail number 77105) was built in 1973 and immediately converted into Tu-144D with RD-36-51A engines.

Tu-144 No. 04-1 (tail number 77106), the first flight on March 4, 1975, was used to evaluate the efficiency of the ACS, it solved some problems with the fuel system. December 26, 1975 on this machine was made the first operational flight on the route Moscow - Alma-Ata. By this time, in addition to the MAP pilots, the MGA pilots had already begun to fly the Tu-144. The aircraft carried cargo, mail along the route, flights took place at altitudes of 18,000 m and at speeds of 2,200 km/h. Currently, Tu-144 No. 04-1 can be seen in the exposition of the Museum in Monino.

Tu-144 No. 04-2 (tail number 77108), first flight on December 12, 1975, finishing work was carried out on navigation equipment systems, on ABS-144, on the director approach system, on the autothrottle.

Tu-144 No. 05-1 (tail number 77107), the first flight on August 20, 1975, after factory tests and tests under various programs, was presented in 1977 as a complex object for joint state tests. According to the results of these tests, it was noted that the flight performance of the aircraft, with the exception of the practical flight range with a given number of passengers, take-off weight, meets the requirements specified for the Tu-144 (during tests, we obtained a practical supersonic flight range with a take-off weight of 195 tons at a commercial load 15 tons 3080 km, with 7 tons - 3600 km It was emphasized that the flight range of 4000-4500 km, with a payload of 14-15 tons on Tu-144 with NK-144A cannot be implemented and it was noted that obtaining the required range is possible with engines RD-36-51A.

After the completion of joint tests, the MAP-MGA decision is made to start passenger transportation on Tu-144 aircraft with NK-144A. Tu-144 No. 05-2 (tail number 77109), first flight on April 29, 1976, and Tu-144 No. 06-1 (tail number 77110), first flight on February 14, 1977, were used for regular passenger transportation along the Moscow - Alma-Ata. Tu-144 went on its first passenger flight on November 1, 1977. Flights over a distance of 3260 km at an altitude of 16000-17000 m at a speed of 2000 km / h were carried out once a week, the number of passengers on board did not exceed 80 people. Until the termination of regular operation with passengers in May 1978, Aeroflot crews on the Tu-144 performed 55 flights, carrying 3284 passengers. Tu-144 with NK-144A became the first passenger aircraft in the USSR that received a national airworthiness certificate for the safety of passenger transportation, the rest of Aeroflot aircraft at that time did not have such a certificate (the exception was the Tu-134, which was certified in Poland according to English standards airworthiness).

Modification: Tu-144
Wingspan, m: 28.80
Aircraft length, m: 65.70
Aircraft height, m: 12.85
Wing area, m2: 507.00
Weight, kg
- empty aircraft: 91800
-normal takeoff: 150000
-maximum takeoff: 195000
Engine type: 4 x turbofan NK-144A
Thrust, kgf
- normal: 4 x 15000
- forced: 4 x 20000
Maximum speed, km/h: 2500 (M=2.35)
Cruise speed, km/h: 2200
Practical range, km: 6500
Supersonic flight range, km: 2920
Practical ceiling, m: 18000-20000
Crew, people: 3
Payload 150 passengers or 15,000 kg of cargo.

Tu-144 before the first flight.

Tu-144 after takeoff.

There was no one left on the field of supersonic aviation. It is not clear whether such aircraft are not needed (unprofitable), or whether our civilization has not yet reached such technical perfection and reliability in this direction.

Gradually, small private projects begin to appear.

The American company "Aerion Corporation" from the small town of Reno, Nevada, began taking orders for the creation of a private supersonic aircraft "AS2 Aerion", which is being created with the support of Airbus

It is not clear yet what will come of this, but here are the details ...

The manufacturer claims that its patented laminar flow technology reduces aerodynamic drag over the wings by up to 80%, allowing the three-engine powerplant to cover distances quickly enough. For example, from Paris to Washington, the plane will fly in just three hours, and from Singapore to San Francisco, in just six hours. Supersonic flights over the United States are prohibited, but this does not apply to flights over the ocean. The body of the aircraft is made mainly of carbon fiber and is "sewn" along the seam with a titanium alloy. Without refueling, the plane will be able to fly up to 5400 miles. The release of the first aircraft is planned for 2021.

What projects of supersonic aircraft have not been implemented in reality? Well, for example, from the most serious:

Sukhoi Supersonic Business Jet (SSBJ, S-21) is a project of a supersonic business class passenger aircraft developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. In search of financing, Sukhoi collaborated on this project with Gulfstream Aerospace, Dassault Aviation, and a number of Chinese companies.

The development of the S-21 and its larger modification, the S-51, began in 1981 on the initiative of the chief designer of the Sukhoi Design Bureau at that time, Mikhail Petrovich Simonov. The project was headed by Deputy Chief Designer Mikhail Aslanovich Pogosyan.

An analysis of the commercial operation of the Tu-144 and Concorde aircraft showed that with rising aviation fuel prices, supersonic aircraft cannot compete with more economical subsonic airliners in the mass transportation segment. The number of passengers who are ready to significantly overpay for the speed of movement is small and is determined mainly by representatives of large businesses and senior officials. At the same time, airlines connecting world capitals are priority traffic routes. This determined the concept of the aircraft as designed to carry 8-10 passengers over a distance of 7-10 thousand kilometers (to ensure a non-stop flight between cities on the same continent and with one refueling when flying from any to any capital in the world). It was also important to reduce the length of the run so that the aircraft could take all international airports peace.

In the course of work on the aircraft, various layout options were worked out - with 2, 3 or 4 engines. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to the termination of state funding for the program. Sukhoi Design Bureau began searching for independent investors for the project. In particular, in the early 1990s, work was carried out in cooperation with the American company Gulfstream Aerospace - at the same time, a variant with 2 British engines was developed, which received the designation S-21G. However, in 1992, the American side withdrew from the project, fearing unbearable costs. The project has been suspended.

In 1993, investors for the project were found in Russia and the project was resumed. Received from investors 25 million US dollars allowed to reach the stage of completion of the design. Ground tests of engines were carried out, as well as tests of aircraft models in wind tunnels.

In 1999, the aircraft project was presented at the Le Bourget air show, at the same time Mikhail Petrovich Simonov said that about $ 1 billion more would be required to complete all work on the aircraft and begin production of serial liners. With timely and full funding, the aircraft could have taken to the air for the first time in 2002, and the unit cost would have been about $50 million. The possibility of continuing joint work on the project with the French company Dassault Aviation was considered, but the contract did not take place.

In 2000, the Sukhoi Design Bureau tried to find investors for this project in China.

Currently, investments to complete the development and creation of aircraft have not been found. In the state program "Development of the aviation industry for 2013 - 2025" adopted at the end of 2012, there is no mention of the aircraft

ZEHST(short for Zero Emission HyperSonic Transport- English. High-speed transport with zero emissions) is a project of a supersonic-hypersonic passenger airliner, implemented under the leadership of the European aerospace agency EADS.

The project was first presented on June 18, 2011 at the Le Bourget air show. According to the project, it is assumed that the aircraft will accommodate 50-100 passengers and reach speeds of up to 5029 km/h. The flight altitude should be up to 32 km.

The jet system of the aircraft will consist of two turbojet engines used in the take-off and acceleration section up to Mach 0.8, then rocket upper stages will accelerate the aircraft up to Mach 2.5, after which two ramjet engines located under the wings will bring the speed up to Mach 4.

Tu-444- a project of a Russian supersonic passenger aircraft for business aviation developed by JSC Tupolev. It replaced the Tu-344 project and a competitor to the Sukhoi Design Bureau SSBJ project. In the state program "Development of the aviation industry for 2013-2025" adopted at the end of 2012, there is no mention of the project

The design of the Tu-444 began in the early 2000s, and in 2004 the preliminary study of the project began. The development was preceded by a miscalculation of the most advantageous technical characteristics for an aircraft of this class. So, it was found that a range of 7500 kilometers is enough to cover the main business centers of the world, and the optimal takeoff run is 1800 meters. The potential market was estimated at 400-700 aircraft, the first flight according to the plan was to take place in 2015

Nevertheless, despite the use in the project of old developments of a number of design bureaus, including Tupolev directly (for example, Tu-144, it was supposed to use AL-F-31 engines), the need for a number of technical innovations became clear, which turned out to be impossible without significant financial investments which could not be attracted. Despite the development of a preliminary design by 2008, the project has stalled.

Well, a little more aviation topics for you: let's remember, but here it is. And you know what exists and that's how they flew. Here is another unusual The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -

On February 6, 1950, during the next test, the Soviet jet fighter MiG-17 in level flight exceeded the speed of sound, accelerating to almost 1070 km / h. This made it the first mass-produced supersonic aircraft. Developers Mikoyan and Gurevich were clearly proud of their brainchild.

For combat flights, the MiG-17 was considered near-sounding, since its cruising speed did not exceed 861 km / h. But this did not prevent the fighter from becoming one of the most common in the world. AT different time it was in service with Germany, China, Korea, Poland, Pakistan and dozens of other countries. This monster even took part in the fighting in the Vietnam War.

The MiG-17 is far from the only representative of the supersonic aircraft genre. We will talk about a dozen more air liners that also got ahead of the sound wave and became famous all over the world.

Bell X-1

The US Air Force specially equipped the Bell X-1 with a rocket engine, as they wanted to use it to study the problems of supersonic flight. On October 14, 1947, the device accelerated to 1541 km / h (Mach number 1.26), overcame a given barrier and turned into a star in the sky. Today, the record-breaking model rests in the Smithsonian Museum in the States.

Source: NASA

North American X-15

The North American X-15 is also equipped with rocket engines. But, unlike its American counterpart Bell X-1, this aircraft reached a speed of 6167 km / h (Mach number 5.58), becoming the first and for 40 years the only manned hypersonic aircraft in the history of mankind (since 1959). who performed suborbital manned space flights. With its help, even the reaction of the atmosphere to the entry of winged bodies into it was studied. In total, three units of X-15 type rocket planes were produced.

Source: NASA

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

It is a sin not to use supersonic aircraft for military purposes. Therefore, the US Air Force designed the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, a strategic reconnaissance aircraft with a maximum speed of 3,700 km/h (Mach 3.5). The main advantages are fast acceleration and high maneuverability, which allowed him to evade missiles. Also, the SR-71 was the first aircraft to be equipped with technologies to reduce radar visibility.

Only 32 units built, 12 of which crashed. Removed from service in 1998.

Source: af.mil

MiG-25

We cannot but recall the domestic MiG-25 - a 3rd generation supersonic high-altitude fighter-interceptor with a maximum speed of 3000 km / h (Mach number 2.83). The plane was so cool that even the Japanese coveted it. Therefore, on September 6, 1976, Soviet pilot Viktor Belenko had to hijack a MiG-25. After that, for many years in many parts of the Union, the aircraft began to fill up not to the end. The goal is to prevent them from flying to the nearest foreign airport.

Source: Alexey Beltyukov

MiG-31

Soviet scientists did not stop working for the aerial good of the fatherland. Therefore, in 1968, the design of the MiG-31 began. And on September 16, 1975, he first flew into the sky. This two-seat, supersonic, all-weather long-range fighter-interceptor accelerated to a speed of 2,500 km/h (Mach number 2.35) and became the first fourth-generation Soviet combat aircraft.

The MiG-31 is designed to intercept and destroy air targets at extremely small, small, medium and high altitudes, day and night, in simple and difficult weather conditions, with active and passive radar interference, as well as false thermal targets. Four MiG-31s ​​can control airspace up to 900 kilometers long. This is not a plane, but the pride of the Union, which is still in service with Russia and Kazakhstan.

Source: Vitaly Kuzmin

Lockheed/Boeing F-22 Raptor

The most expensive supersonic aircraft was built by the Americans. They modeled a fifth-generation multirole fighter, which became the most expensive among their peers. The Lockheed/Boeing F-22 Raptor is the only fifth-generation fighter in service today and the first production fighter with a supersonic cruising speed of 1,890 km/h (Mach 1.78). The maximum speed is 2570 km / h (Mach 2.42). Until now, no one has surpassed him in the air.

Source: af.mil

Su-100/T-4

The Su-100/T-4 ("weave") was developed as an aircraft carrier fighter. But the engineers of the Sukhoi Design Bureau managed not only to achieve their goal, but to model a cool attack and reconnaissance bomber-missile carrier, which they later wanted to use even as a passenger aircraft and booster for the Spiral aerospace system. The maximum speed of the T-4 is 3200 km/h (Mach 3).

The development of a second-generation supersonic passenger aircraft, abbreviated SPS-2, is entering the final phase. By 2025, the first flight of the Tu-244 is expected. The new Russian commercial airliner will be structurally different from the Soviet Tu-144 in terms of characteristics, flight range, comfort, capacity, size, engine power, and avionics. Its supersonic speed of Mach 2 will remain the same as that of its predecessor Tu-144LL Moskva, it is still the best indicator in the world in heavy civil aircraft construction. At an altitude of 20 km, the routes are free.

A limitation for aircraft designers and developers may be the length of the 1st class runway, at least 3 km is required. Such concrete strips are not available at all airports in the world and the country. There can be no illusions that the best aircraft will not be in demand by Western countries, which are more interested in selling their European Airbuses and American Boeings flying at a speed of 700-900 km/h, 2.5-3 times slower. You will have to rely only on the needs of Russia and the BRICS, as well as on wealthy customers who can afford such aircraft.

Project objectives

The first Tu-244 model is expected to see proven NK-32 engines, the same as those of the Tu-160M2 strategic bomber upgraded on 11/16/2017. The very first development of the SPS-2 started too early, in 1973, thanks to the developments of Soviet military designers of the 1950s, who were 50 years ahead of their time. Then there were no such high-quality composite materials to use them in large quantities, and the power plants had insufficient traction. In the 1960s there were engines with 20 tons of thrust, in the 1970s with 25 tons, and now 32 tons are already used.

Aircraft designers have 2 main tasks:

Flight range - 9,200 km.

Reduced fuel consumption for this class of equipment.

The first and second tasks can be solved following the example of the Tu-160 and Tu-22M3, apply a variable sweep of the wing, making the aircraft multi-mode. You can analyze the closed projects of T-4 and T-4MS Chernyakov, study Myasishchev's developments on modifications of the M-50, brilliant and fantastic then, more suitable today. The Tupolev Design Bureau has everything for this, here are collected materials from all the leading design bureaus of the USSR involved in heavy strategic aviation, on the basis of which the world's best long-range military "long-range" Tu-22M3M and Tu-160M2 were created.

Advantages of jet aircraft

The advantage of a jet aircraft is speed. This guarantees a comfortable flight and shortens the distance in time. To spend three times fewer hours in a chair is a good feeling for passengers, for example, on the Vladivostok-Kaliningrad flight. Save business time. Using the services of the Tu-244 airliner, you can spend 1 more day on vacation, and, upon arrival, immediately go to work without fatigue. It is also important to receive the moral satisfaction of our citizens from the prestige of the Tu-244, to experience pride in Russia. The release of civil jet aircraft from the military-industrial complex of the Russian Federation is more significant than the self-sufficiency of the country's defense enterprises, this is a commercial focus, jobs, a guarantee of stability and the accumulation of profits in harsh market conditions.

Disadvantages of high-speed passenger liners

In the Tupolev Design Bureau in the 1960s, they noticed that the creation of a civilian supersonic passenger liner according to military principles, it will not work because of the requirements for comfort and safety. In this regard, they began to study the experience of the United States, France and England, which was considered the best, then, according to the plan of the chief designer Alexei Andreevich Tupolev, went into work. The disadvantages of the first Tu-144 and Concorde include high fuel consumption, engine noise, sonic booms, and the amount of harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

The main disadvantage of the Tu-244 is the commercial, military and political institutions of the West, because their Concordes flew off in 2003, and there are no new ones in the plans, because our paths in aircraft construction diverge. The explanation for this: firstly, NATO does not need strategic supersonic aviation, because. their power is based on an aircraft-carrying ocean fleet, and it is enough to deliver nuclear bombs and missiles by aircraft with a range of 1.5 km (fighters) from military bases scattered around the world, which is why military projects of this class in the West are not very in demand. Also, the rather high cost of a flight sharply narrows the potential market segment for these aircraft, so there can be no talk of mass production. However, the simultaneous order for military and passenger transportation is exactly what can give a serious boost to supersonic passenger aviation.

What will be the Tu-244 in terms of flight performance

The design was delayed, the Tu-144 in the configuration of 1968 reached its first design characteristics by the mid-1970s. Work on its improvement since 1992 - the beginning of the Tu-244 project, since then 25 years have passed, it will take another 10 years to complete what we started. It is clearly seen that the involvement of the USA, England and France in the development of the Tu-244 program with the collapse of the USSR did not what good did not lead, as in all similar cases in the former USSR. Only the collection of scientific data from the Tu-144LL for the NASA military space program and the deceleration of our enterprises in development.

Today, there are many variants of Tu-244 projects. No one can say for sure what the plane itself will be like. Ambiguous information is being circulated from unofficial sources. The characteristics described below are conditional, compiled on the basis of current capabilities. Characteristics: length 88.7 m; wingspan 54.77 m, area 1,200 sq.m., and elongation 2.5 m; wing sweep along the edge - at the center section 75 degrees, - at the console 35 degrees; fuselage width 3.9 m, height 4.1 m, luggage compartment 32 sq.m.; takeoff weight 350 tons, including fuel 178 tons; engines NK-32 - 4 units; cruising speed 2.05 M; range 10 thousand km; Max. height 20 km.

Tu-244 design

Imagine a trapezoidal wing and a complex deformation of its middle trapezium. Aileron control in balance, roll and pitch. At the leading edge of the socks are deflected mechanically. In the design of the wing, there is a division into parts, front, middle and console. The middle and cantilever parts are with multi-spar and multi-rib power circuits, while there are no ribs in the front. In the vertical tail, the same as in the wing structure and the guide two-section rudder.

The fuselage with a pressurized cabin, nose and tail compartments - the dimension will be selected on order based on the number of passenger seats. For 250 and 320 passengers, a fuselage diameter of 3.9 to 4.1 m is suitable. The cabin will be divided into classes, 1st, 2nd and 3rd. In terms of comfort, the Tu-244 will be at the level of the latest modification of the Tu-204. The aircraft is equipped with a cargo compartment. There are four pilots, their chairs with catapults (in Russian), are shot up. On board, everything is newly automated and subordinated to the central program control.

The Tu-244 may lose its deflectable nose, similar to the Tu-144LL, due to the development of the latest optoelectronic equipment and the ability to deflect controlled thrust vectors in modern domestic power plants. In places of maximum load, titanium alloy VT-64 can be used, in the wheel area. The nose strut may remain the same, there will definitely be 3 new main supports for the concrete strip, designed for high loads. The navigation and flight equipment will comply with the meteorological minimum according to the IIIA ICAO international classification.

December 31, 1968 made a test flight of the world's first supersonic passenger aircraft Tu-144. Three years later, in the summer of 1971, he made an incredible impression on the organizers and guests of the International Aviation Exhibition in Paris. To demonstrate the capabilities of the "Soviet bird", the developers sent a plane from Moscow at 9 am and at the same time - at 9 am - it landed in the capital of Bulgaria.

Design of the supersonic aircraft Tu - 144.

Tu-144 is a Soviet supersonic aircraft developed by the Tupolev Design Bureau in the 1960s. Along with the Concorde, it is one of only two supersonic airliners ever to be used by airlines for commercial purposes.
In the 60s, aviation circles in the USA, Great Britain, France and the USSR actively discussed projects for the creation of a passenger supersonic aircraft with a maximum speed of 2500-3000 km / h, a flight range of at least 6-8 thousand km. In November 1962, France and Great Britain signed an agreement on the joint development and construction of the Concorde (Consent).

The creators of the supersonic aircraft.

In the Soviet Union, the design bureau of academician Andrey Tupolev was engaged in the creation of a supersonic aircraft. At a preliminary meeting of the Design Bureau in January 1963, Tupolev stated:
“Thinking about the future of air transportation of people from one continent to another, you come to an unequivocal conclusion: supersonic airliners are undoubtedly needed, and I have no doubt that they will come into life ...”
The son of the academician, Alexei Tupolev, was appointed the lead designer of the project. More than a thousand specialists from other organizations closely cooperated with his design bureau. The creation was preceded by extensive theoretical and experimental work, including numerous tests in wind tunnels and natural conditions during analogue flights.

Concorde and Tu-144.

The developers had to rack their brains to find the optimal machine layout. The speed of the designed liner is of fundamental importance - 2500 or 3000 km/h. The Americans, having learned that the Concorde is designed for 2500 km / h, said that they would release their passenger Boeing 2707, made of steel and titanium, only six months later. Only these materials withstood the heating of the structure in contact with the air flow at speeds of 3000 km/h and above without destructive consequences. However, solid steel and titanium structures still have to undergo serious technological and operational testing. This will take a long time, and Tupolev decides to build a supersonic aircraft from duralumin, based on a speed of 2500 km / h. The American Boeing project was subsequently closed altogether.
In June 1965, the model was shown at the annual Paris Air Show. Concorde and Tu-144 turned out to be strikingly similar to each other. Soviet designers said - nothing surprising: the general shape is determined by the laws of aerodynamics and the requirements for a certain type of machine.

The wing shape of a supersonic aircraft.

But what should be the shape of the wing? We settled on a thin triangular wing with an outline of the leading edge in the form of the letter "8". The tailless scheme - inevitable with such a design of the carrier plane - made the supersonic liner stable and well controlled in all flight modes. Four engines were located under the fuselage, closer to the axis. Fuel is placed in caisson wing tanks. Balance tanks, located at the rear of the fuselage and wing bulges, are designed to change the position of the center of gravity during the transition from subsonic flight speed to supersonic. The nose was made sharp and smooth. But how in this case to provide pilots with a forward view? They found a way out - “bowing nose”. The circular section fuselage had a cockpit nose cone deflecting downward at an angle of 12 degrees during takeoff and 17 degrees during landing.

A supersonic plane takes off into the sky.

The first supersonic aircraft takes to the skies on the last day of 1968. The machine was driven by test pilot E. Yelyan. As a passenger aircraft, he was the first in the world to overcome the speed of sound in early June 1969, being at an altitude of 11 kilometers. The supersonic aircraft took the second speed of sound (2M) in the middle of 1970, being at an altitude of 16.3 kilometers. The supersonic aircraft incorporated many design and technical innovations. Here I would like to note such a decision as the front horizontal tail. When using the PGO, the flight maneuverability was improved and the speed was extinguished during the landing approach. The domestic supersonic aircraft could be operated from two dozen airports, while the French-English Concorde, having a high landing speed, could land only at a certified airport. The designers of the Tupolev Design Bureau did a tremendous job. Take, for example, field tests of the wing. They took place on a flying laboratory - the MiG-21I, specially converted for testing the design and equipment of the wing of the future supersonic aircraft.

Development and modification.

Work on the development of the basic design "044" went in two directions: the creation of a new economical non-afterburning turbojet engine of the RD-36-51 type and a significant improvement in the aerodynamics and design of a supersonic aircraft. The result of this was to meet the requirements for the range of supersonic flight. The decision of the commission of the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the variant of a supersonic aircraft with RD-36-51 was adopted in 1969. At the same time, at the suggestion of the MAP - MGA, a decision is made, until the creation of RD-36-51 and their installation on a supersonic aircraft, to build six supersonic aircraft with NK-144A with reduced specific fuel consumption. The design of serial supersonic aircraft with the NK-144A was supposed to be significantly modernized, to carry out significant changes in aerodynamics, having received Kmax more than 8 in supersonic cruising mode. series on RD-36-51.

Construction of a modernized supersonic aircraft.

The construction of the pre-production modernized Tu-144 ("004") began at the MMZ "Experience" in 1968. According to the calculated data with the NK-144 engines (Cp = 2.01), the estimated supersonic range should have been 3275 km, and with the NK-144A ( Ср=1.91) to exceed 3500 km In order to improve the aerodynamic characteristics in cruising mode M=2.2, the wing shape was changed in plan (the swept part along the leading edge was reduced to 76°, and the base was increased to 57°), wing shape became closer to the "Gothic". Compared to the "044", the wing area increased, a more intense conical twist of the wing tips was introduced. However, the most important innovation in the aerodynamics of the wing was the change in the middle part of the wing, which ensured self-balancing in cruising mode with minimal loss of quality, taking into account the optimization for flight deformations of the wing in this mode.The length of the fuselage was increased to accommodate 150 passengers, the shape of the nose was improved, which also had a positive effect on the AE rhodynamics.

Unlike the "044", each pair of engines in twin engine nacelles with air intakes was moved apart, freeing the lower part of the fuselage from them, unloading it from increased temperature and vibration loads, while changing the lower surface of the wing in the place of the calculated flow compression area, increasing the gap between the lower surface of the wing and the upper surface of the air intake - all this made it possible to more intensively use the effect of preloading the flow at the inlet to the air intakes at Kmax than it was possible to get on "044". The new layout of the engine nacelles required changes in the chassis: the main landing gear was placed under the engine nacelles, with their cleaning inside between the air channels of the engines, they switched to an eight-wheeled bogie, and the scheme for cleaning the nose landing gear also changed. An important difference between "004" and "044" was the introduction of a front multi-section retractable destabilizer wing in flight, which was extended from the fuselage in takeoff and landing modes, and made it possible to provide the required balancing with deflected elevons-flaps. Improvements in the design, an increase in the payload and fuel supply led to an increase in takeoff weight, which exceeded 190 tons (for "044" - 150 tons).

Pre-production Tu-144.

The construction of the pre-production supersonic aircraft No. 01-1 (tail number 77101) was completed at the beginning of 1971, on June 1, 1971 it made its first flight. According to the factory test program, the machine completed 231 flights, lasting 338 hours, of which 55 hours flew supersonic. On this machine, complex issues of the interaction of the power plant in various flight modes were worked out. On September 20, 1972, the car made a flight along the Moscow-Tashkent route, while the route was completed in 1 hour 50 minutes, cruising speed during the flight reached 2500 km / h. The pre-production machine became the basis for the deployment of mass production at the Voronezh Aviation Plant (VAZ), which, by decision of the government, was entrusted with the development of a supersonic aircraft in a series.

The first flight of the serial Tu-144.

The first flight of a serial supersonic aircraft No. 01-2 (tail number 77102) with NK-144A engines took place on March 20, 1972. In the series, according to the results of tests of the pre-production machine, the aerodynamics of the wing was corrected and its area was slightly increased again. The take-off weight in the series reached 195 tons. The specific fuel consumption of NK-144A by the time of operational testing of serial machines was intended to be increased to 1.65-1.67 kg / kgf hour by optimizing the engine nozzle, and later up to 1.57 kg / kgf hour, while the flight range should was to increase to 3855-4250 km and 4550 km respectively. By 1977, during testing and refinement of the Tu-144 and NK-144A series, we were actually able to achieve Cp = 1.81 kg / kgf hour in the cruising supersonic thrust mode of 5000 kgf, Cp = 1.65 kg / kgf hour in the takeoff afterburner thrust mode 20,000 kgf, Ср=0.92 kg/kgf hour in cruising subsonic thrust mode of 3000 kgf and in maximum afterburner mode in transonic mode received 11800 kgf. Fragment of a supersonic aircraft.

First stage of testing.

In a short period of time, in strict accordance with the program, 395 flights were performed with a total flight time of 739 hours, including more than 430 hours in supersonic modes.

Second stage of testing.

In the second stage of operational testing, in accordance with the joint order of the ministers of the aviation industry and civil aviation dated September 13, 1977 No. 149-223, there was a more active connection of civil aviation facilities and services. A new testing commission was formed, headed by Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation B.D. Rough. By decision of the commission, then confirmed by a joint order of September 30 - October 5, 1977, crews were appointed to conduct operational tests:
First crew: pilots B.F. Kuznetsov (Moscow Transport Administration of the Civil Aviation), S.T. Agapov (ZhLIiDB), navigator S.P. Khramov (MTU GA), flight engineers Yu.N. Avaev (MTU GA), Yu.T. Seliverstov (ZhLIiDB), lead engineer S.P. Avakimov (ZhLIiDB).
The second crew: pilots V.P. Voronin (MGU GA), I.K. Vedernikov (ZhLIiDB), navigator A.A. Senyuk (MTU GA), flight engineers E.A. Trebuntsov (MTU GA) and V.V. Solomatin (ZhLIiDB), lead engineer V.V. Isaev (GosNIIGA).
The third crew: pilots M.S. Kuznetsov (GosNIIGA), G.V. Voronchenko (ZhLIiDB), navigator V.V. Vyazigin (GosNIIGA), flight engineers M.P. Isaev (MTU GA), V.V. Solomatin (ZhLIiDB), leading engineer V.N. Poklad (ZhLIiDB).
The fourth crew: pilots N.I. Yurskov (GosNIIGA), V.A. Sevankaev (ZhLIiDB), navigator Yu.A. Vasiliev (GosNIIGA), flight engineer V.L. Venediktov (GosNIIGA), leading engineer I.S. Mayboroda (GosNIIGA).

Prior to the start of the tests, a lot of work was done to review all the materials received in order to use them “for offsetting” the fulfillment of specific requirements. However, despite this, some civil aviation experts insisted on the implementation of the "Program of operational tests of a supersonic aircraft", developed at GosNIIGA back in 1975 under the leadership of the lead engineer A.M. Teteryukov. This program required, in fact, the repetition of previously completed flights in the amount of 750 flights (1200 flight hours) on the MGA routes.
The total volume of operational flights and tests for both stages will amount to 445 flights with 835 flight hours, of which 475 hours are in supersonic modes. 128 paired flights were performed on the Moscow-Alma-Ata route.

The final stage.

The final stage of testing was not strenuous from a technical point of view. Rhythmic work on schedule was provided without serious failures and major defects. The engineering and technical staff "had fun" assessing household equipment, preparing for passenger transportation. The flight attendants involved in the tests and the relevant specialists of the State Research Institute of Civil Aviation began to conduct ground training to work out the technology of servicing passengers in flight. The so-called. "jokes" and two technical flights with passengers. The "Raffle" was held on October 16, 1977, with a complete simulation of the ticket check-in, baggage check-in, passenger boarding, flight of real duration, passenger disembarkation, baggage check-in at the destination airport. From the "passengers" (the best employees of the Design Bureau, ZhLIiDB, GosNIIGA and other organizations) there was no end. The diet in the "flight" was highest level As it was approved from the first class menu, everyone enjoyed it very much. The "draw" made it possible to clarify many important elements and details of passenger service. On October 20 and 21, 1977, two technical flights were made along the Moscow-Alma-Ata route with passengers. The first passengers were employees of many organizations who were directly involved in the creation and testing of a supersonic aircraft. Today it is even difficult to imagine the atmosphere on board: there was a sense of joy and pride, great hope for development against the backdrop of first-class service, to which technical people are absolutely not accustomed. In the first flights, all the heads of leading institutions and organizations were on board.

The road for passenger traffic is open.

The technical flights passed without serious remarks and showed the full readiness of the supersonic aircraft and all ground services for regular transportation. On October 25, 1977, the Minister of Civil Aviation of the USSR B.P. Bugaev and Minister of Aviation Industry of the USSR V.A. Kazakov approved the main document: “Act on the results of operational tests of a supersonic aircraft with NK-144 engines” with a positive conclusion and conclusions.
On the basis of the presented tables of Tu-144 compliance with the requirements of the Interim Airworthiness Standards for civilian Tu-144s of the USSR, the full amount of evidence presented, including acts on state and operational tests, on October 29, 1977, the chairman of the State Aviation Register of the USSR I.K. Mulkidzhanov approved the conclusion and signed the USSR's first airworthiness certificate type No. 03-144 for a supersonic aircraft with NK-144A engines.
The road for passenger traffic was open.

The road for passenger traffic was open.
The supersonic aircraft could land and take off at 18 airports in the USSR, while Concorde, whose takeoff and landing speed was 15% faster, required a separate landing certificate for each airport.

The second serial copy of the supersonic aircraft.

In June 1973, the 30th International Paris Air Show took place in France. The interest caused by the Soviet liner Tu-144, the world's first supersonic aircraft, was enormous. On June 2, thousands of visitors to the air show in the suburbs of Paris, Le Bourget, watched the second serial copy of the supersonic aircraft take to the runway. The roar of four engines, a powerful takeoff - and now the car is in the air. The sharp nose of the liner straightened and aimed at the sky. The supersonic Tu, piloted by Captain Kozlov, made its first demonstration flight over Paris: having gained the necessary height, the car went beyond the horizon, then returned and made a circle over the airfield. The flight took place in normal mode, no technical problems were noted.
The next day, the Soviet crew decided to show everything that the new one was capable of.

Disaster during a demonstration.

The sunny morning of June 3 did not seem to portend trouble. At first, everything went according to plan, - the audience, raising their heads, applauded in unison. The supersonic aircraft, having shown the "highest class", went down. At that moment, a French Mirage fighter appeared in the air (as it turned out later, he was filming an air show). A collision seemed inevitable. In order not to crash into the airfield and the spectators, the crew commander decided to climb higher and pulled the steering wheel towards himself. However, the height was already lost, large loads were created on the structure; as a result, the right wing cracked and fell off. A fire started there, and a few seconds later, a blazing supersonic aircraft rushed to the ground. A terrible landing occurred on one of the streets of the Parisian suburb of Goosenville. The giant machine, destroying everything in its path, crashed to the ground and exploded. The entire crew - six people - and eight Frenchmen on the ground were killed. Goosenville also suffered - several buildings were destroyed. What led to the tragedy? According to most experts, the cause of the disaster was an attempt by the crew of a supersonic aircraft to avoid a collision with the Mirage. When landing, the Tu got into a wake from the French Mirage fighter.

The photo shows the signature of the first cosmonaut who landed on the moon Neil Armstrong, pilot cosmonaut Georgy Timofeevich Beregovoy and all the dead crew members. Supersonic aircraft No. 77102 crashed during a demonstration flight at the Le Bourget air show. All 6 crew members (Honored Test Pilot Hero of the Soviet Union M.V. Kozlov, Test Pilot V.M. Molchanov, Navigator G.N. Bazhenov, Deputy Chief Designer, Engineer Major General V.N. Benderov, Leading Engineer B.A. Pervukhin and flight engineer A.I. Dralin) died.

According to A.N. Tupolev Design Bureau employees, the cause of the disaster was the connection of a poorly tuned analog control system unit, which led to a destructive overload.
According to the pilots, emergency situations occurred in almost every flight. On May 23, 1978, the second crash of a supersonic aircraft occurred. An improved experimental version of the liner, Tu-144D (No. 77111), after a fuel fire in the area of ​​​​the engine nacelle of the 3rd power plant due to the destruction of the fuel line, smoke in the cabin and the shutdown of two engines by the crew, made an emergency landing in a field near the village of Ilyinsky Pogost, not far from the city Yegoryevsk.
After landing, the crew commander V.D. Popov, co-pilot E.V. Elyan and navigator V.V. Vyazigin left the liner through the cockpit window. Engineers V. M. Kulesh, V. A. Isaev, V. N. Stolpovsky, who were in the cabin, left the liner through the front entrance door. Flight engineers O. A. Nikolaev and V. L. Venediktov were caught in the workplace by structures deformed during landing and died. (The deflected nose cone touched the ground first, worked like a bulldozer knife, gaining ground, and turned under the belly, entering the fuselage.) On June 1, 1978, Aeroflot permanently stopped supersonic passenger flights.

Improvement of supersonic aircraft.

Work on improving the supersonic aircraft continued for several more years. Five serial aircraft produced; five more were under construction. A new modification has been developed - Tu-144D (long-range). However, the choice of a new engine (more economical), RD-36-51, required a significant redesign of the aircraft, especially the power plant. Serious design gaps in this area led to a delay in the release of the new liner. Only in November 1974, the serial Tu-144D (tail number 77105) took off, and nine (!) years after its first flight, on November 1, 1977, the supersonic aircraft received an airworthiness certificate. On the same day, passenger flights were opened. During their short operation, the liners carried 3194 passengers. On May 31, 1978, flights were stopped: a fire broke out on one of the serial Tu-144Ds, and the liner crashed, crashing during an emergency landing.
The catastrophes in Paris and Yegorievsk led to the fact that the state's interest in the project decreased. From 1977 to 1978, 600 problems were identified. As a result, already in the 80s, it was decided to remove the supersonic aircraft, explaining this by "bad effects on people's health when crossing the sound barrier." Nevertheless, four of the five Tu-144Ds that were in production were nevertheless completed. Later they were based in Zhukovsky and took to the air as flying laboratories. In total, 16 supersonic aircraft were built (including long-range modifications), which made a total of 2556 sorties. By the mid-90s, ten of them had survived: four in museums (Monino, Kazan, Kuibyshev, Ulyanovsk); one remained at the plant in Voronezh, where it was built; another was in Zhukovsky along with four Tu-144Ds.

Subsequently, the Tu-144D was used only for cargo transportation between Moscow and Khabarovsk. In total, the supersonic aircraft made 102 flights under the flag of Aeroflot, of which 55 were passenger flights (3,194 passengers were carried).
Later, supersonic aircraft made only test flights and a few flights with the goal of setting world records.
On the Tu-144LL engines NK-32 were installed due to the lack of serviceable NK-144 or RD-36-51, similar to those used on the Tu-160, various sensors and test control and recording equipment.
A total of 16 Tu-144 liners were built, which made a total of 2,556 sorties and flew 4,110 hours (among them, 77144 flew the most, 432 hours). The construction of four more liners was never completed.