The TU-95 aircraft is a long-range bomber in service with the Russian Federation. It is a strategic missile carrier powered by a turboprop. Today it is one of the fastest bombers in the world. In American codification, it is designated as "Bear". This is the last Russian turboprop aircraft put into series production. Currently has many modifications.
Design history
The TU-95 bomber-carrier was originally designed by Andrey Tupolev back in 1949. Developments were carried out on the basis of the 85th aircraft model. In 1950, the political situation around the USSR demanded an immediate strategic strengthening. This was the reason for the creation of a new improved missile carrier with increased speed and maneuverability. The goal of the development was to achieve 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 replaced by S. Yeger. It is the latter that is considered to be the father of the "Bear". Already onAt 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, the TU-95 was finally approved for production. The development of the prototype took several months. And only in September 1952 the plane was brought to the Zhukovsky airfield. Factory tests were not long in coming. Testing was successful, so a month later it was decided to conduct the first takeoff on a sample bomber. The tests continued for about a year. As a result, flying on an experienced simulator revealed several serious problems. Testing failed the third engine. Its gearbox was destroyed as a result of a fire two months after the start of the tests. Thus, the engineers were faced with the task of correcting the mistakes made so that such excesses could be eliminated during a real flight. At the end of 1953, 11 crew members, including the commander, died due to similar problems.
First flight
The new prototype bomber entered the airfield in February 1955. Then M. Nyukhtikov was appointed test pilot. It was he who made the first flight on a new prototype. The tests were completed only a year later. During this time, the TU-95 strategic bomber-carrier made about 70 flights.
In 1956, aircraft began to arrive at the Uzin airfield for further use. Bomber upgrades started in the late 1950s. The production and partial assembly of the TU-95 was carried out byKuibyshev aircraft factory. It was there that variations of the missile carrier with nuclear warheads first appeared. Gradually, the 95th model was rebuilt for all kinds of military needs: reconnaissance, long-range bombing, passenger transportation, an air laboratory, etc.
At present, mass production of TU-95 is frozen. However, the project is still supported by the Air Force and the Russian authorities.
Design Features
The missile carrier has an autonomous DC supply system for heating the wings, keel, stabilizer and propellers. The engines themselves consist of biaxial groups of AB-60K blades. The cargo compartment is located 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 Tu-95 bomber is an aircraft with a tricycle landing gear. Each rear wheel has its own braking system. During takeoff, the props are retracted into the fuselage and wing nacelles. 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 landing gear is only possible with a winch.
The crew is located in the pressurized cabins. In an emergency, ejection seats are detached from the aircraft through a special hatch, which is located above the front landing gear. A conveyor belt is used as hand hooks. Ejection from the rear of the bomber is provided through a drop hatch.
It is worth notingthat the missile carrier is equipped with special life rafts in case of an emergency landing on the water.
Engine specifications
The TU-95 turboprop bomber is one of 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 performance, an air valve bypass system is used. At the same time, the efficiency of the NK-12 turbine reaches almost 35%. This indicator among turboprop bombers is a record.
For easy fuel adjustment, the engine is designed in a single block. The power of NK-12 is about 15 thousand liters. with. At the same time, thrust is estimated at 12 thousand kgf. With a full fuel compartment, the aircraft can fly up to 2500 hours (about 105 days). The engine weight is 3.5 tons. In length, NK-12 is a 5-meter unit.
The disadvantage of the engine is its high noise. Today it is the loudest aircraft in the world. It is capable of detecting even radar installations of submarines. On the other hand, when launching a nuclear strike, this is not a critical problem.
From other characteristics of the missile carrier, it is worth highlighting 5.6-meter propellers. Also noteworthy is the anti-icing system of the blades. It is an electrical power plant. Fuel to the engine comes from the fuselage and caisson tanks. Thanks to the use of economical theater engines and an improved propeller system, the mostThe TU-95 bomber is considered to be a "hardy" strategic air object in terms of flight range.
Missile carrier characteristics
The aircraft can accommodate up to 9 crew members. Due to the specifics of the application, the bomber has a length of up to 46.2 meters. At the same time, the span of one wing is about 50 m. The dimensions of the strategic missile carrier really amaze the eye. The area of only one wing occupies up to 290 square meters. m.
The mass of TU-95 is estimated at 83.1 tons. However, with a full tank, the weight increases to 120,000 kg. And at maximum load, 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 capable of speeds up to 890 km/h. At the same time, movement on autopilot is limited to 750 km / h. In practice, the flight range of a missile carrier is about 12,000 km. The lifting ceiling varies up to 11.8 km. The plane will need a runway of 2.3 thousand meters to take off.
Bomber armament
The aircraft is able to lift up to 12 tons of ammunition into the air. Air bombs are located in the fuselage compartment. It is also allowed to place free-falling nuclear missiles with a total mass of 9 tons.
The TU-95 bomber nominally has purely defensive armament. It consists of 23 mm guns. Most modifications have paired AM-23s 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 exhaust system. The gun is attached to a spring shock absorber and guide boxes of the body. The shutter in both cases is wedge inclined. A special pneumatic charging unit is used to accumulate energy and mitigate the blow from the rear gun.
Interestingly, the length of the AM-23 is almost 1.5 meters. The weight of such a gun is 43 kg. Fire rate - up to 20 shots per second.
Operational problems
The development of the missile carrier began with noticeable difficulties. One of the main drawbacks was the cockpit. Initially, the TU-95 bomber was poorly adapted for long-distance flights. Because of the uncomfortable seats, the crew often had back pain and numbness in their legs. The toilet was just 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 aircraft.
Repeatedly there were problems with the engine oil system. In winter, the mineral mixture thickened, which directly affected the speed of the propellers. At the initial stages, to start the engines, it was necessary to warm up the turbines in advance. The situation has changed with the release of special motor oil into large-scale production.
First Use
The TU-95 bomber was first seen at an airfield in the Kyiv region at the end of 1955. As it turned out, several originals and modifications joined the ranks of 409 TBAP at once. Next yearanother regiment of the division was formed, in which there was also a place for four TU-95s. For a long time, missile carriers were in service only with the Ukrainian Air Force of the USSR. However, since the late 1960s TU-95 and its modifications filled military hangars in what is now Russia.
The purpose of the formation of regiments around the bombers was pinpoint strikes against NATO strategic forces in southern Asia, as well as against China. Aircraft were always on alert. Soon, the American authorities noticed such a dangerous accumulation of military power at 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 was spotted over the Arctic, the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic zone and Britain. Repeatedly, countries reacted aggressively to such actions, shooting down missile carriers. However, no official records of such cases have been made.
Recent use
In the spring of 2007, Russian missile carriers repeatedly observed the military exercises of the British army from the air. Similar incidents occurred in the Clyde and off the Hebrides. However, each time, within minutes, British fighters took to the skies and escorted the Tu-95 beyond their borders under the threat of a blow.
From 2007 to 2008, missile carriers were seen flying over NATO military bases and aircraft carriers. During this period, there was one crash of the TU-95 bomber. There is no official explanation about the causes of the accident.received.
Today, the Bears continue their worldwide intelligence activities.
Airplane crash
According to statistics, every 2 years there is one major accident of the TU-95 bomber. In total, during the operation, 31 missile carriers crashed. The death toll is 208.
The most recent TU-95 bomber crash occurred in July 2015. The accident happened with the modification of the aircraft. Experts call the outdated physical condition of the unit the main cause of the crash.
The accident of the TU-95 MS bomber claimed the lives of two crew members. The crash happened near Khabarovsk. As it turned out, all the engines of the missile carrier failed at once in flight.
In service
TU-95 were on the balance sheet of the USSR Air Force until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. At that time, most of them were in service with Ukraine - about 25 missile carriers. All of them were part of a special heavy aviation regiment in Uzin. In 1998, the base ceased to exist. The result was the write-off of the aircraft and their subsequent destruction. Some of the bombers have been converted for commercial cargo transportation.
In 2000, Ukraine handed over to the Russian Federation the remaining TU-95s to pay off part of the state debt. The total amount of payment was about 285 million dollars. In 2002, 5 Tu-95s were upgraded to multifunctional heavy aircraft.
Currently, about 30 missile carriers are in service with Russia. Another 60 units are in storage.
Main modifications
The most common variation of the original is TU-95 MS. These are aircraft carrying Kh-55 type cruise missiles. To date, they are the most left among others from the 95th model.
The next most popular modification is the TU-95 A. It is a strategic nuclear missile carrier. Equipped with special compartments for storing radiation warheads. It is also worth noting educational modifications with the letters "U" and "KU".
Comparison with foreign analogues
The American B-36J and B-25H bombers are the closest in terms of technical characteristics to the TU-95. There is no fundamental difference in nominal weight and dimensions. However, the Russian missile carrier develops a much higher average speed: 830 km/h versus 700 km/h. Also, the TU-95 has a much larger combat radius and flight range. On the other hand, the American analogues have a higher practical ceiling by almost 20% and a more spacious cargo compartment (7-8 tons). Engine thrust is approximately equal.
