Tupolev Tu-114
| Company type | Aircraft model |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aviation, Aerospace |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Founder | Tupolev design bureau |
| Headquarters | Kuibyshev , Soviet Union |
| Products | Long-range turboprop airliner |
The Tupolev Tu-114 Rossiya (Russian: Туполев Ту-114 Россия; known by NATO as Cleat) is a retired, large, long-range airliner powered by turboprop engines, developed by the Tupolev design bureau and manufactured in the Soviet Union starting from May 1955. At its introduction, it was both the largest and fastest passenger aircraft globally and boasted the longest operational range of 10,900 km (6,800 mi). Since 1960, it has held the record as the fastest propeller-driven airplane.
Thanks to its swept wing architecture and unique engine configuration, the Tu-114 achieved speeds comparable to early jet airliners, reaching approximately 880 km/h (550 mph). While its maximum seating capacity was 224 passengers, typical Aeroflot service featured a reduced layout accommodating 170 passengers, including amenities such as sleeping compartments and a dining area.
Before being phased out in favor of the jet-powered Ilyushin Il-62, the Tu-114 transported over six million travelers. Production totaled thirty-two units constructed at the Kuibyshev aviation facility (Plant No.18) during the early 1960s.
Development
Following directive No.1561-868 from the Council of Ministers and order No.571 from the Ministry of Aircraft Production issued in August 1955, Tupolev's design team was tasked with developing an airliner capable of an 8,000 km (4,971 mi) range. This design was to be derived from the strategic bomber Tupolev Tu-95, utilizing four Kuznetsov NK-12 engines equipped with contra-rotating propellers.
The Tu-114 incorporated key components from the Tu-95 bomber—including its wing structure, tail assembly, landing gear, and engines—combined with a completely new pressurized fuselage featuring a significantly larger diameter. To manage the increased aircraft weight, the wing’s flap area was expanded by increasing flap chord length compared to that of the bomber. The wing was positioned low on the fuselage, resulting in a taller stance on its landing gear relative to the Tu-95. Consequently, a redesigned nose landing gear strut was introduced while retaining the original main landing gear design.
Although capable of speeds typical for contemporary jetliners (around 880 km/h), its cruising velocity at Mach 0.71 was somewhat slower than comparable jets like the Boeing 707, Douglas DC-8, and Vickers VC10, which usually cruised near Mach 0.83. The aircraft could seat up to 224 passengers in maximum capacity mode; however, standard long-haul configurations accommodated approximately 170 passengers to allow for enhanced comfort features such as sleeper berths and an onboard dining lounge for premium-class travelers.
Design
The Tu-114 incorporated several distinctive design elements for its era, including:
- Wings swept back at an angle of 35 degrees, matching the sweep angle found on the Boeing 707 and various other turbojet-powered airliners.
- The most powerful turboprop engines ever installed on an aircraft, the Kuznetsov NK-12MV, each coupled with two AV-60H, four-bladed, reversible-pitch, contra-rotating propellers.
- Galley facilities located on the lower deck, connected to the upper deck by a dumbwaiter; initially, a chef was part of the crew.
- A dedicated crew rest area situated on the lower deck.
- Exceptionally long landing gear (with the nose gear standing 3 meters tall) to accommodate the low wing design and large propeller diameter. This often caused issues at airports lacking sufficiently tall boarding stairs to access the cabin.
The Tu-114 was an uncommon example of an aircraft designed for dual roles—serving both as a commercial airliner and as a government transport. This dual-purpose configuration was also present in early Tu-104 models. The aircraft featured four sleeping compartments with three berths each, alongside a centrally located "restaurant" cabin—the noisiest part of the plane—equipped with eight tables seating six passengers face-to-face. On official state missions, this midsection served as a dining area. VIPs such as Nikita Khrushchev and his spouse used the sleeping compartments, while their entourage and staff occupied two tourist-class cabins arranged in a 3+3 seating layout. The forward cabin contained 41 seats (with the first row arranged 2+3), and the aft cabin had 54 seats.
During domestic flights within the USSR, all seats were sold at a uniform price since class distinctions were not recognized during the Tu-114's operational period. The least comfortable seats were those in the "restaurant" section (six seats replacing three sleeping berths), which were typically sold last. Near the stairway to the lower deck in row 16, three seats were equipped with baby bassinets. The maximum seating capacity in its original layout reached 170 passengers.
For international routes, sleeping compartments were marketed as first-class accommodations. In the early 1970s, most Tu-114s (except for three or four) had their sleeping quarters and restaurant areas removed and replaced with standard passenger seating, pushing maximum capacity up to around 200.
Despite its innovations, the design had drawbacks. Passengers experienced significant noise levels (ranging from 108 to 112 dB) and vibrations caused by the engines and propellers.
Operational history
The inaugural Tu-114, bearing registration CCCP-Л5611 (often transliterated as CCCP-L5611), was unveiled to Western audiences at the 1958 Brussels World Exhibition. It subsequently transported Nikita Khrushchev on his historic first visit to the United States in September 1959—the first Soviet leader to do so. At that time, the aircraft was still undergoing testing and had only completed its initial long-range flight four months prior, during which minor engine cracks were detected upon inspection. Entrusting Soviet leadership to this experimental plane was a considerable risk; alternative options like the short-range Il-18 would have necessitated multiple refueling stops en route. Despite concerns from the Central Committee, Defense Minister Malinovsky, and Khrushchev's pilot about using an unproven aircraft, Khrushchev insisted on flying aboard it. Aircraft designer Andrei Tupolev was confident enough to have his son Alexei accompany them as well. During this flight, engineers operated diagnostic equipment to continuously monitor engine performance. Khrushchev later remarked that they concealed Alexei Tupolev’s presence to avoid explanations that might have harmed their image. Upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, ground personnel discovered that no passenger steps were tall enough for boarding due to the aircraft's size and high landing gear; consequently, Khrushchev and his delegation used the plane’s emergency escape ladder. Comparable challenges occurred during initial landings at London and Paris airports, which had never accommodated such large aircraft before. The particular Tu-114 used for this mission flew its final flight in 1968 and is now preserved at the Central Air Force Museum near Moscow in Monino.
Regular Aeroflot operations with the Tu-114 commenced on April 24, 1961, connecting Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport to Khabarovsk. The aircraft was later deployed on international routes including Copenhagen, Havana, Montreal, New Delhi, Paris, Belgrade, and Tokyo—the latter operated jointly with JAL.
Service to Havana began on July 10, 1962, via a stopover in Conakry, Guinea. However, following political pressure from the United States government on Guinea, landing rights were revoked after four flights; consequently, flights were rerouted through Dakar, Senegal. Further U.S.-led efforts aimed at isolating Cuba led to landing rights being withdrawn after just three flights via Dakar; subsequently, operations shifted through Algiers, Algeria. After three additional flights there, Algiers also denied access to Tu-114s. To address these constraints, a specialized long-range Tu-114D variant was developed by reducing seating from 170 to 60 passengers and adding fifteen auxiliary fuel tanks. These modified planes refueled at Olenya, near Murmansk in northern USSR territory, then proceeded over the Barents Sea toward Havana. While this fuel load sufficed under normal conditions, strong headwinds occasionally necessitated an emergency refueling stop at Nassau in The Bahamas—a U.S. military facility. Once jet-powered Ilyushin Il-62 aircraft began servicing Moscow–Havana routes, these Tu-114Ds were converted back to standard configurations.
Aeroflot's presence appeared in the January 1967 edition of OAG schedules as follows:
- Weekly Tu-114 flights between Sheremetyevo Airport and Montreal lasting approximately 11 hours and 50 minutes (return flight YUL–SVO took about 10 hours and 30 minutes)
- Twice-weekly services to Havana requiring roughly 19 hours and 20 minutes outbound and returning in about 16 hours and 25 minutes
- Weekly flights to Delhi taking around seven hours outbound and seven hours forty minutes inbound
By May 1967 OAG listings included a weekly Tokyo flight requiring roughly ten hours thirty-five minutes outbound and eleven hours twenty-five minutes inbound.
The Ilyushin Il-62 gradually replaced Tu-114s on Delhi and Montreal routes starting in late 1967 (though August 1968 OAG still showed weekly SVO–YUL–HAV Tu-114 service along with one via Algiers). Tokyo flights transitioned to Il-62s by mid-1969; Havana services likely followed suit later that year.
As Il-62 usage expanded domestically, Tu-114s were reassigned primarily to lengthy internal routes from Moscow Domodedovo Airport toward destinations such as Alma-Ata (now Almaty), Tashkent, Novosibirsk, and Khabarovsk. Additionally, they operated charters for high-ranking Soviet officials and official delegations.
Compared with other Soviet airliners, the Tu-114 had a relatively brief commercial career—operating scheduled services between 1961 and 1976 (by contrast, Il-62s remained active commercially more than five decades after introduction). The airframe's fatigue life was limited to approximately 14,000 flight hours; most units reached this threshold by 1976. Consequently, Aeroflot retired twenty-one aircraft simultaneously during summer of 1977. A limited number continued serving Soviet Air Forces until around 1991.
Despite its comparatively short tenure, during active service the Tu-114 earned strong recognition for reliability, speed, and fuel efficiency. Its cruise fuel consumption ranged between approximately 5,000–5,500 kg per hour—comparable with modern wide-body twinjets such as Boeing's 787 Dreamliner or Airbus's A350 XWB. Its safety record was outstanding: only one fatal accident occurred—and that while on ground rather than in flight. The type was phased out following introduction of Il-62 jets after having transported more than six million passengers via Aeroflot and Japan Airlines services.
JAL service
Japan Air Lines collaborated with Aeroflot to operate the Moscow–Tokyo route using the Tu-114 aircraft. The flight crew included one representative from JAL, while the cabin staff was composed of five members each from Aeroflot and JAL. The interior configuration was modified to a two-class arrangement featuring 105 seats, and the aircraft's exterior bore a modest JAL emblem and lettering near the front fuselage. The inaugural flight took place on April 17, 1967. By 1969, the Tu-114 flights between Moscow and Tokyo ceased, and the four planes involved were reverted to their original domestic layout accommodating 200 seats.
World records
In June 1959, the Aviation Sports Committee of the Central Air Club named after Valeriy P. Chkalov proposed to Tupolev OKB that their aircraft could be utilized to establish various aviation records. Following this, Tupolev OKB devised an extensive plan targeting record attempts with several models including the Tu-16, Tu-104, Tu-104B, Tu-95M, and Tu-114. The second preproduction Tu-114 (registration CCCP-76459) was specially prepared and authorized to fly with a payload of 30 metric tonnes required for some of these record flights.
Starting on March 24, 1960, the Tu-114 set multiple records within Sub-class C-1 (landplanes), Group 2 (turboprop), as follows:
- 24 March 1960
- Achieved maximum speed over a 1,000 km (621 mi) closed circuit carrying payloads ranging from 0 to 25,000 kg (0 to 55,116 lb)
- Pilot: Ivan Sukhomlin (USSR)
- Captain: B. Timochuk plus four additional crew members
- Location/course: Sternberg Astronomical Institute
- 871.38 km/h (541.45 mph)
- 1 April 1960
- Recorded highest speed on a 2,000 km (1,240 mi) closed circuit with payloads between 0 and 25,000 kg (0 and 55,116 lb)
- Pilot: Ivan Sukhomlin (USSR)
- Second pilot: N. Kharitonov along with three other crew
- Location/course: Sternberg-Point Observatory (USSR)
- Aircraft: Tu-114 '76459'
- 857.277 km/h (532.687 mph)
- 9 April 1960
- Set maximum speed on a 5,000 km (3,110 mi) closed circuit carrying payloads up to 25,000 kilograms (55,000 lb)
- Pilot: Ivan Sukhomlin (USSR)
- Second pilot: Konstantin Sapelkin
- Location/course: Sternberg-Point Observatory (USSR)
- Aircraft: Tu-114 '76459'
- 857.212 km/h (532.647 mph)
- 12 July 1961
- Reached altitude record with payloads between 25,000 and 30,000 kilograms (55,000 and 66,000 lb)
- Pilot: Ivan Sukhomlin (USSR)
- Second pilot: Piotr Soldatov
- Location/course: Vnukovo (USSR)
- 12,073 m (39,610 ft)
- 21 April 1962
- Set maximum speed over a 10,000 km (6,210 mi) closed circuit carrying payloads from 1,000 to 10,000 kilograms (2,200 to 22,000 lb)
- Pilot: Ivan Sukhomlin (USSR)
- Second pilot: P. Soldatov
- Location/course: Sternberg-Point Observatory (USSR)
- Aircraft: Tu-114 '76467'
- 737.352 km/h (458.169 mph)
These records remain valid; however, the category was discontinued after being subdivided by takeoff weight classes. Comparable achievements have been recorded in these new subdivisions by Tu-95 and Tu-142 models, which attained higher speeds.
Variants
- Tu-114 — the original production model
- Tu-114 6NK-8 — a proposed extended-range variant equipped with six Kuznetsov NK-8 turbofan engines, intended as a competitor to the Il-62M; this version never entered production.
- Tu-114-200 — an enhanced version of the initial Tu-114 featuring a seating arrangement for 200 passengers; nearly all aircraft underwent conversion to this standard.
- Tu-114A — a planned modernization from 1962–1963 designed to accommodate 98–102 passengers on long-haul flights; it did not proceed to manufacturing.
- Tu-114B — a derivative of the Tu-114A incorporating a radome, configured to transport a large cruise missile.
- Tu-114C — based on the Tu-114A, this variant included the radome from the Tu-114B and additional side blisters.
- Tu-114D — (Dalniy, meaning "long-range") a long-distance model created for routes to Cuba, featuring reduced passenger capacity and an increased maximum takeoff weight of 182,000 kg. Three units were built; two were later converted to the Tu-114-200 standard between 1969 and 1970, while one was lost in 1962.[1] This should not be confused with the Tu-116 (Tu-114D).
- Tu-114E — reconnaissance adaptation of the Tu-114A.
- Tu-114F — an advanced reconnaissance version derived from both the Tu-114A and Tu-114E, equipped with supplementary sensors.
- Tu-114PLO — a conceptual maritime strike model outfitted with anti-ship missiles and naval radar systems, intended to be powered by a nuclear reactor.Template:Fix/category[citation needed]
- Tu-114T — a proposed cargo transport variant featuring a swing-tail design for loading oversized freight.
- Tu-115 — envisioned as a military transport aircraft with rear loading ramp and defensive rear gun turret. A compartment behind the cockpit was designed to hold 38 troops. The Tu-115 aimed to carry either 300 paratroopers or 40 tons of cargo over 5,000 km (3,100 mi). This project was ultimately cancelled in favor of the Antonov An-22.
Tu-116
The Tu-116 represented a Tupolev Tu-95 bomber modified with pressurized passenger compartments intended for official government use. Two separate passenger cabins were installed within former bomb bay areas and lacked connection between themselves or with the cockpit.
Tu-126
Known by NATO as Moss, the Tu-126 served in the Soviet Air Force's airborne early warning (AEW) capacity until it was replaced by the Beriev A-50.
Japan
- Japan Airlines – operated in partnership with Aeroflot.
Soviet Union
Soviet Union
- Soviet Air Forces (operated Tu-114 and Tu-116)
Accidents and incidents
Throughout its operational history, the Tu-114 experienced only one fatal accident. On 17 February 1966, Aeroflot Flight 065 attempted departure from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport during nighttime under worsening weather conditions after multiple delays. The flight crew was unaware that snow removal had been incomplete across the entire runway width. At takeoff speed, one wing collided with a substantial snowbank, causing propellers on engines three and four to strike the runway surface. This led to loss of control and subsequent fire. Initial Soviet reports indicated that out of 70 occupants, including the pilot, 48 perished. The flight was destined for Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, carrying several African passengers alongside a Soviet trade delegation.[2] Later accounts revised fatalities to 21 among 66 onboard.[3]
Another aircraft, not in active service, was damaged beyond repair on 7 August 1962 at Vnukovo Airport when its nose landing gear collapsed during maintenance.[4] Tail number CCCP-76479 belonged to one of only three long-range D models produced.[1]
Aircraft exhibited
CCCP-L5611 – (Prototype) Exhibited as a static display at the Central Air Force Museum located in Monino, Moscow Oblast. This particular aircraft was employed by Nikita Khrushchev during his 1959 official trip to the United States.
CCCP-76490 – Displayed statically at the Ulyanovsk Aircraft Museum in Ulyanovsk, Ulyanovsk Oblast, alongside the only remaining example of the related Tu-116 model.
CCCP-76485 – Presented as a static exhibit at the Aviation Museum affiliated with the National Aviation University in Kryvyi Rih.
Technical specifications (Tu-114)
See also
References
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- ↑ Template:ASN accident
- Alexander, Jean. Russian Aircraft since 1940. Putnam. London. ISBN 0-370-10025-5
- Gordon, Yefim & Rigmant, Vladimir. Tupolev Tu-114. Midland. Hinkley. 2007. ISBN 978-1-85780-246-7
- Gunston, Bill. The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995. London, Osprey. 1995. ISBN 1-85532-405-9
- Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1969–70. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1969. ISBN 0-354-00051-9.
External links
- Tu-114 exhibit at the Museum of Civil Aviation in Ulyanovsk, Russia
- "Tu-114 Rossiya" – a 1959 article from Flight magazine
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