Laugh away. The Tu-144 had superior handling and aerodynamics at each end of its speed range, and in the Tu-144D variant had non-afterburning engines and still

Laugh away. The Tu-144 had superior handling and aerodynamics at each end of its speed range, and in the Tu-144D variant had non-afterburning engines and still cruised as fast as Concorde [0], despite having a wider five-abreast cabin. It was a first-generation SST done properly. There was plenty of industrial espionage, but the Tu-144 is no more a copy than the DC-8 is a copy of the 707. [0] no the F-22 didn't invent supercruise!