Developed in the 1960s/1970s, the Tu-144 was the Soviet Unions only practical venture into supersonic commercial aviation. Though its career was all too brief, it was a major technological achievement for the Soviet aircraft industry. The book provides in-depth coverage of the "Concordski", including projected versions, the Tu-144s production and service history, and a comparison with the Concorde. First flown on the last day of 1968 -- ahead of the Concorde -- the Tu-144 had to undergo a long gestation period before the production version entered service in November 1977. Unfortunately, its career proved to be brief; two accidents and a powerful anti-Tu-144 lobby caused the type to be withdrawn in May 1978. The book describes the Tu-144s versions (including the Tu-144LL research aircraft developed under a Russian-U.S. program) and touches on the projected military derivatives. It is illustrated with colour side views and previously unpublished photographs.
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
Gordon, Y./Kommissarov, D./Rigmant, V.
Title
Tupolev Tu-144. The Soviet Supersonic Airliner
Details
English text, 548 bw- and colour images. 272 pages.
State
new
Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 77 Lower Valley Road PA 19310 Atglen, Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika
