Tupolev Tu-14

what is it?

The Tupolev Tu-14 (NATO reporting name: Bosun) (USAF/DOD reporting name: Type 35), was a Soviet twinjet light bomber derived from the Tupolev '73', the failed competitor to the Ilyushin Il-28 'Beagle'. It was used as a torpedo bomber by the mine-torpedo regiments of Soviet Naval Aviation between 1952–1959 and allegedly exported to the People's Republic of China.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 jet engines · shoulder wing · retractable tricycle gear · 21.7 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 800 km/htop speed
• range 2,870 kmwithout refuelling
• size 25.4 tmax take-off weight
• built 150made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 77 years ago, in 1949.
• 🏎️Top speed is 6.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 21.7 m: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 4 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 2,870 km: 16× Amsterdam to Brussels.

jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.

spec sheet

first flight

1949-10-13

introduced

1951

retired

1959

status

retired

number built

150

role

light bomber; torpedo bomber

origin

🇷🇺 Soviet Union

makers

Tupolev

engines

2× Klimov VK-1

length

22 m

wingspan

21.7 m

max take-off weight

25.4 t

top speed

800 km/h

range

2,870 km

wings

shoulder wing

landing gear

retractable tricycle gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.