Modelsvit – 7203 – Tupolev Tu-144 Supersonic airliner

Description:

Tupolev Tu-144 Supersonic airliner

Tupolev Tu-144 was the first world’s supersonic passenger airliner.

Prototype first flew on 31 December 1968 near Moscow, almost two months before the first flight of the Concorde. Throughout its operational history of 55 flight hours, the Tu-144 has reached service altitude of 16 000 meters and air speed over Mach 2.

The two air crashes of Tu-144 in 1973 (at Paris Air Show) and respectively in 1978 (during test flight) had a crucial impact on his future with a limited life as passengers aircraft.

After the second accident it remained in service as transport aircraft without passengers and later as trainer for cosmonauts and investigation. Only around 16 units of the type were produced.

Note that brand uses fiberglass parts for these big kits, mainly fuselage and sometimes wings or other parts.