Editing Tupolev Tu-144 (section)

==Variants==
* '''Tu-144''' – ('''''izdeliye 044''''' – article 044) The sole prototype Tu-144 aircraft<ref name="GordonRigmant2005" />{{page needed|date=December 2021}}
* '''Tu-144S''' – ('''''izdeliye 004''''' – article 004) Six redesigned production aircraft powered by Kuznetsov NK-144A engines in widely spaced [[nacelle]]s, and redesigned undercarriage<ref name="GordonRigmant2005" />{{page needed|date=December 2021}}
* '''Tu-144D''' – ('''''izdeliye 004D''''' – article 004D)(D-''Dahl'neye'' – long-range) Production Tu-144 aircraft powered by Koliesov RD36-51 non-afterburning engines. One aircraft converted from Tu-144 СССР-77105(c/n10031) and five production aircraft (СССР-77111 [c/n10062] to СССР-77115 [c/n 10091]) plus one (СССР-77116) uncompleted<ref name="GordonRigmant2005" />{{page needed|date=December 2021}}
* '''Tu-144DA'''<span class="anchor" id="Tu-144DA"></span> – A project study, assigned the number Tu-144DA, increased the wing area and the take-off weight, and replaced the engines with the [[RD-36-61]] which had 5% more thrust. The Tu-144DA increased fuel capacity from 98,000&nbsp;kg to 125,000&nbsp;kg with a higher maximum certified take-off weight (MCTOW) of 235,000&nbsp;kg. and range up to {{convert|7500|km|mi|abbr=on}}.<ref name="tupolev.ru"/>
* '''Tu-144LL''' – One Tu-144D aircraft (СССР-77114 [c/n10082]) converted to a flying laboratory with four [[Kuznetsov NK-321]] afterburning turbofan engines and re-registered RA-77114. The first flight took place on 29 November 1996 with the 27th and last flight on 14 April 1999.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023|reason=Verification needed as this information appears to have been added by a first-hand source, according to the edit summary: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?diff=853501089}}

===Proposed military versions===
{{See also|Tu-160}}
Early configurations of the Tu-144 were based on the unbuilt [[Tupolev Tu-135]] bomber, retaining the latter aircraft's [[Canard (aeronautics)|canard]] layout, wings and nacelles. Deriving from the Tu-135 bomber, Tupolev's early design for supersonic passenger airplane was code-named Tu-135P before acquiring the Tu-144 project code.<ref name="GordonRigmant2005" />{{rp|pages=8–9}}<ref name="Tu-135 Testpilot">{{cite web |title="135" (Ту-135) - сверхзвуковой стратегический бомбардировщик |trans-title=Tu-135 - Supersonic Strategic Bomber |url=https://www.testpilot.ru/russia/tupolev/135/ |website=testpilot.ru |language=ru |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929162307/http://www.testpilot.ru/russia/tupolev/135/ |archive-date=29 September 2023 |access-date=31 July 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Tu-135P Testpilot">{{cite web |title="135П" - сверхзвуковой пассажирский самолет |trans-title=Tu-135P - Supersonic Passenger Aircraft |url=https://www.testpilot.ru/russia/tupolev/135/p/ |website=testpilot.ru |language=ru |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929162312/http://www.testpilot.ru/russia/tupolev/135/p/ |archive-date=29 September 2023 |access-date=31 July 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Over the course of the Tu-144 project, the Tupolev bureau created designs of a number of military versions of Tu-144 but none were ever built. In the early 1970s, Tupolev was developing the Tu-144R intended to carry and air-launch up to three solid-fueled [[ICBMs]]. The launch was to be performed from within Soviet air space, with the aircraft accelerating to its maximum speed before releasing the missiles. The original design was based on the Tu-144S, but later changed to be derived from the Tu-144D. Another version of the design was to carry air-launched long-range [[cruise missiles]] similar to the [[Kh-55]]. The study of this version envisioned the use of [[liquid hydrogen]] for the afterburners.

In the late 1970s, Tupolev contemplated the development of a long-range heavy interceptor (DP-2) based on the Tu-144D also able to escort bombers on long-range missions. Later this project evolved into an aircraft for [[electronic countermeasures]] (ECM) to suppress enemy radars and facilitate bomber's penetration through enemy air defenses (Tu-144PP). In the early 1980s this functionality was supplanted with theatre and strategic reconnaissance (Tu-144PR).

The dimmer civil prospects for Tu-144 were becoming apparent the more Tupolev tried to "sell" the aircraft to the military. One of the last attempts to sell a military version of the Tu-144 was the Tu-144MR, a project for a long-range reconnaissance aircraft for the Soviet Navy intended to provide targeting information to the Navy's ships and submarines on sea and oceanic theaters of operations. Another proposed navy version was to have a strike capability (two Kh-45 air-to-surface cruise missiles), along with a reconnaissance function.<ref name="GordonRigmant2005" />{{rp|pages=107–110}} The Tu-144MR was also to have served as a carrier aircraft for the [[Tupolev Voron]] [[reconnaissance]] [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|drone]], designed to compete with the [[Lockheed D-21]] and influenced by it, but the project never materialised.<ref name="GordonRigmant2006">{{cite book |last1=Gordon |first1=Yefim |author-link1=Yefim Gordon |last2=Rigmant |first2=Vladimir |title=OKB Tupolev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft |year=2006 |publisher=Midland Publishing |isbn=1-85780-214-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/okb-tupolev.-a-history-of-the-design-bureau-and-its-aircraft}}</ref>

The military was unreceptive to Tupolev's approaches. [[Vasily Reshetnikov]], the commander of Soviet [[Long-Range Aviation]] and subsequently, a vice-commander of the Soviet Air Force, remembers how, in 1972, he was dismayed by Tupolev's attempts to offer for military use the aircraft that "fell short of its performance target, was beset by reliability problems, fuel-thirsty and difficult to operate".<ref name="reshetnikov04">{{cite web |last=Reshetnikov |first=V. |title=Что было – то было |trans-title=What was – was |year=2004 |url=http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/reshetnikov_vv/04.html |publisher=Militera.lib.ru |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925161314/http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/reshetnikov_vv/04.html |archive-date=25 September 2009 |access-date=31 July 2011 |language=ru |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Reshetnikov goes on to remember:
<blockquote>The development and construction of the supersonic airliner, the future Tu-144, was included in the five-year plan and was under the auspices of the influential [[Dmitry Ustinov|D.F. Ustinov]] (then Soviet minister of defence and confidant of Brezhnev, who represented interests of defence industries lobby in opposition to the military) who regarded this mission as a personal responsibility – not so much to his country and people as to "dear Leonid Il'ych" (Brezhnev) whom he literally worshipped, sometimes to the point of shamelessness... Yet the supersonic passenger jet was apparently not making headway and, to the dismay of its curator, it looked as though Brezhnev might be disappointed. It was then that Dmitry Fedorovich (Ustinov) jumped at someone's idea to foist Aeroflot's "bride in search of a wedding" on the military. After it had been rejected in bomber guise, Ustinov used the Military Industrial Commission (one of the most influential Soviet government bodies) to promote the aircraft to the Strategic Aviation as a reconnaissance or ECM platform, or both. It was clear to me that these aircraft could not possibly work in concert with any bomber or missile carrier formation; likewise I could not imagine them operating solo as "Flying Dutchmen" in a war scenario, therefore I resolutely turned down the offer.<ref name="reshetnikov04" /></blockquote>

Naval Aviation Commander Aleksandr Alekseyevich Mironenko, followed suit:

<blockquote>Ustinov could not be put off that easily. He managed to persuade the Navy C-in-C (admiral) [[Sergey Gorshkov|S.G. Gorshkov]] who agreed to accept the Tu-144 for Naval Aviation service as a long-range reconnaissance aircraft without consulting anyone on the matter. Mironenko rebelled against this decision, but the commander-in-chief would not hear of heed – the issue is decided, period. On learning of this I was extremely alarmed: if Mironenko had been pressured into taking the Tu-144, this meant I was going to be next. I made a phone call to Aleksandr Alekseyevich, urging him to take radical measures; I needn't have called because even without my urging Mironenko was giving his C-in-C a hard time. Finally Ustinov got wind of the mutiny and summoned Mironenko to his office. They had a long and heated discussion but eventually Mironenko succeeded in proving that Ustinov's ideas were unfounded. That was the last time we heard of Tu-144.<ref name="reshetnikov04" /></blockquote>