> The space race undermined the Tu-144 programme by shifting the Soviet focus towards long-range rocketry and high-altitude missiles, and away from supersonic b

> The space race undermined the Tu-144 programme by shifting the Soviet focus towards long-range rocketry and high-altitude missiles, and away from supersonic bombers, effectively forcing the Soviets to develop the Tu-144 as a standalone civil aircraft programme. This is the key to understand this plane. Soviet goverment considered bombers to be obsolete by rockets. Designers had to pull many tricks to keep supersonic bomber program running. One way was to develop civil/cargo plane. Other was to call it 'rocket carrier' (long range missile launcher).