Supersonic passenger planes are the wings of a superpower. Supersonic passenger aircraft: from the president’s idea to reality Supersonic passenger aircraft Tu 244

SUPERSONIC PASSENGER AIRCRAFT

At OKB im. A.N. Tupolev, development is underway on a second-generation supersonic passenger aircraft (SPS), which has been given the name Tu-244.

Work on SPS-2 was and is being carried out at the A.N. Design Bureau. Tupolev for 30 years. Over the years, several different Tu-244 designs have been prepared (Tu-244-400, Tu-244A-200, Tu-244B-200 and others), differing in their aerodynamic layout, specific design solutions for the airframe, power plant and flight performance data.

The chief designer on the SPS-2 theme is A.L. Pukhov, technical supervision of work on the Tu-244 is provided by M.I. Kazakov.

The Tu-244 aircraft embodies the “tailless” design, with the absence of horizontal tail, the aircraft will have four turbojet engines, placed one at a time in separate engine nacelles.

The layout of the Tu-244 is aimed at ensuring high aerodynamic quality both at supersonic cruising and at takeoff and landing modes to reduce noise levels, as well as creating increased comfort for passengers.

The wing of the Tu-244 is trapezoidal in plan with an influx, has a complex deformation of the middle surface and a variable profile along the span.

The wing contains fuel caisson tanks and niches for cleaning the main landing gear.

The fuselage consists of a pressurized cabin, nose and tail compartments. The choice of the optimal fuselage diameter depends on passenger capacity. For a number of passengers of 250-320, the optimal fuselage is 3.9 m wide and 4.1 m high.

The plane does not have a fixed nose, like the Tu-144. There is no ordinary cockpit “canopy” either. The glazing of the cockpit provides the necessary visibility during flight, and during takeoff, landing and movement on the ground, the required visibility of the runway is ensured by an optical-electronic vision system that operates in all weather conditions.

The landing gear consists of a front strut and three main ones, of which the outer ones have three-axle bogies and are retracted into the wing, and the middle strut has a two-axle bogie and is retracted into the fuselage. The prototype of the nose support is the strut of the Tu-144 aircraft.

The SPS-2 Tu-244 project has been worked out quite deeply and, in principle, can be implemented. But we need money, and a lot of it.

BASIC DATA OF THE TU-244A-200 AIRCRAFT

Take-off weight, kg 325,000

Empty weight of the aircraft, kg 172,000

Fuel mass, kg 160,000

Passenger capacity, persons 268

Cruising speed, km/h M=2 Flight altitude, m 18,000-20,000

Flight range, km 9200

Aircraft length, m 88

Aircraft height, m ​​15

Wingspan, m 45

Wing area, m2 965

Fuselage diameter, m 3.9

Required runway length, m 3000

Supersonic aviation will find its place on passenger routes. Supersonic aircraft of the new generation will already differ significantly from their older brothers (Tu-144, Concorde) in speed, altitude, design, and materials.

The birth of a passenger “supersonic” aircraft that meets all modern international standards and standards - the task is not only structurally complex, but also very expensive.

March 17, 1996 at the flight test base of the Design Bureau named after. A.N. Tupolev in Zhukovsky a ceremonial rollout of the modified Tu-144LL took place. And on November 29, 1996, the first flight of the Tu-144LL took place. It was lifted into the sky by the leading test pilot, chief pilot of the Tupolev company S.G. Borisov and co-pilot, Hero Soviet Union, Honored Test Pilot of the USSR B.I. Veremey.

Russia’s significant contribution to the development of SPS-2 was the creation of the Tu-144 LL “Moscow” flying laboratory on the basis of the serial Tu-144D. Work on the Tu-144LL was carried out within the framework of international cooperation with the United States, with active funding from the Americans. For conversion into a flying laboratory, a serial Tu-144D was chosen, on which the RD-36-51A engines were replaced with NK-321 engines (modifications of the NK-32 of the Tu-160 strategic supersonic bomber). Maximum takeoff thrust - 4x21,000 kg. New engine nacelles with modified air intakes were installed on the plane, the wing was strengthened, the fuel and other systems were modified, and a large amount of monitoring and recording equipment was installed on board.

According to the program, it was planned to carry out two ground and six flight experiments on the supersonic Tu-144LL. A total of 32 flights and all on Russian territory.

After completing the planned research program as part of the creation of the second-generation supersonic passenger aircraft Tu-244, the Tu-144LL aircraft turned out to be unclaimed, and in 2001 it was sold through an Internet auction to an anonymous resident of Texas (USA) for $11 million. This is not the first time that the Tu-144 has been sold abroad. In October 2000, a German museum bought one such aircraft for half a million dollars.

BASIC DATA OF THE TU-144LL AIRCRAFT

Take-off weight, kg 20 700

Empty weight of the aircraft, kg 96,810

Flight range, km 6500

Flight altitude, m 18,800

Cruising speed, km/h M = 2

Maximum speed, km/h M = 2.37

Lift-off speed, km/h 370

Approach speed, km/h 280

Fuel capacity, kg 102,000

Crew (in experimental version), people. 7

Aircraft length, m 65.7

Wingspan, m 28.9

Wing area, m2 507

Aircraft height, m ​​12.6

Run length, m 2225

Run length, m 1310

In the second half of the 90s at the OKB im. A.N. Tupolev on his own initiative, chief designer of SPS (supersonic passenger aircraft) A.L. Pukhov prepared a technical proposal for the conversion of the serial missile carrier-bomber Tu-22MZ into the administrative supersonic passenger aircraft Tu-344. They were offered several options for reworking the basic design of the Tu-22MZ. It was planned to place 10-12 and 24-30 passenger seats in the fuselage for business flights. The expected flight range of the Tu-344 in subsonic mode is 7,700 km.

The project of the supersonic administrative aircraft Tu-444 seems to be the most promising. This is essentially the SPS-2 concept on a scaled down scale.

JSC Tupolev has created the appearance of the supersonic administrative aircraft Tu-444, which will be able to carry 6-10 passengers over a distance of 7500 km.

Airplane. The Tu-444 is made according to the “tailless” aerodynamic configuration with a low-mounted cantilever wing with developed root overhangs. The vertical tail is single-fin, all-moving.

On the serial Tu-444 it is planned to use the AL-32M afterburning turbojet engine from NPO Saturn.

The aircraft will be equipped full complex systems and means of life support for passengers and crew in flight and emergency rescue equipment.

There are great difficulties on the way to creating such an aircraft, the main of which are related to the environment. If the aircraft does not meet the requirements of the KAO for local noise, then the market for it will be extremely narrow. The fact is that in this case the plane will be allowed to fly at supersonic speed only over the ocean. Over land, a supersonic executive aircraft will be forced to fly at subsonic speeds, no different from modern business class aircraft.

Serial production of the Tu-444 will begin after the necessary funds have been found.

Aircraft designers believe that supersonic aircraft business class has a great future, even despite its high cost.

Undoubtedly, the implementation of this program will become a real link between the Tu-144 and promising supersonic civil aviation.

BASIC DATA OF SUPERSONIC ADMINISTRATIVE AIRCRAFT TU-444

Maximum take-off weight, kg 41,000

Empty weight, kg 19,300 Maximum payload, kg 1000

Maximum fuel weight, kg 20,500 Cruising speed:

Supersonic, km/h 2125

Subsonic, km/h 1050 Practical flight range

with fuel reserve, km 7500

Number of passengers, people 6-10 Crew (pilots + flight attendants), persons. 2+1

Number of engines 2

Engine starting thrust, kg 9700

Aircraft length, m 36

Wingspan, m 16.2

Wing area, m2 132

Aircraft height, m ​​6.51

Rowing length B P P, m 1830

| | Characteristics

		Tu-244
Dimensions
		Tu-244
Fuselage length, m		88,7
Wingspan, m		54,77
Wing area, m2		1200
Wing extension		2,5
Wing sweep along the leading edge	center section	75^o
	consoles	35^o
Fuselage width, m		3,9
Fuselage height, m		4,1
Volume luggage compartment, m 3		32
Masses
		Tu-244
Take-off (maximum), kg		350000
Aircraft without fuel, kg		172000
Fuel weight, kg		178 000
Power point
		Tu-244
Engines		4 DTRD
Thrust (forced), kG		4х 33000
Flight data
		Tu-244
Cruising speed, M=		2,05
Practical flight range, km		9200
Flight altitude, m		18000-20000

Description

In 1988, the A.N. Tupolev Design Bureau began research on the second-generation supersonic passenger aircraft Tu-244 (SPS-2). Western experts estimate the need for 500-1200 of these aircraft for the whole world for the first and second decades of the 21st century.

The competitiveness of such an aircraft (compared to a conventional subsonic passenger aircraft) must be ensured by economic efficiency, environmental acceptability and convenience for passengers. At the same time, economic efficiency (that is, lower unit costs) is determined by the high productivity of the SPS, which makes it possible to transport growing passenger traffic with a smaller number of supersonic aircraft in comparison with the required fleet of subsonic ones. The difference in the cost of the required number of passenger aircraft and the cost of operating them can compensate for increased fuel costs for airlines.

Tu-244 [JPEG 1000x415 30]

The environmental acceptability of an ATP is also a critical factor in its success or failure. The solution to this problem is associated with determining the level of environmental impact of a supersonic passenger aircraft on environment(sonic boom, noise in the area, emissions of harmful substances, including the impact on the ozone layer), which can be accepted by international organizations as certification standards and will make the airliner economically rational. By its physical nature, a supersonic aircraft has a greater impact on the environment than a subsonic aircraft of the same passenger capacity and flight range.

These circumstances forced leading aircraft manufacturing firms in the USA, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Russia to coordinate their research, primarily in the field of environmental impact, as well as in assessing humanity’s need for supersonic transport and determining rational parameters of the ATP. The well-known “Group of Eight” was created - Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, British Aerospace, Aerospatiale, Deutsche Aerospace Airbus, Alenia, the Association of Japanese Aviation Corporations, ASTC. A.N. Tupolev.

The entire period after the creation of the Tu-144 ANTK im. A.N. Tupolev. together with industry leaders scientific centers(such as TsAGI, CIAM, VIAM, LII) did not stop working on the second generation ATP. These works consist of the general design of the aircraft, the development of its components, as well as research and experimental work to create new materials, coatings, and technological processes. The experience of creating the Tu-144 was widely used in the development of the new aircraft, and in 1993, two Tu-144 were converted into flying laboratories as part of the work on the second generation ATP.

Here are some characteristic features of the Tu-244:

• basic “tailless” aerodynamic design, characterized by the absence of horizontal tail;
• a propulsion system consisting of four turbojet engines, placed one at a time in separate engine nacelles;
• take-off weight up to 320-350 tons, which is significantly more than that of the Tu-144 and Concorde;
• cruising speed corresponding to Mach number = 2-2.05.

Design

The large size of the aircraft is determined by the increased passenger capacity (250-300 seats or more) compared to 110-150 for the Tu-144 and Concorde, which is necessary for successful competition with subsonic aircraft (such as the Boeing 747, A-310 ), with 300-500 seats.

The layout of the Tu-244 aircraft is aimed at ensuring high aerodynamic quality both at supersonic cruising and at takeoff and landing modes to reduce noise levels, as well as creating increased comfort for passengers.

Tu-244 projections [JPEG 1200x994 118]

WING The Tu-244 has a trapezoidal shape in plan with an influx, has a complex deformation of the middle surface and a variable profile along the span. Pitch and roll control, as well as balancing, are provided by ailerons. The leading edge is equipped with mechanization such as deflectable toes. If on the Tu-144 aerodynamic quality of 8.1 was actually achieved at M = 2, then on the Tu-244 it was planned to achieve a lift quality of 10 at M = 2 and 15 at M = 0.9.

Structurally, the wing is divided into a middle wing, passing through the fuselage, consoles and the front part. A multi-spar and multi-rib power design was adopted for the middle part and consoles and a ribless one for the front part of the wing, as on the Tu-144.

It is advisable to use a high-strength titanium alloy of the VT-6Ch type as a structural material for the most loaded caisson of the middle part of the wing and consoles. For the relatively lightly loaded front part of the wing, for mechanization and non-power elements, aluminum alloys and composite materials are being studied. The widespread use of composite materials, for example graphite-epoxy, in the structure of the wing, tail, engine nacelles, fuselage, according to our and foreign experts, can ensure a reduction in airframe weight by 25-30% by the year 2000.

The wing contains fuel caisson tanks and niches for cleaning the main landing gear.

VERTICAL TERMINATION It has a two-section rudder and is structurally similar to a wing.

FUSELAGE consists of a pressurized cabin, bow and tail compartments. The choice of the optimal fuselage diameter depends on passenger capacity. For a number of passengers of 250-320, the optimal fuselage is 3.9 meters wide, in which passenger seats seating is 3+3 abreast in tourist and business classes and 2+2 in first class. The height of 4.1 meters allows you to equip a convenient trunk under the floor of the passenger compartment with loading containers of international standard. The Tu-204 aircraft has a similar fuselage section. The pressurized cabin will be made of aluminum alloys, the bow and tail compartments will be made of composites.

The plane does not have a deflectable nose, like the Tu-144. There is no ordinary cockpit “canopy” either. The glazing of the cockpit provides the necessary visibility in flight, and the required visibility during takeoff, landing and movement on the ground runway is provided by an optical-electronic viewing system that operates in all weather conditions.

CHASSIS consists of a front strut and three main ones, of which the outer ones have three-axle bogies and are retracted into the wing, and the middle strut has a two-axle bogie and is retracted into the fuselage. The prototype of the nose support is the strut of the Tu-144 aircraft. The scheme with three main supports was chosen based on the conditions for ensuring the specified loads on the concrete of the runway.

Flight and navigation equipment had to provide landing in accordance with ICAO category IIIA.

State

Information about the aircraft was presented at the Paris Air Show in June 1993. Estimated delivery date. into operation - 2025. The potential market is estimated at more than 100 aircraft.

Due to the lack of funding, the work remained at the research stage, and the Tu-144LL flying laboratory since 1997, according to the Russian-American agreement, has been used under the program for creating next-generation supersonic passenger aircraft HSR.

Tu-244 is a Soviet-Russian project of the 1970s for a second-generation long-range supersonic passenger airliner. After the cancellation of the first Soviet supersonic passenger airliner, the Tu-144, in 1978, plans for the SPS-2 design were revised and cancelled.

However, work on the development of the Tu-244 is still underway and the expected commissioning date has already been set - 2025.

Main difference supersonic aircraft from a jet - a flight speed that reaches and also exceeds the speed of sound, which is approximately 331 m/s or 1191.6 km/h in air. This is precisely the reason for the significant difference in the design of the aircraft from the longitudinal biplane (classical passenger aircraft).

A supersonic airliner has a swept or triangular wing shape, as well as a thinner wing profile, a pointed tail unit, bow fuselage and leading edges of the wings. All these models are equipped with a jet (sometimes air-breathing or rocket) engine.

Their development began in the 1970s of the 20th century, as a logical step after the creation of jet and turbojet winged aircraft and as another symbol of the progress of the socialist system in the country.

Story

Initially, the creation of supersonic aircraft became the task of the military industry. This was caused by the advent of jet fighters and bombers in the 40s, whose higher speed gave them a significant advantage in the air.

Already in the 60-70s, the first Soviet supersonic fighter MiG-19 was created, and later a number of other reconnaissance aircraft, fighters and bombers. Their high speed made it possible to increase the flight ceiling over 20 km, which was extremely useful.

In the 1970s, the first supersonic passenger airliners were created - the Soviet Tu-144 and the British-French Concorde.

Work on the Tu-144 was carried out at the Tupolev Design Bureau, an experimental aviation design bureau that was considered the most knowledgeable in the construction of passenger airliners. At that time, they also owned the design of the Tu-22, a supersonic bomber.

The plane itself consisted of large quantity advanced developments and solutions. For example, for the construction of the wing, a special flying laboratory was created based on the MiG-21I fighter.

The first test flight occurred on December 31, 1968, beating its British-French rival by 2 months. The Tu-144 could also reduce its speed when landing, which allowed it, unlike its competitor, to land at almost any airport in the country.

But this was the end of the lucky streak for the first Soviet supersonic airliner - in 1973, during a demonstration flight in Le Bourget, Tu-144 No. 77102 crashed along with all 6 crew members, also taking the lives of 8 more civilians on the ground.

The actual cause of the crash is still unknown. The most popular is making a sharp maneuver to avoid a collision with the French Mirage, invited to the show for photographs.

Despite the disaster, already in 1977 the Tu-144 performed its first passenger flight (after 2 years of transporting mail and cargo) from Moscow to Almaty. Two Tu-144 aircraft were piloted by specially trained Aeroflot and Tupolev Design Bureau pilots. The cost of such a flight was only 1.5 times higher than the price of a ticket for a regular subsonic passenger airliner.

However, after 7 months, the operation of the aircraft was suspended due to commercial unprofitability - special maintenance and high fuel consumption were not covered even by the increased cost of tickets, and it was pointless to increase the price further.

Another reason was technical problems - the initial goal of the Tu-144 was a higher flight range of 5-6 thousand km, and the Moscow-Khabarovsk route was planned. But it was not possible to increase the fuel reserve, and the route was shortened, but this did not eliminate the problem - if the Almaty airport had not been accepted, and the alternate airport in Tashkent had closed due to weather conditions, there would have been nowhere to land the plane. Because of this, every such flight the entire ministerial apparatus and the management of Aeroflot were on their ears.

The actual reason for the end of operation was another accident during a training flight of the Tu-144D at the end of May 1978, in which two people died.

This video briefly talks about the history of the design and operation of the first supersonic passenger airliner Tu-144.

All this did not cancel the development of the SPS-2 Tu-244 project, which began in the early 1970s in the design bureau of the Tupolev Design Bureau. Several prepared schemes for 1973 differed in the functional solutions of the airframe, engines, aerodynamic layout, etc.

A significant event in the development of the long-range supersonic jet airliner was the equipment of the Tu-144LL, a flying laboratory called “Moscow”, which was based on the Tu-144D in close cooperation and with significant US funding.

Detailed information about the Tu-244 appeared in the general public in 1993 at an air exhibition in the capital of France.

Specifications

• Liner length: 88 m (initially - 88.7 m);
• Wingspan: 45 m (in the foreground - 54.47 m);
• Airliner height: 15 m;
• Fuselage diameter: 3.9 m;
• Wing area: 965 sq. m (initially 1200 sq. m);
• Wing sweep along the leading edge: 75╟/35╟;
• Aircraft wing aspect ratio: 2.5;
• Passenger seats: 254 (according to other sources - 269, initially - 300);
• Turbofan engines: 4 with take-off thrust of 25 tons each (initially 4xTRDDx33000 kgf);
• Airliner weight without fuel: 172 tons;
• Fuel weight: 150 t (in the first plan - 178 t);
• Commercial load weight: 25 t;
• Take-off weight: 300 t (initially - 350 t);
• Maximum flight range: 7500 km (according to other sources - 9200 km);
• Airliner cruising speed: 2.0 (originally 2.05);
• Required runway length (at sea level at: 30 °C, 730 mm Hg): 3000 m;
• Cruising aerodynamic quality: 10 at cruising speed equal to 2, 15 at equal to 0.9;
• Cruising altitude: 20 km.

Design

The wing structure is similar to the SPS-1, but also has several significant differences: the main part has the smallest sweep angle along the leading edge, with the same large sweep of the float element, which makes a compromise solution between flights at supersonic and subsonic speeds possible.

The trapezoidal overlapping wing has a variable spanwise profile and complex deformation of the central plane. The vertical tail, like a wing, has a rudder with two sections. Elevons provide balancing of the airliner, as well as pitch and roll control; leading edge with deflectable toe.

The nose element of the SPS-2 fuselage is not deflectable. The required visibility is achieved by an optical-electronic device and a glazed cabin.

The fuselage consists of a pressurized cabin made of aluminum alloys and a tail and nose compartment made of composite materials.

The Tu-244 chassis consists of 1 front and 3 main struts. The outer ones have three-axle bogies and are hidden in the wing, and the middle pillar has a two-axle bogie and is hidden in the body.

Problems

Now designers are faced with several tasks:

1. Increased flight range.
2. Creation of an engine with minimal fuel consumption.
3. Development of an airframe and aerodynamic shape of such a design that the aircraft creates the smallest possible number of low-intensity shock waves to suppress flight noise.

conclusions

Tu-244 is the second generation of supersonic passenger airliners of the USSR, which has more than 25 years of history, and whose operational date is 2025.

Tu-244 is based on Tu-144, a supersonic passenger liner, 7 months in the late 70s, producing passenger transportation, canceled due to unprofitability. However, SPS-2 has a number of significant design differences and should solve all the problems that arose with SPS-1.

The idea of ​​Russian President Vladimir Putin, inspired by the flight of the new “White Swan”, to create a supersonic aircraft made not only the employees of the Kazan Aircraft Plant, but also many other observers think. Could a missile carrier inspire designers to create new types of supersonic aircraft?

The largest and most powerful supersonic aircraft in the history of military aviation, the Tu-160, known to many by the nickname “White Swan,” recently received new life. For the first time in many years, the Kazan Aircraft Plant presented to the public the updated Tu-160M ​​bomber, named after the first commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force, Pyotr Deinekin.

The first flight of the missile carrier was personally observed by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The head of state was deeply impressed by the flight of the new “White Swan” and highly appreciated the professionalism of the pilots performing the maneuver, asking them to thank the pilots even before the landing of the aircraft. The president’s emotions were not surprising, since Putin himself piloted the Tu-160 missile carrier back in 2005.

Upon completion of the flight, the President expressed a proposal to Kazan aircraft designers to create a version of the passenger supersonic “Swan” based on the new Tu-160M ​​for civil aviation.

But in order to understand how realistic it is to realize Vladimir Putin’s idea, one should turn to the history of Russian aviation and remember what steps aircraft designers have already taken in this direction.

Tu-144

One of the greatest industrial successes in Russian history was the creation of the Tu-144 aircraft. It was manufactured long before the Tu-160 and became the first supersonic passenger airliner in the history of mankind. In addition, the Tu-144 to this day is one of two famous history types of supersonic passenger aircraft.

The airliner was created on the instructions of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, issued on July 19, 1963. The first supersonic passenger aircraft had serious requirements. The aircraft was supposed to be capable of flying at a cruising speed of 2,300 to 2,700 km/h over a distance of up to 4,500 kilometers, while carrying up to 100 passengers on board.

The first prototype of the aircraft was created by the Tupolev Design Bureau in 1965. Three years later, the plane took to the skies for the first time, two months ahead of its main and only competitor, the famous British-French Concorde.

The Tu-144 had a number of design features that even outwardly distinguished it from other aircraft. There were no flaps or slats on its wings: the plane slowed down thanks to the deflecting nose of the fuselage. In addition, the ancestor of modern GPS navigators was installed on the airliner - the PINO (Projection Indicator of Navigation Situation) system, which projected the necessary coordinates onto the screen from a filmstrip.

However, due to the excessive costs of operating and maintaining the airliner, the Soviet Union abandoned further production of the Tu-144. By the time production was abandoned, a total of 16 aircraft remained, two of which were later destroyed in the infamous crash at the Le Bourget International Air Show in 1973 and in the crash over Yegoryevsk in 1978. On this moment There are only eight assembled aircraft left in the world, three of which can be fully restored and ready for further use.

SPS-2 and Tu-244

Photo: Stahlkocher / wikimedia.org

Another project that had serious expectations was the SPS-2, which was later given the promising name Tu-244 by its developer, the Tupolev Design Bureau.

The first information about work on a second-generation supersonic passenger airliner dates back to approximately 1971–1973 of the last century.

When developing the Tu-224, the designers took into account both the experience of creating and operating its predecessors - the Tu-144 and Concorde, and the Tu-160, as well as American supersonic aircraft projects.

According to the plans of the SPS-2 developers, the new airliner was supposed to lose the main “calling card” of its predecessor - the downward deflecting nose of the fuselage. In addition, the glass area of ​​the cockpit had to be reduced to a minimum sufficient for visibility. It was planned to use an optical-electronic vision system for takeoff and landing of the aircraft.

Also, the designed aircraft was supposed to rise to a height of up to 20 kilometers and accommodate about 300 passengers on board. To achieve such parameters, it was necessary to dramatically increase its size in all respects, which is what was planned to be done: with a fuselage length of almost 90 meters and a wingspan of about 50 meters, the Tu-244 would look like a giant compared to any existing analogues.

And here maximum speed The airliner, compared to its predecessors, practically remained the same: the speed limit of the SPS-2 did not exceed 2500 km/h. In contrast, it was planned to increase the maximum flight distance to about 9,000 kilometers by reducing fuel consumption.

However, the production of such a supersonic heavyweight in reality modern world turned out to be economically unfeasible. Due to increased requirements for environmental standards, the costs of operating such a Tu-244 aircraft are currently prohibitive both for the aircraft manufacturer itself and for the country’s economy as a whole.

Tu-344 and Tu-444

These aircraft were developed by the Tupolev Design Bureau (later Tupolev OJSC, now Tupolev PJSC) as a response to the growing global demand for fast and small business-class aircraft. This is how they appeared various projects SBS - supersonic business aircraft.

Such aircraft were supposed to be small in size and able to carry about 10 passengers. The first SBS project from Tupolev, the Tu-344, was planned to be produced back in the 90s of the last century on the basis of the military supersonic bomber Tu-22M3. But its development turned out to be a failure in the initial stages, since for international flights the aircraft also had to meet high requirements in the field, which it did not meet already in the first stages of the project’s development. Therefore, the designer refused further work on the creation of the Tu-344.

Work on the project of its successor, the Tu-444, began in the early 2000s, its development reached the stage of the first sketches. Despite the fact that environmental problems had been resolved, the project required the attraction of large financial investments, but Tupolev was unable to find investors interested in this.

S-21 (SSBJ)

Photo: Slangcamm/ wikimedia.org

The only domestic project to create a supersonic aircraft for civil aviation, the development of which was not carried out by the Tupolev Design Bureau, was the project of the S-21 aircraft, also known as the Sukhoi Supersonic Business Jet (SSBJ).

The Sukhoi Design Bureau began work on this project in the 80s. The design bureau understood that the demand for large supersonic airliners had fallen since the days of Concorde and Tu-144 and would only decline in the future for reasons of economy. Therefore, Sukhoi designers were among the first to come up with the idea of ​​​​creating a supersonic business aircraft designed for direct flights between world capitals.

But the development of the S-21 was hindered by the collapse of the USSR, along with which government funding for the project ceased.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Sukhoi tried for many years to attract private investors to the project in Russia and abroad. The volume of incoming investments made it possible to conduct the first tests of engines for the S-21 in 1993.

But to complete the creation and start of serial production of the aircraft, according to the statement of Mikhail Simonov, the head of Sukhoi at that time, about one billion US dollars was required, but new investors for the company could not be found.

Supersonic aviation in the Soviet Union had enormous potential. The legendary Tu-144 airliner became the first supersonic passenger aircraft in the world. And now, decades later, Russia can once again return promising air passenger transportation technology to the air. This event is evidenced by the resumption of activity on the Tu-244, a revolutionary project of the 1970s that was never realized in its time.

Creation work supersonic airliner the second generation began back in 1971 at the Tupolev design bureau. Taking the experience of developing the Tu-144 as a basis, in the next decade it was planned to launch a fundamentally new supersonic aircraft Tu-244.

The project was approached with the utmost seriousness. The calculation included not only design features, but also the economic competitiveness of the aircraft, environmental safety and the level of passenger comfort. Given the significantly higher flight speed compared to subsonic airliners, it was possible to build much less Tu-244, but the commercial efficiency would be greater.

In turn, increased noise, greater emissions of harmful substances and damage to the Earth's ozone layer were significantly higher than that of conventional jet aircraft. All these factors had a negative connotation for the future project. However, in those years, much less attention was paid to environmental safety than now. The Tu-244 was developed in at least two versions: a gigantic 360-ton machine with a passenger capacity of more than 300 people and a smaller aircraft weighing about 275 tons. The technology of both prototypes relied heavily on new, innovative engines that were in the early stages of production in the 1970s.

The first approved model was the SPS-1 model, developed in 1973. The liner was equipped with four engines with a total thrust of 37.5 kgf. When reaching a cruising speed of 2400 km/h, the aircraft could cover a distance of 8000 kilometers at an altitude of up to 20 thousand kilometers. At the same time, the SPS-2 prototype was considered, which used liquid hydrogen engines.

The development of SPS-2 was personally led by Andrei Tupolev. An important difference between the Tu-244 and its predecessor Tu-144 was the absence of a downward tilting nose and minimal glazing in the cockpit. Ultimately, in 1985, the Tupolev team settled on a 275-ton prototype with take-off weight engine 24 thousand kgf. According to the website, the use of variable cycle engines made it possible to fully realize the operation of the power unit in different flight modes.

It would seem that the release of a promising airliner was just around the corner, but the approaching restructuring brought to naught all grandiose plans. Full technical information about the future project became available to the public in 1993 at the Paris Air Show. And that’s all... For more than twenty years no news was heard about the Tu-244, and only in 2014 information about a possible revival of the project began to appear on the Internet.

On January 29, 2019, work on the creation of a domestic second-generation supersonic airliner was officially resumed. Currently, the Tu-244 is at the development stage, which is planned to be completed in a few years. According to sources, the first prototype will take to the skies in 2025. Certainly, appearance The new Tu-244 will be somewhat different from the Soviet developments of thirty years ago, but in technical terms the airliner will suffer virtually no changes.

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