Tupolev Tu-95

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Tupolev Tu-95
Tu-95MSTu-95MS , off Scotland 2014,
photographed by RAF interceptors
Type:
Design country:

Soviet Union 1923Soviet Union Soviet Union

Manufacturer:

Tupolev

First flight:

November 12, 1952

Commissioning:

1956

Production time:

1956 to 1993

Number of pieces:

over 500

The Tupolew Tu-95 ( Russian Туполев Ту-95 , NATO code name : "Bear" ), originally called Tupolew Tu-20 , is a long-range bomber developed in the Soviet Union , which flew for the first time in 1952 and is still in use today. The Seeaufklärerversion for submarine -combat is a Tupolev Tu-142 , respectively. Numerous military versions and the Tupolev Tu-114 passenger aircraft were derived from the Tu-95 .

development

Tu-95 of the Russian Air Force
Cockpit of a Tupolev Tu-95MS

The Tu-95 was the successor to the Tu-4 and the Tu-85 , which were only used briefly or not at all because of their outdated piston engine engines. For a long time, the Tu-95 was referred to as the Tu-20 , also in the specialist press of the Warsaw Pact member states. The correct type designation only became known in the course of disarmament negotiations.

The first prototype of the Tu-95 flew on November 12, 1952 and was powered by four twin - engine 2TW-2F , although their state testing had not yet been completed. Subsequently, in January and April 1953, two consecutive 100-hour runs of the test engines No. 14 and 15 show considerable damage to the gearboxes after 50 hours and 23 hours respectively. Nevertheless, the flight tests of the first prototype with the apparently immature engines were continued. The prototype crashed during the 17th flight on May 11, 1953 due to a gearbox damage, four crew members, including the pilot Pereljot, died.

After the transition from the unreliable twin engine to the single-turbine engine TW-12 , which became world-famous under the name Kuznetsov NK-12 , and a detailed examination of the engine, the second prototype flew almost two years later on February 16, 1955. It was shown at the Tushino air parade presented to the world public on July 3rd of the same year as Tu-20. The single-shaft engine TW-12 or Kusnezow NK-12 , which, like its predecessor, was developed by a group under the Austrian designer Ferdinand Brandner , is still the most powerful turbo-prop engine in the world. The high engine output enabled the use of extremely large propellers Incline close to the feathered position at relatively low speeds. This increased the performance of the propeller aircraft significantly, because until then propeller-driven aircraft had reached a limit as soon as the propeller tips reached supersonic speed. The use of wings swept at 35 ° was the prerequisite for the achievable speed range of the new aircraft. With this and the powerful engines, which act on two counter-rotating 4-blade propellers , flight performances were possible that approach that of jet-powered aircraft.

When the West realized the aircraft's performance data, it was classified as a serious threat.

In 1961 the Tsar bomb was dropped with a Tu-95W . The machine that carried out this mission is now in the Central Museum of the Air Force of the Russian Federation in Monino near Moscow .

In addition to the bomber version, the Tu-95 was also built as a strategic missile carrier. A further development is the Tu-142 patrol version, from which the Tu-95MS-6 and Tu-95MS-16 were developed as carriers for cruise missiles . These - apart from the drive - comparable machines with the B-52H were built from 1988. Production was stopped in 1993 under President Boris Yeltsin .

After the end of production, the Tu-95 was modernized. The first of these machines, designated the Tu-95MSM, was handed over to the Russian Air Force in early 2016. The retrofitted machines have modernized radio and radar equipment, a target acquisition and navigation system compatible with the Russian satellite navigation system GLONASS, and the ability to carry eight strategic cruise missiles of the type Ch-101 or Ch-102 missiles with a nuclear warhead . It took the Russian aircraft manufacturer Aviakor three months to convert the Tu-95 to the changed requirement profile of the Russian air force. The modernization of two more Tu-95s began in 2015. Due to the retrofitting, the Tu-95 is to be used in the Russian armed forces until 2025.

commitment

Tupolev Tu-95 demonstrates air refueling during a military parade in Moscow
Tu-95 in 2008 over the North Sea, accompanied by a Eurofighter Typhoon of the Royal Air Force

The 185th TBAP (Heavy Bombing Regiment) in Engels and the 182nd and 79th TBAP - both in Ukrainka near Blagoveshchensk  - are currently equipped with Tu-95MS-6 . The Tu-95MS-6 can transport six Ch-55 nuclear cruise missiles on the internal bogie. The Tu-95MS-16 was able to carry an additional ten Ch-55 under the wings, these versions were later upgraded to Tu-95MS-6 in order to meet the disarmament obligations.

In 2005 a modernization program was initiated, which is called Tu-95MSM. This version can carry six Ch-101 cruise missiles on the internal bogie and eight to ten more under the wings. For defense, the machines have two radar-controlled 23 mm twin cannons GSch-23 in the rear cockpit .

The 250 machines built proved to be very durable and reliable. Some versions reached top speeds of up to 930 km / h, which is why the Tu-95/142 received an entry in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest propeller-driven aircraft. Allegedly the PTL engines of the Tu-95 with their twin propellers made of metal cause the clearest radar echo in the entire aviation industry.

After the end of the Cold War , Tu-95s have been flying missions beyond Russian territory again since diplomatic displeasure in 2007. The planes often fly through the airspace borders of various NATO countries to determine the reactions of the air forces in these countries. Signals intelligence (SIGINT) equipment is suspected to be on board in order to be able to eavesdrop on radio communications from NATO countries.

As part of the Russian military operation in Syria , Tu-95MS attacked IS targets in eastern Syria on November 17, 2015 with cruise missiles of the type Ch-555 . This was the type's first combat mission.

Comparison with the B-52

Two Tu-95s (center) and one B-52H (front); behind the much larger An-124

The Boeing B-52 can be seen as the western counterpart to the Tu-95 ; despite different technical designs, it is comparable to the Tu-95 in terms of dimensions, range of applications and construction time. While the Tu-95 has four twin-shaft propellers, the B-52 has eight jet engines; however, the flight performances are similar.

Tu-95 B-52
First flight November 12, 1952 April 15, 1952
Production time 1956 to 1993 1952 to 1962
number of pieces over 500 744
length 46.13 m 47.72 m
span 50.05 m 56.39 m
Wing area 295 m² 371.6 m²
Wing extension 8.49 8.56
Empty mass 94,400 kg 83,250 kg
Max. Takeoff mass 187,700 kg 221,150 kg
Top speed 930 km / h 1014 km / h

With appropriate retrofitting, the Tu-95 could remain in service for another 30 years. The only export customer for the Tu-95 was the Indian Navy , which had its aircraft stationed at Dabolim Airport.

Versions

  • 95-1 - 1st prototype with four engines 2TW-2F
  • 95-2 - 2nd prototype with four engine prototypes NK-12
  • Tu-95 - 1st production version, 49 pieces built from 1955 to 1957
  • Tu-95K - experimental version for air dropping from MiG-19- SM-20 aircraft.
  • Tu-95K - version with air-to-surface missile complex K-20 with Ch-20 . First flight of the Tu-95K on January 1, 1958 (48 units built). Referred to as Bear-B in NATO.
  • Tu-95KD - Tu-95K with air refueling system. First flight on June 5, 1961, 23 units built from 1962 to 1965. Some Tu-95K have been modernized to the KD standard.
  • Tu-95KM - Modified and improved version of the Tu-95K and KD in the mid-1960s, which mainly received better reconnaissance systems and modified Ch-20M (NATO code name: Bear-C)
  • Tu-95K-22 - conversion of the older Tu-95 bombers with modern avionics and for the use of the Raduga-Ch-22 missile. First flight on October 30, 1973. The tests with the new weapon system did not begin until 1981 and the introduction to the armed forces in 1987 (NATO code name: Bear-G)
  • Tu-95LaL (Tu-119) - experimental aircraft (factory number 7800408) for testing nuclear-powered aircraft. Developed on the basis of a first relevant decision of the Council of Ministers on August 12, 1955. In 1958, ground testing began with structural parts of the converted Tu-95 at the Polowinka military airfield near Semipalatinsk, and the reactor was started up for the first time in June 1959. The crew was protected by a 20 cm thick heavy lead screen. The first flight under the command of Mikhail Nyuchtikow took place in May 1961 from Chagan airfield (also called Dolon). A total of 34 test flights had been carried out by August 1961, with the engines running exclusively on kerosene. The reactor was put into operation on some flights. An energy transfer from the reactor to the engines was not planned in the Tu-95LAL, technically not possible and accordingly never took place. The flights served exclusively to test the reactor and its shielding in flight. The experimental aircraft is exhibited today at the Aviation School of the Air Force in Irkutsk. The prototype with nuclear propulsion, which never got beyond the planning stage, was given the designation Tu-119. Its completion was originally scheduled for 1965. The program was discontinued in the mid-1960s before construction of the prototype began.
  • Tu-95M - production version with more powerful NK-12M engines. Production from 1957 to 1958, 19 pieces built. With the first production version, the only model of the aircraft that was not equipped with a refueling probe in the nose (NATO code name: Bear-A)
  • Tu-95M-55 - Prototype of a missile carrier version, the Tu-95M-6 and M-16
  • Tu-95MR - variant for the Navy for photo reconnaissance (NATO code name: Bear-E)
Tupolev Tu-95MS at MAKS 2011
  • Tu-95MS-6 - completely new carrier version for twelve Raduga Ch-55 cruise missiles based on the Tu-142M with additional two pylons under the wings. First flight in 1979 as Tu-95M-55, production from 1981. 31 units built
  • Tu-95MS-16 - like Tu-95MS-6, but with additional four pylons under the wings and GSch-23L automatic cannons instead of AM-23. Can carry 16 Ch-55 cruise missiles. 57 pieces built
  • Tu-95MSM - modernized version since 2005. With four pylons under the wings. Armed with 14 to 16 cruise missiles of the type Ch-101 . Furthermore, a new radar system "Новелла-НВ1.021", an information processing system "СОИ-021" and a modernized defense system against enemy rocket fire "Метеор-НМ2" will be installed. Changes also affect the propellers with the designation "АВ-60Т" and the modernization of the turboprop engines to the "НК-12MПM" standard.
  • Tu-95N - experimental version for air dropping from ramjet aircraft
  • Tu-95RA - Version for radio and radar reconnaissance from 1964. First Tu-95 variant with air refueling system
Tu-95RZ
  • Tu-95RZ - variant of the basic version for the Navy for electronic reconnaissance. Equipped with MTsRS-1 Uspech-1A radar (NATO code name: Big Bulge) and A-364Z video data link . 52 units built from 1963 to 1969 (NATO code name: Bear-D)
  • Tu-95RT - Like version Tu-95RZ but converted from the existing Tu-95 Bear-A (NATO code name: Bear-D)
  • Tu-95U - training version based on converted old Tu-95 (NATO code name: Bear-T)
  • Tu-95W (also: Tu-95-202) Russian: ТУ-95В (ТУ-95-202 Заказ 242) (order number 242) - converted Tu-95 (no. 302) for dropping the Tsar bomb
  • Tu-96 - prototype of an intercontinental strategic bomber for high altitude flight, a high-flying version of the Tupolev Tu-95 with upgraded TW-16 turboprop engines and new larger wings. Tests of the aircraft were carried out with non-upgraded TW-12 engines between 1955 and 1956
  • Tu-116 - modified Tu-95 with passenger cabin as an emergency solution for state and party leader Khrushchev during the development of the Tu-114. Rebuilt two pieces
  • Tu-142 - maritime reconnaissance / anti-submarine version of the Tu-95 with an extended hull. Equipped with extensive ELINT and EloSM equipment. With Berkut-95 fire control system for fighting submarines and ships
  • Tu-142M - Version with 30 cm longer hull and modified ELINT equipment. Equipped with fire control system 2Kn-K Korschun
  • Tu-142MK - comprehensively modernized version. With new electronics and improved fire control system Korschun-K as well as MAD boom ( Magnetic Anomaly Detector )
  • Tu-142MK-E - export version with simplified electronics
  • Tu-142MS - with new NK-12MP motors, new electronics and the cruise missile Ch-55
  • Tu-142MS-K - planned civil transport aircraft based on the Tu-142M
  • Tu-142MP - single converted Tu-142M for avionics tests
  • Tu-142MR - relay station for submarines and airborne command posts
  • Tu-142P - equipped with Atlantida fire control system, new EloSM system and modified armament
models based on the TU-95
  • Tu-114 - civil airliner as a low-wing aircraft
  • Tu-126 - AWACS , flying radar system based on the Tu-114
  • Tu-156 - project to replace the Tu-126 with jet engines, but largely identical to the Tu-114

Technical specifications

Three-sided view of the Tu-95
Parameter Tu-95-1 Tu-95 Tu-96 Tu-95M Tu-95K Tu-95PZ Tu-95MS
Copies 1 (prototype)
First flight 1952 1955 1956 1957 1958 1962 1979
crew 10 8-9 8th 8-9 9 7th
Length (m) 44.35 46.17 46.2 46.17 46.9 46.13
Span (m) 49.8 50.04 51.4 50.04
Height (m) 12.5 12.35 12.5 13.2
Wing area (m²) 284.9 283.7 345.5 283.7 295
Wing extension 8.70 8.83 7.65 8.83 8.49
Takeoff mass (t) 156 172 182 185
Empty mass (t) 83.1 84.3 86
Engines 4 × 2TW-2F 4 × NK-12 4 × NK-12M 4 × NK-12MB 4 × NK-12MP
Power per engine (PS) 12,000 15,000
Top speed (km / h) 890 882 880 905 860 910 830
Cruising speed (km / h) 720-750
Summit height (m) 13,500 11,900 12,400 11,900 11,600 10,300 10,500
Range (km) 14,200 12,100 15,000 13,200 6,900-7,000 13,500 10,500
Bombs 12-15 12 12
Missile armament 1 × Ch-20M 6 x Ch-55MS
Defensive armament 6 × AM-23 2 × GSch-23

Armament

Pipe armament for self-defense

  • 3 × twin mounts in rotating weapon turrets, each with 2 × 23-mm automatic cannons Afanasjew-Makarow AM-23 with 200 rounds of ammunition each under and above the fuselage and in the rear stand (only Tu-95M)
  • 1 × twin mount in rotating turret with 2 × 23 mm automatic cannons Afanasjew-Makarow AM-23 with 200 rounds of ammunition and 1 × twin mount in rotating turret 9-A-036 each with 2 × 23 mm automatic cannons AM-23 with 225 each Shot of ammunition in the rear stand (Tu-95K / KM)
  • 1 × twin mount in rotating dome turret 9A036 with 2 × 23 mm machine cannons AM-23 each with 225 rounds of ammunition in the rear stand (Tu-142)
  • 1 × twin mount in rotating dome turret UKU9A with 1 × double-barreled 23 mm automatic cannon Grjasew-Schipunow GSch-23 with 600 rounds of ammunition in the rear stand (Tu-95MS)

Drop weapons

Gun loading of 25 tons at two underwing stations and in the bomb bay (9 tons normal, 20 tons maximum, 25 tons overload)
Air-to-surface guided missiles ( cruise missiles )
  • 1 × Ch-20 (AS-3 "Kangaroo") - conventional 2300 kg / nuclear 3000 kT warhead
  • 3 × Ch-22 (AS-4 "Kitchen") - conventional 950 kg / nuclear 350 kT warhead
  • 3 × Ch-26 (AS-6 "Kingfish") - conventional 900 kg / nuclear 350 kT warhead
  • 12 × Ch-15 (AS-16 "Kickback") - 350 kT nuclear warhead
  • 16 × Ch-55 / Ch-55M / Ch-55SM (AS-15A / B "Kent-A / B") - 200 kT nuclear warhead
  • 16 × Ch-555SE / Ch-555SH / Ch-555SD (AS-22 "Kluge") - conventional 200-410 kg warhead
  • 14–16 × Ch-101 (AS-23A "Kodiak-A") - strategic cruise missile with stealth capability, - conventional 400 kg warhead
  • 14–16 × Ch-102 (AS-23B "Kodiak-B") - strategic cruise missile with stealth capability, - nuclear 250 kT warhead
Unguided bombs
  • 48 × Basalt FAB-250M-54 (250 kg free-fall bomb)
  • 48 × ZAB-250 (250 kg incendiary bomb )
  • 48 × RBK-250-275 (275 kg cluster bomb )
  • 1 × FAB-9000 (9000 kg free fall bomb)
  • 3–6 × nuclear free-fall bombs
  • 1 × AN602 "Zar" bomb (27 tonne approx. 57 MT hydrogen bomb)

User states

Current users

RussiaRussia Russia
  • In January 2017, the Russian Air Force had 48 operational Tu-95MS and 12 Tu-95MSM. By April 2019, the ratio had changed due to modifications and 39 Tu-95MS and 21 Tu-95MSM were reported as operational.
  • As of November 2018, ten Tu-142M3, ten Tu-142MR and two Tu-142MK were in service with the Russian Navy .

Former users

literature

  • Турбовинтовые самолеты Ту-95 / Ту-114 / Ту-142 / Ту-95МС. ISBN 978-5-98734-025-7 .
  • Dieter Stammer: Modern Soviet and Russian warplanes . Bombers and fighter bombers. Edition Berolina, Berlin 2012, p. 22-37 .
  • Aviazija i Wremija 5/96

Web links

Commons : Tupolev Tu-95  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. DA Sobolev, DB Khazanov: Creation of the TV-2 (NK-12) turboprop engine. In: http://www.airpages.ru/eng . Aviation of World War II. Large collection of WWII , January 9, 2008, accessed August 30, 2016 .
  2. ^ Karl-Heinz Eyermann , Wolfgang Sellenthin: The air parades of the USSR. Central Board of the Society for German-Soviet Friendship, 1967, pp. 38/39.
  3. Tu-95 modernized. In: European Security & Technology 1/2016. P. 79.
  4. ^ Ferdinand C. W. Käsmann: Weltrekordflugzeuge Volume 1. 2. Edition 1999, Aviatic Verlag GmbH Oberhaching, p. 106.
  5. ^ Spiegel online: TU-95 Bear: Moscow's bomber from the old people's home. Part 2: Large radar echo - but dangerous cruise missiles.
  6. Bomber over the North Sea: Russia boasts of military flights over Western Europe. In: Spiegel Online. April 24, 2014, accessed on April 24, 2014 : “The Kremlin has admitted that the Russian Air Force is increasingly carrying out test flights over the North Sea. "Russian strategic missile carriers Tu-95, accompanied by MiG-31 fighter jets, trained flights over the neutral waters of the North Sea," said the air force spokesman, Colonel Igor Klimov, in Moscow. "
  7. Nicholas de Larrinaga: Russia launches long-range air sorties into Syria. In: janes.com. November 17, 2015, accessed November 19, 2015 .
  8. ^ Long-range bombers to fly anti-ISIS missions from Russia, Putin orders Navy to work with France. In: RT News. rt.com, November 17, 2015, accessed November 17, 2015 .
  9. massaged airstrikes Russian long-range bombers to IS objects in Syria. In: de.sputniknews.com. Retrieved November 17, 2015 .
  10. Baptism for Tu-95. Russian long-range bomber attacks IS. In: de.sputniknews.com. November 18, 2015, accessed November 19, 2015 .
  11. Популярная Механика, №12, октябрь 2003, Летающая Атомная Лаборатория: Реактор на борту , p. 29.
  12. narod.ru: И. Н. Бекман ЯДЕРНАЯ ИНДУСТРИЯ Курс лекций Лекция 16. ЯДЕРНЫЕ ДВИГАТЕЛИ ДЛЯ ТРАНСПОРТА , accessed March 27, 2016
  13. ^ Paul R. Josephson: Red Atom Russia's Nuclear Power Program from Stalin to Today . University of Pittsburgh Pre, 2005, ISBN 978-0-8229-7847-3 , pp. 130 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  14. chagan.ru: ::: ЧАГАН ::: Статья. Автор: Клемпач Галина Семеновна - Чаганская летопись. accessed on March 27, 2016
  15. Tony Butler, Jefim Gordon : Soviet Secret Projects. Bombers since 1945. Midland Pub, Hinckley 2004, ISBN 1-85780-194-6 , pp. 79-81.
  16. (translated) Modernized Tu-160 and Tu-95 will fly by over Red Square Lenta.ru, April 18, 2016
  17. Rainer Göpfert: “Maria” and “Tatjana” - The testing of nuclear weapons by the air forces of the USSR. In: Flieger Revue Extra No. 36, PPVMedien, Bergkirchen 2012, ISSN  2194-2641 . P. 18
  18. ^ Tu-96 at globalsecurity.org
  19. The Military Balance 2017, p. 211 (January 2017)
  20. ^ The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS): The Military Balance 2018 . 1st edition. Routledge, London 2018, ISBN 978-1-85743-955-7 , pp. 193 (English, January 2018, 46 Tu-95MS and 14 Tu-95MSM).
  21. Военные получили первый в 2018 году модернизированный дальний ракетоносец Ту-95МС. In: Mil.Press Военное. военное.рф, February 27, 2018, accessed on March 2, 2018 (in Russian, including a modernization of an existing Tu-95MS to the MSM version (including armament with Ch-101 missiles)).
  22. Вооруженный итог: что принес армии 2018 год. In: ИЗВЕСТИЯ. iz.ru, December 29, 2018, accessed on January 5, 2019 (in Russian, among other things, four existing Tu-95s were handed over in the modernized version in 2018 (the current version is called MSM)).
  23. ВКС России получили пару модернизированных ракетоносцев Ту-95МС. In: Mil.Press Военное. военное.рф, April 15, 2019, accessed on April 19, 2019 (Russian, including two existing Tu-95MS were modernized to the current MSM version (including Ch-101).
  24. ^ The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS): The Military Balance 2018 . 1st edition. Routledge, London 2018, ISBN 978-1-85743-955-7 , pp. 197 (English, January 2018, 12 Tu-142M3).
  25. Северному флоту передали противолодочный Ту-142МК после капремонта. In: Mil.Press FLOT. flot.com, May 4, 2018, accessed on May 4, 2018 (Russian, including an existing Tu-142 (in the submarine fighter variant, M3) modernized to the MK version and handed over to the units).
  26. Северному флоту передали противолодочный Ту-142МК после капремонта. In: Mil.Press FLOT. военное.рф, November 20, 2018, accessed on November 23, 2018 (in Russian, among other things, another existing Tu-142 (submarine fighter variant, M3) was modernized to the MK version and handed over to the Russian units).
  27. ^ Rahul Bedi: Indian Navy retires fleet of Tu-142M maritime patrol aircraft. (No longer available online.) In: janes.com. March 30, 2017, archived from the original on April 2, 2017 ; accessed on April 7, 2017 (English).
  28. Музей дальней авиации, Полтава. In: doroga.ua. Retrieved April 7, 2017 (Russian).