Tupolev Tu-444
| Tupolev Tu-444 | |
|---|---|
 Silhouette of the Tu-444 |
|
| Type: | Supersonic - airliner |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| Commissioning: |
Status unknown |
The Tupolev Tu-444 was the name of a design for a supersonic business jet from the Russian manufacturer Tupolev . The project must be considered discontinued, the corresponding pages and notes on Tupolev's website were taken offline several years ago (as of 2017).
history
Tupolev has extensive experience in designing and manufacturing of large supersonic aircraft, both in the military sector, such as the long-range fighter Tupolev Tu-128 , the medium-range bombers Tupolev Tu-22 and Tu-22 M3 and the strategic bomber Tupolev Tu-160 , and in the civilian sector with the Tupolev Tu-144 and its derivative Tu-144LL.
However, the current regulations in relation to environmental protection and, in particular, noise protection forbid it de facto to start an economically feasible project of a large supersonic airliner. The construction of a smaller business jet appears more realistic. This project was named Tu-444. Above all, it is much cheaper to build such an aircraft than it would be for a commercial aircraft, and compliance with environmental regulations is much easier to manage. However, this requires new developments. Takeoff and landing may also have to be automated in order to meet the requirements.
Analyzes by well-known economic institutes have shown that the market for such aircraft is around 400 to 700 pieces. The only condition for this is that the supersonic models should not be more than 20% more expensive than conventional aircraft. The most important argument is that intercontinental business trips can be handled in one day and still have a whole working day available on site.
The essential point is the constant cost-effectiveness both in the subsonic and supersonic range. The range performance in the two operating states does not differ either.
construction
The design is a twin - engine low -wing aircraft with double delta wings, a single vertical tail and a tilting nose. The two engines are located below the wing. There is also an auxiliary power unit (APU) in the rear. The aircraft is to be built largely from composite materials .
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| Year of construction (s) | Project |
| Manufacturer | Tupolev |
| span | 16.2 m |
| length | 36.00 m |
| height | 6.51 m |
| Wing area | 136 m² |
| Empty mass | 19,300 kg |
| payload | 1000 kg |
| Takeoff mass | maximum 41,000 kg |
| Passengers | 6 to 10 |
| crew | 2 pilots / 1 flight attendant |
| Cruising speed subsonic: | 1050 km / h |
| Cruising speed supersonic: | 2125 km / h |
| Range | 7500 km |
| Runway | 1830 m |
| Engines | two |
| thrust | 2 × 95.12 kN |
Web links
- Project page ( Memento from January 4, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (offline)
- Website of the manufacturer Tupolev (English)