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Further Reading

Tu-104 Camel Variants / Tu-107 Camel / Tu-110 Cooker

Exploitation led to several incidents and crashes caused by aerodynamic shortcomings in the wing design and control effectiveness, after which some changes were applied to the airframe and navigation equipment and the pilots were instructed not to fly at altitudes over 10,000 meters.

Tu-104A. The tests of improved aircraft were completed in 1957. Now Tu-104 could take 70 passengers on board. Together with reworked layout of cabin several changes were made to fuel system, navigation and flight instruments.

Tu-104B. In 1958 Tu-104's cabin layout was redesigned once again. Several different layouts gave the liner capacity of 100 - 115 passengers, maximum commercial load was substantially increased. Due to greater takeoff weight engines got emergency thrust setting and the area of flaps were enlarged. On 15 March 1959 Northern Aviation Authority's passenger flight under No. 42419 by a Tu-104b jet made history, signifying the start of regular jet flights. From then on, the aircraft fleet would be quickly augmented with new plane makes and navigation equipment.

Tu-104V, E. Later bureau attempts further development of Tu-104B to increase payload and takeoff characteristics, but a series of accidents and probably a lack of production capacities prevented new versions from entering service after completion of tests.

Tu-104Sh. A few airframes were converted to carry radar and weapon control systems of Tu-16 and Tu-22 bombers. These machines were used as flying school-desk for bomber crews. Additionally several test programms were undertaken with the use of Tu-104Sh.

A total of 202 TU-104 aircraft were built in 50, 75 and 100 passenger versions. The aircraft was successfully operated till the 1980s when it was finally replaced by more advanced machines. TU-104 prototype performed its maiden flight in June 1955 and in autumn next year the TU-104 aircraft was operated on regular routes leaving behind its west analogs by 1.5 to 2 years. The TU-104 became beyond all questions a success of native aircraft industry, a success of Tupolev design Bureau. Operation of this aircraft by the Civil Air Fleet was finished in the late 1970s, in Defense Ministry structures - in the 1980s. Besides the USSR the aircraft was supplied to Czechoslovakia. 26 world records were established with TU-104 a/c.

Tu-107 Camel

The Tu-107 was an experimental military transport version of the Tu-104. Tu-107 was a cargo transport version built in 1958. It was able to carry light artillery, armored vehicles or up to 70 paratroopers. The passenger cabin was replaced with an unpressurized cargo bay heated by hot air from the engines. A cargo door was installed beneath the tail part of fuselage. Only one Tu-107 was built. In 1965 it carried paratroopers to the height of 14,400 meters to set a world record.

Tu-110 Cooker

The TU-110 was a TU-104 version designed for four AL-7P turbojet engines instead of two RD-3M engines installed on TU-104. The aircraft was specially designed to comply international requirements in view of possible mass export. The Tu-110, a mid-range passenger aircraft, was first flown on March 11, 1957 by test pilot D.V. Zyuzin. This four-engine passenger aircraft that was a straight-forward adaptation of the Tu-104 design. It was a only modest improvement over the Tu-104, and just a few examples were built. This modification was an atempt to improve the Tu-104's reliability together with increase of maximum takeoff weight and range. A total of either three or four Tu-110s were built and later they were converted into Tu-110Bs by replacement of AL-7P engines to D-20P. These machines were primarily used as flying laboratories for testing of new engines for Tu-124 and aircraft radars.