Tupolev Tu-114 variant
Tupolev Tu-114 Tu-116
Related development: two Tu-95 bombers fitted with pressurised passenger cabins in the space of the bomb bays, as a backup government transport. Neither cabin connected to the other or to the flight deck.
Image pending
- 2
- Units built
- 10,750 km
- Range
- 60
- Passengers
History
The Tu-116 was insurance: if the Tu-114 was not ready in time for official travel, the Soviet Union would still have an aircraft able to cross the Atlantic. The Tu-114 was ready, so the two machines were never used on official missions abroad and ended their careers ferrying crews for Tu-95 squadrons. Each carried a VIP section with an office and conventional seating elsewhere. The sole survivor is preserved at the Ulyanovsk aircraft museum alongside a Tu-114.