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ICAO T144
Tupolev Tu-144
Tupolev TravelerPulse profile
Soviet supersonic airliner, the world's first to fly.
First flight
1968
Category
Narrow-body jet
Seating
100–140
Range
6,500 km
Engines
Four Kuznetsov NK-144 (or Kolesov RD-36-51 on Tu-144D) afterburning turbofans
Status
Retired
The Tupolev Tu-144 was a Soviet supersonic passenger aircraft developed during the 1960s Cold War space and technology race. It became the first commercial supersonic transport to fly, beating the Anglo-French Concorde into the air by roughly two months when it first flew on 31 December 1968.
The aircraft entered limited Aeroflot passenger service in 1977 on the Moscow–Almaty route but was withdrawn after a short operational period due to reliability concerns and high operating costs. A total of 16 aircraft were built, including prototypes and development airframes.
Late in its life, NASA and Tupolev collaborated on a Tu-144LL research program in the 1990s, using a modified Tu-144D as a supersonic flying laboratory to gather high-speed aerodynamic data.
Notable operators
Aeroflot was the sole commercial operator, using the Tu-144 on limited passenger and cargo routes between 1977 and 1978.
Notable facts
- ›First supersonic commercial transport to fly, on 31 December 1968.
- ›A Tu-144 crashed dramatically at the 1973 Paris Air Show, killing 14 people.
- ›Earned the nickname 'Concordski' in Western media due to its visual similarity to Concorde.
- ›Passenger service lasted less than a year before being suspended in June 1978.
- ›A Tu-144LL variant was used by NASA as a supersonic research platform in the 1990s.
This profile is provided for general information only. Specifications may be inaccurate or vary by variant/operator — verify with the manufacturer before relying on them.
Encyclopaedia
The Tupolev Tu-144 is a Soviet supersonic passenger airliner designed by Tupolev that operated commercially from 1975 to 1983, including 1977–1978 passenger service.
Read full article on WikipediaLatest news
NASA (.gov)· 9/28/2026
Tu-144L
Read at NASA (.gov)
MiGFlug· 6/25/2026
“Konkordski”: The Soviet Concorde That Flew First
Read at MiGFlug
supercarblondie.com· 4/4/2026
NASA spent nearly a decade secretly developing a 300-passenger supersonic jet faster than Concorde before quietly abandoning the entire program in 1999
Read at supercarblondie.com
MiGFlug· 8/17/2026
Concordski: The Tu-144 Crash at Paris 1973
Read at MiGFlug
Vintage Aviation News· 4/15/2026
Flight Test Files: Tupolev Tu-144LL – The NASA Supersonic Research Program
Read at Vintage Aviation News
UNITED24 Media· 6/5/2026
Russia Wants a New Supersonic Passenger Jet. Its Last One Was Too Loud, Costly, and Dangerous
Read at UNITED24 Media
HistoryNet· 3/5/2026
SST-ski
Read at HistoryNet
BBC· 8/14/2020
The Soviet Union’s flawed rival to Concorde
Read at BBC
Operators
No operator data available.
About on Wikipedia
Tupolev Tu-144
Soviet supersonic passenger airliner
The Tupolev Tu-144 is a Soviet supersonic passenger airliner designed by Tupolev that operated commercially from 1975 to 1983, including 1977–1978 passenger service.
Read on WikipediaText from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA. May be out of date — verify important details.
