The mightiest ‘propliner’ of them all
The Cold War, a contest of wills between the Soviet Union and the ‘West’ led by the United States, was at its height in the 1950s. The Soviets were determined to prove that its scientists’ technological prowess was superior to the West’s, regardless of economic and societal factors.
Part of this was the showcasing of advanced aircraft and aerospace technology. With the launch of the Sputnik satellite into space in 1957 the Soviets enjoyed a triumph. Yuri Gagarin went to space and orbited the earth in 1961, becoming the first human to do so, establishing the Soviet lead in that sphere.
In another coup (as readers of this column are aware), the twin-engine Tupolev Tu-104 was the only jet aircraft in commercial service in the late 1950s. Britain’s industry was facing a crisis with initially unexplained crashes of the de Havilland Comet, and the USA’s airlines bosses weren’t interested in jets, preferring to continue with the tried and tested piston engine.
Tupolev design bureau
Andrei Tupolev, the man behind the marque, is not well-known to many Western readers, but he deserves his place in the pantheon of aviation’s great designers. His eponymous design bureau, Tupolev OKB, was founded in 1922 and remains in existence today as part of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation conglomerate.
Specializing in heavy aircraft, Tupolev designed the giant ANT-20 Maxim Gorky in 1934. It had a wingspan of 63m (206ft 8in), was 33m long (107ft), and powered by eight engines — three on each wing and two on top of the fuselage in a fore-and-aft configuration. Easily the largest aircraft of its era, the ANT-20 used Junkers’s corrugated sheet-metal construction, probably learned during the German company’s sojourn in the USSR. Only two were built, one of which crashed during a demonstration flight over Moscow in 1935.
Arrested and imprisoned by Stalin’s regime, Tupolev went on to design more aircraft while in prison, including the Tu-2 bomber that was one of the types most used by Soviet forces in World War 2.
Later joined by many captured German engineers after the war, Tupolev OKB continued to build innovative aircraft. The impressive list includes the Tu-144 passenger jet, which in 1969 was the first civil type to sustain supersonic flight, four months before the Anglo-French Concorde. Known derisively in the West as Concordski, prompted by allegations of industrial espionage, the Tu-144 entered passenger service briefly in 1975 despite a crash at the Paris Airshow in 1973. But it was withdrawn after a second accident during a test flight in 1978. However, the supersonic airliner was used as a cargo aircraft until the Tu-144 program was cancelled in 1983, and later still to train Soviet pilots of the Buran spacecraft, in addition to service with NASA for supersonic research until 1999.
The Tu-95 and -114
Soviet weapons technology was highly advanced, but certain other aspects didn’t keep pace with the West. Though turbojet engines powered the Tu-104, the thrust produced by the Mikulin 3M-500 powerplants was low, and fuel consumption too high. To overcome these limitations, Tupolev OKB designed a long-range strategic bomber around four huge Kuznetsov NK-12 turboshaft engines, driving eight contra-rotating propellers. The NK-12 remains the most powerful turboprop ever to enter service. Reportedly, a team of captive German engineers developed the technology for the NK-12.
Designated the Tu-20 by the Soviet Air Force and the Tu-95 internally by Tupolev OKB, the massive aircraft was code-named Bear by NATO when it entered service in 1956. A truly innovative design, it incorporated sweptback, shoulder-high wings, a 50 m (164ft) wingspan and tall landing gear to keep the propellers clear of the ground. The Tu-95 was a successful aircraft from the outset. Apart from having an astonishing endurance, the Bear cruised at speeds close to that of large turbojets at the time it was introduced in 1956, making it the fastest turboprop aircraft in the world.
The design bureau was able to adapt much of the technology on the bomber towards a civil airliner, which was designated the Tu-114 and first flew in 1957. The wing was moved to below the pressurized fuselage, making the aircraft look even taller than the bomber. In keeping with many Soviet designs, the glass nose cone of the bomber version was retained for use by the navigator. The nose gear was an astonishing 3 meters tall, which meant many destination airports did not have steps long enough to reach its cabin doors. With its markedly anhedral wings (they sloped down from root to tip) and tall landing gear, Rossiya as the big Tupolev was affectionately known, was a striking sight wherever it landed.
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev flew in one, on the first visit by a leader of the USSR to the USA in 1959. Sure enough, the ground crew at Andrews Air Force base in Maryland were not expecting an aircraft of this size, and did not have passenger steps of adequate height for the Tu-114. Consequently, the Soviet Premier’s delegation was forced to use the emergency escape ladder to disembark!
Operational use
Aeroflot’s domestic version of the Tu-114, which entered service in April 1961, had 170 passenger seats. Those intended for long-distance flights, to Havana (Cuba), New Delhi (India), Paris, Copenhagen, and Belgrade (Yugoslavia now Serbia) came with lower-deck galleys, sleeping berths and a dining lounge in the mid-section.
A service from Moscow to Tokyo was operated in coordination with Japan Air Lines for two years from 1967 to 1969. One Japanese flight crew member and five Japanese cabin crew were on each flight. The 4,000 NM (7,500 km) journey was operated nonstop, with a scheduled time of 10hr 35min eastbound, and 11hr 25min westbound. The early jets could not compete with the Tu-114’s range, as even London to New York (5,500km) was beyond the range of an early Boeing 707 or Comet in the winter.
The Tu-114 was reliable and economical, with flights to Havana continuing despite US sanctions with a modified Tu-114D containing extra fuel tanks. Usually flying nonstop from Olenya, south of Murmansk, to Havana (a distance of 8,600km or 4,600nm) was an astonishing feat, albeit with a sharply reduced payload. Only capable of carrying a maximum of 60 passengers, the flights were more of a political statement than a commercial service.
Not exactly quiet
The giant turboprop looked amazing and performed commendably, but it was LOUD. The propeller tips reached supersonic speeds and caused an indescribable howl, accompanied by the vibration from the eight huge propellers. Contemporary jet engines were loud too, early turbojet engines such as the Pratt & Whitney JT-3 and Rolls-Royce Conway were by no means good neighbors; but the NK-12 took noise to another level.
Noise levels are measured in Decibels (dB) on a logarithmic scale, so the numbers remain manageable. Conversational speech is measured at about 60 dB. A Boeing 777 at takeoff registers approximately 90–95 dB, but is much quieter in cruise flight. The interior of the Tupolev was measured at more than 108 dB, an astonishing level comparable to that at a rock concert. Submariners report that the aircraft can be heard underwater, it is so loud. How passengers endured this for many hours is a mystery.
Short lifespan
Despite an excellent record (there was never a crash of a Tu-114, the only accident occurring during taxiing), the aircraft did not remain in service for long. The Ilyushin Il-62 four-engine jet, which entered service in 1967, began replacing the big turboprop. The Tu-114 nevertheless remained in service with Aeroflot until 1977, and with the Soviet Air Force (as a transport) until 1991. Over six million passengers were carried by the Tu-114 during its short lifespan. Most speed records set by the aircraft in the turboprop capacity remain unchallenged to this day.
Updated versions of the Tu-95 are still in front-line service with the Russian Air Force, a longevity only rivaled by its US counterpart Boeing B-52.
This is part of a series on the historic propliners that gave birth to the airline industry and the slow transition to the jet age. It all began with the DC-3 of course, and my columns move through the other Douglas propliners, the Boeing 377, Lockheed’s Electras and the elegant Constellation. The Brabazon Committee which sparked such a wave of innovation in the UK with the Vickers Viscount, the Bristol Britannia and the ill-fated de Havilland Comet. Many other significant aircraft, such as Avro Canada’s innovative but aborted C-102 passenger jet and the Sud-Aviation Caravelle, which led us into the start of the Jet Age have columns too.
A few quirky segues I couldn’t resist: the ‘Double Sunrise’ flights between my two homelands Ceylon and Australia; the wonderful Carvairs and that very British habit of taking your car on holiday. I also had to write a paean to my beloved A380 and all my pilot friends in the Gulf as COVID ended that little dream.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the series as much as I have relished writing them. My special thanks to my old friend, mentor, editor and repository of knowledge Roger Thiedeman, for all the encouragement and support throughout this project.
