The Soviet’s Tu-114: From Bomber to Passenger Plane

First taking flight in 1957, the Tupolev Tu-114 (NATO: “Cleat”) was a passenger plane that was born out of the Soviet’s desire to one-up the West.

A few years before its first flight, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was reminded just how far behind his country was when it came to passenger planes. During a meeting in Geneva in 1955 between the West and the USSR, Khrushchev arrived in a twin-engine IL-14, while American President Eisenhower arrived in a Lockheed Super Constellation, which was leaps and bounds better than the IL-14. Khrushchev was less than happy about this. He wanted the USSR to have something that could not only rival but surpass Western airliners.

The Birth of the Tu-114

Once again, much like the Tu-16, Tupolev proposed they take the Tu-95 “Bear” and use that as a basis for the new passenger jet. So using the Tu-95, designers mounted the wings lower to accommodate a wider pressurized fuselage. They gave it larger flaps, stabilizers, and entirely new gear, all the while keeping its four powerful Kuznetsov NK-12MV engines that powered 4 pairs of counter-rotating propellers. Thus, the Tu-114 Cleat was born, and you know what? It was actually a pretty good plane.

Performance and Capabilities

It was, for its time, the largest passenger plane in the world, as it could carry up to 224 passengers in surprising comfort. It was also one of the fastest turboprop planes in the world, with a top speed of 540 mph, which made it almost as fast as some jet aircraft. However, it did have some drawbacks. Most notably was the fact that the Tu-114 was insanely noisy due to the propellers turning at almost supersonic speeds, and there were some vibration issues.

The Tu-114’s Legacy

But still, unlike the jet-powered Tu-104, the Cleat was a solid aircraft and was touted for its reliability and range. However, it was rather obsolete by the time it entered service in 1961, as by this point the Jet Age was in full swing, and it didn’t look good that the USSR’s best airliner stood out like a sore thumb in most Western airports. But it still continued to fly until 1991 when the last one was retired by the Soviet/Russian Air Force.

~NC