Tupolev Tu-28

what is it?

The Tupolev Tu-28 (NATO reporting name Fiddler) is a long-range interceptor aircraft introduced by the Soviet Union in the 1960s. The official designation was Tu-128, but this designation was less commonly used in the West. It was the largest and heaviest fighter to ever enter serial production.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 jet engines · 17.5 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 1,665 km/htop speed
• range 2,565 kmwithout refuelling
• size 43 tmax take-off weight
• built 188made 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 65 years ago, in 1961.
• 🏎️Top speed is 12.8× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 💥Faster than sound: up to Mach 1.3 (sea-level speed of sound ≈ 1,235 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 17.5 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 7 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 2,565 km: 14× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.8× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

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

spec sheet

first flight

1961-03-18

introduced

1965

retired

1990

status

retired

number built

188

role

interceptor

origin

🇷🇺 Soviet Union

makers

Tupolev, Voronezh Aircraft Production Association

engines

2× Lyulka AL-7F-2 / AL-7

crew

2

length

30.1 m

wingspan

17.5 m

height

7.2 m

max take-off weight

43 t

top speed

1,665 km/h

range

2,565 km

ceiling

15,600 m

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