People's aircraft Tu 334. Should the project of a short-haul airliner, the design of which began in the Soviet Union, be revived? We build better than we sell

Several years ago, on the initiative of the editorial staff of AN, the People's Airplane Tu-334 Foundation was created. This airliner was supposed to replace the older Tu-134 and Yak-42 on air routes. And at the same time, a bunch of “foreign cars” that are firmly registered at Russian airfields. It should be added that the Superjet, an aircraft similar in size, is domestic only in words. This is also a “foreign car” - 80% of it consists of foreign components. For a long time it seemed that we had lost the fight for the Tu-334, despite the fact that a pool of real customers had been created. Well, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) does not want to make domestic civil aircraft! And only “Arguments of the Week” did not allow the snickering officials to forget this excellent aircraft. Already in 2017, enlightenment occurred in the heads of officials - it dawned on them that the Ministry of Defense and the Special Flight Detachment (SLO) could not fly aircraft whose operating systems could be stuffed with spyware from foreign suppliers. These are difficult times. The American leader listed Russia as the main threat. Conclusion: we need to build our own planes. According to our information, the decision to launch the Tu-334 series was made at the highest level, we are waiting for official statements.

Safety is top notch

Why did you choose Tu-334? For the An-148, design support has now completely ceased (the Antonov Design Bureau is located in Kyiv), the pair of Superjets in the Arctic Ocean are more memorable when parked “next to the wall.” One car stood for about six months, the second - 270 days. How to change the software in foreign blocks? What are these overseas boxes stuffed with? What if they turn it off? Nobody knows, but safety must be guaranteed. Western “partners,” even despite replacing the software, still know where such a plane is flying from, to, at what altitude and at what speed. What in general indifferent for an ordinary commercial air carrier, government agencies are in no way satisfied. Only Russian equipment can guarantee security from foreign interference and incognito in the sky. Imagine that President V. Putin flew to Syria on a Superjet - the intelligence services on both sides of the ocean would know about it. And they could very well have time to prepare some nasty thing.

Import substitution of all electronic components on the Superjet is a task that requires spending many, many years. All that remains is to try to deceive customers from government agencies and transfer the production of aircraft electronic systems (not all, but only 8 out of 15) from the USA to France, Germany and Italy and loudly report: “Imports have replaced American equipment!” Theoretically, this is possible, which is what puzzles Sukhoi Civil Aircraft now. It turns out to be complete profanation - the main problem will not be solved, horseradish is not sweeter than radishes. And the “partners” from the European Union are firmly dependent on American technologies. And you still have to go through the thorny road of testing, approvals, inspections and certification flights.

Poghosyan's legacy

General Director of Ilyushin Finance Co. (IFK) Alexander Rubtsov Now he sits on two chairs - GSS and IFK. "Ilyushin Finance Co." founded in 1999 with the sole and main task of promoting domestic civil aircraft to the masses. Today he headed Sukhoi Civil Aircraft and boarded a Superjet, which means one thing - IFK will not promote any other airliners. That is, Rubtsov will pick up the rather tattered banner of M. Pogosyan and continue to impose the “Superjet” on everyone.

Meanwhile, this aircraft gradually accumulated serious problems. On released aircraft, 450 items of modifications worth 16.5 billion rubles are required.. “Superjets” need to be treated - a component should be strengthened here, modified here, replaced here. Or redesign the plane. Not only the wing and engine pylons “crack,” but also the fuselage. This is due both to the results of endurance tests, which are ongoing at TsAGI, and to the experience accumulated during operation.

This became possible when specialists and designers in the field of fighter aviation began to design the aircraft, where the requirements for the service life of the airframe and aircraft systems are completely different than in the civil aircraft industry. A fighter requires a couple of thousand flight hours, an airliner requires 70 thousand. The creators of the Superjet not only guaranteed 70 thousand flight hours, but also promised to increase the service life to 90 thousand. They lie all the time. They draw the range of a Superjet with 75 passengers as 4500 km. In fact, no more than 3000 km.

The design of the Superjet's fuselage is unique to no other aircraft in the world. Frames (oval ribs, like those of a fish, to which the skin is attached) of an airplane milled.That is cut out from a workpiece on a machine. On all other aircraft in the world, including the Tu-334, they are made of “bends”, a metal profile or sheet, and are attached to the stringers (horizontal, longitudinal, strength elements) through expansion joints; they already have skin on them. Under the leadership of M. Poghosyan, a breakthrough was made in aircraft construction - the skin is attached directly to milled frames. Convenient and fast - they were turned on a digital machine and sent for assembly. Hooray! But how can such a frame be replaced or strengthened if necessary? Answer: disassemble half the plane, remove the skin, reassemble it and ensure the cabin is sealed. This design was given to Poghosyan by good partners from the States. The McDonnell Douglas company made a sample of an aircraft compartment using this technology, conducted tests and, disappointed with the result, sent it to the archives. In 1997, the company disappeared - it was absorbed by Boeing, chief consultant project "Sukhoi Superjet 100". Which, as good Uncle Sam should do, shared this technology with the creators of the Superjet. And the cunning Poghosyan took the bait - of course, American super technology! By the way, Forbes magazine wrote: Sukhoi spent $1.5 billion to learn from Boeing how to build passenger airliners. Will the costs be justified?

In May 2017, it became known that the government was forcing state-owned companies to purchase or lease domestic aircraft in VIP configurations for top management. Premier Dm. Medvedev obliged state representatives on the boards of directors of state-owned companies to bring this issue to the next meeting.

Request for Tu-334

First of all, these are state aviation and law enforcement agencies. The Special Flight Detachment (SLO) “Russia” operates a dozen types of aircraft. There are airfields where the huge Il-96 or even the more “compact” Tu-214 are simply not capable of landing. There are flight missions when it makes no sense to fly large airliners. Therefore, in the detachment, six different types of aircraft are regional class aircraft (an example of such an airliner is the Tu-134). And all this varied equipment should be kept in perfect condition. Each type of aircraft must be provided with qualified technical teams. To be clear, aviation technicians are trained and licensed to maintain certain types of aircraft. Which, naturally, entails serious costs for maintaining the airworthiness of the fleet.

The dream of any commercial airline is to have a single type of aircraft, for example the Tu-204-100. Or Boeing 737-800. It’s easier this way with spare parts, equipment, and crews. A very large company, of course, has the opportunity to maintain aircraft of different passenger capacity and range, but in any case, diversity in the fleet threatens losses.

The Tu-334 is capable of replacing the long-out-of-production Yak-40 and Tu-134, the Ukrainian An-148, the 80% foreign Sukhoi Superjet 100, the Airbus A319 and the French Falcon in the Russia SLO. The Tu-334 is the only one of all short-haul aircraft where it is easy to provide working comfort and environment to the main passenger - the cross-section of the fuselage is like that of the Tu-204. Moreover, a dozen and a half already work in the SLO park related airliners Tu-204 and Tu-214. Identical cockpits, fuselage, same component suppliers. And the Tupolev company, which accompanies the operation. Normal prudent approach.

The updated Tu-334 has built-in retractable ladders; full-size samples of them have already been demonstrated at exhibitions. For autonomous use in “bear corners” the thing is very convenient. And it’s easy for technicians and crew to get into the cockpit to prepare for the flight; there’s no need to bother with stepladders or order a ladder.

The aircraft's avionics will, of course, be refreshed. Domestic The Three-Thirty-Four will receive electronic filling from the Tu-204SM. This is the most advanced version to date. Accordingly, the plane will be piloted not by three, as before, but by two crew members - the commander and the co-pilot. It is necessary to carry out hundreds of experimental and certification flights - to expand operating modes, to complete what was not allowed to be completed. The last flight of aircraft No. 94005, also called the “five,” was made on June 26, 2010.

Why is UAC so boldly fighting off orders for the Tu-334 for the Rossiya SLO? The answer is obvious. Together with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, they are completely stuck in the “Superjet”. And if a series of Tu-334 airliners is built for government agencies, then commercial airlines will show up there too. Therefore, the KLA tactics are not changing - they are playing for time. The same thing is happening with the construction of the regional turboprop airliner Il-114. Judging by the meetings, work is in full swing. And in the design bureau and workshops there is silence.

Khristenko, Manturov, Pogosyan, Slyusar... A small organized group acting against the interests of civil aviation of an entire state. In the history of the country, such groups arose often. Some were exposed as enemies of the people, others managed to escape. But there was only one end for them - at a minimum, shame and oblivion.

Several years ago, on the initiative of the editorial staff of Argumenty Nedeli, the People's Airplane Tu-334 Foundation was created. This airliner was supposed to replace the older Tu-134 and Yak-42 on air routes. And at the same time, a bunch of “foreign cars” that are firmly registered at Russian airfields. It should be added that the Superjet, an aircraft similar in size, is domestic only in words. This is also a “foreign car” - 80% of it consists of foreign components.

For a long time it seemed that we had lost the fight for the Tu-334, despite the fact that a pool of real customers had been created. Well, he doesn't want to United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) make domestic civil aircraft! And only “Arguments of the Week” did not allow the snickering officials to forget this excellent aircraft. Already in 2017, enlightenment occurred in the heads of officials - it dawned on them that the Ministry of Defense and the Special Flight Detachment (SLO) cannot fly aircraft whose operating systems could be stuffed with spyware from foreign suppliers. These are difficult times. The American leader listed Russia as the main threat. Conclusion: we need to build our own airplanes. According to our information, the decision to launch the Tu-334 series was made at the highest level, we are waiting for official statements.

Safety is top notch

Why did you choose Tu-334? For the An-148, design support has now completely ceased (the Antonov Design Bureau is located in Kyiv), the pair of Superjets in the Arctic Ocean are more memorable when parked “next to the wall.” One car stood for about six months, the second - 270 days. How to change the software in foreign blocks? What are these overseas boxes stuffed with? What if they turn it off? Nobody knows, but safety must be guaranteed. Western “partners,” even despite replacing the software, still know where such a plane is flying from, to, at what altitude and at what speed. What is generally indifferent to an ordinary commercial air carrier does not suit government agencies in any way. Only Russian equipment can guarantee security from foreign interference and incognito in the sky. Imagine that President V. Putin flew to Syria on a Superjet - the intelligence services on both sides of the ocean would know about it. And they could very well have time to prepare some nasty thing.

Import substitution of all electronic components on the Superjet is a task that requires spending many, many years. All that remains is to try to deceive customers from government agencies and transfer the production of aircraft electronic systems (not all, but only 8 out of 15) from the USA to France, Germany and Italy and loudly report: “Imports have replaced American equipment!” Theoretically, this is possible, which is what puzzles Sukhoi Civil Aircraft now. It turns out to be complete profanation - the main problem will not be solved, horseradish is not sweeter than radishes. And the “partners” from the European Union are firmly dependent on American technologies. And you still have to go through the thorny road of testing, approvals, inspections and certification flights.

Poghosyan's legacy

General Director of Ilyushin Finance Co. (IFK) Alexander Rubtsov Now he sits on two chairs - GSS and IFK. "Ilyushin Finance Co." founded in 1999 with the sole and main task of promoting domestic civil aircraft to the masses. Today he headed Sukhoi Civil Aircraft and boarded a Superjet, which means one thing - IFK will not promote any other airliners. That is, Rubtsov will pick up the rather tattered banner of M. Pogosyan and continue to impose the “Superjet” on everyone.

Meanwhile, this aircraft gradually accumulated serious problems. On released aircraft, 450 items of modifications worth 16.5 billion rubles are required.. “Superjets” need to be treated - a unit should be strengthened here, modified here, replaced here. Or redesign the plane. Not only the wing and engine pylons “crack,” but also the fuselage. This is due both to the results of endurance tests, which are ongoing at TsAGI, and to the experience accumulated during operation.

This became possible when specialists and designers in the field of fighter aviation began to design the aircraft, where the requirements for the service life of the airframe and aircraft systems are completely different than in the civil aircraft industry. A fighter requires a couple of thousand flight hours, an airliner - 70 thousand. The creators of the Superjet not only guaranteed 70 thousand flight hours, but also promised to increase the service life to 90 thousand. They lie all the time. They draw the range of a Superjet with 75 passengers as 4500 km. In fact, no more than 3000 km.

The design of the Superjet's fuselage is unique to no other aircraft in the world. The frames (oval ribs, like those of a fish, to which the skin is attached) are milled on the aircraft. That is, they are cut from a blank on a machine. On all other aircraft in the world, including the Tu-334, they are made of “bends”, a metal profile or sheet, and are attached to the stringers (horizontal, longitudinal, strength elements) through expansion joints; they already have skin on them. Under the leadership of M. Poghosyan, a breakthrough was made in aircraft construction - the skin is attached directly to milled frames. Convenient and fast - they were turned on a digital machine and sent for assembly. Hooray! But how can such a frame be replaced or strengthened if necessary? Answer: disassemble half the plane, remove the skin, reassemble it and ensure the cabin is sealed. This design was given to Poghosyan by good partners from the States. The McDonnell Douglas company made a sample of an aircraft compartment using this technology, conducted tests and, disappointed with the result, sent it to the archives. In 1997, the company disappeared - it was absorbed by Boeing, chief consultant project "Sukhoi Superjet 100". Which, as good Uncle Sam should do, shared this technology with the creators of the Superjet. And the cunning Poghosyan took the bait - of course, American super technology! By the way, Forbes magazine wrote: Sukhoi spent $1.5 billion to learn from Boeing how to build passenger airliners. Will the costs be justified?

In May 2017, it became known that the government was forcing state-owned companies to purchase or lease domestic aircraft in VIP configurations for top management. Premier Dm. Medvedev ordered state representatives on the boards of directors of state-owned companies to bring this issue to the next meeting.

Request for Tu-334

First of all, these are state aviation and law enforcement agencies. The Special Flight Detachment (SLO) “Russia” operates a dozen types of aircraft. There are airfields where the huge Il-96 or even the more “compact” Tu-214 are simply not capable of landing. There are flight missions when it makes no sense to fly large airliners. Therefore, in the detachment, six different types of aircraft are regional class aircraft (an example of such an airliner is the Tu-134). And all this varied equipment should be kept in perfect condition. Each type of aircraft must be provided with qualified technical teams. To be clear, aviation technicians are trained and licensed to maintain certain types of aircraft. Which, naturally, entails serious costs for maintaining the airworthiness of the fleet.

The dream of any commercial airline is to have a single type of aircraft, for example the Tu‑204‑100. Or Boeing 737-800. It’s easier this way with spare parts, equipment, and crews. A very large company, of course, has the opportunity to maintain aircraft of different passenger capacity and range, but in any case, diversity in the fleet threatens losses.

The Tu-334 is capable of replacing the long-out-of-production Yak-40 and Tu-134, the Ukrainian An-148, the 80% foreign Sukhoi Superjet 100, the Airbus A319 and the French Falcon in the Russia SLO. The Tu-334 is the only one of all short-haul aircraft where it is easy to provide working comfort and environment for the main passenger - the cross-section of the fuselage is like that of the Tu-204. Moreover, one and a half dozen related Tu-204 and Tu-214 airliners are already operating in the SLO fleet. Identical cockpits, fuselage, same component suppliers. And the Tupolev company, which accompanies the operation. Normal prudent approach.

The updated Tu-334 has built-in retractable ladders; full-size samples of them have already been demonstrated at exhibitions. For autonomous use in “bear corners” the thing is very convenient. And it’s easy for technicians and crew to get into the cockpit to prepare for the flight; there’s no need to bother with stepladders or order a ladder.

The aircraft's avionics will, of course, be refreshed. The three-stat-thirty-four will receive domestic electronic components from the Tu-204SM. This is the most advanced version to date. Accordingly, the plane will be piloted not by three, as before, but by two crew members - the commander and the co-pilot. It is necessary to carry out hundreds of experimental and certification flights - to expand operating modes, to complete what was not allowed to be completed. The last flight of aircraft No. 94005, also called the “five,” was made on June 26, 2010.

Why is UAC so boldly fighting off orders for the Tu-334 for the Rossiya SLO? The answer is obvious. Together with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, they are completely stuck in the “Superjet”. And if a series of Tu-334 airliners is built for government agencies, then commercial airlines will show up there too. Therefore, the KLA tactics do not change - they are playing for time. The same thing is happening with the construction of the regional turboprop airliner Il-114. Judging by the meetings, work is in full swing. And in the design bureau and workshops there is silence.

Khristenko, Manturov, Pogosyan, Mikhailov, Slyusar... A small organized group acting against the interests of civil aviation of an entire state. In the history of the country, such groups arose often. Some were exposed as enemies of the people, others managed to escape. But there was only one end for them - at a minimum, shame and oblivion.

Background

It makes sense to polish and modernize an aircraft if you initially have a glider that is successful in terms of weight and aerodynamics, which is quite comparable to the level of similar modern aircraft. Then “the game is worth the candle” - by upgrading (or replacing) avionics and engines, the machine can remain competitive for a long time. For example, the B-737 and 747. To “bring to mind” the Tu-334, it is necessary not only to change the ideology of the systems, like the Tu-204SM, but to seriously bring to mind the airframe of the aircraft, i.e. practically “create from scratch” a new aircraft. It would have cost no less than SSJ and with an incomprehensible result in the end

How ready the plane really is can be found out by looking at the real performance characteristics of the Tu-334

Thus, under ISA conditions, with a full cabin, the 334 is capable of flying at flight levels not higher than 10100...10600 m, with M = 0.73...0.75, at a range of about 2 thousand km. The runway characteristics are also not very impressive: the required length of the runway is 1900...2100 m. When the temperature deviates from the ISA to plus, the characteristics naturally decrease even more...

If you look in Section 7 of the Flight Manual, at the nomograms of maximum ranges, you can trace a clear picture - the maximum of these curves, depending on the flight weight, varies from M = 0.7 to M = 0.75. At M > 0.75, the specific ranges rapidly “collapse” and this means only one thing - a wave crisis begins, a sharp increase in resistance, a decrease in road quality and, consequently, fuel consumption increases

Obsolete avionics:

V.A.K. wrote: I attended mock-up commissions for the Tu-334 back in 1992. (Twenty years ago!) Even then, obsolete avionics were included in the project. Because it was allowed to put on board ONLY ALREADY PRODUCED products. Where was the Superjet at that time?

Comparison of avionics capabilities:

...The French and Italians considered the Tu-334 project with the idea of ​​taking it as the basis for a new project. They calculated the weight and sent their thoughts that the Tu-334 aircraft is 3-4 tons heavier than necessary, and if it is made, then the wing area while maintaining the weight must be increased from 83 to 100 sq.m. ... In the end, the French and Italians did not start making such an aircraft due to the introduction of the A320 aircraft. But we still have a wing of 83 sq.m., and the weight has increased by almost 2 tons...

Unfortunately, the new Tupolev aircraft did not have an after-sales support system. Operators expressed many complaints.

Another operator's view of the Tu-334

With the Tu-334, it would be necessary to remove the blocks from the aircraft once every 600 hours and transport them for inspection somewhere in Zhukovsky (tested from the experience of operating the Tu-204 in the Russian Federation). An excellent prospect for a regional company, for example from Siberia! Excellent adaptability to local operating conditions! And he’s not afraid of frost - what will happen to him half-disassembled! And I haven’t yet started telling all sorts of horror stories about mandatory modifications 5 times a year according to bulletins with a stop for 3-5 days and hemorrhoids with the replacement of units. An operator's view of the Tu-334

Another problem was in the production technology: the liner was designed for the already outdated plasma-template technology, which is 3 times more labor-intensive than modern plasma-free production and jig-less assembly:

... today they asked a question: Sukhoi is accused of not taking off on the Tu-334 program... But I cannot be responsible for the inability of Tupolev and KAPO to implement modern programs. The Tu-334 program died without being born. An airplane cannot be created for twenty years. On-board equipment and materials are progressing very dynamically, and we must develop the product in accordance with the times. And to promote a product that is not in demand by the market... Today, the cost of Tu-204 and Tu-214 aircraft is higher than the price at which they are sold. Enterprises in Ulyanovsk and Voronezh are deeply unprofitable and live only due to the injection of budget money."
To be profitable, it is necessary to switch to modern methods of organizing production - digital design, precise high-speed machining, and jigless assembly. “Designs that were good in the 80s are not competitive today. I think one of the problems of the Tu-334 and the Tupolev company in general is that in modern conditions it is impossible to successfully implement a program that is not made on the above principles. With the Tu-334 It is impossible to implement a jigless assembly, which means that the labor intensity of the process will be three times higher. You need to understand basic things and not deceive yourself, don’t say that Sukhoi closed the Tu-334 program. I didn’t close anything! It’s just that the Tu-334 is designed for any mass production.

"Antonovtsy" did everything in their power to prevent the Tu-334 series from taking place

Little cuckoo of the domestic aviation industry: An-148
One more point: its construction required expensive equipment, which remained in Kyiv. History of the issue: In 2007, an agreement in principle was reached on the sale of equipment; in 2008, negotiations are still underway. As a result, Dmytro Kiva "broke" such an exorbitant amount that the deal did not take place. It is obvious that the Antonovites did not want the appearance of a competitor to their An-148 and did everything in their power to prevent the Tu-334 series from taking place.

So, the Tu-334 not only had problems with weight, aerodynamics, production, software and avionics (including the anachronism of three crew members). There was no interest from airlines in the Tu-334: the aircraft did not receive a single firm commercial order.

And don’t forget about another competitor in the form of the An-148, which had a hand in ending the Tu-334 program.

About the situation at the Tupolev Design Bureau, the story of the sale of Moscow real estate for next to nothing and the appearance of the infamous “Tupolev Plaza”

The topic about the Tu-334 is quite extensive, from this page there should be links to the following topics (approximately):

Timeline of the Tu-334 project

• Tupolev's participation in the competition for a regional aircraft - another look from inside the Tupolev Design Bureau
• Engine layouts: in the tail or under the wing?
• Deployment of serial production (in 4 series, it seems)

more discussions:

• a small dispute about the Tu-334 on paralay and Discussion of the Tu-334 on the Paralay forum
• About the "open letter from aviators in defense of the Tu-334", test pilot

• Pavel Vlasov about the T-50, Superjet and Tu-334 - The fifth-generation fighter prototype, known as the T-50, is very confident in the air. This has been shown by tests ongoing at the Flight Research Institute. MM. Gromova. Absolutely all domestic aircraft, including combat ones...… (+22)

• Testing and certification of Tu-334 - But the Tu-334 has already been scrapped. From communication with colleagues from the Tupolev team, LII and the State Research Institute of Civil Aviation, I have the following picture of the Tu-334. During the testing process, two major tactical mistakes were made: First - In an effort to obtain a Certificate...… (+8)

• Overweight Tu-334 - Pages from the history of the creation of the Tu-334. G.A. Cheremukhin Continue. Higher. Faster The Tu-334 aircraft was considered as a replacement for the Tu-134 on regional routes, and to speed up its certification and preparation for production, it had to be as unified as possible...… (+6)

• Kiva broke so much money for the Tu-334 equipment that it remained on Avianta - CollapseExpand Contents Prehistory Brief History of the issue of equipment transfer An attempt to organize production in Lukhovitsy (2003-2004) An attempt to organize production in Kazan October 2007 February 2008 August 2008 April 2009...… (+5)

• An operator's view of the Tu-334 - A small dispute about the screwdriver assembly, Tu-334, production technologies, domestic components, etc. Mikhail_K: If we leave aside the efficiency of the Tu-334, then it was necessary to buy the necessary technological equipment (as for the SSJ-100). This...… (+5)

• Real performance characteristics of Tu-334 - Once again, the topic of 334 “innocently killed” as a result of a conspiracy by “liberal competitors” came up. Again, a complete liberalist lie! Which I never tire of exposing, just as you never tire of voicing it. A flying copy of the Tu-334 has repeatedly...… (+5)

• Tu vs An - Sometimes the question arises: why exactly did the appearance of the RRJ 75 / RRJ 95 family, according to critics, have such fatal consequences for the Tushka? Why is it that “universal evil” in the form of SSJ is to blame for this, and everyone else is “white and fluffy”? Personally, I have absolutely...… (+3)

• Requires special warming up in Yakutia | From the series "Another Sensation" - the radio operator writes: excellent dialogue for the picture. If you warmed up airplanes yourself, you would see the difference between heating an MP and heating from the APU. With a six-man aircraft technician. I wonder if they heat it with MP-shkoy? If so, then soon the whole cabin stinks of kerosene. What...… (+24)

• A story about how an “aviation expert” talked about the payback of a Superjet - Deguntsov Oleg writes: Greetings to all sane participants in the forum, which I have been reading for more than three years. It dawned on me that on the forum it is possible to ignore some particularly ardent pissers, so I had to register in order to...… (+23)

The Tu-334 is a short-haul Russian passenger aircraft developed in the 1990s to replace the retiring Tu-154B, Tu-134 and Yak-42. For some reasons, serial production of the aircraft was not organized.
The Tu-334 prototype made its first flight on February 8, 1999 and was subsequently shown at several aviation exhibitions. A total of two flight samples of the airliner were produced.

Design

The Tu-334 is a twin-engine turbojet low-wing aircraft with rear engines, swept wings and a T-shaped tail. Specially profiled surfaces are installed at the ends of the wing to reduce inductive drag. Modern composite materials and alloys are widely used in the aircraft design.
Development of the Tu-334 began in the late 1980s. The wing consists of supercritical profiles; specially profiled surfaces are mounted at the ends of the wing to reduce inductive drag. The aerodynamic indicator of the aircraft is 16.7.
In its basic modification, the Tu-334-100 is designed for operation on air routes up to 3,150 km long and to carry up to 102 passengers in a tourist version. The aircraft crew consists of: pilot-in-command, co-pilot, flight engineer, three flight attendants when operating on international routes and two people when operating on domestic routes. The assigned resource of the aircraft airframe is 60,000 flight hours, 60,000 flights (landings). The calendar service life of the aircraft is 25 years.
When designing the aircraft airframe, the requirements for maximum ease of maintenance were taken into account. The design allows access and inspection of all major structural elements during periodic internal inspections. It was possible to avoid nodes that were closed to access. The design provides for the possibility of using non-destructive testing methods for closed elements in those connections where visual inspection is not possible. Provides easy access for inspection, maintenance and replacement to all drives, motors, cables and control rods, as well as other mechanical parts. All bearings and rubbing surfaces (except for bearings with dry lubrication) are provided with lubricant filling points.
The aircraft is equipped with two double-circuit turbojet engines (turbojet engines) of the D-436T1 type. The engines are installed in the rear part of the fuselage in engine nacelles on horizontal pylons. Turbofan engines are supplied together with engine nacelles as a single unit. Engine mounting elements are the same for left and right engines. The engine is started from an air starter driven by compressed air from the APU or from a ground air launch unit, or from a second running engine. The engines are equipped with a lattice-type thrust reverser.

The standard layout of the passenger cabin of the Tu-334-100 aircraft has 102 tourist class passenger seats. The passenger compartment is separated from the front and rear lobbies by partitions with curtains. The side walls and the upper part of the fuselage in the cockpit are covered with decorative, easily removable panels. If necessary, the portholes are closed with rigid sliding curtains. The floor in the passenger compartment has carpeting, which is fixed at the level of the passenger seat rails using plastic profiles.
The cockpit of the Tu-334-100 aircraft is similar to the cockpits of the Tu-204/214 family of aircraft. Flight information and system performance information are displayed on multifunctional color displays. The use of digital fly-by-wire aircraft control systems, warning systems for aircraft reaching boundary flight conditions, and the “dark cockpit” principle reduce the physical and psychological stress on the aircraft crew and increase flight safety.

Specifications

Crew: 3
Passenger capacity: 102
Length: 31.26 m
Wingspan: 29.77 m
Height: 9.38 m
Wing area: 83 m2
Wing profile: supercritical
Curb weight: 28,900 kg
Maximum take-off weight: 47,900 kg
Fuel mass in internal tanks: 10,100 kg
Powerplant: 2 × D-436T1 turbofan engines
Thrust: 2 × 7500 kgf
Auxiliary power unit: 1 × TA-18-100

Flight characteristics

Cruising speed: 820 km/h
Practical range: 4100 km
Service ceiling: 11,100 m
Takeoff length: 1900 m
Run length: 1000 m

Source:

Now let's talk why not in the series

By the mid-2000s, the aircraft was already obsolete. It was a wonderful airliner, like all “carcasses,” but of the previous generation, and its competitor, the Sukhoi Superjet 100, created with the participation of Boeing and broad international cooperation, was promoted to the market by the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and the general director of Sukhoi, and then and the head of the UAC, Mikhail Pogosyan. Did it make sense to continue to invest a lot of money in outdated equipment, while in the most competitive aviation market - short-haul aircraft - Embraer and Bombardier were releasing the latest models? The answer is obvious - no.
Meanwhile, in comparison with the SSJ-100, the Tu-334 has a number of advantages. Domestic equipment, a large fuselage diameter for its class, the ability to operate in real Russian conditions - the airliner is capable of landing even on the ground. Considering that the quality of the domestic airfield network is inferior to that of the airfield network of Western countries, the Tu-334 could be useful in domestic transportation, especially as an ambulance or other special aircraft.
But the obvious advantages are covered by equally obvious disadvantages - the aircraft was supposed to be equipped with D-436T1 engines developed by the Zaporozhye Engineering Design Bureau Progress named after Academician A. G. Ivchenko and produced by the Motor Sich plant. Comparable in terms of thrust is the SaM-146 engine for the Superjet, which theoretically can be considered for installation on the Tu-334, but this will require significant modifications to the design of the aircraft’s tail section and its control system, which seems impractical.
In addition, the “Engine in the tail” layout has a number of disadvantages
1. There is such a dirty trick on the engines' tail - the plane gets into a so-called protracted, “closed” stall when the plane reaches supercritical angles of attack of 25-30° and higher. The plane seemed to “lock itself” in this position with its nose up, lost speed, and fell into a tailspin. Reaching supercritical angles occurred when the plane hit a powerful updraft or gust of air. Such powerful gusts at high altitudes are very rare, but every aircraft, as a rule, gets caught in them. However, as it turned out, only aircraft with engines on the rear fuselage turned out to be unstable in this mode. At supercritical angles of attack, a wake of air breaks off the wing, which hits the air intake of the engines (which leads to surging) and the horizontal tail (elevators), making it ineffective.
2. In addition, the location of the engines in the tail takes away part of the cabin, thereby increasing the overall length of the fuselage. Compare the length of the 5-row SSJ (29.94 m, 98 passengers in 19.5 rows) and the 6-row Tu-334 (31.26 m, 102 passengers in 17 rows).
3. There is also a disadvantage associated with the proximity of the engines to each other (as well as the compactness of the fuel lines in the tail): in the event of a fire in one engine, the chances that the fire will affect the second (third) engine (or the fuel supply to them) are many higher than that of aircraft with widely spaced engines (under the wing).
4. If the engine is suspended under the wing, then its weight is partially balanced by the lifting force of the wing (in flight). And if it is in the tail, the weight is not balanced by anything, except for the structural strength of the fuselage and (the wings too). Or, to put it another way, the engines on the wings also unload the wing itself well - the lifting force tends to lift the wing up.
5. Engines “under the wing” are MUCH more convenient to maintain. I would like to emphasize that the low engine position is a huge advantage for maintenance. Thanks to this arrangement, we are able to replace any equipment within 20 minutes; replacing an engine will take less than two hours. And the cost of maintenance is one of the most important criteria for the customer airline.
6. Another drawback is associated with the large alignment difference of the aircraft. Rear-mounted engines cause the aircraft's center of gravity (CG) to shift rearward. The wing also moves back. As a result, the fuselage and passenger cabin are divided by the wing into unequal parts - a long nose and a short tail. In this case, the presence of a commercial load (passengers, luggage, cargo) moves the CG forward relative to the wing, and its absence (ferry option, incomplete load) leads to the movement of the aircraft CG backward.

It is necessary to clarify that the Tu-334 began to be created in the late 80s, in the united USSR, and its construction was also planned in the USSR. Ukrainian factories were an important part of the USSR aviation industry (especially Zaporozhye engines), and the construction of aircraft by Russia without Ukraine was very difficult.
After the collapse of the USSR, when Ukraine became a foreign country, on July 27, 1992, Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation N 516 “On the organization of serial production of Tu-334 aircraft at the Taganrog Aviation Production Enterprise” was adopted, and later, on September 8, 1993, Russia and Ukraine signed the “Agreement on cooperation in the field of creating a short-haul passenger aircraft TU-334 and engines for it, as well as their joint serial production." It was determined that Russia and Ukraine would make the aircraft jointly - Russia in Taganrog, and Ukraine in Kiev ("with an annual production of up to 30 - 35 aircraft at each plant"), the engines would be Zaporozhye (Motor Sich), and there would be a large cooperation between Russia and Ukraine.
Based on these years (1992 and 1993), one can guess what the result was (or rather, its absence).
By 1999, one prototype of the aircraft (number 001) was made by Tupolev. Instance 002 was made in Kyiv, at the Aviant plant. Instance 003 was in Taganrog in the form of a fuselage (and was not made)
In 1999, when a copy of the 001 aircraft flew, and the economies of Russia and Ukraine more or less strengthened, the parties returned to the project again.
Putin accepted the above resolution, Nikitin (MiG) was appointed responsible on the Russian side and the parties began to discuss how to implement the words “in cooperation with other enterprises of Russia and Ukraine” in the understanding that Russia and Ukraine are now independent states.
How and where to make an airplane?
The people of Kiev have made good progress, but if you give production to them, this will create Russia’s dependence on Ukraine.
Also, Ukraine has its own Antonov design bureau - and it is quite possible to assume that after some time the Ukrainians will produce ANA plants at this site, pushing Tu to the side (by the way, this is what happened in the end)
Why make someone else's plane if you can make your own?
Well, the Kyiv Aviant also had production documentation for the Tu-334.
The parties negotiated for a long time, and eventually agreed that the main production would be in Russia, and the wings and some other components would be made by Ukraine (Ukraine is also completing the construction of the 002 aircraft). A new workshop was built in Lukhovitsy for this project, the fuselage of aircraft 003 was transported there from Taganrog, the documentation was purchased from the people of Kiev, the Tu-334 was to be produced at the Kiev Aviant plant,” says Nikolai Nikitin. “By the time Russia and Ukraine agreed, that we would assemble this car, there was a threat of loss of Russian intellectual property on the Tu-334. Aviant developed production documentation for the airliner, and Tupolev, the aircraft developer, could not buy it due to lack of funds. I had to buy it back for $3.5 million.
But the deadlines specified by the Government (2001-2002) have already been violated.
Well, the construction of prototype 003 (the fuselage of which was transported from Taganrog to Lukhovitsy) was delayed and delayed...
According to the plan, the plane should have been built in July 2003, but in reality it was already autumn 2003, and this was not done...
Then Nikitin said about this: “As for the third Tu-334 aircraft, our Ukrainian colleagues delayed the delivery of the wing for it. Instead of January, it arrived only in October.”

Let's summarize:

1. The Tu-334 project was tied to cooperation with Ukraine. It was hard to do anything without them. And the failure in implementation, which became the reason for Nikitin’s resignation in 2003, was also connected to this (the delay in the delivery of the wing for the third Tu-334 aircraft by nine months). Therefore, it is impossible to say that “there is a ready-made aircraft, take it and produce it.” Produce if Ukraine supplies everything on time. And taking into account the fact that Ukraine wanted to build its own competing aircraft - the An-148 - everything became completely mute.
2. The aircraft turned out to be unprofitable in production, and they realized this only in 2003.
3. The aircraft certificate, for which government money was allocated and spent, turned out to be very curtailed (however, an expanding addition to the certificate was later received). Also, 3 crew members versus 2 for competitors is an anachronism and additional costs for airlines.
4. After-sales service and the quality of components for Tu aircraft is very low.
5. Well, in view of all this, the sad result: airlines don’t want to take the plane, there are no orders.

A large order is expected from the Minister of Defense and “friend of Tatarstan” for the Tu-214, which was once promoted by the first president of the Republic of Tatarstan, and maybe also for the Tu-334. Sergei Shoigu visited the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan to inspect the implementation of the state defense order by the Kazan Aviation Plant and congratulate the State Advisor of the Republic of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev on his anniversary. At the same time, the visit took place against the backdrop of information that the military urgently needed the Tu-214 produced in Kazan. Moreover, according to BUSINESS Online, they intend to remind Shoigu about the Tu-334 project.

According to BUSINESS Online, Kazan intends to remind Shoigu about the existence of such a project as the Tu-334, which at one time was vigorously lobbied by the same Shaimiev. “Information that the military intends to replace their current aircraft and are interested in the Tu-214 appeared about a week ago,” adviser to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Nazir Kireev told BUSINESS Online. - We would like to offer the military another option - the Tu-334. Look, Tu-154s are flown by commanders of districts and armies, but why would they fly a huge aircraft if they can use a relatively small one?”

Note that Shoigu, according to some sources, has long been interested in the Tu-334. Deputy General Designer of Concern Vega OJSC, chief designer of the Open Sky aviation surveillance system Vartan Shakhgedanov told BUSINESS Online that during one of his visits to KAZ, Shoigu wanted to see the car (one, the flight one, the board is at the airfield, the second - in the workshop), the Tu-334 was specially prepared for inspection. “But then something happened, and he ran across the Tu-214, without asking anything, and flew away,” Shakhgedanov said.

An interesting addition was made by a BUSINESS Online source in the aviation industry: “The failed inspection of Shoigu reminds me of the story with former Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov. Before his visit, his adjutant arrived at KAPO. I don’t know whose command he was following, but he did everything so that Ivanov would not reach the Tu-334.”

Let us remember that the first flight of the Tu-334 took place in 1995. Certification took place in December 2003. The Tu-334 is 60% unified with the serial Tu-204/214 in avionics, interior, etc. In 1999 - 2003, two Tu-334s were manufactured, and there is a reserve of one more. In April 2005, a decree of the Russian government appeared on the production of the Tu-334 at KAPO. Production was supposed to be established in cooperation with Samara Aviakor, Voronezh Aviation Aircraft Manufacturing Society, Ulyanovsk Aviastar and Kyiv Aviant. According to the Tupolev company, 20 Russian structures were ready to purchase 151 Tu-334s on financial leasing terms, and Iranian air carriers asked for another 61 aircraft. At different times, different prices for the Tu-334 were quoted - from $17 million to $25 million.

In November 2006, at the presentation of the Tu-334 at KAPO, then-president of Tupolev Igor Shevchuk said that to start mass production of the Tu-334, approximately $100 million is needed: 30 for the aircraft itself, 70 for the modernization of KAPO. A month earlier, Shaimiev said that Tatarstan was ready to allocate $30 million, and suggested that the Russian Federation provide the same amount in the federal budget. At the presentation at KAPO, Rustam Minnikhanov, who was then the Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan, was perplexed: “I don’t understand why the issue has dragged on for so long.

There is a decision of the Russian government to build the Tu-334 at KAPO, there are repeated appeals from the President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev... We once again want to focus the attention of the public and the federal government on the Tu-334 and confirm Tatarstan’s readiness to participate in the project... There are funds in the republic “, there are banking structures that could participate in this... But in order for an investor to come, a clear position of the federal government is needed.”

As a result, the project never took off - it is believed that the Tupolev machine was sacrificed for the sake of promoting the Superjet. However, the idea of ​​launching a completely finished aircraft into production, on which so much effort has been spent, does not leave the Tatarstan authorities, as Minnikhanov spoke about more than once, already as president.