Concorde vs Tupolev Tu-144
Side-by-side spec comparison with neutral percentage deltas.
Spec table
| Spec | Concorde | Tupolev Tu-144 |
|---|---|---|
| Max speed (mph) (mph) | 1,354 | 1,553 |
| Max speed (Mach) (Mach) | 2.04 | 2.35 |
| Combat radius / range (mi) | 4,500 | 4,000 |
| Service ceiling (ft) | 60,000 | 59,055 |
| MTOW (lb) | 408,000 | 396,830 |
| Empty weight (lb) | 173,500 | 187,393 |
| Payload (lb) | 30,900 | 30,000 |
| Endurance (hr) | 3.5 | 3 |
| Length (ft) | 203.9 | 215.5 |
| Wingspan (ft) | 83.9 | 94.8 |
| Thrust-to-weight ratio (MTOW) | 0.09 | 0.11 |
Green = leader on that dimension. Higher is treated as better for all rows shown.
On-paper verdict
- Max speed (mph): Tupolev Tu-144 (+15%)
- Max speed (Mach): Tupolev Tu-144 (+15%)
- Combat radius / range: Concorde (+13%)
- Service ceiling: Concorde (+2%)
- MTOW: Concorde (+3%)
- Empty weight: Tupolev Tu-144 (+8%)
- Payload: Concorde (+3%)
- Endurance: Concorde (+17%)
- Length: Tupolev Tu-144 (+6%)
- Wingspan: Tupolev Tu-144 (+13%)
- Thrust-to-weight ratio (MTOW): Tupolev Tu-144 (+19%)
Performance
Concorde tops out at 1354 mph and a service ceiling of 60000 ft. Tupolev Tu-144 is rated at 1553 mph with a service ceiling of 59055 ft.
Range & payload
Concorde carries up to 30900 lb over 4500 mi. Tupolev Tu-144 carries 30000 lb over 4000 mi. Numbers above are the headline manufacturer figures — real-world performance trades payload against range against fuel reserves.
Engines
Concorde: 4x Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Olympus 593 turbojets with afterburner (38,050 lbf each).
Tupolev Tu-144: 4x Kuznetsov NK-144 turbofans with afterburner (44,090 lbf each).
Frequently asked questions
Which is faster, Concorde or Tupolev Tu-144?
1354 mph (Concorde) vs 1553 mph (Tupolev Tu-144).
Which has the longer range?
4500 mi (Concorde) vs 4000 mi (Tupolev Tu-144).
What's the payload difference?
Concorde: 30900 lb · Tupolev Tu-144: 30000 lb.
Are these specs current?
Specs come from each aircraft's manufacturer-published or Wikipedia-aggregated figures, current as of the page's last regeneration. Variants and block upgrades may carry different numbers — check the linked reference pages for the latest.
Which one was built first?
Concorde: service entry 1976. Tupolev Tu-144: service entry 1977.
Sources
Spec values pulled from each aircraft's reference page in the gallery, which aggregates manufacturer-published figures with Wikipedia-cited sources:
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