The Tupolev Tu-144 (Russian: Tyполев Ту-144; NATO reporting name: Charger) is a Soviet supersonic passenger airliner designed by Tupolev in operation from 1968 to 1999. [2]

May 16, 2024 · The Tu-144 was the first supersonic passenger jet. However, it was louder, more uncomfortable, and unpopular compared to Concorde. A crash at the Paris Air Show in 1973 marred the Tu-144's reputation and shook confidence in its design.

The Tupolev Tu-144 was designed by Tupolev as a Soviet supersonic passenger airliner and was the first commercial supersonic transport in the world. The aircraft performed its first flight in December 1968 and was operated from 1968 until 1999.

The 1973 Paris Air Show Tu-144 crash of Sunday 3 June 1973 destroyed the second production model of the Soviet supersonic Tupolev Tu-144. The aircraft disintegrated in the air while performing extreme manoeuvres and fell on the town of Goussainville, Val-d'Oise , France, killing all six crew members and eight people on the ground.

May 13, 2020 · The Tu-144 was both first to fly (1968) and first to fly supersonic (1969), beating Concorde on both scores, partially due to its truncated testing regimen. The Soviet SSTs were used to cover the somewhat unusual Moscow to Almaty, Kazakhstan, route.

Tupolev Tu-144, world’s first supersonic transport aircraft, designed by the veteran Soviet aircraft designer Andrey N. Tupolev and his son Alexey. It was test-flown in December 1968, exceeded the speed of sound in June 1969, and was first publicly shown in Moscow in May 1970.

Feb 9, 2010 · Western Europe had won its supersonic race with the Soviets, who eventually allowed just 100 domestic flights with the TU-144 before discontinuing the airliner.

Apr 24, 2020 · The Tu-144 carried 140 passengers onboard, with 11 in first class and 129 in economy. It would fly at a stunning Mach 2.15 (2,300 km/h or 1,429 mph). But it only had a range of 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km), 400 nautical miles shorter than the Concorde.

On this site you can find all the information about the first supersonic airliner that flew, the Tupolev Tu-144. Her history, pictures, accidents and current status are here to your disposition. - Use the Tu-144 icons to navigate.

Able to seat up to 140, the Tu-144 could reach a higher cruise speed up to Mach 2.35 at a greater altitude than Europe's supersonic airliner. The Tu-144 design owed much to earlier studies of the Tu-125 and Tu-135 bombers.