The Tupolev Tu-134 was a Russian twin-engined airliner, similar to the American Douglas DC-9.
One of the most used aircraft in the former Warsaw Pact countries, the number in active service is lowering because of noise restrictions.
The Tu-134 was meant as a replacement of the Tu-124, which didn't fulfill the role it was intended for. Seating 70-80 passengers with a range of about 2400 km it was the short-range mainstay of Aeroflot.
It would be the last Tupolev passenger aircraft with a glass nose, and the later B variant had the radar (which was chin-mounted on the A models) in the nose. Compared to Western short-ranged jet airliners, the Tu-134 had a much sharper sweepback angle (35 degrees, while most Western short-haulers had sweepbacks between 25 and 28 degrees). Like many other Tupolev aircraft, the aircraft was fitted with a hefty low-pressure landing gear, retracting into nacelles extending from the trailing edges of the wings. This allows the aircraft to operate from unpaved airstrips.
Production variants
All A variants have been built with the distinct glass nose, but some are modified to the B standard (closed nose):
- Tu-134, glass nosed version, first series seating 70
- Tu-134A, second series, seating 80
- Tu-134A-3, second series, with uprated engines
- Tu-134B, second series, 80 seats and closed nose
- Tu-134B-3, second series, closed nose and uprated engines.
Some of the B models have long-range tanks fitted under the fuselage; these are visible as a prolific bulge.
