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Soviet SST: The Techno-Politics Of The Tupolev-144

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"Soviet SST" tells the more than the story of the ill-fated Tu-144, the Russian designed supersonic transport. Rather, it surveys the development of civil air travel in Russia as well as the intellectual hearts and minds behind Ruusian aerospace technology.

The Tu-144 was the product of an international race begun in the early 1960's to make mach-2 flight safe and practical enough for civilian aviation. By the end of the decade, however, the race petered out, with Russia being the only single country still harboring faster-than-sound dreams. America had backed out completely, while the Anglo-French effort (crossing international borders) seemed to take the jingoistic fun out of it. But the Russians pressed on. Their first prototype was impressive (on the outside, anyway) and it flew by the end of the decade. A full scale development, bigger and less elegant, seemed to expose the crudity of the Russian design For instance, Concorde's designers attacked the problem of overheating with a cryogenic system using the plane's fuel to keep the fuselage cool; The Russian answer seems less refined: large air conditioners - spaced thruought the fuselage - kept the plane cool. They also added unneccessary weight, and filled the plane with noise. What really cllinched it was the Tu-144's demonstration at the Paris, in which its slim hull split in flight like a toothpick or a pretzel stick. The disaster killed everybody on board, and a few parisians below. A few attempts at normal service also end in tragedy, and the plane was only resurrected recently, and only as a testbed.

The book "Tu-144" could have gone wrong for so many different reasons - whether gloating over Soviet boasts of techno-supremacy, or as apologia for it, or as a dry, neutral retelling of the Tu-144 story. And as the story of any airplane is intertwined with the stories of others, setting out the stucture of the Russian SST itself is no small challenege.

Happily, Howard Moon's writing - whether accurate or not - is cogent and compelling. It's not dry (especially when recounting the real Comrade Tupolev's efforts to design airplanes while a prisoner in the Gulag), nor does it rush to judgement about the plane's fate (the crack-up was caused by stress in turn resulting from an abrupt maneuver to escape collision with a French Mirage fighter). Neither does the author toss out technical jargon as if he were writing for the Discovery Channel. Mr. Moon knows his readers aren't savy aerodynamicists, but he doesn't condescend to them either.

This book should get some attention now with the anticipated demise of the Concorde, a plane that earns its owners less money than prestige. The Tu-144 also sought prestige and found no profit either.

Moon's work on the Tu-144 stands to this date as the only book solely dedicated to the world's first supersonic passenger airliner. Although it suffers in places from being dated, particularly in reference to the advanced D model, the history and technical aspects of the program are well worth the read.

Moon was also one of the first to disclose the French government's role in the crash of Tu-144 #77102 at the 1973 Paris Airshow, through a very nice piece of detective work which is worth grabbing a copy by itself.

All in all, a valuable addition to a Russian or civil aviation buff's library.

The race for the SST was a cold war challenge that pitted the US, Europe and the Soviet Union in a tight race to be the first to offer a supersonic airliner. This book focuses on the Soviet struggle to beat the west at all costs.

Many of the challenges faced by the Anglo/Franco team in developing the Concorde were also faced by the Soviet design firm Tupolev. The early soviet jet program relied on German technology and much of their work in developing supersonic fighters was based on the work of their gifted designers. Yet SST specs were a whole new science and much of their work was based on hit and miss using models, wind tunnels and small mock-ups. While the Europeans shared the expense of development the Soviets spent huge sums for an airplane that had to succede at all costs. This would lead to dangerous short cuts that would lead to the TU-144's doom.

The book is a great resource for any airplane buff and fan of the Concorde, it goes into great depth into the whole Soviet design philosophy and the way the government had to meddle with an aircraft that need many more years of work yet could have been among the worlds great airliners.

Howard Moon's book offers the best history to date on the TU-144 saga. The book tells the story of an engineering marvel struck down and betrayed by scheming Communist officials. Anyone studying Soviet history needs to read this book. Brezhnev's cutting a secret deal with the French to cover up the infamous 1973 Paris Air Show crash, unjustly blaming the Soviet TU-144 crew show how callous The Soviet goverment was to it's own creation and soldiers. ( The Paris Air Show TU-144 pilot Kozlov was a decorated Soviet Air Force officer). I also recommend the NOVA documentary SUPERSONIC SPIES.