The Soviet supersonic airliner Tu-144 in Zhukovsky, Moscow Oblast, will be restored to working condition after 30 years of inactivity. Volunteers have already managed to connect a ground power source and start the electrical system; even the famous nose-lowering mechanism is working.
However, parts for the unique machine literally have to be searched for across the entire country, explained volunteer Sergey Chechetkin.
There is currently a problem with glass fuses. They are no longer used anywhere, and it's not always possible to find them from old stocks. We put out a call on the internet: who has what, who can help.
A total of 16 Tu-144s were built in the USSR, but only seven have survived to this day. Konstantin Timofeev, Managing Director of JSC "Tupolev", admitted that the Soviet supersonic passenger aircraft Tu-144 could be put back into service.
Also, the N.E. Zhukovsky Institute considers the Tu-144 as a basis for future supersonic airliners.