Not only the US, the former Soviet Army and the current Russian Federation Army also have highly mobile and powerful supersonic bombers. And the Tu-22 bomber and its variants are the typical design.
Tu-22M3 supersonic bomber.
They are nicknamed Backfire by NATO with their characteristic swept-wing and spread-wing design. This special design allows the aircraft to operate at many different speed ranges and the ability to fly along the terrain to suddenly climb high and launch raid attacks with bombs and missiles to destroy the enemy.
The first version of the Tu-22 was born in 1969, while the Tu-22M3 version was mass produced in 1978 and put into service in 1989. According to public data, there are a total of 268 Tu-22M3s. assembled.
Tu-22M3 is 42.4m long; Wingspan is 34.28m when spread, 23.3m when folded and takeoff weight is 124 tons. Although smaller in size than the Tu-160 and Tu-95, the Tu-22M3 can still carry 24 tons of weapons, including nuclear weapons. The aircraft can operate in all weather conditions and day or night.
The Tu-22M3 can perform many different combat missions with the Kh-15 anti-ship missile or the Kh-22 Raduga missile, both of which can reach a flying speed of more than 6,000km/h with Firing range up to 1,000km. In the latest upgrade packages, Russian supersonic bombers can also drop unstoppable heavy glide bombs from outside the enemy’s air defense box.
In the Tu-22M3M version, the Russian Air Force’s supersonic bomber can use many types of hypersonic weapons and highly effective glide bombs. Photo: Topwar
Military experts assess that currently, no country in the world possesses a multi-purpose weapon as dangerous as the Tu-22M3 aircraft. After participating in anti-terrorism missions in Syria, Tu-22M3 aircraft continue to participate in combat operations in the conflict in Ukraine and they are being upgraded to the Tu-22M3M standard.
TUAN SON (summary)