Tupolev Tu-95

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-95

The Tupolev Tu-95 (Russian: ??????? ??-95; NATO reporting name: "Bear") is a
large, four-engine turboprop-powered strategic bomber and missile platform.
First flown in 1952, the Tu-95 entered service with the Soviet Union in 1956 and
is expected to serve the Russian Air Force until at least 2040. A development of
the bomber for maritime patrol is designated Tu-142, while a passenger airliner
derivative was called Tu-114.

The aircraft has four Kuznetsov NK-12 engines, each driving contra-rotating
propellers. It is the only propeller-powered strategic bomber still in
operational use today. The Tu-95 is one of the noisiest military aircraft,
purportedly because the tips of the propeller blades move faster than the speed
of sound. Its distinctive swept-back wings are at a 35° angle. The Tu-95 is one
of the very few mass-produced propeller driven aircraft with swept wings. The
same 35° swept angle was later used in the Boeing 707 and DC8 airliners.

Initially the United States Department of Defense evaluated the Tu-95 as having
a maximum speed of 644 km/h (400 mph) with a range of 12,500 km (7,800 mi).
These numbers had to be revised upward numerous times.[citation needed]

Like its American counterpart, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, the Tu-95 has
continued to operate in the Russian Air Force while several subsequent
iterations of bomber design have come and gone. Part of the reason for this
longevity was its suitability, like the B-52, for modification to different
missions. Whereas the Tu-95 was originally intended to drop free-falling nuclear
weapons, it was subsequently modified to perform a wide range of roles, such as
the deployment of cruise missiles, maritime patrol (Tu-142), and even civilian
airliner (Tu-114). An AWACS platform (Tu-126) was developed from the Tu-114. An
icon of the Cold War, the Tu-95 has served not only as a weapons platform but as
a symbol of Soviet and later Russian national prestige. Russia’s air force has
received the first examples of a number of modernised strategic bombers Tu-95MSs
following upgrade work. Enhancements have been confined to the bomber’s
electronic weapons and targeting systems

Role Turboprop strategic bomber or missile carrier aircraft or airborne
surveillance
National origin Soviet Union
Manufacturer Tupolev
First flight 12 November 1952
Introduction 1956
Status In service
Primary users Soviet Air Forces
Soviet Navy
Russian Air Force
Produced 1952–1994
Number built 500+
Variants Tupolev Tu-114 passenger airliner
Tupolev Tu-142 maritime patrol
Tupolev Tu-95LAL nuclear-powered

All Tu-95s now in Russian service are the Tu-95MS variant, built in the 1980s
and 1990s. On 18 August 2007, President Vladimir Putin announced that Tu-95
patrols would resume, 15 years after they had ended.

NATO fighters are often sent to intercept Tu-95s as they perform their missions
along the periphery of NATO airspace, often in close proximity to each other

On 17 November 2015, Tu-95s had their combat debut, being employed for the first
time in long range airstrikes as part of the Russian military intervention in
the Syrian Civil War.

Specifications (Tu-95MS)

General characteristics
Crew: 6–7; pilot, co pilot, flight engineer, communications system operator,
navigator, tail gunner plus sometimes another navigator.[40]
Length: 46.2 m[41] (151 ft 6 in[41])
Wingspan: 50.10 m[41] (164 ft 5 in[41])
Height: 12.12 m (39 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 310 m² (3,330 ft²)
Empty weight: 90,000 kg (198,000 lb)
Loaded weight: 171,000 kg (376,200 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 188,000 kg (414,500 lb)
Powerplant: 4 × Kuznetsov NK-12M turboprops, 11,000 kW (14,800 shp)[42] each

Performance
Maximum speed: 920 km/h (510 knots, 575 mph[dubious – discuss].)
Range: 15,000 km (8,100 nmi, 9,400 mi) unrefueled
Service ceiling: 13,716 m (45,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 10 m/s (2,000 ft/min)
Wing loading: 606 kg/m² (124 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 235 W/kg (0.143 hp/lb)

Armament
Radar-controlled guns: 1 or 2 × 23 mm AM-23 autocannon in tail turret.
Missiles: Up to 15,000 kg (33,000 lb), including the Raduga Kh-20, Kh-22, and
Kh-55/101/102, or 8 Kh-101/102 cruise missiles mounted on underwing pylons




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