Produced to the highest standards, Herpa diecast metal models are developed in collaboration with aircraft manufacturers and the airlines and are recognized by discerning model airplane collectors worldwide for their unparalleled, accurate realism, attention to detail and exceptional quality. True-to-scale, this Herpa 1/200 scale Aeroflot Tupolev TU-144 measures approximately 6-3/8-inches long with a 2-13/16-inch wingspan and comes with an included Display Stand. Having commenced its maiden flight in December 1968, just two months before the Concorde, the Tupolev TU-144, with a maximum speed slightly greater than Mach 2, is recognized as the first supersonic commercial aircraft, and was in operation from 1968 until 1999, with a total of 16 aircraft having been produced from 1967 until 1983. Although the TU-144 went into commercial passenger service with Aeroflot in late 1975, it was retired from passenger service in 1978 and used as a commercial cargo transport until 1983, when it was then used by the Soviet Space Program to train pilots, followed by NASA, who used the aircraft for supersonic research until it was finally retired from service in 1999. Delivered to Aeroflot with the registration CCCP-77105 at the end of 1974 as the fourth Tupolev TU-144 in production, this aircraft was routinely used for test flights to test its operation, its payload and its fuel consumption, with the conclusion that supersonic flights over 6,000 kilometers / 3,728 miles were practicable. In 1977, this aircraft flew roundtrip from Moscow to Khabarovsk, averaging a little less than three and a half hours each way for the 6,300 kilometer / 3,914 mile route.
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