Tupolev Company History And Aircraft Models

30/11/2021 M.Durgut 718 Views Company, TU154, TU204, tupolev

There are numerous important companies which had significant impact in the aviation. From Boeing to Airbus, they each had their fair share in the development of the industry. However, there are also many companies which we don’t hear about often. But these ones deserve our attention as well, due to the incredible positive contributions that they had. One of these companies is Tupolev with a century old history.

It is a very large aerospace company that is currently employing more than 3,500 people. Although the company mainly produces commercial airliners, it also builds military aircraft, too. As a very noteworthy Russian company, Tupolev’s headquarters are in Moscow, Russia. Since it is a company that produces many well designed aircraft and has had a lot of impact on the aviation industry, it is certainly worth learning about. So, let’s get down to it and learn more about the history of Tupolev company and its most notable products.

A Short History Of The Tupolev Company

Andrei Tupolev, a Soviet aeronautical engineer, founded the company on the 22^nd of October 1922. During its early history, Tupolev mostly designed bomber aircraft, which significantly affected how others approach airplane design. The company manufactured many military aircraft during the WW2, which included products like Tu-2 and Tu-16 bombers.

After the initial success, the company kept growing and producing more aircraft during the later Soviet era. Over time, Tupolev’s focus shifted towards commercial aircraft. Following the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, the focus towards civilian aircraft became stronger. The company has spend its later years building upon the earlier models. Today it is a very successful aircraft manufacturer.

A Look At The Company’s Notable Products

With nearly a century long history, Tupolev has manufactured many different aircraft that managed to become very popular. Out of the many aircraft models of Tupolev, there are some that are quite noteworthy. Here are some of Tupolev’s products and their short descriptions:

Tupolev Tu-154: Designed in the 60s, the narrow body airliner could reach 850 km. per hour. It was produced from 1968 to 2013 and then discontinued. Through its production, a total of 1026 units were built.

Tupolev Tu-204: This one had its first flight on the 2^nd of January 1989. Then it was introduced to the market in 1996 and it is still being produced by the company. As a narrow body jet airliner, there are 89 units produced in total. There are several different variants of this model and many features such as number of seats differ depending on the variant.

Tupolev ANT-1: It was the first aircraft built by the company. The aircraft completed its first flight on the 20^th of October 1923.

Military strategic bombers: Aside from producing commercial aircraft, the company also produces military products as well. Some of the examples include Tu-14 “Bosun”, Tu-160 “Blackjack” and Tu-22 “Blinder”.

Tupolev Tu-28/Tu-128 “Fiddler” (Military interceptor): A long range interceptor plane which made its first flight on the 18^th of March 1961. Then it had its introduction in 1964 and 198 units were built until 1990 when they discontinued the model.

Tupolev Tu-95: It is a large, four-engine turboprop-powered strategic bomber and missile platform. First flown in 1952, the Tu-95 entered service with the Long-Range Aviation of the Soviet Air Forces in 1956 and is expected to serve the Russian Aerospace Forces until at least 2040.