Strategic missile carrier Tu-95MS "Bear"

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

After the Russian Federation resumed flights of strategic aviation carriers in the combat duty mode, the press began to appear reports that Tu-95MS aircraft were seen near the air borders of Great Britain, Guam Island, Japan and other places where previously such no activity was observed. Our Air Force does not violate air barriers, but they come close to them, which is perceived as unfriendly behavior. Sometimes interceptors from NATO countries fly out to intercept (conditional), and the incident is considered settled. The only propeller-driven strategic bomber "Tu" in the world at the moment is called "relic" by some military observers. Despite such an offensive nickname, its appearance near the areas of exercises of the armies and navies of the countries of potential adversaries causes concern. Why?

Beginning of the Hey Bomb Era

Tu-95MS "Bear" is a direct descendant of the "Aircraft-95-1", which first took to the air in the autumn of 1952. Operation in flight units began in 1956, around the same time that the famous B-52 appeared in America, which is still in service today. These events were preceded by a certain prehistory.

In August 1945, US aircraft carried out two atomic bombings of Japanese cities. Political scientists are still arguing about the military expediency of this action, but the psychological effect, of course, took place. The era of atomic psychosis has begun. It was clear to the Stalinist leadership that without its own nuclear forces, the USSR would lose its geopolitical independence. At the same time, the bomb itself (it was already being developed) is not enough, we need means of its delivery. The first and fully justified measure taken in this direction was the copying of the Boeing B-29 Stratofortress, which we called the Tu-4. In 1950, the Korean War broke out, in which American troops, according to an already traditional and proven strategy, relied on carpet bombing, carried out by large air formations flying in close formation. The system, however, failed.

How the Bear was created

After the appearance of the MiG-15 jet fighters in the Korean sky, the vulnerability of the B-29 became obvious. The paradox of the situation was that Soviet aircraft designers with their own hands proved the inconsistency of the concept of an atomic bomber with a piston engine (that is, the Tu-4), while the USSR did not have others at that time. Work on the promising Tu-85 model was urgently curtailed due to its moral obsolescence already at the design stage. KB A. N. Tupolev was charged with the creation of a new aircraft carrier of free-fall large-tonnage bombs, which could fly much higher, faster and would have a larger combat radius. It was possible to implement such a project,only using turbine engines. In mid-1951, work began. By 1952, they were crowned with success, the result was an aircraft with a modest "95" index, transported to the Zhukovsky airfield and mounted there. Outwardly, it almost did not differ from the Tu-95MS, which is still flying today.

General scheme

By today's standards, the layout of the "Bear" (as it was called in NATO) is not amazing. The layout is classical, the fuselage is of circular cross section (a common solution for Tupolevs), swept wing, mid-range. The surprise of specialists in the early fifties would have been caused by very long engine nacelles, due to the high engine power, and an unusual propulsion scheme. The Tu-95MS aircraft is equipped not with four (like the B-17 or B-29) propellers, but with eight. On the axis of each motor, two propellers rotate counter (thanks to a very interesting gear scheme), the inclination of the blades of which also has the opposite direction. Thus, they direct the air in a coordinated way, which achieves a very high efficiency (up to 82%). This decision immediately brought the parameters of the Tu-95MS power plant to a qualitative level close to turbojet characteristics.

In addition to these unusual moments, the geometric dimensions of the glider also make an impression. Its length and wingspan are approximately 50 meters each. Takeoff weight - more than 180 tons.

As for the mass of the combat load, at the time of adoption it was 12 tons, but in the process of finalizing and improving the designit was possible to bring it up to 20 tons (as much is carried by the Tu-95MS "Bear").

From around the corner

The growing capabilities of air defense systems both in the USSR and in militarily opposing countries gradually nullified the idea of using free-falling bombs, especially those equipped with a special charge. At the time this fact was realized, the United States and the Soviet Union had hundreds of solid and durable machines with a number of unique flight characteristics (range, speed, payload). A lot of money was spent on their development and construction. They needed to find new uses. It is not known who came up with the idea to use a bomber aircraft as a flying launcher for cruise missiles, but it turned out to be life-saving for a whole class of aviation technology. The modified Tu-95MS bomber has become such an “air battery” designed to launch missiles from neutral zones, without entering enemy airspace and firing unexpectedly, as if from around a corner.

Civil version

Starting from the fifties (and in some cases even from earlier times), bombers became a kind of "donor" of the passenger air fleet. This phenomenon is most typical for the works of A. N. Tupolev, it is enough to recall the famous Tu-104, which is a conversion of the combat Tu-16. For a long time, the state considered it unnecessary to spend on designing exclusively civilian vehicles, preferring the use of ready-made structures and their adaptation. Tu-95MS aircraftit has been in operation much longer than another version of the 95th, the passenger Tu-114, which has already served in Aeroflot and even managed to deliver Secretary General Khrushchev to the USA.

Self Defense

In the 50s and 60s, even An-12 transport aircraft were equipped with stern gun emplacements. Today, these weapons seem outdated, and the very idea of using aircraft guns to protect against fighters is naive. Nevertheless, the Tu-95MS missile carrier retained the artillery mounts, their caliber is 23 mm. In early versions there were more of them (up to six trunks, 3 paired systems). They are unlikely to help against an air-to-air missile, but they give a certain chance to repel a fighter attack from the rear hemisphere. In terms of their design, installations with GSh-23 guns are approximately identical to those used for the Tu-4, artillery equipment is generally conservative.

Main weapon

X-55 cruise missiles are the main armament of the Tu-95MS bomber. Their characteristics deserve a separate article, but the way they are integrated into the design of the aircraft is original and elegant in its own way. Inside the fuselage are six projectiles with folded wings, similar to how the cartridges are located in the drum of a revolver. After launching one rocket, the entire internal system makes a 60-degree turn, and the next X-55 is ready to detach through the spacious bomb bay.

Underwing pylons (four of them) are designed for the suspension of ten more wingedmissiles, the carrying capacity of the aircraft allows it to carry such a weight, although flight performance is reduced, aerodynamic drag increases and, as a result, fuel consumption, and flight range decreases.

Crew working conditions

Tu-95MS is not the most comfortable car. The cockpit is quite cramped, although many of the nasty factors that were common with earlier versions have now been eliminated. The crew of the front pressurized cabin takes their seats, climbing a high ladder through a hatch in the lower bow, next to the front landing gear, through which they leave the aircraft in case of an emergency. To speed up the process, a kind of conveyor is provided, but a parachute jump down is always more dangerous, since most flight accidents occur at low altitudes (during takeoff and landing). There is no catapult as such.

The rear pressurized cabin is equipped with its own hatch. Inflatable rafts are provided for rescue in case of an accident over the sea.

Pilots complain about the high noise level (the engines are very powerful, 15 thousand hp each, and the propellers are huge and there are eight of them). The toilet is also uncomfortable. However, it should be borne in mind that work on the design of the 95th began back in Stalin's times, when little attention was paid to issues of convenience.

Prospects

The Engels long-range aviation airfield in the Saratov region became, after the collapse of the Union, the main base for 32 units out of 90 produced aircraft of this modification. In 1992 wascompleted production of "Bears" Tu-95MS. The characteristics of the missile carrier allow the leadership of the Ministry of Defense to count on the possibility of their operation for at least another ten years.

The flight range of 6,000 to 10,000 km provides combat capabilities inherent in next-generation aircraft. Speeds up to 900 km/h correspond to the parameters of the mentioned B-52 bomber, which performs similar functions. The possibility of installing electronic warfare equipment eliminates the high visibility of the Bear for hostile radars. Timely prevention contributes to the extension of motor resources. Nevertheless, the Tu-95s are doomed to decommissioning after the last of them exhausts the margin of safety. Modern strategic missile carriers will take their place.