Strategic bomber TU-95: specifications and photos

The TU-95 is a long-range bomber that is in service with the Russian Federation. It is a strategic missile carrier on turboprop traction. To date, it is one of the fastest bombers in the world. In the American codification is designated as "Bear". This is the last Russian turboprop aircraft, accepted for serial production. At the moment has many modifications.

History of construction

The bomber-missile carrier TU-95 in its original form was designed by Andrey Tupolev in 1949. Developments were conducted on the basis of the 85th model of the aircraft. In 1950, the political situation around the USSR required immediate strategic reinforcement. This is what caused the creation of a new advanced missile carrier with increased high-speed and maneuvering characteristics. The goal of the development was to reach the maximum range in the shortest possible time.

In the summer of 1951 the project was headed by N. Bazenkov, but very soon he was succeeded by S. Jaeger. It is the latter who is considered the father of the "Bear". Already at the initial stage in the drawings, the Tu-95 bomber surprised with its size and power. For a more detailed presentation of the project, a wooden model was even assembled.

In October 1951, TU-95 was finally approved for production. The prototype was developed for several months. And only in September 1952 the aircraft was brought to Zhukovsky airfield. Plant tests did not take long. The testing was successful, so within a month it was decided to take the first take-off on the bomber sample. The tests lasted about a year. As a result, the flight on the experienced simulator revealed several serious malfunctions. The third engine did not pass the test. His reducer collapsed as a result of the fire two months after the start of the tests. Thus, the engineers faced the task of correcting the mistakes made, so that in real flight such excesses could be excluded. At the end of 1953, due to similar problems, 11 crew members died, including the commander.

First flight

A new prototype of the bomber entered the airfield in February 1955. Then the test pilot was appointed M. Nyukhtikov. It was he who made the first flight on a new prototype. The tests were completed only a year later. During this time, the strategic bomber-missile carrier TU-95 made about 70 flights.

In 1956, the aircraft began to arrive at Uzin airfield for further use. Modernization of the bomber started in the late 1950s. The production and partial assembly of TU-95 was carried out by Kuibyshev Aviation Plant. It was there that for the first time there were variations of a missile carrier with nuclear warheads. Gradually the 95th model was rebuilt for all sorts of military needs: reconnaissance, bombing of distant targets, passenger transportation, air laboratory, etc.

At present, the mass production of TU-95 is frozen. Nevertheless, the project is still supported by the Air Force and the Russian authorities.

Design Features

The missile carrier has an autonomous DC feed system for heating the wings, keel, stabilizer and screws. The engines themselves consist of biaxial groups of AV-60K blades. The cargo compartment is in the middle of the fuselage, next to the launcher, to which 6 cruise missiles are attached. It is possible to attach additional products to the suspension.

The Russian bomber TU-95 is an air vehicle with a tricycle landing gear. Each rear wheel has its own braking system. When take-off the supports are removed into the fuselage and wing gondolas. The front pair of wheels is equipped with a hydraulic system, and the rear wheels are equipped with electric mechanisms with a total power of up to 5200 watts. Emergency opening of the chassis is possible only with the help of a winch.

The crew is in the hermetic cabins. In an emergency, the ejection seats are detached from the aircraft through a special hatch that is located above the front landing gear of the chassis. Hand conveyor belts are used as hand hooks. The bailout from the rear of the bomber is provided through the drop-off hatch.

It should be noted that the missile carrier is equipped with special life rafts in case of an emergency landing on water.

Engine characteristics

Turbo-prop bomber TU-95 is among the three most powerful large-sized aircraft in the world. This result is achieved thanks to the NK-12 engine, which has a highly economical turbine and a 14-stage compressor. To adjust the indicators, the air valve bypass system is used. At the same time, the efficiency of the NK-12 turbine reaches almost 35%. This figure among the turboprop bombers is a record.

For easy adjustment of the fuel supply, the engine is designed in a single unit. The capacity of NK-12 is about 15 thousand liters. from. In this case, the thrust is estimated at 12 thousand kgf. With a full fuel compartment, the aircraft can fly up to 2500 hours (about 105 days). The weight of the engine is 3.5 tons. In length, NK-12 is a 5-meter unit.

The disadvantage of the engine is its high noise level. For today it is the loudest plane in the world. It is capable of detecting even locator installations of submarines. On the other hand, when a nuclear strike is applied, this is not a critical problem.

Of the other characteristics of the missile carrier, there are 5.6-meter screws. Also worthy of attention is the system of anti-icing blades. It is an electrothermal unit. Fuel to the engine comes from fuselage and caisson tanks. Thanks to the use of economical TVDs and an improved screw system, the most "hardy" strategic air facility with respect to the range of the flight is the TU-95 bomber.

Characteristics of the missile carrier

The aircraft can accommodate up to 9 people in the crew. Because of the specifics of the application, the bomber in length is up to 46.2 meters. At the same time, the swing of one wing is about 50 m. The dimensions of a strategic missile carrier really amaze the eye. The area of only one wing occupies up to 290 square meters. M.

The weight of TU-95 is estimated at 83.1 tons. Nevertheless, with a full tank weight increases to 120 thousand kg. And with a maximum workload, the mass exceeds 170 tons. The rated power of the propulsion system is about 40 thousand kW.

Thanks to the NK-12, the bomber is able to reach speeds of up to 890 km / h. At the same time, traffic on autopilot is limited to 750 km / h. In practice, the range of the missile carrier is about 12 thousand kilometers. The ceiling of the lift varies up to 11.8 km. To take off, the plane will need a band of 2.3 thousand meters.

Armament of the bomber

The aircraft is able to lift up to 12 tons of ammunition. Aviation bombs are located in the fuselage compartment. The deployment of free-falling nuclear missiles with a total mass of 9 tons is allowed.

The bomber TU-95 nominally has a purely defensive weaponry. It consists of 23 mm guns. On most modifications, twin AM-23s are installed in the lower, upper and aft parts of the aircraft. In rare cases, there is an aircraft gun GSh-23.

In the case of the AM-23 installation, the missile carrier is equipped with a special automatic gas discharge system. The gun is attached to the spring shock absorber and the guide boxes of the housing. The shutter in both cases is inclined wedge. To accumulate energy and to mitigate the impact from the rear gun, a special pneumatic charging unit is used.

It is interesting that the length of AM-23 is almost 1.5 meters. The weight of such a gun is 43 kg. The rate of fire is up to 20 rounds per second.

Problems of operation

The development of the missile carrier began with noticeable difficulties. One of the main disadvantages was the cabin. Initially, the TU-95 bomber was poorly adapted to long-range flights. Because of uncomfortable armchairs, the crew often had a pain in the back, legs were numb. The toilet was an ordinary portable tank with a toilet seat. In addition, the cabin was very dry and hot, the air was saturated with oil dust. As a result, the crew refused to make long flights in such an unprepared plane.

Repeatedly there were problems with the engine oil system. In winter, the mineral mixture thickened, which directly affected the revolutions of the screws. At the initial stages to start the engines, the turbines had to be heated in advance. The situation has changed with the release of a special motor oil for large-scale production.

First use

The TU-95 bomber was first seen at the aerodrome in the Kiev region at the end of 1955. As it turned out, at once several originals and modifications were replenished by rows of 409 TBAP. The following year, another regiment of the division was formed, in which also there was a place for four TU-95. For a long time the missile carriers were in service only with the Ukrainian Air Force of the USSR. However, since the late 1960's. TU-95 and its modifications were filled with military hangars on the territory of present-day Russia.

The purpose of forming the regiments around the bombers was targeted strikes on NATO's strategic forces in southern Asia, as well as in the PRC. The planes were always on alert. Soon the US authorities noticed such a dangerous accumulation of combat power from their bases and began to connect diplomatic ties. As a result, the USSR had to disperse most of the missile carriers throughout its territory.

Since the 1960s. TU-95 now and then noticed over the Arctic, the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic zone and Britain. Repeatedly for such actions, the countries reacted aggressively, knocking down the missile carriers. However, officially no such records were made about such cases.

Application in recent times

In the spring of 2007, Russian missile carriers repeatedly observed from the air behind the military exercises of the British army. Similar incidents occurred in Clyde Bay and near the Hebrides. However, every time in a few minutes, British fighters were climbing into the sky and accompanied by TU-95 outside their borders under the threat of a blow.

From 2007 to 2008, missile carriers were seen over NATO military bases and aircraft carriers. During this period, there was one crash of the TU-95 bomber. There was no official explanation of the reasons for the accident.

Today, "Bears" continue their worldwide intelligence activities.

Crash of aircraft

According to statistics, every 2 years there is one major accident of the TU-95 bomber. In total, 31 missile carriers crashed during operation. The death toll is 208 people.

The most recent accident of the TU-95 bomber took place in July 2015. The catastrophe happened with the modification of the aircraft. The main cause of the crash is the experts refer to the obsolete physical condition of the unit.

The bomber crash of TU-95 MS killed two crew members. The crash occurred near Khabarovsk. As it turned out, the missile carrier was immediately refused all engines in flight.

In Arms

TU-95 consisted on the balance of the USSR Air Force until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. At that time, most were in the arsenal of Ukraine - about 25 missile carriers. All of them entered the special heavy air regiment in Uzin. In 1998, the base ceased to exist. The result was the cancellation of aircraft and their subsequent destruction. Part of the bombers was redesigned for commercial trucking.

In 2000, Ukraine transferred the remaining TU-95 to the Russian Federation to pay off part of the public debt. The total amount of payment was about $ 285 million. In 2002, 5 TU-95 were modified to multifunctional heavy aircraft.

To date, Russia has about 30 missile carriers in service with Russia. Another 60 units are in storage.

Major modifications

The most common variation of the original is TU-95 MS. These are aircraft carrying cruise missiles of the X-55 type. To date, they remain the most among the rest of the 95th model.

The next most popular modification is the TU-95A. It is a strategic nuclear missile launch vehicle. Equipped with special compartments to store radiation warheads. Also worth noting are educational modifications with the letters "U" and "KU".

Comparison with foreign counterparts

The most approximate in terms of technical specifications for the TU-95 are American B-36J and B-25H bombers. According to the nominal weight and dimensions, there is no fundamental difference. However, the Russian missile carrier is developing a much greater average speed: 830 km / h against 700 km / h. Also, the TU-95 has much more combat radius and range. On the other hand, the American analogues have a practical ceiling of almost 20% higher and a larger cargo compartment (by 7-8 tons). The thrust of the engines is approximately equal.