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Tupolev Tu-144

Tupolev · Widebody / Heavy / Commercial Aviation · Russia · Cold War (1970–1991)

The Tupolev Tu-144 (NATO reporting name: Charger) was the Soviet Union's supersonic airliner — and, for all the engineering accomplishment of putting a Mach-2 passenger jet into the air, a commercial failure that flew just 55 scheduled passenger flights before withdrawal. Its maiden flight on 31 December 1968 came three months before Concorde first flew on 2 March 1969, making the Tu-144 the world's first supersonic transport airborne. That milestone mattered to Soviet engineering pride, and the visual resemblance to Concorde was close enough that Western media nicknamed the aircraft "Concordski".

Underneath the similar planform, the two airliners diverged sharply. The Tu-144 was bigger, faster (Mach 2.15 against Concorde's 2.04) and seated more passengers (140 against 120), but managed less than half Concorde's economic range because of fuel-thirsty Kuznetsov NK-144 turbofans — later replaced on the production variant by Kolesov RD-36-51A turbojets. Retractable canard foreplanes deployed for low-speed handling and tucked away in cruise; Concorde had no canards. Crucially, the Tu-144 needed afterburner to sustain cruise speed, while Concorde supercruised dry.

The 1973 Paris Air Show crash cast a long shadow over the programme. A prototype broke up over Goussainville, killing all six crew and eight people on the ground. No official cause was ever published, but the widely held view points to a French Mirage III chase plane crossing the display path and triggering a violent recovery manoeuvre. Operational service finally began on 1 November 1977 on the Moscow–Alma-Ata route in Kazakhstan. Aeroflot suspended scheduled service on 1 June 1978 after 55 Tu-144D flights had carried about 3,200 passengers, citing a non-fatal training crash and chronic reliability problems.

Sixteen airframes were built in total. NASA leased one — the Tu-144LL 'Flying Laboratory' — from 1996 to 1999 for its High Speed Civil Transport research programme. As of 2026, no Tu-144 has flown since 1999, and no successor Russian SST programme has reached prototype hardware.

For Kids — a shorter, friendlier version

The Tupolev Tu-144 was the Soviet Union's supersonic passenger airliner — Russia's answer to the British-French Concorde. The Tu-144 first flew in December 1968, two months before Concorde. For a few years, it was the world's first supersonic passenger plane.

The Tu-144 looked very similar to Concorde — long pointed nose, delta wings, four big engines. About 16 Tu-144s were built between 1968 and 1984. Like Concorde, the Tu-144 could fly at Mach 2 (over 1,300 mph). It carried 140 passengers between Moscow and Almaty in Kazakhstan, about 1,800 miles in just 2 hours.

The Tu-144 had a troubled life. A prototype crashed at the 1973 Paris Air Show, killing all 6 crew and 8 people on the ground. Engineers found the Tu-144 was less safe than Concorde — the engines used too much fuel, the cabin was very noisy, and the structure had more problems. Soviet Aeroflot ended Tu-144 passenger service in 1978 after just 102 flights.

Today only 10 Tu-144s still exist — most in Russian museums. A few were used by NASA and Tupolev for high-speed research in the 1990s, after the Soviet Union ended. The Tu-144 is one of only two supersonic airliners ever built (the other being Concorde) and one of only six aircraft families ever to carry passengers at supersonic speeds.

Fun Facts

The Tu-144 first flew on December 31, 1968 — two months before Concorde flew.
Only 16 Tu-144s were ever built — between 1968 and 1984.
The Tu-144 could fly faster than Mach 2 — over 1,300 mph — twice the speed of sound.
A Tu-144 crashed at the 1973 Paris Air Show, killing 14 people total — the cause was never fully determined.
Aeroflot used Tu-144s for passenger flights between Moscow and Almaty for just 7 months in 1977-1978.
After the Soviet Union ended, NASA used a modified Tu-144 for supersonic research in the 1990s.
Today only 10 Tu-144s remain, mostly in Russian museums — one is in Sinsheim, Germany.

Kids’ Questions

Was the Tu-144 a copy of Concorde?

The Tu-144 and Concorde look very similar — long pointed noses, delta wings, four engines, retractable nose. Soviet engineers were accused of stealing Concorde's design through industrial espionage. Documents released after the Soviet Union ended showed the KGB did try to steal Concorde plans from France. But Tupolev engineers had also been working independently — the Tu-144 design started before the Concorde leak. The result: similar looks but different details. The Tu-144 had different engines, a different nose shape, and slightly different wings. Both planes worked, but neither was good business.

Why don't we fly supersonic anymore?

Both Concorde and the Tu-144 failed for similar reasons: they used too much fuel (so tickets were expensive), they made loud sonic booms over land (so they could only fly fast over oceans), and they had small cabins (so airlines couldn't make money). Concorde retired in 2003 after a fatal crash. The Tu-144 stopped passenger service in 1978. Today some companies are trying to build new supersonic passenger planes — Boom Supersonic in the U.S. flew a test plane in 2025. But it will be many years before regular passengers can fly faster than sound again.

Variants

Tu-144 (prototypes): Four initial prototypes flown 1968–1972. The first SST to fly.
Tu-144S: First production variant with Kuznetsov NK-144 engines. Five built; the Paris-crash aircraft was a Tu-144S.
Tu-144D: Production variant re-engined with Kolesov RD-36-51A turbojets. Eight built; this was the airliner that entered service.
Tu-144LL: Single conversion to NASA research aircraft (1996–1999).

Notable Operators

Aeroflot (1977–1983): Sole airline operator. 55 scheduled passenger flights between Moscow and Alma-Ata, followed by 102 cargo flights before final retirement.
NASA (1996–1999): Operated the Tu-144LL as a high-speed-research platform under contract to Tupolev.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tu-144 vs Concorde: how did they compare?

The Tu-144 first flew three months before Concorde and was slightly faster (Mach 2.15 against 2.04), but it had shorter range and far worse fuel economy. Concorde flew commercially for 27 years; the Tu-144 for seven months. The Tu-144 used afterburner in cruise, while Concorde sustained Mach 2 without it.

Why did the Tu-144 crash at the 1973 Paris Air Show?

A Tu-144 prototype broke up at the 1973 Paris Air Show, killing all six crew and eight people on the ground. The official cause was never publicly released. The most-supported theory is that a French Mirage III chase plane filming for a documentary entered the Tu-144's display path, prompting a violent evasive manoeuvre that exceeded the airframe's structural limits.

How fast was the Tu-144?

Cruise speed was Mach 2.15 — about 1,425 mph or 2,300 km/h. Maximum demonstrated speed was Mach 2.35.

Why was the Tu-144 retired?

Aeroflot suspended scheduled passenger service on 1 June 1978 after a fatal Tu-144D crash during a non-revenue test flight. Reliability of the new RD-36-51A engines was poor, and the operating economics were so weak that Soviet authorities declined to commit to fleet expansion.

How many Tu-144s were built?

Sixteen airframes were built between 1968 and 1981 across all variants. Most survivors are now in museums; one Tu-144D is preserved at the Auto & Technik Museum Sinsheim in Germany alongside an Air France Concorde.

Sources

NASA Dryden — Tu-144LL Flying Laboratory — NASA fact sheet on the 1996–1999 research programme
Tupolev Tu-144 — Wikipedia — Source text adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0