During the war in Ukraine, the Russian forces recently carried out attacks with their intercontinental and hypersonic bombers, as they participated in this (Tupolev 22-M) capable of breaching NATO airspace and directing nuclear attacks and attacks with dozens of thermobaric bombs in a place in Europe.
Moscow also paraded this bomber, nicknamed “the ship predator”, in Red Square on May 7, during the celebration of “Victory Day”.
Super powers
According to a report published by the British newspaper “The Sun”, on Monday, the most lethal Tupolev TU-22M can carry nuclear bombs for thousands of kilometers and drop up to 24 tons of bombs.
And Ukraine had inherited a large number of them, but the Tu-22 and Tu-22M models, and with the collapse of the Soviet Union, were destroyed according to one of the agreements.
This strategic nuclear bomber, known to NATO as the “Back Fire”, was designed to target enemy navies during the Cold War.
The range of this aircraft is about 7,000 kilometers, which puts Europe and the east coast of the United States within its range, according to the British newspaper.
The Tu-22 is also an extension of the Tu-95MS bomber that entered military service in 1956, to be similar to the American B-52 bombers.
The first version of the Tu-22M3 was manufactured in 1976, and actually entered military service 1983, and it can carry cruise and short-range missiles or nuclear bombs.
During the period from 1971 to 1993, Russia manufactured about 500 Tu-22 aircraft, and some of these aircraft participated in the Afghanistan war, then the two Chechen wars during the 1990s, Georgia in 2008, and the Syrian war.
The military calls this aircraft a “ship predator” and a “carrier killer.” During one of the previous experiments, the “X-22” supersonic winged missile launched from the “Tupolev” was able to open a hole in the aircraft carrier’s hull with a diameter of 20 metres.
This missile can travel up to 500 kilometers at a speed of 1,000 meters per second, according to the Russian “Sputnik” website.
“The Tu-22M3 is one of the most iconic symbols of the Russian air force, having distinguished itself over three decades of service as an effective and highly reliable strategic bomber,” said national security expert Mark Epskopos.
According to military reports, these bombers, which are considered the most powerful in the world, gave Russia great air superiority, including the Tupolev.
It has enormous destructive power and the ability to fly long-range at supersonic speed, and there are different models of it.
Genesis and characteristics
The Tu-22 was made by the Russian company Tupolev, which was founded in 1922 to strengthen the Russian air arsenal, to confront the western camp.
It has capabilities, most notably: refueling with the air through a hose at the top of the front, providing reconnaissance and sensing equipment, including a side radar (Shompol), and advanced electronic jamming equipment.
It is also capable of carrying 10 missiles of various models and sizes, for use against armored vehicles, fortified and light targets, and individuals. It is characterized by short take-off, high flight efficiency, high speed and low flight.
The plane flies at an altitude of 13,000 feet, at a speed of 2,327 kilometers per hour, and weighs 58,000 kilograms empty, and 112,000 kilograms of payload, in addition to the operational range of 7,000 kilometers, and the combat range of 2,410 kilometers.
The researcher in military affairs, Mina Adel, says that the plane is one of the warheads of the Russian Air Force.
He added to “Sky News Arabia” that “the M3 version was developed to be a flexible solution that is easy to reposition anywhere with extraordinary combat effectiveness, especially for offensive missions, due to the excellent flight capabilities at a high altitude of up to 13,000 km, and the attack is low and at high speed.”
Regarding the capabilities of the bomber, he added: “Its speed is twice the speed of sound (2 Mach), in addition to defensive electronic jamming against interceptor fighters and air defense, and most importantly, the “Tenchin” computer in guiding bombs, which is (SVP-24-22).
Mina Adel continues: “The plane is capable of carrying about 60 free-guided bombs, and two types of hypersonic missiles (KH-22) and its nuclear version (KH-32), as well as (K-H-47) missiles, which made it one of the Russian tactical solutions. against the Western Fleets.
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