Never to be - the Tu-244

Being a SST (Super Sonic Transport) lover, the Tupolev Tu-244 has always interested me as an quirky project, with its massive wings and the concept to create a SST with cryogenic fuels! It was planned that one of these would have been able to carry around 311 passengers at speeds excess MACH 2.0 (1333.48 knots).

Tupelov TU-244 illustration in flight
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My illustration of the Tu-244 in flight - Such a shame these were never to be

Unfortunately the project was cancelled in 1993 (having drafts begun in 1979 for this project)...

It was planned for the airframe of the Tu-244 to be made out of Titanium-composite materials to withstand the heating effects of such great speeds (from merely the friction between the aircraft and the air). To achieve these speeds, an hydrogen powered version of the Kuznetsov NK-321 was planned to be used to be able to use the cryogenic fuels. These engines are also capable of after-burning.

It's always such a shame to see such a cool project being washed down the sink, as this was developed from the Tu-144 program, but of course such SST designs are very costly both to produce and to run for airlines. 

What we can only hope for is a viable version of a SST in the near future!

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