Tupolev Tu-154

Tu-154
Slovak Air Force Tupolev Tu-154M
Role Airliner
National origin Soviet Union/ Russia
Manufacturer Tupolev
Designer Tupolev Design Bureau
First flight 4 October 1968
Introduction 7 February 1972 (Aeroflot)
Status In service
Primary users UTair
Yakutia Airlines
Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise
Tajik Air
Produced 1968–2006[1]
Number built 1025
Unit cost $45 million
Variants Tupolev Tu-155

The Tupolev Tu-154 (Russian: Ту-154; NATO reporting name: Careless) is a three-engine medium-range narrow-body airliner designed in the mid 1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. As the mainstay 'workhorse' of Soviet and (subsequently) Russian airlines for several decades, it serviced over a sixth of the world's landmass and carried half of all passengers flown by Aeroflot and its subsidiaries (137.5 million/year or 243.8 billion passenger kilometers in 1990). Having been exported and operated by 17 non-Russian airlines and a number of air forces, it remained the standard domestic route airliner of Russia and former Soviet states until the mid 2000s.

With a cruising speed of 975 kilometres per hour (606 mph), the Tu-154 is one of the fastest civilian aircraft in operation and has a range of 5,280 kilometres (3,280 mi). Capable of operating from unpaved and gravel airfields, it was widely used in extreme Arctic conditions of Russia's northern and eastern regions where other airliners were unable to operate and where service facilities were very basic. With a service life of 45,000 hours (18,000 cycles) but capable of 80,000 hours with upgrades, it is expected to continue operations until 2016, although noise regulations have seen services to western Europe and other areas restricted. In January 2010, Russian flag carrier Aeroflot announced the retirement of its Tu-154 fleet after 40 years service with the last scheduled flight being Aeroflot Flight 736 from Ekaterinburg to Moscow on 31 December 2009.[2]

Since 1968 there have been 39 fatal incidents involving the Tu-154, most of which were caused either by factors unrelated to the aircraft or by its extensive use in demanding conditions.[3][4]

Contents

Development

The Tu-154 was developed to meet Aeroflot's requirement to replace the jet-powered Tu-104, the Antonov An-10 'Ukraine' and the Ilyushin Il-18 turboprops. The requirements called for either a payload capacity of 16–18 tonnes (35,000–40,000 lb) with a range of 2,850–4,000 kilometres (1,770–2,500 mi) while cruising at a speed of 900 km/h (560 mph), or a payload of 5.8 tonnes (13,000 lb) with a range of 5,800–7,000 kilometres (3,600–4,300 mi) while cruising at 850 km/h (530 mph). A take-off distance of 2,600 metres (8,500 ft) at maximum take-off weight was also stipulated as a requirement. Conceptually similar to the British Hawker Siddeley Trident, which first flew in 1962, and the Boeing 727, which first flew in 1963, the medium-range Tu-154 would be marketed by Tupolev at the same time as Ilyushin was marketing the long-range Ilyushin Il-62. The Soviet Ministry of Aircraft Industry chose the Tu-154 as it incorporated the latest in Soviet aircraft design and best met Aeroflot's anticipated requirements for the 1970s and 1980s.[5]

The first project chief was Sergey Yeger but in 1964, Dmitryi S. Markov assumed that position. In 1975 he turned it over to Aleksandr S. Shengardt.[6]

The Tu-154 first flew on 4 October 1968. The first deliveries to Aeroflot were in 1970 with freight (mail) services beginning in May 1971 and passenger services in February 1972. There was still limited production of the 154M model as of January 2009, despite previous announcements of the end of production in 2006.[7] 1025 Tu-154s have been built, 214 of which are still in service as of 14 December 2009.[8]

Design

The Tu-154 is powered by three rear-mounted low-bypass turbofan engines arranged similarly to those of the Boeing 727, but it is slightly larger than its American counterpart. Both the 727 and the Tu-154 use an S-duct for the middle (number 2) engine. The original model had Kuznetsov NK-8-2, while the Tu-154M has Soloviev D-30KU-154 engines. All Tu-154 aircraft models have a higher thrust-to-weight ratio than that of the 727 – this gives them superior performance, although at the expense of poorer fuel efficiency, which became an important factor in later decades as fuel costs grew.

The cabin of the Tu-154, although of the same six-abreast seating layout, gives the impression of an oval interior, with a lower ceiling than is common on Boeing and Airbus airliners. The passenger cabin accommodates 128 passengers in two-class layout and 164 passengers in single-class layout, and up to 180 passengers in high-density layout. The layout can be modified to what is called a winter version where some seats are taken out and a wardrobe is installed for passenger coats. The passenger doors are also smaller than on its Boeing and Airbus counterparts. Furthermore, luggage space in the overhead compartments is very limited.

Like the Tupolev Tu-134, the Tu-154 has a wing swept back at 35° at the quarter-chord line. The British Hawker Siddeley Trident has the same sweepback angle, while the Boeing 727 has a slightly smaller sweepback angle of 32°. The wing also has anhedral (downward sweep) which is distinguishing feature of Russian low-wing airliners designed during this era. Most Western low-wing airliners such as the contemporary Boeing 727 have Dihedral (upward sweep). The anhedral means that Russian airliners have poor lateral stability compared to Western ones, but also have weaker dutch roll tendencies, eliminating the need for a yaw damper.

Like many other Soviet-built airliners, the Tu-154 has an oversized landing gear enabling it to land on unpaved runways, once common in rural areas of the Soviet Union. The aircraft has two six-wheel main bogies fitted with large low-pressure tires that retract into pods extending from the trailing edges of the wings (a common Tupolev feature), plus a two-wheel nose gear unit. Soft oleo struts (shock absorbers) provide a much smoother ride on bumpy airfields than most airliners, which only very rarely operate on such poor surfaces.

The original requirement was to have a three-person flight crew – captain, first officer and flight engineer – as opposed to 4/5-person crew on other Soviet airliners. A fourth crew member, a navigator, is usually also present in the former Soviet Union, due to union rules. Navigators are no longer trained and this profession will become obsolete with the retirement of older Soviet era planes.

The plane's avionics suite, for the first time in the Soviet Union, is built to American airworthiness standards. The latest variant (Tu-154M-100, introduced 1998) includes an NVU-B3 Doppler navigation system, a triple autopilot, which provides an automatic ILS approach according to ICAO category II weather minima, an autothrottle, a Doppler drift and speed measure system (DISS), "Kurs-MP" radio navigation suite and others. Modern upgrades normally include a TCAS, GPS and other modern systems, mostly American or EU-made.

Early versions of the Tu-154 cannot be modified to meet the current Stage III noise regulations and are banned from flying where those regulations are in force, such as Europe. The Tu-154M may use hush kits to meet Stage III and theoretically Stage IV. However current European Union regulations forbid the use of hush kits to meet Stage IV. The Tu-154M would need to be re-engined to meet Stage IV within the EU, an extensive and potentially expensive upgrade.

Variants

Many variants of this airliner have been built. Like its western counterpart, the 727, many of the Tu-154s in service have been hush-kitted, and some converted to freighters.

Tu-154
Tu-154 production started in 1970, while first passenger flight was performed at 9 February 1972. Powered by Kuznetsov NK-8-2 turbofans, it carried 164 passengers. About 42 were built.
Tu-154A
The first upgraded version of the original Tu-154, the A model, in production since 1974, added center-section fuel tanks and more emergency exits, while engines were upgraded to higher-thrust Kuznetsov NK-8-2U. Other upgrades include automatic flaps/slats and stabilizer controls and modified avionics. Max. take-off weight – 94,000 kg (207,235 lb). There were 15 different interior layouts for the different domestic and international customers of the airplane, seating between 144 and 152 passengers. The easiest way to tell the A model from the base model is by looking at the spike at the junction of the fin and tail; this is a fat bullet on the A model rather than a slender spike on the base model.[9]
Tu-154B
As the original Tu-154 and Tu-154A suffered wing cracks after only a few years in service, a version with a new, stronger wing, designated Tu-154B, went into production in 1975. It also had an extra fuel tank in fuselage, extra emergency exits in the tail, and the maximum take-off weight increased to 98,000 kg (216,053 lb). Also important to Aeroflot was that the increased passenger capacity led to lower operating costs. As long as the airplane had the NK-8-2U engines the only way to improve the economics of the airplane was to spread costs across more seats.[10] The autopilot was certified for ICAO Category II automatic approaches. Most previously built Tu-154 and Tu-154A were also modified into this variant, with the replacement of the wing. Max. take-off weight increased to 96,000 kg (211,644 lb). 111 were built.
Tu-154B-1
Aeroflot wanted this version for increased revenue on domestic routes. It carried 160 passengers. This version also had some minor modifications to fuel system, avionics, air conditioning, landing gear. 64 were built from 1977–1978.
Tu-154B-2
A minor modernization of Tu-154B-1. The airplane was designed to be converted from the 160 passenger version to a 180 passenger version by removing the galley.[11] The procedure took about two and a half hours. Some of the earlier Tu-154B modified to that standard. Max. take-off weight increased to 98,000 kg (216,053 lb), later to 100,000 kg (220,462 lb). 311 aircraft were built, including VIP versions, a few of them are still in use.
Tu-154S
The Tu-154S is an all-cargo or freighter version of the Tu-154B, using a strengthened floor, and adding a forward cargo door on the port side of the fuselage. The airplane could carry 9 Soviet PAV-3 pallets. Max. payload – 20,000 kg (44,092 lb). There were plans for 20 aircraft, but only nine aircraft were converted; two from Tu-154 model and seven from Tu-154B model. Trials were held in the early 1980's and the aircraft was authorized regular operations in 1984. By 1997 all had been retired.[12]
Tu-154M
The Tu-154M and Tu-154M Lux are the most highly upgraded version, which first flew in 1982 and entered mass production in 1984. It uses more fuel-efficient Soloviev D-30KU-154 turbofans. Together with significant aerodynamic refinement, this led to much lower fuel consumption and therefore longer range, as well as lower operating costs. The aircraft has new double-slotted (instead of triple-slotted) flaps, with an extra 36-degree position (in addition to existing 15, 28 and 45-degree positions on older versions), which allows reduction of noise on approach. It also has a relocated auxiliary power unit and numerous other improvements. Maximum takeoff weight increased first to 100,000 kg (220,462 lb), then to 102,000 kg (224,872 lb). Some aircraft are certified to 104,000 kg (229,281 lb). About 320 were manufactured. Mass production ended in 2006, though limited manufacturing continued as of January 2009.(photo link) No new airframes have been built since the early 1990s, and production since then involved assembling airplanes from components on hand.[13] Chinese Tu-154MD electronic intelligence aircraft carries a large-size synthetic aperture radar (SAR) under its mainframe.[14]
Tu-154M-LK-1
Cosmonaut Trainer. This was a Salon VIP aircraft modified to train cosmonauts to fly the Buran reusable spacecraft, the Soviet equivalent of the US Space Shuttle. The Tu-154 was used because the Buran required a steep descent, and the Tu-154 was capable of replicating that. The cabin featured trainee work-stations, one of which was the same as the Buran's flightdeck. The forward baggage compartment was converted into a camera bay, because the aircraft was also used to train cosmonauts in observation and photographic techniques.[15]
Tu-154M-ON Monitoring Aircraft
Germany modified one of the Tu-154s it had on hand from the former East German Air Force into an observation airplane. This airplane was involved with the Open Skies inspection flights. It was converted at the Elbe Aircraft Plant (Elbe Flugzeugwerke) in Dresden, and flew in 1996. After two dozen monitoring missions, it was lost in a mid-air collision in 1997.[16]
The Russians also converted a Tu-154M to serve as an Open Skies Monitoring aircraft. They used the Tu-154M-LK-1, and converted it to a Tu-154M-ON. When the aircraft is not flying over North America, it is used to ferry cosmonauts around. The Chinese are also believed to have converted one Tu-154 to an electronic countermeasures aircraft.[17]
Tu-154M-100
Design of this variant started in 1994, but the first aircraft were not delivered until 1998. It is an upgraded version with Western avionics, including the Flight Management Computer, GPS, EGPWS, TCAS, and other modern systems. The airplane could carry up to 157 passengers. The cabin featured an automatic oxygen system and larger overhead bins. Only three were produced, as payment of debts owed by Russia to Slovakia. Three aircraft were delivered in 1998 to Slovak Airlines, and sold back to Russia in 2003.[18]

Operators

Civil operators

As of 24 November 2011 108 Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft (all variants) remained in airline service.[19][20] As of 20 February 2011 in Iran, all the remaining numbers of this aircraft were grounded after two recent incidents.[21][22] Major operators include:

Airline In Service
Air Koryo 4
Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise 5
Aria Air 3
Moscow Airlines 2
Aviaenergo 3
Belavia 3
Eram Air 3 (grounded)
Gazpromavia 3
KMV 9
Kogalymavia 5
Kyrgyzstan Airlines 2
South East Airlines 5
Taban Air 1 (grounded)
Tajik Air 6
Tatarstan Airlines 5
UTair Aviation 19
Vladivostok Air 3
Yakutia Airlines 6

Former civil operators

Past and present operators:
Abakan Air Enterprise, Aerokuznetsk, Aeroservice Kazakhstan, Aerotrans, Aerovolga, Air Georgia, Air Great Wall, Air Savari, AJT, Amur Avia, Asian Star, Aviaprad, Aviaprima, AVL Arkhangel, Baltic Express, Barnaul Air, Bratsk Air, Chelal, Chernomoravia, China Glory, China Xinjiang, Chita Avia, Diamond Sakha, East Line, Elk Estonian, Georgia Air Prague, Gomel UAD, Imair, Iron Dragonfly, Khabarovsk Aero, Latpass, Macedonia Airservice, Murmansk Air, Nizhny Novgorod Air, Orbi Georgian, Sakha Avia, Surgut Avia, Tomsk Air, Transeuropean, Turanair, Tyumen Airlines, Ulyanovsk Airlines, Vitair.

Afghanistan
 Albania
 Armenia
 Azerbaijan
 Bulgaria
 People's Republic of China
 Cuba
 Czechoslovakia
 Czechoslovakia
 Egypt
 Georgia
 Hungary
 Iran
 Kazakhstan
 Libya
 Macedonia
 Moldova
 Mongolia
 Nicaragua
 Pakistan
 Poland
 Romania
 Russia
 Slovakia
 Syria
 Turkey
 Djibouti
 Yemen
 Ukraine

Military operators

Current

 People's Republic of China
People's Liberation Army Air Force
 Mongolia
Mongolian Air Force
 North Korea
Korean People's Air Force
 Poland
Polish Air Force – 1 Tu-154M in service, 1 Tu-154M crashed in 2010.
 Russia
Russian Air Force
 Slovakia
Slovak Air Force
 Turkmenistan
Military of Turkmenistan – 2 Tu-154B aircraft in service.
 Ukraine
Ukrainian Air Force
 Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan Air Force

Former

 Bulgaria
Bulgarian Air Force One 154B retired 1988; one 154M retired April 2010, replaced by A319 CFM[23][24]
 Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakian Air Force (passed on to successor states)
 Czech Republic
Czech Air Force (replaced by Airbus A319CJ)
 Cuba
Cuban Air Force (out of service)
 East Germany
East German Air Force (passed on to FRG)
 Germany
Luftwaffe (taken over from East Germany; 1 lost in mid-air collision, the other one sold)
 Soviet Union
Soviet Air Force (passed on to successor states)

Incidents and accidents

As of January 2011, since 1970 there have been 110 serious incidents involving the Tu-154,[25] and 69 hull losses, 30 of which did not involve fatalities.[26] Of the fatal incidents, six resulted from terrorist or military action (two other war-time losses were non fatal) including an accidental missile shoot-down by Ukraine, several from poor runway conditions in winter (including one in which the airplane struck snow plows on the runway), cargo overloading in the lapse of post-Soviet federal safety standards, and mid-air collisions due to faulty air traffic control. Other incidents resulted from mechanical problems (two cases prior to 2001), running out of fuel on unscheduled routes, pilot errors (including flight training for new crews), and cargo fires. The Tu-154 is described as having an average (or better than expected) safety record considering its length of service and heavy use in demanding conditions where other airliners are unable to operate.[4] On January 2, 2011, Russia's Federal Transport Oversight Agency advised airlines to stop using remaining examples of the Tu-154 (B variant) until the fatal fire incident in Surgut had been investigated.[27] Its operation in Iran, which is subject to an aircraft parts embargo, ceased in February 2011 due to a number of incidents involving the type (almost 9% of all Tu-154 losses have occurred in Iran) [28] In 2010 there were two fatal losses of the Tu-154 due to pilor error and/or weather conditions (a Polish presidential jet attempting to land at an airfield in heavy fog and a Russian-registered plane that suffered engine stall after a crew member inactivated a fuel transfer pump). Following these accidents, in March 2011 the Russian Federal Bureau of Aviation recommended a withdrawal of remaining Tu-154M from service.[29] In December 2010, Uzbekistan Airways also declared that it will cease to operate Tu-154s from 2011.[30]

date
(dd.mm.yyyy)		 Tail number Location Fatalities Brief description
19.02.1973 CCCP-85023 Prague 66/100 Landed 470 m short of the runway
03.1973 n.d. near Kiev 0/n.d. Crashed
07.05.1973 CCCP-85030 Vnukovo 0/6 Crashed during training flight
10.07.1974 SU-AXB Cairo 6/6 Crashed during training flight
30.09.1975 HA-LCI Beirut 60/60 Crashed in the sea on final approach in clear weather, allegedly shot down by one or two air to air missiles fired by either IDF or SDF forces.
01.06.1976 CCCP-85102 Malabo 46/46 Crashed into a mountain on final approach
1976 CCCP-85020 Kiev 0/n.d. Rough landing, written off. Now in museum
02.12.1977 LZ-BTN Benghazi 59/165 Unable to land in dense fog the plane ran out of fuel searching another airfield and crash-landed
23.03.1978 LZ-BTB near Damascus 4/4 Crashed on final approach
19.05.1978 CCCP-85169 Tver oblast 4/134 Fuel supply turned off due to flight engineer error, crash-landed in field
18.02.1978 CCCP-85087 Novosibirsk 0/n.d. Fire onboard
01.03.1980 CCCP-85103 Orenburg 0/161 Rough landing
07.07.1980 CCCP-85355 Alma-Ata 164/164 Crashed at take-off
07.08.1980 YR-TPH  Mauritania 1/168 Ditched 300 m short of runway
08.10.1980 CCCP-85321 Chita 0/n.d. Rough landing
13.06.1981 CCCP-85029 Bratsk 0/n.d. Overran on landing, fuselage broke into two
16.11.1981 CCCP-85480 Norilsk 99/167 Rough landing 470 m short of runway due to crew errors
21.10.1981 HA-LCF Prague 0/81 Rough landing due to crew error
11.10.1984 CCCP-85243 Omsk 4+174/179 Collided with maintenance vehicles on landing due to controller error
23.12.1984 CCCP-85338 Krasnoyarsk 110/110 Engine fire and hydraulics fault
10.07.1985 CCCP-85311 Uchkuduk 200/200 Overloaded plane stalled and crashed due to crew errors
1986 7O-ACN Aden n.d. Overran on landing, never repaired
21.05.1986 CCCP-85327 Domodedovo 0/175 Deformation of fuselage due to crew errors during flight
18.01.1988 CCCP-85254 Krasnovodsk 11/143 Rough landing, plane broke into two
08.03.1988 CCCP-85413 Vetschyovo 9/n.d. Blown up by hijackers (Ovechkin family)
24.09.1988 CCCP-85479 Aleppo 0/168 Broke into two on landing, was caught by wind shear
24.09.1988 CCCP-85617 Norilsk 0/n.d. Rough landing, turned into training mock-up
13.01.1989 CCCP-85067 Monrovia 0/n.d. Aborted take-off and runway overrun due to overloading
09.02.1989 YR-TPJ Bucharest 5/5 Crashed at take-off due to engine failure
20.10.1990 CCCP-85268 Kutaisi 0/171 Nosegear collapsed due to overloading
17.11.1990 CCCP-85664 Czech republic 0/6 Fire onboard, the plane burned out after emergency landing
23.05.1991 CCCP-85097 Leningrad 2+13/178 Rough landing, nosegear collapsed and plane broke into two
14.09.1991 CU-T1227 Mexico City 0/112 Overran on landing
05.06.1992 LZ-BTD Varna 0/130 Overran on landing in heavy rain
18.06.1992 RA-85282 Bratsk 1+0/0 Burned out during refueling
18.06.1992 RA-85234 Bratsk 0/0 Burned out in the same incident
20.07.1992 4L-85222 Tbilisi 4+24/24 Crashed at take-off due to overloading
01.08.1992 YA-TAP Kabul 0/0 Destroyed in the airport by mortar fire
05.09.1992 UR-85269 Kiev 0/147 Rough landing with left gear still retracted
13.10.1992 RA-85528 Vladivostok 0/67 The plane was unable to take-off due to overloading
05.12.1992 EK-85105 Erevan 0/154 Overran on landing
19.01.1993 UK-85533 Delhi 0/165 Rough landing due to crew error
08.02.1993 EP-ITD near Tehran 2+131/131 Mid-air collision with Su-22
22.09.1993 4L-85163 Sukhumi 108/132 Shot down by missile
23.09.1993 4L-85359 Sukhumi 0/0 Damaged by shelling, never repaired
25.12.1993 RA-85296 Grozny 0/172 Rough landing, nosegear collapsed. Destroyed by air strike in 1994
03.01.1994 RA-85656 Irkutsk 1+125/125 Engine fire at take-off, hydraulics failed
06.06.1994 B-2610 Xian 160/160 Disintegrated in mid-air due to errors in auto-pilot settings
21.01.1995 UP-85455 Karachi 0/117 The plane was unable to take-off due to overloading
07.12.1995 RA-85164 near Khabarovsk 98/98 Asymmetrical fuel supply from wing tanks, the captain mistakenly increased the right heel and the plane crashed
29.08.1996 RA-85621 Longyearbyen 141/141 Crashed in the mountain on final approach due to crew error
13.09.1997 11+02 Namibia 24/24 Mid-air collision with USAF C-141
15.12.1997 EY-85281 Sharja 85/86 Landed short of runway, crew error
29.08.1998 CU-T1264 Quito 10+70/91 Aborted take-off, overran and caught fire
24.02.1999 B-2622 Ruian 61/61 Crashed on final approach due to technical failure
04.07.2000 HA-LCR Saloniki 0/76 Was unable to go around due to intense braking to avoid collision with another aircraft on runway
03.07.2001 RA-85845 Irkutsk 145/145 Stalled and crashed on final approach due to crew errors
04.10.2001 RA-85693 Black sea 78/78 Allegedly shot down by stray Ukrainian missile
12.02.2002 EP-MBS Khorremabad 119/119 Crashed on final approach
20.02.2002 EP-LBX Mashhad 0/n.d. Rough landing, sent to Vnukovo for repair where a nosegear collapsed
01.07.2002 RA-85816  Germany 2+69/69 Mid-air collision with Boeing 757 due to controller error
24.08.2004 RA-85556 Millerovo 46/46 Exploded in mid-air by suicide bomber
22.08.2006 RA-85185 near Donetsk 170/170 Stalled and crashed due to attempt to fly over storm front at critical altitude
01.09.2006 EP-MCF Mashhad 29/147 The tyre blew out on landing, the plane skidded off the runway and caught fire
30.06.2008 RA-85667 St Petersburg 0/112 Engine fire at take-off, take off was aborted and the plane written off
15.07.2009 EP-CPG near Qazvin 168/168 Engine fire and explosion, the plane lost control and crashed
24.01.2010 RA-85787 Mashhad 0/170 Rough landing, the plane broke up and caught fire
10.04.2010 101 Smolensk 96/96 Crashed on final approach in thick fog on an airfield with no ILS. President Lech Kaczyński and other high ranking officials were onboard and died in the crash.
07.09.2010 RA-85684 Izhma 0/81 Emergency landing at remote airfield after general electrical failure at 34,800 ft, overran the small runway and sustained minor damage with no injuries. In March 2011 it was flown back to Samara for structural inspection.[31]
04.12.2010 RA-85744 Moscow 2/170 An emergency landing after two engines failed shortly after take-off; full of fuel. Overran the runway and broke up into three. The accident investigation revealed that a crew member had mistakenly switched off a fuel transfer pump thereby causing fuel-starvation and subsequent engine stall [32]
01.01.2011 RA-85588 Surgut 3/124 Fire onboard and subsequent explosion while taxiing for take-off, all three engines running.[33]

Specifications

Measurement Tu-154B-2 Tu-154M
Cockpit crew Three/Four
Seating capacity 114–180
Length 48.0 metres (157 ft 6 in)
Wingspan 37.55 metres (123 ft 2 in)
Wing area 201.5 square metres (2,169 sq ft)
Height 11.4 metres (37 ft 5 in)
Maximum take-off weight 98,000 kilograms (220,000 lb) – 100,000 kilograms (220,000 lb) 102,000 kilograms (220,000 lb) – 104,000 kilograms (230,000 lb)
Empty weight 50,700 kilograms (112,000 lb) 55,300 kilograms (122,000 lb)
Maximum speed 950 km/h (510 kn)
Range fully loaded 2,500 kilometres (1,600 mi) 5,280 kilometres (3,280 mi)
Range with max fuel 3,900 kilometres (2,400 mi) 6,600 kilometres (4,100 mi)
Service ceiling 12,100 metres (39,700 ft)
Engine (x 3) Kuznetsov NK-8-2U Soloviev D-30KU-154
Max. thrust (x 3) 90 kN (20,000 lbf) each[34] 103 kN (23,148 lbf) each[34]

See also

Russia portal
Soviet Union portal
Aviation portal

Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

Related lists

References

  1. ^ TU-154 Airliner Facts
  2. ^ "Aeroflot retires the legendary TU-154s". Flight Global. 2010-01-18. http://www.flightglobal.com/airspace/forums/aeroflot-retires-the-legendary-tu-154s-44616.aspx. Retrieved 17 December 2010. 
  3. ^ "Crash focuses attention on Tupolev-154". BBC News. 10 April 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8612915.stm. Retrieved 26 May 2010. 
  4. ^ a b Tu-154: The backbone of Russian fleets BBC News
  5. ^ Komissarov, p. 8.
  6. ^ Komissarov, pp. 5, 18
  7. ^ Aviakor ends Tupolev Tu-154M production after fulfilling last order
  8. ^ Tu-154 Production Numbers
  9. ^ Komissarov, p. 21
  10. ^ OKB Tupolev, A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft, Yefin Gordon and Vladimir Rigmant, translated by Alexander Boyd, edited by Dmitriy Komissarov (Hinckley, UK, 2005) ISBN 1-85780-214-4 p. 257.
  11. ^ Komissarov, p. 27
  12. ^ Komissarov, pp. 29–31
  13. ^ Komissarov, p. 34
  14. ^ "AirForceWorld.com Tu154md Electronic Intelligence Aircraft". AirForceWorld.com. http://www.airforceworld.com/pla/tu154md.htm. Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
  15. ^ Komissarov, pp. 36–37
  16. ^ Komissarov, pp. 38–39
  17. ^ Komissarov, p. 40
  18. ^ Komissarov, pp. 36, 144–145
  19. ^ Photo search results
  20. ^ AeroTransport Data Bank
  21. ^ Iranian airlines fleet
  22. ^ Kramer, Andrew E. (21 June 2011). "It Danced Once, but More Often It Crashes". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/22/world/europe/22russia.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss. 
  23. ^ Photo Search Results
  24. ^ Photo Search Results
  25. ^ All incidents involving Tu-154 at Aviation Safety Database
  26. ^ Incidents with hull-loss involving Tu-154 at Aviation Safety Database
  27. ^ "Russian airlines should ground Tu-154s, watchdog says". BBC News. 2 January 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12105506. Retrieved 2 January 2011. 
  28. ^ "از اول اسفند ارابه‌هاي مرگ در آسمان‌ها زمين‌گير مي‌شود url=http://www.mellatonline.ir/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8020:1389-11-27-05-38-42&catid=56:news&Itemid=68". 
  29. ^ rp.pl: Agencja zaleca wycofanie Tu-154M
  30. ^ "Uzbekistan Airways renews aircraft fleet url=http://www.uzairways.com/news.aspx?ctl=News&dId=1985&pid=0&cls=1". 
  31. ^ Alrosa Tu-154 overruns after emergency landing in Russia , FlightGlobal, 2010-09-07
  32. ^ BBC News – Two dead as engine failure airliner lands in Moscow. Bbc.co.uk (2010-12-04). Retrieved on 2010-12-10.
  33. ^ Russian Passenger Jet Explodes; 3 Dead. Cbsnews.com (2011-01-01).
  34. ^ a b Originally measured as 10,500 kgf.

Bibliography

External links

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Tu-104 · Tu-114 · Tu-124 · Tu-134 · Tu-144 · Tu-154 · Tu-204 · Tu-214 · Tu-334
Military

Tu-2 · Tu-4 · Tu-14 · Tu-16 · Tu-20/Tu-95 · Tu-22 · Tu-22M/Tu-26 · Tu-28/Tu-128 · Tu-126 · Tu-142 · Tu-160
Unmanned

Tu-121C · Tu-123 · Tu-139 · Tu-141 · Tu-143 · Tu-243 · Tu-300
Experimental

Tu-1 · Tu-6 · Tu-8 · Tu-10 · Tu-12 · Tu-70 · Tu-72 · Tu-73 · Tu-74 · Tu-75 · Tu-80 · Tu-82 · Tu-85 · Tu-91 · Tu-93 · Tu-96 · Tu-98 · Tu-102 · Tu-105 · Tu-107 · Tu-110 · Tu-116 · Tu-119 · Tu-125 · Tu-155 · Tu-156 · Tu-206 · Tu-216
Proposed

PAK DA · Tu-244 · Tu-324 · Tu-330 · Tu-334 · Tu-338 · Tu-344 · Tu-404 · Tu-414 · Tu-444 · Tu-2000
Historic
Lists relating to aviation
General
Military
Accidents/incidents
Records