The Tu-144: The Soviet Union's Concorde

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  • Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
  • AKA Concordski. It took everything for me to not just title the video that ;). Second of a two parter on these two commercial super sonic planes!
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,6 тис.

  • @AcidUsagi
    @AcidUsagi 4 роки тому +915

    Future Mega Projects: Simon and all of his UA-cam Channels.

    • @ismaelalejandro4150
      @ismaelalejandro4150 4 роки тому +5

      What are the others channels of Simon?

    • @andon_RT
      @andon_RT 4 роки тому +68

      @@ismaelalejandro4150 Biographics, Geographics, Top Tenz, Today I Found Out, Business Blaze.... And there's probably more I don't know off the top of my head.

    • @mattieellison9331
      @mattieellison9331 4 роки тому +12

      @@andon_RT megaprojects

    • @mattieellison9331
      @mattieellison9331 4 роки тому +21

      @@andon_RT I'm a dick this is megaprojects see he has that many I'm. Confused

    • @--enyo--
      @--enyo-- 4 роки тому +5

      Ismael Alejandro There’s a list in the video description.

  • @carlhuffman454
    @carlhuffman454 4 роки тому +49

    When I was stationed in Berlin in 1971, I worked not too far from the East Berlin airport, Schoenefeld. It was about 1.5 miles away across the Wall. We had an obsolete tower with a steel mesh pad on top that stood about 100' tall on site. We heard about the Russian SST flying into Berlin on the way to the Paris Air Show, so we kept an eye out for it. Lo and behold, it turned up one day, and we got a really good look at it through our binoculars. It was a very pretty plane, even though we never saw it in the air. A very large helicopter, the Homer by NATO reporting name, was there, too. Just a bit of fun from the good old days.

    • @JohnnyWishbone85
      @JohnnyWishbone85 4 роки тому +1

      Carl Huffman - Berlin Brigade? My dad was in that unit, I think in 1971. I'll ask him.

    • @carlhuffman454
      @carlhuffman454 4 роки тому +5

      @@JohnnyWishbone85 Yes, sir. I was with the ASA Field Station, Co B from 1-1-70 to 3-6-72. I have never gone back to Berlin, since just about everything I was familiar with in my job is now erased. Thanks for asking. Good times.

    • @chrislong3938
      @chrislong3938 3 роки тому

      Cool story, man!

    • @clancywiggam
      @clancywiggam Рік тому

      That was great. I love these little personal nuggets. Thanks for sharing.

  • @rjyoyo2096
    @rjyoyo2096 4 роки тому +128

    "Extraordinarily successful failure" What a great way to describe that. Thanks Simon, and everyone who helped produce this. Love your work.

    • @jpfidalgo7
      @jpfidalgo7 4 роки тому +4

      RJ YOYO this reminded me of the known error window meme: “Task failed successfully!”

    • @Frank-mm2yp
      @Frank-mm2yp 4 роки тому +3

      "Successful Historical Failures"
      Thermopylae (Spartans)
      Dunkirk (British)
      Apollo 13(USA)
      The Charge of the Light Brigade (British)
      Bunker Hill (USA)
      Amelia Earhart (USA)
      Spartacus Revolt (Italy)
      Jesus of Nazareth (Israel/Palestine)

    • @ekspatriat
      @ekspatriat Рік тому +1

      @@Frank-mm2yp Alamo

  • @Krahazik
    @Krahazik 4 роки тому +8

    Thinking of these 2 planes, reminded me of the story of the Tortus and the Hare. The Concord was designed and built as a super-fast commercial passenger plane. The TU was designed to beat the concord for speed, and from the sounds of it, thinks like reliability, safety, passenger comfort, etc (everything that made the concord work for its brief life) were left out in order to win the speed race, and it shows.

  • @trainerludwig853
    @trainerludwig853 4 роки тому +296

    You forgot to mention that you can visit both the Tupolev and the Concorde in the Technik-Museum in Sinsheim, Southern Germany. They had to tow the Tupolev there all the way from Russia.

    • @naphackDT
      @naphackDT 4 роки тому +18

      Sinsheim... Been roughly 22 years or so since I've last been there. Certainly was an impressive museum back then.

    • @Iamtheliquor
      @Iamtheliquor 4 роки тому +7

      Fantastic museum

    • @pix-point
      @pix-point 4 роки тому +22

      The scene at 6:37 is taken at Sinsheim, with the Concorde on display just behind the TU144 but not shown in this picture. Both planes are accessible. The interior view at 9:04 is from this exhibit.

    • @74360CUDA
      @74360CUDA 4 роки тому +21

      Why couldn't they just fly the planes there? Oh yeah right never mind

    • @batcittyatcitty536
      @batcittyatcitty536 4 роки тому +8

      Havnt been there in nearly 14 years.i used to go there all the time,wonder what they have now.I live in Arizona USA now,We have the Air musuem in Tucson and boneyard,very impressive also.

  • @robertmcghintheorca49
    @robertmcghintheorca49 4 роки тому +15

    To be more specific, the cabin noise onboard the Tu-144 was quiet enough that you could just about talk to the person sitting right next to you. But it was also loud enough that if you were sat two seats apart, then you'd need to pass letter or use sign language.

  • @thethesaxman23
    @thethesaxman23 4 роки тому +717

    Similar to this, the US space shuttle and the Soviet Buran would be an interesting topic!

    • @flaviosalatino8192
      @flaviosalatino8192 4 роки тому +30

      Yes it would be interesting video, and in that regard the Buran IMHO was better than the shuttle, even though they copied the american and improved on it

    • @aidan11162
      @aidan11162 4 роки тому +13

      Flavio Salatino it’s entirely possible that it was indeed better but it’s also entirely conjecture at this point on if it was or not

    • @Austin-bl7lz
      @Austin-bl7lz 4 роки тому +5

      Or the Saturn rockets (most notably the Saturn V) vs the Shuttle.

    • @flaviosalatino8192
      @flaviosalatino8192 4 роки тому +9

      @@aidan11162 lol why? The buran launched

    • @Alan-me8bs
      @Alan-me8bs 4 роки тому +10

      @@aidan11162 Nah it was just better.

  • @twinmama42
    @twinmama42 4 роки тому +527

    Suggestion: American and Soviet spaceshuttles.

    • @dsgreat3
      @dsgreat3 4 роки тому +67

      Buran is a really interesting vehicle and arguably more capable than the Space Shuttle.

    • @zolikoff
      @zolikoff 4 роки тому +42

      As with everything else, the soviet project is more promising, theoretically better, but ultimately the soviet union doesn't have the money to pay the upkeep costs on it and must give it up.

    • @therealdavyjones6859
      @therealdavyjones6859 4 роки тому +10

      Definitely second this. First thing I thought of when you asked for suggestions.

    • @zolikoff
      @zolikoff 4 роки тому +13

      Well except for the space shuttle anyway, where even the US forgot to pay the upkeep cost. They could have afforded it of course... but decided to spend a shitload of money elsewise instead.

    • @Gu1tarJohn
      @Gu1tarJohn 4 роки тому +4

      Yup! My suggestion too. Space shuttle vs. Buran

  • @TechnoLawyer
    @TechnoLawyer 4 роки тому +264

    US vs Russian cold war tech races are endlessly entertaining

    • @arthas640
      @arthas640 4 роки тому +11

      whats really fun is watching all the cheap copies both sides did of eachother (mainly Russians ripping off the US and the Chinese copying the Russians, but it happened all over)

    • @mikegallegos7
      @mikegallegos7 4 роки тому +1

      Boy could I fill your ears !! LOLZ
      😎

    • @exeuroweenie
      @exeuroweenie 4 роки тому +3

      In retrospect,it's almost laughable.

    • @sichere
      @sichere 4 роки тому +5

      @@arthas640 The funniest being the Chinese copying Russian copies of Western aircraft !!

    • @rjfaber1991
      @rjfaber1991 4 роки тому +15

      Sorry, but where exactly did you see the US in all this? The US gave up on their supersonic airliner, and Concorde was a proud piece of European cooperation. Don't forget that while the Cold War was obviously the major geopolitical conflict of the time, and Western Europe was on the same side as the US in that one, there was also an ongoing rivalry between European and US aircraft manufacturers; part of the reason Boeing and Lockheed started developing supersonic airliners at all was because successive US presidents did not want airlines in the US (notably Pan Am) to fly a supersonic airliner that had been made by BAe and Aerospatiale rather than a US manufacturer.

  • @georgegonzalez2476
    @georgegonzalez2476 2 роки тому +1

    An American aero engineer got a close-up look at the Concordski. He was impressed by the titanium parts. Except when he took a close look at a titanium screw, which had obviously been hand-made by using a lathe to cut the threads and a hacksaw to cut a slot in the top. Also remarkable we’re the huge titanium forging. Although after reflection, the items were so large they could not be routinely inspected for cracks and impossible to replace even if cracks were ever found. The Soviets had invested huge amounts of money in making the largest titanium presses in the world, but with never a thought about the later consequences of making such huge parts. On the Concorde you could unbolt worn out parts at least.

  • @denisdrozdoff2926
    @denisdrozdoff2926 4 роки тому +266

    Next one: AN-225 "Mriya"
    How big plane do you need?
    YES.

    • @ratagris21
      @ratagris21 4 роки тому +5

      Super duper size.

    • @the_kombinator
      @the_kombinator 4 роки тому +5

      Da.

    • @gabbyn978
      @gabbyn978 4 роки тому +2

      Alright. As opposed to the Boeing C-17 Globemaster, or the Lockheed C-5 in the Galaxy version, or the Super Guppy, versus the A300B4-600ST „Beluga“. They all are interesting transport vehicles.

    • @Inchaos42
      @Inchaos42 4 роки тому +3

      @@the_kombinator or rather "так", it's Ukrainian after all

    • @the_kombinator
      @the_kombinator 4 роки тому +1

      @@Inchaos42 Absolutna racja, moje zlo ;) We should not adopt the language of our mutual occupier!

  • @edwardelliott5756
    @edwardelliott5756 Рік тому +1

    In fairness Alexander Tupolov was under tremendous pressure to get this thing flying. Failure in the USSR was not looked as anything less than a death sentence or extremely long stay in the Siberian gulag. The engines were placed close to the fuselage due to their extremely long air intakes. Long because they couldn’t figure out how to slow the air enough at supersonic speeds for the engines to burn. Western powers had this figured out long ago. Incredible that it actually flew at all!

  • @paulleader7000
    @paulleader7000 4 роки тому +78

    i can imagine some British guy in his shed laughing thinking "we sent them all the wrong parts"

    • @neiljohnson3068
      @neiljohnson3068 4 роки тому +6

      I can see them saying, they had all the right parts but not necessarily in the correct order

    • @VictorLazlo1995
      @VictorLazlo1995 4 роки тому

      Ha ha ha poetic justice! 😂🤣😅😃😆

    • @nemanjap8768
      @nemanjap8768 4 роки тому +2

      You do understand that is propaganda, and you do understand that Soviets were fantastic investors

    • @paulleader7000
      @paulleader7000 4 роки тому

      @@nemanjap8768 i am British.....we are better.

    • @secundus6457
      @secundus6457 4 роки тому

      @@paulleader7000 You are simply Russophobes.

  • @neillangridge862
    @neillangridge862 Рік тому

    Great video and very interesting. To support your point about industrial espionage . My father was an executive with British Aerospace and knew a number of engineers who worked on Concord. Several told him that the TU144 wing design was identical to an early mock-up which was being tested in the wind tunnel in the early 60's when a delegation of Soviet diplomats were shown around the BAC facilities. This design was not pursued when the better wing shape that Concord was launched with which creates slow moving air eddies over the inboard section of the wings at slow speeds to allow better handling at low speeds and lower (still circa 160 mph!!) landing speed. Thank you for another great presentation.

  • @ignitionfrn2223
    @ignitionfrn2223 4 роки тому +5

    2:25 - Chapter 1 - Rivalry
    3:35 - Chapter 2 - Concordski
    5:40 - Chapter 3 - Tire gate
    6:30 - Chapter 4 - The 1st supersonic airliner
    8:30 - Chapter 5 - Plagued with problems
    10:50 - Chapter 6 - Showdown
    12:30 - Chapter 7 - Official service
    17:05 - Chapter 8 - Afterlife

  • @adamarends
    @adamarends 4 роки тому +2

    Really enjoying this new channel/format. The laid-back business-blaze is where I go for some levity and this is just a great addition to my queue for the weekend of learning and information download (along with the rest of Simon's channels)

  • @mrrolandlawrence
    @mrrolandlawrence 4 роки тому +19

    The Tu144 really is 2 planes. The prototype had so many issues the main production was pretty much a ground up redesign. Also interesting of note that Tupolev actually was against the aircraft as it was sucking up pretty much most of the Soviet aviation funds, funds that were desperately needed elsewhere!

    • @RACECAR
      @RACECAR Рік тому +1

      I can only imagine the 1973 Paris Airshow did no favors to alleviate this. Between that and the increasing loss of faith from the top brass, makes me wonder who was the exact person that insisted this seemingly never ending train wreck to keep going.

  • @udirt
    @udirt 2 роки тому +2

    In case there wasn't already a 100 people posting this, the Sinsheim technology museum has both of them on adjcacent rooftops. Sadly the TU144 engines are removed, but still it is wonderful to step inside both these planes. The TU-144 had a lot more headroom for the passengers, but the cockpit also shows it's basically 1950's technology.

  • @LeatherNeck1833
    @LeatherNeck1833 4 роки тому +72

    Imagine telling your boss, "Yes, I know the program I designed was a huge failure, but you can't deny that it was the most successful failure though."

    • @ЛарисаЯковец-ы4у
      @ЛарисаЯковец-ы4у Рік тому

      А вы представьте, что наши жуковци как что нибудь сопрут так сразу хаить начинают.

  • @shorttimer874
    @shorttimer874 4 роки тому +1

    Mom went to work at Boeing's wind tunnel at Plant 2 around 1960 as an engineering aid, among other things plotting graph results of the wind tunnel testing on the Dyna Soar and SST projects (she had the neatest fine tip pens!). She took me on a open house kind of event featuring a walk through of the SST full scale mockup. I remember that it looked just like a real plane, that it did not look as narrow as I now know it must have been, but what excited me most was seeing TV screens at each seat!

  • @tucsonorganist
    @tucsonorganist 4 роки тому +7

    Simon, maybe you could do a video on the first commercial aircraft to break the sound barrier? It wasn't the Concord or the Tu-144. It was in 1961 when a Douglas DC-8 was pushed to its limits. A man named Magruder took his DC-8 up to 52,000 feet and put it in a dive. At 45,000 feet it broke the sound barrier for some 16 seconds. The plane was escorted by Chuck Yaeger in an F-104.

    • @crhu319
      @crhu319 2 роки тому

      DC-2, DC-3, DC-8 all god tier for different reasons. Boeing is no longer what it was.

  • @mandarin1257
    @mandarin1257 4 роки тому +1

    Everyone who worked on the Tu-144 was a genius. Including Tupolev himself. There are logs that show that he was the one who came to the delta wing design. Another thing: it was designed to land and take off on unprepared runways, including grass ones. That's why it had canards and "overbuilt" landing gear. Also, many passengers have stated that the flight was actually quite pleasant. The main reason for stopping flights was the operating cost.

    • @robertoricardoruben
      @robertoricardoruben 4 роки тому

      what about the cabin noise?

    • @mandarin1257
      @mandarin1257 4 роки тому +1

      @@robertoricardoruben that is hard to get info on. Most western newspapers state that yes, the noise was unbearable. But many individual reports suggest it was louder than in other planes, but acceptable. The note-passing was most likely an exaggeration. There were also technical issues, but many were again an exaggeration. The only "critical" incident was when a fire started, forcing the plane to (very successfully and gracefully) land in a field.

    • @river_salmon
      @river_salmon 2 роки тому

      @@mandarin1257 yet the Yegoryevsk accident was caused by doubtful quality RD-36-51 engines that were unable to cope with APU. Concordski is extremely underrated imo.

  • @xX3alienpjXx
    @xX3alienpjXx 4 роки тому +72

    The man The Myth the legend Simon Whistler

  • @wesleytownsend8214
    @wesleytownsend8214 4 роки тому

    As an electrical engineer I am really enjoying this new channel and of course with Mr Simon and his team, makes this a sure fire winner. Thank You!
    I wish good health and all the best to you and yours!

  • @raymondrogers4446
    @raymondrogers4446 4 роки тому +17

    I'd love to see one for the US space shuttle program vs USSR Buran! Great vid as always

  • @chadcondit6360
    @chadcondit6360 4 роки тому +241

    In Soviet Russia, sound barrier breaks you!

    • @angela20377
      @angela20377 4 роки тому +4

      underrated comment of the year

    • @melangellatc1718
      @melangellatc1718 4 роки тому +1

      Unless you ar a MiG-25 or MiG-31...

    • @johnbockelie3899
      @johnbockelie3899 4 роки тому +3

      Now to try to find rich people in Russia to fly on it.

    • @nemanjap8768
      @nemanjap8768 4 роки тому

      @@johnbockelie3899 there are bunch of them

    • @Locutus
      @Locutus 3 роки тому

      Overrated comment of the year.

  • @joeyr7294
    @joeyr7294 4 роки тому +4

    I don't want to spam the comments so this is the last time I'm posting this lol I think an awesome topic would be the rescue of the 33 miners in Chile. It was a major undertaking with an unheard of time crunch. As always keep up the good work!

  • @gersonboav1
    @gersonboav1 4 роки тому

    This is one of the best youtube channels i ever seen, and i'm here since the beginning.
    Thanks for this Simon, you are really a TEACHER.

  • @crisbwilliams
    @crisbwilliams 4 роки тому +4

    The original prototype Tu-144 had all 4 engines under the plane, while the revised version separated the engines into two bays, similar to the Concordes. U can see the two version and how they look in ur videos. The first version also had the wings that were designed for speed while the second version had the canards in front and the wings had a similar look to the concords. They rushed to get the first version into the air and revised the second.

  • @chrislong3938
    @chrislong3938 2 роки тому +1

    I'll tell ya, I've seen the Concorde taxiing away from its BA gate with the afterburners kicking on and off and also seen it take off while switching buses at Heathrow.
    That jet is louder than a F-4 phantom flying right over your head at near supersonic speed!!!
    I'm priviledged to have been scared to death by both!
    Loud does not apply in either case.... when the dirt and rocks start dancing on their own and you can only smell JP-4, you've been there!
    P.S. I've often wondered why it wasn't towed out to the end of it's runway to save on all the fuel it burns while taxiing.
    When it takes off, it sounds exactly like a fighter and when you're not expecting it, it really catches yo off guard and you want to hit the deck!

  • @machdaddy6451
    @machdaddy6451 Рік тому +3

    Bumper sticker "I survived the Tupolev Tu-144"

  • @maxesfuerzo3573
    @maxesfuerzo3573 4 роки тому

    I have listened to dozens of subjects across several of your channels and you just don’t screw up! Very impressive, young man!

  • @Kirovets7011
    @Kirovets7011 4 роки тому +38

    To bad this Tupolev had so many problems. Personally, I would have loved to see these supersonic giants flying together.

    • @ntscho_tschi1009
      @ntscho_tschi1009 4 роки тому +6

      The next best Option you have is visiting the Technikmuseum Sinsheim there is a Concorde and a Tupelov in starting Position behind each other it is an impressive sight and you can Look in both of the planes Interiour.

    • @arrant638
      @arrant638 4 роки тому +8

      Tu 144 was modified and altered. The latest versions of the aircraft were very good. Tupolev also worked on the Tu 244 project, based on the experience gained on the Tu 144. The problem was in the economy. In the west, the Concorde could be hauled up like an elite plane for a select few rich people and kept. In the USSR, this was impossible, because it did not fit into the political, economic model of the state. And he was abandoned. Well, the collapse of the USSR closed the Tu 244 project. But not everything is so sad. Tu144 technologies are alive and well implemented in Tu 160 bomber.

    • @Dr_Mario2007
      @Dr_Mario2007 3 місяці тому +1

      ​@@arrant638 Surprisingly enough, Russians did lend TU-144 SSTs to NASA for sonic boom researches and to take a fresh look at how a SST can be improved in term of technology and sonic boom muffling designs.

  • @markmuldoon805
    @markmuldoon805 2 роки тому

    Excellent presentation, well paced and well supported by real footage that isn't repeated. Well done!

  • @generalhyde007
    @generalhyde007 4 роки тому +136

    I would like to see the SR-71 Blackbird.

    • @sichere
      @sichere 4 роки тому +12

      It has already seen you

    • @Mountee29
      @Mountee29 4 роки тому

      brilliant idea sir

    • @Jakob_DK
      @Jakob_DK 4 роки тому

      What do you think
      This is probably the best one on the A12 - SR71 program I have seen
      ua-cam.com/video/-zWAxIeeXqs/v-deo.html
      Also find the other ones on that channel with the pilots and navigators.

    • @johnbockelie3899
      @johnbockelie3899 4 роки тому +1

      Russia sent spies to England to get info on Concord . right down to the rubber for its tires.

    • @jacoblazar4909
      @jacoblazar4909 4 роки тому +1

      Saw down in Virginia at the Smithsonian sister museum by Dulles , very humbling aircraft even if a bit dated. Incredibly powerful engine, Mach 5 speeds. They also have the space shuttle discovery. Amazing trip definitely make it a bucket list item.

  • @lpllol9460
    @lpllol9460 Рік тому +1

    Another great video,and I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again please please do one on the DeLorean car!!!!

  • @francescosirotti8178
    @francescosirotti8178 4 роки тому +71

    Well, given that URSS gave us the first satellite, the first living thing in space, the first astronaut (that was a cosmonaut) and the the first space walk, while being a country that was little out of the middle ages at the start of the XX Centuty tells you how hard they did drive themselves

    • @altergreenhorn
      @altergreenhorn 4 роки тому +16

      And was almost destroyed by Nazis and payed a big price 20 million lives unlike the US only + 1 decade prior

    • @hatman4818
      @hatman4818 4 роки тому +31

      Yes, but the criticism is "at what cost"?
      Laika died a horrible and painful death long before the USSR had perfected TPS, basically launched in a tin can strapped to a Sputnik, while the US returned Ham in a capsule already ready for human flight. Yuri Gagarin had to bail out of his spacecraft, by design, because the vostok capsule hits the ground so hard it crushes on impact. Leonov performed the first spacewalk, but nearly died doing it. His spacesuit inflated so bad he could barely move his joints, and couldn't fit back in the airlock. He had to manually depressurize his spacesuit. And Soyuz 1... Oh boy... Commander Komarov was slated to fly on that mission... The engineers identified over 200 problems with the spacecraft before launch. It was to be launched anyway because the politicians were desparate for a win of some kind. Both he and Yuri Gagarin, his backup crew, knew this was a suicide mission. Yuri offered to take Komarov's place, but Komarov refused. He couldn't stand to see Yuri, his friend, and the hero of the soviet union, be killed.
      Soyuz 1 ended in Komarov's death. This, combined with N1's failures, already after the US had beaten the USSR to the moon, as well as Korolev's unfortunate death (his failing health ironically in part due to the brutality from previous soviet governments) spelled the death knell of the soviet space race. They ran out of luck, and the corner cutting finally caught up to them. They took a moritorium on spaceflight for a few years to take a step back, re-evaluate, and go through massive safety reforms.
      The Soviet Union's exploits during the space race are impressive, and worthy of praise, and the benefits are still felt even at NASA today believe it or not... But the methodology is questionable, and well worth criticism. If the US space shuttle program's constant cutting of corners in regards to safety to meet deadlines and design goals is worthy of criticism, then so too is much of the USSR's space program (as well as their nuclear program, aviation programs, weapons programs, etc, because they did this stuff everywhere).

    • @hatman4818
      @hatman4818 4 роки тому +19

      @@altergreenhorn lol, sorry man, but the idea germany was ever capable of defeating the soviets is pop history. The germans were never capable of defeating the soviets. Operation Barbarossa was shortsighted, the Germans chronically failed at the operational and logistics level throughout the war... And even if they hadn't, more importantly, the Soviets alone outmassed Germany's forces, let alone British and American forces on the other side of Europe.
      Let me put this into perspective for you:
      Germany: Something like 20,000 Pz IVs (the closest equivalent to the T-34, though a bit worse), about 6,000 Panthers (a lot of which, incidentally, could be killed by lowly anti tank rifles fired into the tank's side armor), about 1300 Tiger 1s, and about 600 King Tigers. Germany had a wide variety of other tanks as well, but these were the biggest players. TDs also played a big role, but they rarely really exceeded their medium and heavy tank counterparts in numbers.
      This is compared to: 200,000 T-34s of various types produced throughout the war.... No, I am not even going to touch other tank types like SU tank destroyers, KV-1s, KV-2s, etc, because why bother... 200,000 T-34s is, all by itself, a retarded number of vehicles, backed up by a retarded number of men, a retarded amount of gasoline and oil, etc, again, before even getting to the US and British involvement... Germany... Did not... Have... The resources... PERIOD. They were never going to win that war, even if the USSR were somehow their only opponent.
      To paint this picture very vividly, one of my favorite WW2 stories comes from Geog Gaertner, the last German POW in the United States. To paraphrase, he knew that Germany had lost the war as early as 1943, when he was captured in North Africa... When he was escorted through the US camp, he noticed something... All the allied tanks were just sitting around engines idling. Initially he thought they must be prepping to head out on some attack... But no... They were just sitting there... engines whirring away all day long, while the crews chill out in the camp.... He knew then Germany had lost the war... THIS was what they were up against, an enemy so rich in resources, they could just leave their tank engines idle all damned day and not even notice, while Germany was so strapped for gas, every drop counted and german tank crews had to take great pains not to waste ANY of their fuel reserves.
      Whoever told you Germany nearly beat the Russians is a joke. Russia had an entire continent left to retreat down and burn what they leave behind total war style while they get their act together, and figure out how to quit letting the Germans get the better of them through attrition. Capturing Moscow would've been a victory in name only for the germans, it didn't hold much value militarily.

    • @arthas640
      @arthas640 4 роки тому +4

      Alot of their early success was due to copying German tech. The Russians managed to seize a ton of German tech after WW2 and they had alot of spies in Western countries when the allies retook the territories, and the spies were integrated into those allied regions, so they were able to get alot of German and allied tech in the 40s, 50s, and part way into the 60s. The Russians were infamous in their treatment of POWs so most scientists fled west to the Allies, especially the US which is why the US got so many Nazi scientists, bu they didnt necessarily get the research papers and tech that was pulled back towards the capital as the war dragged on. That meant the US had more long term boosts to technology (in addition to democracies and capitalism being more beneficial to research than communism and autocracies) while the Soviets only had a short term boost. The US also gave a ton of technology to Russia as part of lend lease and sent them alot of material, especially more difficult to manufacture things like early computers and radios. Thats why you see Russia take off like, well, a rocket in the 50s and 60s before lagging behind the West and stalling in the 70s and finally being pretty backwards by the 80s.

    • @altergreenhorn
      @altergreenhorn 4 роки тому +4

      @@arthas640 You mismatched US (operation paperclip) and the Soviets its happen particularly to an average msm eater

  • @Hogscraper
    @Hogscraper 4 роки тому

    That weird feeling you get when you're on your 5th straight Simon Whistler video and realize you're now on a channel you never even heard of. Great video and definitely subbed! Looking forward to whatever you put out!

  • @blainetoms
    @blainetoms 4 роки тому +4

    i'd love to see one on the russian N1 and their space shuttle. top quality content as always boss.

  • @sariloffler8634
    @sariloffler8634 2 роки тому +1

    Sovjets: Developing a Concorde knock-off with such secrecy, that it might crash without anyone in the West noticing it. Also the Sovjets: Crashing it in front of anyone‘s eyes at an airshow in the West.

  • @greaseman01
    @greaseman01 4 роки тому +21

    Perfect timing i just finished the concorde one

  • @half-lifer5761
    @half-lifer5761 4 роки тому

    Love all your content!!! Keep up the good work. I’d suggest episodes on the F-22, the Boeing 747, the Airbus A380, the New York subway system, Taipei 101, the American Interstate highway system, the Japanese I-400 submarine, the battleship Yamato, and the Basílica de la Sagrada Família in Barcelona.

  • @joehemmann1156
    @joehemmann1156 4 роки тому +10

    Simon: "... which I've got a video about that I'll link to below."
    Narrator voice: "He won't."

  • @preachyourstory3452
    @preachyourstory3452 Рік тому +1

    I'd love it if you added a Part 3 on the US supersonic airliner project. Being a bit cheeky, Part 3 won't be able to offer any in-flight footage...

  • @deadfreightwest5956
    @deadfreightwest5956 4 роки тому +10

    Simon missed the point that the Soviets in the end asked Lucas Electric, aka "the Prince of Darkness", to help with their plane. Now, that is desperation in a nutshell. "Lucas... precisely crafted at the bottom of a Welsh coal mine, carefully packed in brine for shipment", as my uncle used to say.

    • @sichere
      @sichere 4 роки тому +2

      Didn't Lucas Industries patent the short circuit ?

    • @alanc.1213
      @alanc.1213 4 роки тому +1

      Lucas Aerospace in Birmingham, Acocks Green also made the Fuel System for the RR RB211...22, 524, and the 535. Powering the Lockheed Tristar, Boeing 747 200 and the Boeing 757 and B767.

  • @AnthonyRBlacker
    @AnthonyRBlacker 4 роки тому +1

    I think the comparison videos are marvelous! Keep it up Simon, great work!!

  • @burntorangeak
    @burntorangeak 4 роки тому +3

    Vladimir says :
    "The TU-144 had an average passenger load of 378 souls.
    Carried a support crew of 22.
    This airframe flew at Mach 7.3 in an operational radius exceeding 19k nautical miles without refueling."

  • @dragonpride6997
    @dragonpride6997 4 роки тому +1

    I did have a suggestion for a two-part piece, regarding the SS Normandie and RMS Queen Mary, and their roles in the pivotal period of Transatlantic Liner from 1928-1938. It is, in my opinion, one of the most significant eras of ocean travel, seeing Germany, Italy, France, and the U.K. in a mad dash to outdo one another, and so shortly before the start of World War 2.

    • @patolt1628
      @patolt1628 4 роки тому

      What do you mean by "SS" Normandie?

    • @dragonpride6997
      @dragonpride6997 4 роки тому

      pat olt SS means Steamship. It was a massive ocean liner, so in its anglicized form, it receives the prefixed SS.

  • @3a4fe
    @3a4fe 4 роки тому +78

    Had always heard of this as 'Concordski'

    • @TimSmyth23
      @TimSmyth23 4 роки тому +4

      Andy Arnott - It’s NATO codename is ‘Charger’.

    • @ratagris21
      @ratagris21 4 роки тому +2

      Da Comrade!!!

    • @iamwepty8986
      @iamwepty8986 4 роки тому +1

      Fanny Fflapz that’s interesting why does it have a NATO reporting name if it’s a civilian aircraft?

    • @annescholey6546
      @annescholey6546 4 роки тому

      Made in Kazakhstan! Is Nice!

    • @dogwalker666
      @dogwalker666 4 роки тому

      Yes that was the common name for it.

  • @thiagoluna4381
    @thiagoluna4381 4 роки тому

    Simon, one great megaproject was the Itaipu Dam, here in Brazil/Paraguay frontier. I love ALL your channels. Thank you for the awesome videos.

  • @jmdollison
    @jmdollison 4 роки тому +7

    Since we're on the subject of Cold War aircraft, a comparison between the B1 Lancer and the Soviet Blackjack would be amazing!

    • @AtheistOrphan
      @AtheistOrphan 4 роки тому

      Galactus33 - Apart from looking similar there is no comparison, the TU-160 is a much larger, heavier aircraft, with a significantly bigger payload and greater range.

    • @anngo4140
      @anngo4140 3 роки тому

      @@AtheistOrphan Indeed, well I can settle for 2 videos.

  • @emoore254x
    @emoore254x 3 роки тому

    You probably won't see this but I've binge watched/listened to about 7 hours of your content in the past day. Subscribed with notifications for sure! Great content!

  • @PureFPSPwnage
    @PureFPSPwnage 4 роки тому +10

    @12:25 . I love how when the _"Official Service"_ segment begins the intro music sounds like: *"Dumb dumb dumb dumb dumbd dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb."* Very fitting indeed.

    • @Souflay1
      @Souflay1 4 роки тому

      I legit want this sound as a ringtone

    • @PureFPSPwnage
      @PureFPSPwnage 4 роки тому

      @@Souflay1 very easy to do. You're only a few clicks away.

  • @christopherbasham2179
    @christopherbasham2179 4 роки тому +2

    On August 21, 1961, a Douglas DC-8 broke the sound barrier at Mach 1.012 (660 mph/1,062 km/h) while in a controlled dive through 41,000 feet (12,497 m) and maintained that speed for 16 seconds. The flight was to collect data on a new leading-edge design for the wing, and while doing so, the DC-8 became the first civilian jet - and the first jet airliner - to make a supersonic flight.[7] The aircraft was DC-8-43 registered CF-CPG later delivered to Canadian Pacific Air Lines. The aircraft, crewed by Captain William Magruder, First Officer Paul Patten, Flight Engineer Joseph Tomich and Flight Test Engineer Richard Edwards, took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California, and was accompanied to altitude by an F-104 Starfighter supersonic chase aircraft flown by Chuck Yeager.[8]

    • @namanverma1282
      @namanverma1282 3 роки тому

      The speed of sound is 1234 km/h

    • @christopherbasham2179
      @christopherbasham2179 3 роки тому

      @@namanverma1282 Speed of sound is a function of the medium and temperature. Simply speed of sound decreases with altitude.

  • @FirkinFreightLtd
    @FirkinFreightLtd 4 роки тому +3

    You may have already been swamped with requests for this, but I haven’t seen any; would love to see you do a Megaprojects video for the SR-71 Blackbird. Connecting it to your U-2 video and the supersonic chapter of Concorde and the TU-144. It’s such a fascinating plane and never surpassed in so many areas.

  • @mitchyk
    @mitchyk 4 роки тому

    Love this more human approach. You're not just relaying facts to viewers but having fun doing it. Or you've gone mad from lockdown, but it's still a better watch for us. So whatever it is keep it up!

  • @marinusprimus7785
    @marinusprimus7785 4 роки тому +10

    Yay, I loved the first one! The Cold War is fascinating, and I've generally loved Simon's coverage of it.

    • @stickiedmin6508
      @stickiedmin6508 4 роки тому

      @Юрий Тойкичев
      Interesting.
      You'll happily accept that people can live in "ignorance, talking in ordinary nonsense," "stunned by propaganda," taken in by "ridiculous propaganda cliches," but you never once stopped to take the time to wonder whether it might you *_you_* that was "stunned by propaganda" in the first place?
      What makes you so certain that it's the host of the video that was fooled, and not you?
      If people can be tricked so easily, how can you be so sure that you _weren't?_
      You're thirty years too late Comrade.

    • @stickiedmin6508
      @stickiedmin6508 4 роки тому

      @Юрий Тойкичев
      "By the way, there were practically no lies in the Soviet propaganda . . . "
      You're not serious?
      Dude, you really need to stop letting your prejudices and your assumptions do your thinking _for_ you. That kind of thinking is _never_ helpful.

    • @stickiedmin6508
      @stickiedmin6508 4 роки тому

      @Юрий Тойкичев
      Words, words, words.
      Empty, meaningless and worthless.
      See how easy this is?
      "*_YOU_* are a fool, dazzled by propaganda. The reality is that the Soviets did nothing _but_ lie, the Soviets tried and failed to things kept quiet.
      The internal delirium was related entirely to the corruption, incompetence and inherent dishonesty, but this was not the fault of propaganda, but of the failed government . . . etc."
      Bluster all you want.
      You're as transparent as vodka.

  • @japanesetoast
    @japanesetoast 4 роки тому +10

    Suggestion for a video: the CERN LHC or ITER fusion reactor projects would both be very interesting!

    • @emmata98
      @emmata98 4 роки тому

      LHC is upgrading every few years and ITER has still to be completed.

  • @missmusica82
    @missmusica82 4 роки тому

    Loving this channel! Business Blaze is my favorite of all your channels, but Mega Projects is a close second!! Simon, you are awesome 😎

  • @albertjackinson
    @albertjackinson 4 роки тому +13

    You should do an episode on the Boeing 2707. You've done episodes on the Concorde and the Tu-144. Might as well talk about the American supersonic airliner that, unfortunately, never flew.

    • @thunderbird1921
      @thunderbird1921 4 роки тому +4

      Compared to the TU-144, the Boeing 2707 was actually a very unique design and tried to put a small horizontal tail on the craft, unlike Concorde. Plus, it was MUCH larger, goal was to carry 300 passengers. Ultimately, the astronomical costs did the project in. It was a beautiful aircraft, but just WAY too ambitious for the time. Interesting fact: Lockheed Martin has publicly said they're trying to build a modern supersonic airliner with a design that will fix the sonic boom problem. If they're successful, SSTs may come back!

    • @albertjackinson
      @albertjackinson 4 роки тому +2

      @@thunderbird1921 And hopefully they are eco-friendly this time. Biofuels/electric power/hydrogen power...several different methods of powering them. But they each have their own engineering challenges, as do most things.

    • @RemixedVoice
      @RemixedVoice 4 роки тому

      @@thunderbird1921 The 2707 was probably the most ambitious passenger plane ever designed

  • @Garacha222
    @Garacha222 4 роки тому +2

    I was barely a teenager, and remember hearing few highlights about the Concorde. After this video, I am a bit wiser about the story of its place in history.

  • @QwertiusMaximus
    @QwertiusMaximus 4 роки тому +6

    How bad did things have to be that the Soviet asked Lucas "The Prince of Darkness" of all people for help.

  • @stevemarethyu3003
    @stevemarethyu3003 4 роки тому

    Aeroflot was not known for its quality. I flew on one plane from SFO to Anchorage to Khabarovsk. I swear it had a wooden door, and the seats would fully recline onto the lap of the person behind you if you leaned back too hard. We flew in so low through the mountains that it felt like a roller coaster ride. Perfect landing though and the food was excellent!
    Domestic flights were notorious. The leader of the team I was on in the mid-90s actually crashed in one of their planes prior to our trip. It was a small puddle jumper and it ended up flipping over on landing.

  • @z31drifterlf
    @z31drifterlf 4 роки тому +43

    Waiting for the SR-71 vid

    • @oxcart4172
      @oxcart4172 4 роки тому +5

      U should look up the 'Peninsula Seniors' channel. Some great talks on there by Blackbird crews! (And loads of others)

    • @davekp6773
      @davekp6773 4 роки тому

      Yes just a long as the A12 (cooler aircraft im my opinion....single seater, run by the CIA) has equal coverage.

    • @emmata98
      @emmata98 4 роки тому

      Not even the fastet plane.
      A shorter Variant (AN 12 or so) could go a bit faster

  • @stevejessemey8428
    @stevejessemey8428 4 роки тому

    Your passion for explaining is super fantastic 👍👍

  • @maximeprometheas
    @maximeprometheas 4 роки тому +24

    An idea for a future Megaprojects two-parter: The Millau Viaduct in France and the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in Japan - two incredible suspension bridges.

  • @animabella14
    @animabella14 4 роки тому +2

    Would be cool to see a video on the building of the Large Hadron Collider on this channel !

  • @benlaskowski357
    @benlaskowski357 4 роки тому +11

    The Concorde was a graceful swan. The Charger was a goose.

    • @abyssofmymind
      @abyssofmymind 3 роки тому

      I don't think so

    • @river_salmon
      @river_salmon 3 роки тому

      Dang, exactly...
      Just that aggressive and bizarre

  • @TrainingSage
    @TrainingSage Рік тому +1

    For those of you who don’t know, the Concorde features a droop snoot.

  • @projectinlinesix
    @projectinlinesix 4 роки тому +17

    Would you be interested in any ancient megaprojects? Maybe, the aqueducts of Rome?

    • @VillainsVindication
      @VillainsVindication 4 роки тому +2

      Chase He usually does ancient structures on Geographics instead of here.

  • @addicted2knots
    @addicted2knots 4 роки тому

    I subscribe to all your channels Simon, listen to the videos in the background while I work. Love all the work by you and your teams!!!

  • @gdwnet
    @gdwnet 4 роки тому +4

    When concorde was supersonic without the afterburners on, it was in supercruise.

  • @sjmcoarch
    @sjmcoarch 4 роки тому

    I would really love to see a video about SR-71 Blackbird. And thank you very much for the video, it was very informative for me.

  • @Zalor666
    @Zalor666 4 роки тому +11

    do a mega project on the Caspian sea monster, The Ekranoplan

    • @eiv-gaming
      @eiv-gaming 4 роки тому +2

      Just googled that, holy crap that thing is cool. Second the motion for a video on this.

  • @michaelsuerth1448
    @michaelsuerth1448 4 роки тому

    Thank you Simon. This was the first of your many informative and entertaining shows that had me crack into a huge belly laugh! When the word "CONCORDSKI" flashed across the screen. I am still chuckling as I right this. Whoops! There goes another belly laugh. I have to go before I hurt myself.

  • @zlinedavid
    @zlinedavid 4 роки тому +11

    Tupelov Engineer: "We're going to need 12 rear tires per plane."
    Soviet State Accountant: "Let me call the Gulag...."

    • @DesertFernweh
      @DesertFernweh 4 роки тому +1

      Sounds like the life of any Engineer that ever worked for a large company.

  • @mattmccracken5741
    @mattmccracken5741 4 роки тому

    Great video! Very interesting. I agree with the previous comment on the space shuttle or even the Saturn V rocket and the Soviet counterpart.

  • @whicar99
    @whicar99 4 роки тому +6

    Drinking game: take a shot each time he says TU-144.

  • @tomupward9012
    @tomupward9012 4 роки тому

    Really good video :) When I was younger I remember my Dad telling me about an incident regarding the Tu-144. He said in the mid 70s the Russians were attempting to break the world record for the highest altitude handgliding and a man launched from a Tu-144 at 55000ft - Apparently the handglider pilot got stuck in the jet stream and never came down - for years later international commercial aircraft pilots have seen him popping up on radar and floating thought the clouds, a frozen corpse hurtling through the upper atmosphere, never to return to earth. I’ve had nightmares about this for years.

    • @AtheistOrphan
      @AtheistOrphan 4 роки тому +1

      Tom Upward - Your dad was pulling your leg. Good story though!

    • @snowblind9065
      @snowblind9065 4 роки тому

      my dad told me a similar "bed time " story as well..you dad had a good sense of humor

  • @claudiobizama5603
    @claudiobizama5603 4 роки тому +6

    I would like more Soviet era spacecraft, I'm really interested in the MIR space station

    • @arthas640
      @arthas640 4 роки тому

      i always found it amazing how the Russians managed to get a satellite in space in 57, man in space in 61, and a space station in 71 yet China, a country many times the size of Russia, only got a man in space in 2003.

    • @JL-cn1qi
      @JL-cn1qi 4 роки тому

      This played a big part in the ISS. Not having all those very high skilled space engineers out of a job after the USSR collapsed. An international space program where they would have a job and pay in a project where the west had a part in. So not having those unemployed space engineers going to China to develop ICBM's

  • @sbcwinn
    @sbcwinn 4 роки тому +1

    Great video. Always well presented. I believe that a video on the Canadian Avro Arrow would make a fantastic story and suit the style of your videos.

    • @crhu319
      @crhu319 2 роки тому

      Except everyone lies about that project.

  • @joetcacciola
    @joetcacciola 4 роки тому +6

    Wait, they went to Lucas for help? Lucas? Like the company that made the sketchy electronics for various British car companies?

    • @myname-xt5gx
      @myname-xt5gx 4 роки тому

      ...and motorbikes . Yeah , that Lucas . They must have been desperate .

    • @yamakawirodebike5710
      @yamakawirodebike5710 4 роки тому

      And FORDs here in the U.S. !!

  • @stevecoleman9198
    @stevecoleman9198 4 роки тому

    Very interesting, thank you. Really enjoy your work.

  • @ImOfficiallyMe
    @ImOfficiallyMe 4 роки тому +4

    Future mega projects suggestion: The Great Wall of China would be pretty interesting.

  • @bondisteve3617
    @bondisteve3617 4 роки тому

    Top stuff Simon...thanks so much.

  • @misterblobbys
    @misterblobbys 4 роки тому +8

    I remember having this in my top trumps collection, it wasn't a winner

    • @robmuzz
      @robmuzz 4 роки тому

      Statistically, it was ahead in many ways... On paper.

  • @coder159
    @coder159 4 роки тому

    I much prefer the more serious tone of this video. Also, thank you for doing away with the weird sweeping camera angles :P. I love the concept of this channel, and I hope it keep getting better!

  • @willlewis2641
    @willlewis2641 4 роки тому +35

    when you say all the different speeds (mph, kmp etc...) i dont supposes you could put text on the screen, its weird but i get lost track easly.

    • @Snipergoat1
      @Snipergoat1 4 роки тому +4

      I propose that all speeds be expressed in furlongs per fortnight thus maximizing confusion for everyone.

    • @MatthewStinar
      @MatthewStinar 4 роки тому +3

      Wait. Too many numbers. What did he just say?

    • @genedrakes686
      @genedrakes686 4 роки тому

      @@Snipergoat1 Great now my brain hurts! Use to kph. I know 100 mph is 160 kph then lost from there!!

  • @half-lifer5761
    @half-lifer5761 4 роки тому +1

    You should do an episode on Operation Overlord. Not necessarily the D-Day landings themselves, or the Battle of Normandy, but rather all the planning and massive logistics that had to take place before the invasion could even happen.

  • @GunterJHofer
    @GunterJHofer 4 роки тому +5

    Lockheed A-12 „Oxcart“ and its succrssor SR-71 „Blackbird“ would be interesting

    • @garrulous_gnome
      @garrulous_gnome 4 роки тому +1

      It would probably draw Elon Musk and Grimes to subscribe to Simon

  • @blairmackinnon69
    @blairmackinnon69 4 роки тому

    Great video as always - I like the A-10 vs Su-25

  • @Mrgunsngear
    @Mrgunsngear 4 роки тому +4

    very cool

  • @cenewton3221
    @cenewton3221 4 роки тому +2

    I've seen other videos on the "Soviet Concorde" but appreciate you concise comparison. Well done. Perhaps a follow-on regarding why Boeing dropped their supersoninc passenger program? Thanks!

  • @NotProFishing
    @NotProFishing 4 роки тому +4

    16:12 that amazing pilot just sweating 7.62

  • @leannestrong1000
    @leannestrong1000 2 роки тому

    I was a HUGE aviation enthusiast when I was younger, and my total fave aircraft was the Concorde! I wanted nothing more than to fly on this plane!

  • @MinistryOfMagic_DoM
    @MinistryOfMagic_DoM 4 роки тому +4

    I miss the side tracking shots telling me about Simon's socks. Whoever was the one guy who complained about it should have been ignored.

  • @ivanashley7875
    @ivanashley7875 4 роки тому

    I've been on a Russian Concorde, I'm not surprised they got it built ahead of the competition, I'm convinced they used the seats from a Citroen 2CV and the instruments were salvaged from old Soviet tanks. The only leather on board that craft, was the necks of the crew.

  • @spunkyj9642
    @spunkyj9642 4 роки тому +3

    The Soviets were like the kid who always finishes he's home work first but ends up with a D- 😅

  • @CynicEidolon
    @CynicEidolon 4 роки тому

    This is Simon's best channel.

  • @1701spacecadet
    @1701spacecadet 4 роки тому +17

    Tupolev: How much money do you want to waste on this?
    Politburo: Yes.