v1.0.0 / 01 may 08 / greg goebel / public domain
* The Soviet experimental design bureau (OKB in its Russian acronym) headed by Andrei Tupolev is best known for its series of bombers, but it also developed a series of jet airliners, including the "Tu-134", "Tu-154", and "Tu-204". This document provides a history and description of these aircraft.
* The Tupolev OKB built the Soviet Union's first operational jetliner, the twin-engine "Tu-104", essentially the wings, tail, engines, and some other kit from the Tupolev Tu-16 (NATO codename "Badger") bomber. The Tu-104 proved successful and led to the "Tu-124", which was effectively a scaled-down Tu-104; both of these types are discussed elsewhere, along with the Tu-16.
OKB engineers felt they could improve on the Tu-124, and after considering various options a team under Leonid Selyakov came up with a successor to the Tu-124, moving the twin engines mounted in the wingroots to the tail and fitting a tee tail. The new machine was originally designated the "Tu-124A" -- apparently it leveraged off Tu-124 assemblies -- with six development aircraft built, the first flying in December 1963. Production began in 1964 at a factory in Kharkov, though it wasn't until September 1967 that Aeroflot, the Soviet state airline, put the aircraft into full commercial service as the "Tu-134". NATO assigned the type the eccentric codename of "Crusty".
The Tu-134 had a general configuration similar to that of the US Douglas DC-9. The production aircraft was powered by twin rear-mounted Soloviev D30 low-bypass turbofans with 66.7 kN (6,800 kgp / 14,990 lbf) thrust each; the initial Tu-124A prototypes had featured Soloviev D20P turbofans with about 20% less thrust. There were three fuel tanks in each wing, providing a total fuel load of 16,500 liters (4,353 US gallons).
The two-spar wings featured a sweepback of 35% at center section, an anhedral droop of 1.3 degrees, four-section flaps and two-section ailerons, with spoilers / lift dumpers on top of the wing. The tailplane had conventional elevators but featured adjustable incidence for pitch trimming purposes. There was a airbrake under the fuselage, used for slowing approaches. All flight controls were manual except for the tailplane incidence adjustment, which was electrically actuated.
The nose landing gear featured twin wheels while the main gear assemblies featured four wheels. All landing gear assemblies retracted backwards, each main gear assembly being stowed in distinctive Tupolev fashion in a pod mounted at the rear of the wing. Disk antiskid brakes were fitted. The tailplane featured an electrical deicing system, while the wings, tailfin, and engine inlets were de-iced by engine bleed air. The windscreen used both hot air and electrical de-icing.
Flightcrew included pilot, copilot, and navigator, plus two stewardesses, with distinctively Soviet nose glazing to allow the navigator to make observations, and weather radar mounted in a radome under the nose. Other avionics were state-of-the-art but basic -- radios, landing aids, navigation aids, and identification transponder.
The load capacity was 72 passengers in a single-class configuration, sitting
four abreast; 64 passengers could be accommodated in a two-class
configuration, with 16 first class passengers in the forward compartment, 20
economy in the middle compartment, and 28 economy in the rear compartment.
There were two galleys and two toilets. There were no underfloor cargo
holds, with luggage stowed behind the pilot's compartment and at the rear.
There was only a single passenger door, on the left forward fuselage, with
cargo doors on each cargo compartment on the right and an emergency exit over
each wing.
TUPOLEV TU-134:
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spec metric english
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wingspan 29 meters 95 feet 2 inches
wing area 127.3 sq_meters 1,370 sq_feet
length 34.35 meters 112 feet 8 inches
height 9.02 meters 29 feet 7 inches
empty weight 27,500 kilograms 60,630 pounds
MTO weight 44,500 kilograms 98,105 pounds
max cruise speed 900 KPH 560 MPH / 485 KT
efficient cruise speed 750 KPH 465 MPH / 405 KT
service ceiling 12,110 meters 39,730 feet
range, 7 tonne load 2,400 kilometers 1,490 MI / 1,295 NMI
range, 3 tonne load 3,500 kilometers 2,175 MI / 1,890 NMI
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The Tu-134 featured various upgrades in service, most significantly fit of an
auxiliary power unit (APU) turbine engine for main engine starting (the APU
driving electrical starters) and ground power. Clamshell thrust reversers
were then added, with the modified engines designated D30 Series II.
Avionics were continuously updated.
* The initial production Tu-134 was followed in 1970 by the "Tu-134A", which had a fuselage stretch of 2.1 meters (6 feet 11 inches) to 37.05 meters (121 feet 7 inches); the APU introduced on upgraded Tu-134s; and more powerful D32 / D30 Series III turbofans providing 69.4 kN (7,080 kgp / 15,610 lbf) thrust each plus improved "hot and high" performance. A prominent recognition feature was a needle-like VHF radio antenna mounted in the front of the tee tail bullet fairing.
Load was increased to 84 passengers in a single-class configuration, or 12 first class and 54 economy class passengers, with expanded baggage accommodation. Empty weight was raised by 1,550 kilograms (3,420 pounds) to 27,500 kilograms (60,640 pounds). The landing gear and wings were reinforced to handle the higher weight. Later production eliminated the nose glazing, which was felt to be "draggy", replacing it with an improved radar system. Some older production was also refitted with the new nose.
* Final production included the "Tu-134A-3", with new lightweight seats to permit a single-class load of 96 passengers, and then the "Tu-134B", with modernized cockpit accommodations that eliminated the navigator position. Some sources also mention a few other minor variants.
Production ended in 1978. Sources give the number built as about 800. Most Tu-134s served with Aeroflot, though it was popular with the airlines of Eastern European nations and some Soviet client states as well. It was regarded as fairly stereotypical Soviet hardware: heavy, with poorer fuel economy and passenger load than, say, a DC-9, but very sturdy and easy to keep flying. The type lingers in service.
* The Tu-104, the first production Soviet jetliner, led to the downscaled Tu-124, which led in turn to the Tu-134. The Tu-104 itself led to a more modern replacement, the "Tu-154".
The Tu-154's design specs included the ability to operate off of rough or short airstrips and good altitude performance, to allow it to fly above most Soviet air traffic. A Tupolev engineering team, originally under S.M. Yeger and later under Dmitri Markov, developed an aircraft with a general resemblance to the Boeing 727, featuring low-mounted swept wings, a swept tee tail, and three engines -- Kuznetsov NK-8-2 low-bypass turbofans providing 93.2 kN (9,500 kgp / 20,950 lbf) thrust each, with one mounted in the base of the tail and one mounted on each side of the rear fuselage. An APU was provided for engine starting and ground power.
It differed significantly from the Boeing design in retaining the distinctive Tupolev approach of mounting the main gear in wing pods. Each wing featured three spars, five-section leading-edge slats, two-section triple slotted flaps, one-piece ailerons, and an array of spoilers / lift dumpers / airbrakes on top. Wing, tail, and engine inlet de-icing was performed using engine bleed air, while the slats were electrically de-iced. The steerable nose gear featured dual wheels. Each main gear assembly featured six wheels, mounted on a bogie in three rows of two wheels. All landing gear assemblies retracted hydraulically to the rear. Flight crew consisted of pilot, copilot, navigator, flight engineer, and at least two stewardesses. Typical single-class seating was 128, six abreast, or 146 in a high density configuration.
Initial flight of the Tu-154 was on 4 October 1968, with initial delivery of
a production machine to Aeroflot in early 1971 and introduction to service a
year later. It was given the NATO codename of "Careless".
TUPOLEV TU-154:
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spec metric english
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wingspan 37.55 meters 123 feet 3 inches
wing area 201.5 sq_meters 2,168 sq_feet
length 47.9 meters 157 feet 2 inches
height 11.4 meters 37 feet 5 inches
empty weight 43,500 kilograms 95,900 pounds
MTO weight 90,000 kilograms 198,415 pounds
max cruise speed 975 KPH 605 MPH / 525 KT
efficient cruise speed 900 KPH 560 MPH / 485 KT
service ceiling 12,110 meters 39,730 feet
range, max payload 3,460 kilometers 2,150 MI / 1,870 NMI
range, max fuel 5,280 kilometers 3,280 MI / 2,850 NMI
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The initial series Tu-154 was followed in 1974 by the "Tu-154A". It was
difficult to distinguish from the Tu-154, but featured uprated NK-8-2U
engines providing 103 kN (10.5 kgp / 23,150 lbf) thrust, permitting an
increase in takeoff weight and, with the addition of new emergency escape
doors, a maximum passenger load of 168. There were various improvements in
systems. A new fuel tank was added in the center section, but oddly it
couldn't be used in flight; the fuel was transferred on the ground to other
aircraft fuel tanks.
The Tu-154A was followed in 1977 by the "Tu-154B" variant, which quickly evolved to the "Tu-154B-2". The major change was further improvement to still more max takeoff weight, allowing (with more emergency exits) a passenger load of 180. The center section fuel tank was integrated into the rest of the aircraft fuel system, and a number of small changes were implemented. In the early 1980s a "Tu-154C" air freighter was introduced, such machines amounting to conversions of Tu-154A/B aircraft with a cargo door on the forward left fuselage and cargo hauling facilities inside. Max cargo load was 20 tonnes (22 tons).
* The first series Tu-154s were followed in 1981 by the second-series "Tu-154M", which featured much more economical, quieter, and reliable Soloviev (later Aviadvigatel) D-30KU-154-II turbofans -- through the max thrust provided by the new engines was about the same as that of the NK-8-2U, 104 kN (10,600 kgp / 23,380 lbf). The engine intakes had to be expanded to handle the greater airflow. The Tu-154M featured about 20% better range and an increase in max takeoff weight of about 10,000 kilograms (22,000 pounds) relative to the baseline Tu-154. Maximum passenger capacity was 180 in a six-abreast configuration.
About 850 Tu-154s were built in all, with over 70% of them being Tu-154Ms. Again, most were obtained by Aeroflot, but many were also provided to the airlines of Eastern European and Soviet client states. The type was regarded as clearly less economical to operate than a Boeing 737, but much sturdier and easier to maintain. The Tu-154 remains in widespread but declining service.
* By the last days of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s, the Tupolev OKB was working on new jetliners, but the collapse of the USSR threw these programs into some confusion.
Development of a successor to the Tu-154, as well as the Ilyushin Il-62 jetliner, began in the 1980s, with the first flight of the "Tu-204" on 2 January 1989. It is a modern narrow-body twinjet airliner with a close resemblance to the Boeing 757. It features a "supercritical" wing with a sweep of 28 degrees and winglets; Soloviev (now Aviadvigatel) PS90 high-bypass turbofans, with 158.3 kN (16,135 kgp / 35,580 lbf) thrust each; a triple-redundant "fly by wire" digital flight control system with analog backup; and a "glass cockpit" with six displays.
The airframe consists of almost a fifth by weight of composite materials, and includes both titanium and lithium-aluminum alloy elements. The steerable nose gear has twin wheels, while the main gear assemblies have four wheels. The landing gear features antiskid disk brakes and is hydraulically actuated, the nose gear retracting forward, the main gear retracting inward into the fuselage -- the Tu-204 does not use the trademark Tupolev wing-pod scheme.
Crew includes pilot, copilot, and an optional flight engineer, as well as at
least two stewardesses. Seating is six-abreast, with 210 passengers in a
high-density configuration and various mixed configurations, such as 24
first class and 159 economy class seats. There are three galleys and three
toilets.
TUPOLEV TU-204:
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spec metric english
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wingspan 41.80 meters 137 feet 2 inches
wing area 182.4 sq_meters 1,963 sq_feet
length 46.1 meters 151 feet 3 inches
height 13.9 meters 45 feet 5 inches
empty weight 58,300 kilograms 128,530 pounds
MTO weight 94,600 kilograms 208,550 pounds
cruise speed 850 KPH 530 MPH / 460 KT
range, max payload 2,430 kilometers 1,510 MI / 1,310 NMI
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There have been a number of variants of the Tu-204:
To appeal to customers who were interested in Western jetliners, the Tupolev organization also built a "Tu-204-120" with Westernized (Honeywell) avionics and Rolls-Royce RB211-535 powerplants. The first flew on 14 August 1992. A "combi" freighter variant, the "Tu-120-100C", was also built, to be followed by the "Tu-120-CE" with higher MTO. A number of Rolls-Royce powered Tu-204s were sold to Egypt and users in Europe.
The Tu-204 is still being built; production quantities are unclear, but appear to be modest, about four prototypes and 38 production machines by 2006. Sources mention a long list of proposed variants -- for example Tu-204s with Pratt & Whitney PW2000 turbofans and Rockwell-Collins avionics and even a military "airborne warning and control system (AWACS)" with a "flying saucer" radome on the back -- it's hard to know how seriously to take them. During the 1990s, Russian aircraft manufacturers were inclined to throw out long lists of concepts to see if any potential customers might bite. Sources give the impression of listing more Tu-204 variants than the actual number of Tu-204s built.
* While the Tu-204 series was a replacement for the Tu-154, the Tupolev organization also developed a "shortened" derivative of the Tu-204, the "Tu-334", as a replacement for the Tu-134. The end result doesn't have much resemblance to the Tu-204, in fact resembling a Fokker 70/100 jetliner, with twin rear-mounted turbofan engines, a tee tail, and winglets.
Although the development program was initiated in 1986, it was derailed by the collapse of the USSR, with first prototype performing its initial flight on 8 February 1999; a second prototype was planned at the outset but it never actually flew. Two more prototypes and an initial batch of "Tu-334-100" production machines were to follow, with the Tu-334-100, powered by twin ZMKB Progress D436T1 high-bypass turbofans with 73.6kN (7,500 kgp / 16,535 lbf) thrust each.
The Tu-334-100 features fly-by-wire controls, a crew of two or three, and a
maximum capacity of 102 passengers in a single-class configuration, six
abreast -- or 72 in a two-class configuration, including 12 first-class
passenger seated four abreast and 60 economy passengers seated six abreast.
TUPOLEV TU-334:
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spec metric english
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wingspan 29.77 meters 97 feet 8 inches
wing area 83.2 sq_meters 896 sq_feet
length 31.26 meters 102 feet 7 inches
height 9.38 meters 30 feet 9 inches
empty weight 30,050 kilograms 66,250 pounds
MTO weight 46,100 kilograms 101,630 pounds
efficient cruise speed 820 KPH 505 MPH / 440 KT
range, full payload 2,000 kilometers 1,240 MI / 1,080 NMI
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As of last notice, the Tu-334 had still not entered service, though the
Tupolev organization claimed to have dozens of "firm orders" in hand. There
have been considerations of a range of variants:
Given that the future of the Tu-334 still seems uncertain and that there are a number of new jetliners being promoted by various Russian aircraft organizations in the same class as the Tu-334, it is unclear how seriously any of these derivatives can be taken.
* Sources:
Several editions of JANE'S ALL THE WORLD'S AIRCRAFT were also consulted.
* Revision history:
v1.0.0 / 01 may 08 / gvg
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