Conkordski Crash
Discussion
Just because the "man in the street" couldn't tell them apart does not mean they were the same - or even similar.
The wing used on Concorde is WAY more sophisticated than the double cranked delta used on the Tu-144. In fact, the Russians knew very little about how Concorde used the ogival wing to generate a vortex at slow speed to aid landing and take of.
The original Tu-144 design was so lacking they had to install small retractable foreplanes just behind the cockpit to try and get some control at slow speeds.
They were very, very different aeroplanes.
The wing used on Concorde is WAY more sophisticated than the double cranked delta used on the Tu-144. In fact, the Russians knew very little about how Concorde used the ogival wing to generate a vortex at slow speed to aid landing and take of.
The original Tu-144 design was so lacking they had to install small retractable foreplanes just behind the cockpit to try and get some control at slow speeds.
They were very, very different aeroplanes.
Halmyre said:
There was a TV spy drama many years ago called 'Cold Warrior' - in one episode someone made a throwaway comment about giving the Russians fake documents, which then led to the Tu-144 crash.
I don't think there has ever been a claim that the crash was anything to do with false information "leaked" to the Tupolev design bureau. The shortcomings of the 144 were mostly down to the fact that Tupolev just hadn't got sufficient knowledge to build a working SST.That is the best and most likely explanation. The French never acknowledged it because they didn't want to admit that they had an aeroplane in the air at the same time.
It's completely believeable because in 1988, the year the first MiG 29s came to Farnborough, the day they arrived, I spotted a Canberra flying high above Farnborough circling the airfield. I found out later that it was taking infra red images of the MiGs as they landed and taxied to their parking spots.
It's completely believeable because in 1988, the year the first MiG 29s came to Farnborough, the day they arrived, I spotted a Canberra flying high above Farnborough circling the airfield. I found out later that it was taking infra red images of the MiGs as they landed and taxied to their parking spots.
I'd always score an experienced test pilot with an opinion over some person on the internet.
Plus I've heard the same view from many other aviation commentators over the decades.
And as I keep saying, when you look at the two designs in any detail you will see that they have very little in common where it really matters.
Plus I've heard the same view from many other aviation commentators over the decades.
And as I keep saying, when you look at the two designs in any detail you will see that they have very little in common where it really matters.
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