Soviet bombers Russia used in Kiev: modern missiles, ancient planes

The Tupolev Tu-95 is a great strategic bomber outlined by four turbohélices. It has been at service since the 1950s, has risen in the Ukraine War, and its modern KH-101 cruise missiles could bombard Lisbon without leaving Russian airspace.

Moscow highlighted ten strategic bombers Tu-95MSM to launch the most violent attacks against the Ukrainian civilian population since the beginning of the war.

These aircraft, developed by the Soviet Union During the Cold War, they took off from two Russian bases: six aircraft departed from Olenyaa military installation on the Kola Peninsula, near Finland; The remaining four did so from Engels, south of Saratov. The ships that took off from Kola, according to Finland, violated the European airspace.

Your goal: launch KH-101 cruise missiles Against Ukrainian targets, the.

Each TU-95msm transported eight kh-101 under its wingswith a range of 3.500 km – A distance far greater than that exists between Russian airspace and Portugal: the extreme northeast of our country is about 2500 km from Kaliningrad, the closest point to the Russian border.

Modern missiles, ancient planes

These projectiles, supposedly equipped with systems to avoid radar, anti-interception systems and 400 kilograms explosive warheads -which can be conventional (KH-101) and thermonuclear (KH-102)-were detected to enter the region of Kharkiv, Sobrevoando Sumy E Poltavabefore they headed for Kiev.

According to the Journal of Defense, the Ukrainian defenses intercepted all missiles and 288 dronesalthough the rest have damaged 18 residential buildings, four industrial complexes and one power line in the Khmelnytskyi region. in the bombing of the last weekend.

The Tu-95msm involved in these operations These are updated versions of a bomber whose First flight occurred in 1952.

Originally conceived to threaten goals in the United States and Europe during the Cold War, the Tu-95 has Four turbohyelic engines – that combine gas turbines with propellers – and You can contrarotativewhich allow you to reach speeds until 900 km/h, a record for a propeller plane.

As Updates started in 2009 included new NK-12MPM engines, more powerful and efficient, and the ability to throw missiles Like KH-101 and its nuclear variant, the KH-102.

From the Cold War to the Donbass

The Tu-95, to which the forces of the NATO give the Bear code name (Bear), are often seen flying near Scotland and Alaska, close to the plain space of the Atlantic Alliance-being invariably used to test the capabilities of NATO’s air-forces interceptor fighters, he says.

Contrary to what happens with the mythical B-52 Bombards, the Tu-95 never carry nuclear weapons on training flightssince it harms your readiness to missions.

Although yours radar profile is easily detectable And its speed is lower than that of modern reactors, the Tu-95msm remains the great nuclear battle horse of Moscow as Third wheel of your strategic triad of air, sea and earth.

Yours low operating cost and the possibility of attacking its targets from safe distances – thanks to the extreme range of these missiles, which could Bombardes Lisbon without leaving Russian airspace -keep it operational despite their antiquity.

In fact, Russia predicts remove it in the 2040swhen theoretically your new ‘invisible’ bomber will go into service.

Tu-95 is not just the fastest propeller bomber in the worldbut also a symbol of technological longevityThe one that remained training exercises and testing US defenses, Canada and Europe until 2015, when he held his first real combat bombing positions of the Islamic State in Syria After 59 years of service.

Today, with 48 units in active -12 of which modernized in its Tu-95msm version now used in Ukraine-this Obsoleto plane continues to fightalthough analysts question their Ability to leave airspace Russian in combat missions unlucky by an enemy.

The same is passed with with efficiency of the missiles it uses, whose lack of effectiveness – that would have been proved this same weekend with the slaughter of missiles according to Kiev -, high cost and limited load They contrast with more economical alternatives such as short -range missiles or drones. Nevertheless, Russia plans to increase its production to 600 annual units by 2025.