Flying at supersonic speed. Supersonic aviation. A short history of fast flying

M = 1.2-5).

History

The 60s-70s of the XX century were marked by the rapid development of supersonic aviation. The main problems of stability and controllability of aircraft, their aerodynamic efficiency were solved. The high flight speed also made it possible to increase the ceiling over 20 km, which was important for reconnaissance aircraft and bombers (at that time, before the appearance of anti-aircraft missile systems capable of hitting targets at high altitudes, the main principle of using bombers was to fly to the target at the highest possible height and speed). During these years, supersonic aircraft for various purposes were built and put into mass production: fighters (tactical and interceptors), bombers, fighter-bombers, reconnaissance aircraft (the first supersonic all-weather interceptor - Convair F-102 Delta Dagger; the first supersonic long-range bomber - Convair B -58 Hustler).

Nowadays, new aircraft appear, including those made using the Stealth technology.

Comparative schemes of Tu-144 and "Concorde"

Supersonic passenger aircraft

Only two mass-produced supersonic passenger aircraft are known to perform regular flights: Soviet aircraft Tu-144, which made its first flight on December 31, 1968 and was in operation from 1975 to 1978 and completed two months later - on March 2, 1969 - its first flight of the Anglo-French Concorde, which made transatlantic flights from 1976 to 2003 year. Their operation allowed not only to significantly reduce the flight time on long-haul flights, but also to use unloaded air space at high altitudes (≈18 km), while the main airspace used by liners (altitudes of 9-12 km) was already heavily loaded in those years. Also, supersonic aircraft flew on straightened routes (outside airways).

Despite the failure to implement several other former and existing projects of passenger supersonic and transonic aircraft (Boeing 2707, Boeing Sonic Cruiser, Douglas 2229, Lockheed L-2000, Tu-244, Tu-344, Tu-444, SSBJ, etc.) and withdrawal from the operation of the aircraft of the two implemented projects were developed earlier and there are modern projects of hypersonic (including suborbital) passenger airliners (for example, ZEHST, SpaceLiner) and military transport (landing) rapid response aircraft. The Aerion AS2 passenger business jet under development was firmly ordered in November 2015 for 20 units with a total cost of $ 2.4 billion, with deliveries starting in 2023.

Theoretical problems

Flight at supersonic speed, in contrast to subsonic, proceeds under conditions of different aerodynamics, since when the aircraft reaches the speed of sound, the aerodynamics of the flow qualitatively changes, due to which the aerodynamic drag increases sharply, and the kinetic heating of the structure from the friction of the incoming air stream at high speed also increases. , the aerodynamic focus shifts, which leads to the loss of stability and controllability of the aircraft. In addition, such a phenomenon, unknown before the creation of the first supersonic aircraft, manifested itself as “wave drag”.

Therefore, the achievement of the speed of sound and effective stable flight at near and supersonic speeds were impossible due to a simple increase in engine power - new design solutions were required. As a result, the appearance of the aircraft changed: characteristic straight lines, sharp corners appeared, in contrast to the "smooth" forms of subsonic aircraft.

It should be noted that the problem of creating an effective supersonic aircraft cannot be considered solved until now. The creators have to compromise between the requirement to increase speed and maintain acceptable takeoff and landing characteristics. Thus, the conquest of new frontiers in speed and altitude by aviation is associated not only with the use of a more advanced or fundamentally new propulsion system and a new structural layout of aircraft, but also with changes in their geometry in flight. Such changes, while improving the characteristics of the aircraft at high speeds, should not degrade their quality at low speeds, and vice versa. Recently, the creators have refused to reduce the wing area and the relative thickness of their profiles, as well as to increase the wing sweep angle in aircraft with variable geometry, returning to the wings of small sweep and large relative thickness, if satisfactory values of the maximum speed and practical ceiling have already been achieved. In such a case, it is considered important that the supersonic aircraft has good flight performance at low speeds and low drag at high speeds, especially at low altitudes.

After a person began to master the heavenly expanses, he always tried to improve aircraft as much as possible, to make them more reliable, faster, and more spacious. One of the most advanced inventions of mankind in this direction are supersonic passenger aircraft. But, unfortunately, with rare exceptions, most of the developments have been closed or are currently at the project stage. One of these projects is the Tu-244 supersonic passenger aircraft, which we will discuss below.

Faster than sound

But before we start talking directly about the Tu-244, let's do short excursion in the history of overcoming the threshold of the speed of sound by mankind, because this aircraft will be a direct continuation of scientific developments in this direction.

A significant impetus in the development of aviation was given by the Second World War. It was then that real projects of aircraft with more propeller-driven speeds appeared. Since the second half of the 40s of the last century, they have been actively adopted both in the military and in civil aviation.

The next task was to maximize it. If it was not difficult to reach the supersonic barrier, simply by increasing the engine power, then overcoming it was a significant problem, since the laws of aerodynamics change at such speeds.

Nevertheless, the first victory in the race with sound was achieved already in 1947 on an American experimental aircraft, but supersonic technologies began to be massively used only in the late 50s - early 60s of the XX century. military aviation... Production models such as the MiG-19, North American A-5 Vigilante, Convair F-102 Delta Dagger and many others appeared.

Passenger supersonic aviation

But civil aviation was so unlucky. The first supersonic passenger aircraft appeared only in the late 60s. And to date, only two production models have been created - the Soviet Tu-144 and the Franco-British "Concorde". These were typical long-haul aircraft... The Tu-144 was in service from 1975 to 1978, and the Concorde from 1976 to 2003. Thus, at the moment, no supersonic aircraft is used for passenger air transportation.

There were many projects for the construction of super- and hypersonic airliners, but some of them were eventually closed (Douglas 2229, Super-Caravelle, T-4, etc.), and the implementation of others stretched out indefinitely (Reaction Engines A2, SpaceLiner, Next Generation Supersonic Transport). The latter also includes the Tu-244 aircraft project.

Development start

The project to create an aircraft that was supposed to replace the Tu-144 was launched by the Tupolev Design Bureau back in Soviet times, in the early 70s of the last century. When designing a new airliner, the designers used the developments of its predecessor, the Concorde, as well as materials from American colleagues who took part in the work. All developments were carried out under the direction of Alexei Andreevich Tupolev.

In 1973, the projected aircraft was named Tu-244.

Project objectives

The main objective of this project was to create a truly competitive supersonic aircraft for passenger transport compared to subsonic jet airliners. Almost the only advantage of the former over the latter was the gain in speed. In all other respects, supersonic airliners were outperformed by their slower competitors. Passenger traffic on them simply did not pay off economically. In addition, flights on them were more dangerous than on simple airplanes with jet engine... The latter factor, by the way, became the official reason why the operation of the first supersonic aircraft Tu-144 just a few months after its start.

Thus, it was the solution of these problems that was presented to the developers of the Tu-244. The plane should be reliable, fast, but at the same time, its operation for the transport of passengers should have been economically profitable.

Specifications

The final model of the Tu - 244 aircraft, adopted for development, was supposed to have the following technical and operational characteristics.

The crew of the airliner included three people. The cabin capacity was taken at the rate of 300 passengers. True, in the final version of the project it had to be reduced to 254 people, but in any case it was much more than that of the Tu-154, which accommodated only 150 passengers.

The planned cruising speed was 2,175 thousand km / h, which was twice as high. For comparison, the same figure for the Tu-144 was 2,300 thousand km / h, and the Concorde - 2.125 thousand km / h. That is, it was planned to make the plane a little slower than its predecessor, but due to this, significantly increase its capacity, which was supposed to provide economic benefits from passenger transportation. The movement was provided by four. The flight range of the new aircraft was supposed to be 7500-9200 km. Carrying capacity - 300 tons.

The airliner was supposed to have a length of 88 m, a height of 15 m, while its wingspan was 45 m, and its working surface area was 965 m 2.

The main external difference from the Tu-144 was to be a change in the design of the nose.

Continued development

The project for the construction of a second generation supersonic airliner Tu-244 took on a rather protracted nature and underwent significant changes several times. Nevertheless, even after the collapse of the USSR, the Tupolev Design Bureau did not stop developing in this direction. For example, already in 1993 at the air show in France, detailed information about development. However, the economic situation in the country in the 90s could not but affect the fate of the project. In fact, his fate hung in the air, although design work continued, and there was no official announcement of its closure. It was at this time that American specialists began to actively join the project, although contacts with them were carried out back in the days of the USSR.

To continue research on the creation of second-generation passenger supersonic airliners, in 1993 two Tu-144 aircraft were converted into flying laboratories.

Closing or freezing?

Against the backdrop of ongoing developments and statements that by 2025 TU-244 aircraft will enter service in civil aviation in the amount of 100 units, the absence of this project in the state program for the development of aviation for 2013-2025, which was adopted in 2012, was quite unexpected. ... It must be said that this program also lacked a number of other notable developments that until that time were considered promising in aircraft construction, for example, a supersonic aircraft business aviation Tu-444.

This fact could indicate that the Tu-244 project was either finally closed or frozen for an indefinite period. In the latter case, the release of these supersonic aircraft will only be possible much later than 2025. However, no official clarifications on this matter have been given, which leaves a fairly wide field for different interpretations.

Perspectives

Considering all of the above, it can be stated that the Tu-244 project is currently at least suspended in the air, and, perhaps, completely closed. There has not yet been an official announcement about the fate of the project. Also, the reasons why it was suspended or permanently closed are not voiced. Although it can be assumed that they may lie in the lack of public funds to finance such developments, the economic disadvantage of the project, or the fact that in 30 years it could simply become morally obsolete, and now more promising tasks are on the agenda. However, the influence of all three factors is quite possible at the same time.

In 2014, the media voiced suggestions about the resumption of the project, but so far they have not received official confirmation, as well as denials.

It should be noted that foreign developments of supersonic passenger aircraft of the second generation have not yet reached the home stretch, and the implementation of many of them is a big question.

At the same time, while there is no official statement from authorized persons, it is not worth completely putting an end to the Tu-244 aircraft project.

The aircraft designers were faced with the task of further increasing their speed. Higher speed expanded the combat capabilities of both fighters and bombers.

The supersonic era began with the flight of Chuck Yeager, an American test pilot, on October 14, 1947, on an experimental Bell X-1 aircraft powered by an XLR-11 rocket engine, reaching supersonic speed in controlled flight.

Development

The 60s-70s of the XX century were marked by the rapid development of supersonic aviation. The main problems of stability and controllability of aircraft, their aerodynamic efficiency were solved. The high flight speed also made it possible to increase the ceiling over 20 km, which was important for reconnaissance aircraft and bombers. At that time, before the appearance of anti-aircraft missile systems capable of hitting targets at high altitudes, the main principle of using bombers was to fly to the target at the highest possible height and speed. During these years, supersonic aircraft for various purposes were built and launched into series - fighters, bombers, interceptors, fighter-bombers, reconnaissance aircraft (the first supersonic all-weather interceptor - Convair F-102 Delta Dagger; the first supersonic long-range bomber - Convair B-58 Hustler) ...

Nowadays, new aircraft appear, including those made using the Stealth technology.

Comparative schemes of Tu-144 and Concorde

Supersonic passenger aircraft

In the history of aviation, there were only two supersonic passenger aircraft that performed regular flights. The Soviet Tu-144 made its first flight on December 31, 1968, and was in operation from 1978 to 1978. The Anglo-French Concorde (fr. Concorde- "consent") made transatlantic flights from 2003 to 2003. Their operation made it possible not only to significantly reduce the flight time on long-haul flights, but also to use unloaded airspace at high altitudes (≈18 km), while the main airspace used by liners (altitudes of 9-12 km) was already in those years loaded. Also, supersonic aircraft flew on straightened routes (outside airways).

Theoretical questions

Flight at supersonic speed, in contrast to subsonic, proceeds according to other laws, since when the object reaches the speed of sound, the aerodynamic flow pattern changes qualitatively, due to which the aerodynamic drag increases sharply, the kinetic heating of the structure increases, the aerodynamic focus shifts, which leads to a loss of stability and controllability of the aircraft. In addition, such a hitherto unknown phenomenon as "wave resistance" has appeared.

Therefore, achieving the speed of sound and effective flight were impossible by simply increasing the power of the engines; new design solutions were required. The consequence was a change in the appearance of the aircraft - there were characteristic straight lines, sharp corners, in contrast to the "smooth" shape of subsonic aircraft.

It should be noted that the task of creating an effective supersonic aircraft cannot be considered solved until now. The creators have to compromise between the requirement to increase speed and maintain acceptable takeoff and landing characteristics. Thus, the conquest of new frontiers in speed and altitude by aviation is associated not only with the use of a more advanced or fundamentally new propulsion system and a new layout of aircraft, but also with changes in their geometry in flight. Such changes, while improving the characteristics of the aircraft at high speeds, should not degrade their qualities at low speeds, and vice versa. Recent times the creators refuse to reduce the wing area and the relative thickness of their profiles, as well as to increase the wing sweep angle for aircraft with variable geometry, returning to the wings of small sweep and large relative thickness, if satisfactory values of the maximum speed and ceiling have already been achieved. In such a case, it is considered important that the supersonic aircraft has good flight performance at low speeds and reduced drag at high speeds, especially at low altitudes.

Notes (edit)

Supersonic aircraft creators

In the Soviet Union, the design bureau of academician Andrei Tupolev was engaged in the creation of a supersonic aircraft. At a preliminary meeting of the Design Bureau in January 1963, Tupolev said:

“Thinking about the future of air transportation of people from one continent to another, you come to an unambiguous conclusion: supersonic air liners are undoubtedly needed, and I have no doubt that they will come into life ...”

The academician's son, Aleksey Tupolev, was appointed the lead designer of the project. More than a thousand specialists from other organizations worked closely with his OKB. The creation was preceded by extensive theoretical and experimental work, which included numerous tests in wind tunnels and natural conditions during analogue flights.

Concorde and Tu-144

The developers had to smash 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, announced that they would release their passenger Boeing-2707 made of steel and titanium just six months later. Only these materials could withstand the heating of the structure without destructive consequences in contact with the air flow at speeds of 3000 km / h and higher. 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 canceled 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 form is determined by the laws of aerodynamics and the requirements for a particular type of machine.

Supersonic aircraft wing shape

But what should be the shape of the wing? We settled on a thin triangular wing with the outline of the leading edge in the form of the letter "8". The tailless scheme - inevitable with such a design of the load-bearing plane - made the supersonic airliner stable and well-controlled in all flight modes. Four engines were located under the fuselage, closer to the axis. The fuel is stored in wing coffered tanks. The balance tanks, located at the rear of the fuselage and wing overlays, are designed to change the position of the center of gravity during the transition from subsonic to supersonic flight speed. The nose was made sharp and smooth. But how do you provide the pilots with forward visibility? Found a way out - "bowing nose". The circular fuselage had a cockpit nose cone that tilted downward at an angle of 12 degrees during takeoff and 17 degrees during landing.

Supersonic aircraft takes to the sky

For the first time, a supersonic aircraft takes to the skies on the last day of 1968. The car was driven by test pilot E. Elyan. As a passenger aircraft, it was the first in the world to overcome the speed of sound in early June 1969, 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 has incorporated many innovations in design and technical plan... Here I would like to mention such a solution as the front horizontal tail. When using the PGO, the flight maneuverability was improved and the speed was suppressed during the landing approach. Domestic supersonic aircraft could be operated from two dozen airports, while the French-English Concorde, having a high landing speed, could only land at a certified airport. The designers of the Tupolev Design Bureau did a tremendous job. Take, for example, field testing of a wing. They took place at a flying laboratory - the MiG-21I, which was converted specifically 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 of the "044" went in two directions: the creation of a new economical turbojet engine of the RD-36-51 type and a significant improvement in the aerodynamics and design of a supersonic aircraft. The result 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 version of the supersonic aircraft with the 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 a supersonic aircraft, on the construction of 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 make significant changes in aerodynamics, having received Kmax more than 8 in the supersonic cruising mode. series on RD-36-51.

Construction of a modernized supersonic aircraft

Construction of the pre-production modernized Tu-144 ("004)" began at 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 (Cp = 1.91), exceed 3500 km. In order to improve the aerodynamic characteristics in cruising mode M = 2.2, the wing shape was changed in plan (the sweep of the flowing part along the leading edge was reduced to 76 °, and the base part was increased to 57 °), the wing shape became closer to the "Gothic" one. Compared with the "044", the wing area has increased, a more intensive conical twist of the wing end parts has been introduced. However, the most important innovation in wing aerodynamics was the change in the middle part of the wing, which provided self-balancing in cruise mode with minimal loss of quality, taking into account the optimization of flight deformations of the wing in this mode. The length of the fuselage was increased to accommodate 150 passengers, the shape of the bow was improved, which also had a positive effect on aerodynamics.

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

Pre-production Tu-144

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

The first flight of the serial Tu-144

The first flight of serial supersonic aircraft No. 01-2 (side No. 77102) powered by 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 takeoff weight in the series reached 195 tons. The specific fuel consumption of the NK-144A by the time of operational tests of serial machines was intended to be increased to 1.65-1.67 kg / kgf h by optimizing the engine nozzle, and later to 1.57 kg / kgf h, while the flight range should was to increase to 3855-4250 km and 4550 km, respectively. In fact, they were able to achieve by 1977, during tests and refinements of the Tu-144 and NK-144A series, Cp = 1.81 kg / kgf hour at cruising supersonic thrust mode 5000 kgf, Cp = 1.65 kg / kgf hour at takeoff afterburner thrust mode 20,000 kgf, Cp = 0.92 kg / kgf hour at a subsonic cruising mode of thrust of 3000 kgf and at a maximum afterburner mode in a transonic mode, they received 11,800 kgf. A fragment of a supersonic aircraft.

Flights and tests 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 at supersonic modes.

Second stage of testing

At the second stage of operational tests, in accordance with the joint order of the Ministers of the Aviation Industry and Civil Aviation of September 13, 1977, No. 149-223, a more active connection of the means and services of civil aviation took place. A new commission was formed to conduct tests, headed by the Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation B.D. Rude. By the decision of the commission, then confirmed by a joint order dated September 30 - October 5, 1977, crews were assigned to conduct operational tests:

The first crew: pilots B.F. Kuznetsov (Moscow Transport Department GA), S.T. Agapov (ZhLiDB), navigator S.P. Khramov (MTU GA), flight engineers Yu.N. Avayev (MTU GA), Yu.T. Seliverstov (ZhLiDB), leading engineer S.P. Avakimov (ZhLiDB).
Second crew: pilots V.P. Voronin (Moscow State University GA), I.K. Vedernikov (ZhLiDB), navigator A.A. Senyuk (MTU GA), flight engineers E.A. Trebuntsov (MTU GA) and V.V. Solomatin (ZhLiDB), leading engineer V.V. Isaev (GosNIIGA).
Third crew: pilots M.S. Kuznetsov (GosNIIGA), G.V. Voronchenko (ZhLiDB), navigator V.V. Vyazigin (GosNIIGA), flight engineers M.P. Isaev (MTU GA), V.V. Solomatin (ZhLiDB), leading engineer V.N. Poklad (ZhLiDB).
The fourth crew: pilots N.I. Yurskov (GosNIIGA), V.A. Sevankayev (ZhLiDB), navigator Yu.A. Vasiliev (GosNIIGA), flight engineer V.L. Venediktov (GosNIIGA), leading engineer I.S. Mayboroda (GosNIIGA).

Before the start of the tests, a lot of work was done to review all the materials received in order to use them "for offset" to meet specific requirements. However, despite this, some civil aviation specialists 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 leading engineer A.M. Teterukov. This program essentially required the repetition of previously performed 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 at supersonic modes. There were performed 128 pair flights on the Moscow-Alma-Ata route.

The final stage

The final test phase was not technically challenging. Rhythmic work on a schedule was ensured without major disruptions and major defects. The engineers and technicians were “having fun” assessing household equipment, preparing for passenger transportation. The flight attendants and the corresponding specialists of GosNIIGA, connected to the tests, began to conduct ground trainings to test the technology of servicing passengers in flight. The so-called. "Raffles" and two technical flights with passengers. The "raffle" was held on October 16, 1977 with a complete simulation of the cycle of ticket check-in, baggage clearance, passenger boarding, flight duration, passengers disembarkation, baggage check-in at the destination airport. From the “passengers” (the best workers of the OKB, ZhLiDB, GosNIIGA and other organizations) there was no hang-up. The ration of food in the "flight" was at the highest level, since it was approved according to the first class menu, everyone enjoyed it very much. The raffle made it possible to clarify many important elements and details of passenger service. On October 20 and 21, 1977, two technical flights were performed along the Moscow-Alma-Ata highway 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: a feeling of joy and pride reigned there, a great hope for development against the backdrop of first-class service, to which technical people are absolutely not accustomed. On the first flights, all the heads of the leading institutions and organizations were on board.

The road is open for passenger traffic

Technical flights passed without serious comments and showed the full readiness of the supersonic aircraft and all terrestrial services to regular transport. 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 compliance of the Tu-144 with the requirements of the Temporary Airworthiness Standards of the civil Tu-144 of the USSR, the full volume of the submitted evidentiary documentation, 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 first in the USSR certificate of airworthiness of type No. 03-144 for a supersonic aircraft with NK-144A engines.

The road was opened for passenger traffic.

The supersonic aircraft could land and take off at 18 airports in the USSR, while the Concorde, whose takeoff and landing speed was 15% higher, required a separate landing certificate for each airport. According to some experts, if the engines of the Concorde were located in the same way as that of the Tu-144, then the accident on July 25, 2000 would not have happened.

According to experts, the design of the Tu-144 airframe was perfect, while the flaws concerned engines and various systems.

The second production copy of a supersonic aircraft

In June 1973, the 30th International Paris Air Show took place in France. There was huge interest aroused by the Soviet Tu-144, the world's first supersonic aircraft. On June 2, thousands of visitors to the air show in the Paris suburb of Le Bourget watched the entrance to runway the second production copy of the supersonic aircraft. 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, led by Captain Kozlov, made its first demonstration flight over Paris: having gained the required altitude, 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 is capable of.

Disaster during the demonstration

The sunny morning of June 3 did not seem to bode well. At first, everything went according to plan - the audience, raising their heads, applauded in unison. Supersonic aircraft showing " upper class”, Went down. At that moment, a French fighter "Mirage" 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 spectators, the crew commander decided to climb higher and pulled the steering wheel towards himself. However, the height has already been lost, large loads have been created on the structure; as a result, the right wing cracked and fell off. A fire broke out there, and a few seconds later the blazing supersonic plane rushed to the ground. A terrible landing took place on one of the streets of the Parisian suburb of Gusenville. The giant car, destroying everything in its path, crashed to the ground and exploded. The entire crew - six people - and eight Frenchmen on the ground were killed. Gusenville also suffered - several buildings were destroyed. What led to the tragedy? According to most experts, the cause of the crash was an attempt by the crew of a supersonic aircraft to avoid a collision with the Mirage. During the landing approach, the Tu was caught in a wake from the French Mirage fighter.

Video: The crash of the Tu-144 in 1973: how it was

This version can be found in Gene Alexander's book, Russian Airplanes Since 1944, and in an article in the Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine for June 11, 1973, written with fresh traces. The authors believe that pilot Mikhail Kozlov landed on the wrong lane - either by mistake of the flight director, or by the inattention of the pilots. The dispatcher noticed the error in time and warned the Soviet pilots. But instead of going around, Kozlov laid a sharp turn - and found himself right in front of the nose of the French Air Force fighter. At that time the co-pilot was filming with a movie camera a story about the Tu crew for French television and therefore was not wearing his seatbelt. During the maneuver, he fell onto the center console, and while returning to his place, he had already lost altitude. Kozlov abruptly pulled the steering wheel towards himself - overload: the right wing could not stand it. And here is another explanation terrible tragedy... Kozlov was ordered to squeeze the maximum out of the car. Even during takeoff, he took an almost vertical angle at low speed. For a liner with such a configuration, this is fraught with enormous overloads. As a result, one of the external nodes could not stand it and fell off.

According to the employees of the Tupolev Design Bureau, the cause of the disaster was the connection of an unsettled analog block of the control system, which led to a destructive overload.

The spy version belongs to the writer James Olberg. In short, it is as follows. The Soviets tried to "beat" the Concorde. The group of N. D. Kuznetsova created good engines, but they could not work at low temperatures, unlike the Concord ones. Then Soviet intelligence officers got involved in the case. Penkovsky, through his agent Grevil Wyne, obtained some of the Concorde's blueprints and shipped them to Moscow through an East German sales representative. British counterintelligence thus established the leak, but, instead of arresting the spy, decided to let disinformation into Moscow through his own channels. As a result, the Tu-144 was born, very similar to the Concorde. It is difficult to establish the truth, since the “black boxes” have not clarified anything. One was found in Bourges, at the crash site, but reportedly damaged. The second was never found. It is believed that the "black box" of a supersonic aircraft has become a point of contention between the KGB and the GRU.

According to the pilots, emergency situations occurred in almost every flight. On May 23, 1978, the second supersonic plane crash occurred. An improved experimental version of the liner, Tu-144D (No. 77111), after fuel ignition in the nacelle area of the 3rd power plant due to the destruction of the fuel line, smoke in the cockpit and the crew shutting off two engines, made an emergency landing on a field near the village of Ilyinsky Pogost, not far from the city Yegoryevsk.

After landing through the cockpit window, crew commander V.D.Popov, co-pilot E.V. Elyan and navigator V.V. Vyazigin left the airliner. 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 trapped in the workplace by structures deformed during landing and died. (The deflected nose cone touched the ground first, worked like a bulldozer knife, picking up the ground, and turned under the stomach, entering the fuselage.) On June 1, 1978, Aeroflot permanently stopped supersonic passenger flights.

Improvement of the supersonic aircraft

Work on improving the supersonic aircraft continued for several more years. Five production aircraft were produced; five more were under construction. A new modification has been developed - Tu-144D (long-range). However, the choice of a new (more economical) engine, RD-36-51, required a significant redesign of the aircraft, especially the power plant. Serious design gaps in this area led to the 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 a certificate of airworthiness. Passenger flights were opened on the same day. During their short operation, the liners carried 3194 passengers. On May 31, 1978, flights were discontinued: a fire broke out on one of the serial Tu-144Ds, and the liner crashed during an emergency landing.

The disasters in Paris and Yegoryevsk led to the fact that the state's interest in the project diminished. From 1977 to 1978, 600 problems were identified. As a result, it was decided to remove the supersonic aircraft already in the 80s, explaining this by "a bad effect on human 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 off as flying laboratories. A total of 16 supersonic aircraft were built (including those in long-range modification), which made a total of 2556 sorties. By the mid-90s, ten of them survived: four in museums (Monino, Kazan, Kuibyshev, Ulyanovsk); one remained at the factory in Voronezh, where it was built; one more was in Zhukovsky along with four Tu-144Ds.

Subsequently, the Tu-144D was used only for freight traffic between Moscow and Khabarovsk. In total, the supersonic aircraft made 102 flights under the Aeroflot flag, of which 55 were passenger (3,194 passengers were transported).

Later, supersonic aircraft made only test flights and several flights in order to establish world records.

On the Tu-144LL, the NK-32 engines were installed due to the lack of serviceable NK-144 or RD-36-51, similar to those used on the Tu-160, a variety of sensors and test control and recording equipment.

A total of 16 Tu-144 airliners were built, which made a total of 2,556 flights and flew 4,110 hours (among them the most, 432 hours, were flown aboard 77,144). The construction of four more liners was never completed.

What happened to the planes

In total, 16 were built - boards 68001, 77101, 77102, 77105, 77106, 77107, 77108, 77109, 77110, 77111, 77112, 77113, 77114, 77115, 77116 and 77144.

Those remaining in flight status do not currently exist. The Tu-144LL No. 77114 and TU-144D No. 77115 boards are almost completely completed with parts and can be restored to flight condition.

In a recoverable state, TU-144LL No. 77114, which was used for NASA tests, is stored at the Zhukovsky airfield.

TU-144D No. 77115 is also stored at the airfield in Zhukovsky. In 2007, both airliners were re-painted and exhibited for public visits at the MAKS-2007 air show.

Nos 77114 and 77115 will most likely be installed as monuments or exhibited at the airfield in Zhukovsky. In 2004-2005, some deals were made with them to sell them for scrap, but protests from the aviation community led to their preservation. The danger of selling them for scrap has not been completely eliminated. The questions of whose ownership they will be transferred to have not been finally resolved.

The photo shows the signature of the first cosmonaut to land 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.

From left to right. Six crew members on board supersonic aircraft # 77102: Honored Test Pilot Hero of the Soviet Union MV Kozlov, Test Pilot VM Molchanov, Navigator GN Bazhenov, Deputy Chief Designer, Engineer Major General VN Benderov, leading engineer B.A. Pervukhin and flight engineer A.I.Dralin (who, unfortunately, did not specify how they stand in order). Further, pilot-cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Major-General Georgy Timofeevich Beregovoy, behind him on the left is Vladimir Alexandrovich Lavrov, then the first American cosmonaut who landed on the moon Neil Armstrong, then (standing behind the Nile) - Stepan Gavrilovich Korneev (head of the UVS from the Department of External Relations Presidium of the Academy of Sciences), in the center Tupolev Andrey Nikolaevich - Soviet aircraft designer, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences, colonel-general, three times Hero of Socialist Labor, Hero of Labor of the RSFSR, then Alexander Alexandrovich Arkhangelsky, chief designer of the plant, Soviet aircraft designer, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Honored Scientist and equipment of the RSFSR, Hero of Socialist Labor. Far right Tupolev Alexey Andreevich (son of A.N. Tupolev) - Russian aircraft designer, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences since 1984, Hero of Socialist Labor. The picture was taken in 1970. Captions on the photo of G.T. Beregovoy and Neil Armstrong.

Concorde

Concorde crash.

The liner is currently out of service due to the disaster on July 25, 2000. April 10, 2003 British Airways and Air France announced a decision to end the commercial operation of their Concord fleet. Last flights took place on 24 October. The last flight of the Concorde took place on November 26, 2003, G-BOAF (the last airliner built) took off from Heathrow, flew over the Bay of Biscay, passed over Bristol, and landed at Filton Airport.

Why the supersonic plane is no longer in operation

Tupolev's supersonic aircraft is often called the "lost generation." Intercontinental flights were recognized as uneconomical: per hour of flight, a supersonic plane burned eight times more fuel than a regular passenger. For the same reason, long-distance flights to Khabarovsk and Vladivostok did not justify themselves. It is inexpedient to use the supersonic Tu as a transport liner due to its low carrying capacity. Truth, Passenger Transportation nevertheless, it became a prestigious and profitable business for Aeroflot, although tickets were considered very expensive at that time. Even after the official closure of the project, in August 1984, the head of the Zhukovskaya flight test base Klimov, the head of the design department Pukhov and the deputy chief designer Popov, with the support of supersonic flight enthusiasts, restored and commissioned two liners, and in 1985 obtained permission to fly for setting world records. The crews of Aganov and Veremey set more than 18 world records in the class of supersonic aircraft - in terms of speed, rate of climb and range with a load.

On March 16, 1996, a series of Tu-144LL research flights began in Zhukovsky, which marked the beginning of the development of the second generation of supersonic passenger airliners.

95-99 years. The supersonic aircraft with tail number 77114 was used by the American NASA as a flying laboratory. Received the name Tu-144LL. The main purpose - research and testing of American developments to create their own modern supersonic aircraft for passenger transportation.

Flying at supersonic speed. Supersonic aviation. A short history of fast flying

History

Supersonic passenger aircraft

Theoretical problems

Faster than sound

Passenger supersonic aviation

Development start

Project objectives

Specifications

Continued development

Closing or freezing?

Perspectives

Development

Supersonic passenger aircraft

Theoretical questions

Notes (edit)

see also

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Supersonic aircraft creators

Concorde and Tu-144

Supersonic aircraft wing shape

Supersonic aircraft takes to the sky

Development and modification

Construction of a modernized supersonic aircraft

Pre-production Tu-144

The first flight of the serial Tu-144

Flights and tests of a supersonic aircraft

First stage of testing

Second stage of testing

The final stage

The road is open for passenger traffic

The second production copy of a supersonic aircraft

Disaster during the demonstration

Improvement of the supersonic aircraft

What happened to the planes

Concorde

Why the supersonic plane is no longer in operation

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