Data Quality87%
MASS(Military Archive Scoring System)
ⓘ Regardless of era, the same scoring system applies to all units in the reconnaissance / surveillance drones category.
01 / Overview
Tupolev Tu-143
Country
Prime contractor
Production
1982–1989
Quantity
950
Operators
Conflicts
💰 PERFORMANCE / PRICE ASSESSMENT Methodology ↗
RECONNAISSANCE / SURVEILLANCE DRONES · COLD WAR
14
PERFORMANCE/PRICE
85
UNIT COST (2025 USD)
—
ⓘ Performance/Price and MASS score are computed across all units in the reconnaissance / surveillance drones category, regardless of era.
02 / Specs & Design
◎General6MOD.6
- UAV Classtactical reconnaissance UAV
- Category (MALE/HALE/Tactical/Micro)Reconnaissance / Surveillance Drones
- First Flight1970
- Service Entry Year1976
- Primary Roletactical reconnaissance
- In ServiceYes
◈Airframe5MOD.5
- Length8.06 m
- Wingspan4.4 m
- Height1.54 m
- Max Takeoff Weight1.23 kg
- Low ObservableNo
▣Powerplant3MOD.3
- Engine TypeTR3-117 turbojet
- Number of Engines1
- Electric PropulsionNo
◇Performance3MOD.3
- Top Speed950 km/h
- Service Ceiling10,000 m
- Range200 km
◆Payload & Sensors5MOD.5
▤Armament4MOD.4
- ArmedNo
- Hardpoints0
- Weapon Typesexplosive payload
- Air-to-Ground MissilesNo
⬢Control & Autonomy5MOD.5
- Control Typeground station datalink
- Satellite (BLOS) LinkNo
- Autonomous CapableNo
- Swarming CapableNo
- Automatic Takeoff/LandingNo
▲Production3MOD.3
- Total Built950
- Operators5
- Variants3
◎Service History3MOD.3
- Production Start1973
- Production End1989
- Operational StatusActive
03 / History
SERVICE LIFESPANStill in Service
- 1945First deployment: Cold War
- 1982Production started
- 1989Production ended
44
years in service
7
years in production
950
units produced
7
countries operating
ⓘ The producing country still actively operates it. 3 countries retired it.
04 / Conflicts
TUPOLEV TU-143 · CONFLICTS SERVED IN0% win·50% loss
Total Conflicts
2
Victories
0
Ongoing
0
Losses
1
ⓘ Shown only from conflicts recorded in our database.
05 / Variants
▚ WEAPON FAMILY
06 / Operators
Operator Countries10country
07 / MASS Score
RECONNAISSANCE / SURVEILLANCE DRONES RANKING Reconnaissance / Surveillance Drones · Cold War
MASS RANKINGSMASS ↗
183RECONNAISSANCE / SURVEILLANCE DRONES14COLD WAR · RECONNAISSANCE / SURVEILLANCE DRONES1030RUSSIA · ALL WEAPONS82PERFORMANCE/PRICE · RECONNAISSANCE / SURVEILLANCE DRONES
ⓘ Rankings are within theReconnaissance / Surveillance Dronescategory.
📖 TERMS ON THIS PAGE2terms
Electro-optical/infrared sensor combining daylight cameras and thermal imagers for real-time target detection, tracking, and identification in military drones.
These terms are listed automatically because they appear on this page.full encyclopedia →
📚 Sources