Friday, April 26

Tag: Tupolev

B-52 vs Tu-95: The Best Old Bomber
19Mar By Christopher Harrow1 Comment
Aircraft Compare

B-52 vs Tu-95: The Best Old Bomber

Designed around the same time, for the same purpose, by countries on opposing sides of the Cold War, both the B-52 Stratofortress and Tu-95 Bear are some of oldest aircraft still in use with their original operators. And whilst other aircraft have come and gone out of service with the US Air Force and Soviet Air Forces (later Russian Aerospace Forces), the versatility of these two aircraft have seen them continue to be used, even as the nature of their roles have changed considerably. So which of these old bombers is the best? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); B-52 vs Tu-95: The Basics Before we can begin comparing the two bombers to one another, we must first understand the background that led to their development, and the basics of the two ...
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Why The Tupolev Tu-134 Was The End of an Era…
20Oct By Salomón MarcoNo Comments
Aircraft Digest

Why The Tupolev Tu-134 Was The End of an Era…

A member of an aviation dynasty that could trace its heritage back to the Tu-16 bomber of the 1950's, the Tupolev Tu-134 never served as the basis for another aircraft, as other members of the dynasty had. Yet this wasn't due to the failure of the Tu-134 itself - it was continuously produced for over 20 years and 854 examples of the type were built in total, including two prototypes - it was due to the economic stagnation of the 1980's in the USSR and its collapse in 1991. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Background In 1955, the Soviet Union shocked the world. That year, the Tupolev design bureau unveiled the Tu-104, the Soviet Union's first jet airliner, thus making it one of only two in the entire world - the other being the de Havilland Come...
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Why The Tupolev Tu-114 Was The Most Significant Airliner of The 1960’s!
22Sep By Gareth SeagullNo Comments
Aircraft Digest

Why The Tupolev Tu-114 Was The Most Significant Airliner of The 1960’s!

A turboprop airliner released into a world where jets reigned supreme in the long-haul market, many scoffed at the idea that the Tupolev Tu-114 could actually compete with jet aircraft, that were supposedly more reliable, faster and cheaper than their turboprop cousins. Yet the Tu-114 surprised the entire world, not only competing with other Soviet-made jet airliners, but often outshining them on the world stage. Despite airliners like the Tu-104 and Tu-124 being more advanced (at least on paper) as they were jets, the sheer size of the Tu-114 and its incredible speed set the aviation world ablaze - and for good reason. After all, it was arguably the most significant airliner of the 1960's... (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Tupolev Tu...
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How The Tupolev Tu-104 Became The Jet That Nearly Defeated The West
18Sep By Salomón Marco1 Comment
Aircraft Digest

How The Tupolev Tu-104 Became The Jet That Nearly Defeated The West

Designed to bring the Soviet Union into the jet era, the story of the Tupolev Tu-104 is a story of what could've been. A story of how the Soviet Union could've proven the virtues of communism over capitalism, all whilst embarrassing the West on the international stage! Although it was the only operational jet airliner between 1956 and 1958, it was only the second jet airliner to enter service, after Britain's de Havilland Comet, which entered service in 1952 (and was later grounded between 1956 and 1958 due to structural defects). (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Background During WWII, the Soviet Union (as with every other major power in the war) had been trying to create a working jet engine, and with it, a working fighter jet. Though they...
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