Let's admire a true legend of Soviet aviation - the Tu-154 aircraft

The Tu-154 was a real workhorse of Soviet airlines. About a thousand units of this model were produced during its manufacturing period.

Development began in 1963 when the Tupolev Design Bureau was tasked with creating a modern passenger aircraft that could compete with the Boeing 727. The Tu-154's first flight took place in 1968, and serial production started in 1970.

Over the years of operation, the aircraft underwent multiple modernizations: its airframe, engines, and onboard equipment were changed.

An interesting fact: five Tu-154 planes were converted into flying laboratories for work on the creation of the "Buran" space shuttle. Two of these planes were capable of fully automatic landings.

Experimental models with engines running on hydrogen and methane were also developed based on the Tu-154.

In February 2013, serial production of the Tu-154 was discontinued.

video: Cargospotter

Beautiful airplanes ✈️