Tu-22M3: News

Pretty clear that this is a Tu-22M3 and not a Tu-22M3M. Anyway it's the first time I've seen the missile suspended in this way.

Yes, well spotted.

The missile is raised into the bomb bay. The doors can be modified to fit around the missile.

Thanks for sharing... learn something new all the time...

It's a big missile. Kinzhal can be carried in greater numbers with a longer range.

Well we don't actually know if Kinzhal has been made compatible and how it could be carried.

The original plan going back before the production of new Tu-160s was to unify the design and equipment of the Tu-95,160,22M3 where ever possible.

So of course the Bear keeps its props but radars for all three aircraft are improved and upgraded and all made the same.

The engines of the new Backfires replaced with the engines of the Blackjack and also further upgraded.

All three aircraft were supposed to get weapons upgrades with a huge new range of guided bombs and missiles to be added to their arsenal.

The decision to build PAK DA however required a brand new factory and if they had to make a new factory anyway they decided to make one with a new titanium forge so the box structure for the swing wings on the Blackjack could be produced to finish two incomplete models from the factory that made them, and extra Blackjacks could be made to bring them up to being a more viable force.

The new factory could then be used to make PAK DA bombers that could replace the Bear in the long range subsonic strategic role but obviously with stealth as well, and also the Backfire in the theatre strike role with a much heavier payload and reduced fuel requirements.

A subsonic flying wing is most efficient and allows the internal volume for lots of fuel and internal weapons, it is inherently stealthy so adding a few touches should make it reasonably stealthy without needing to be excessively expensive.

Its stealth means it can operate at more efficient altitudes, though it could still carry standoff weapons of long range.

The shift from keeping all three older aircraft to eventually having two aircraft seems to have led to a shift from the Tu-160 being a cruise missile carrier or a bomber, to the PAK DA being a theatre bomber or strategic cruise missile carrier and teh Tu-160 being a cruise missile carrier only.

Now that western civilian airliners are no longer an option it means civilian airliners get more attention, which might also translate to more emphasis on transport aircraft too...

Who knows... when production of the Tu-160 ends and PAK DA begins maybe a supersonic transport based on a modified Tu-160 might be considered... equally a flying wing civilian airliner might be another option too... certainly a flying wing would be interesting for AWACS use or inflight refuelling tanker where all the payload options are replace with extra fuel.

Why can't Tu-22s launch kinzhal, Kh-35 or Kh-59 yet?

The Tu-22M3 (without inflight refuelling) is the equivalent of two F-111s that use inflight refuelling in terms of range and payload... the Americans demanded all sorts of promises from the Soviets and now the Russians over what it can or can't do... including removing the inflight refuelling probe and limiting the range of the missiles it can carry.

I rather suspect those promises will be forgotten now, but the Tu-22M3M upgrade included adding a wide range of new and existing guided air to ground weapons.

Kinzhal might be on that list but being a solid rocket motor powered weapon its performance from the Backfire wont be as impressive as it is when launched from a mach 2.4 MiG-31K at 18km altitude.

There is an interesting range of new weapons that will be available soon that will make it very well equipped I suspect.

I always thought the Tu-22M3 was interesting enough to even warrant a long range interceptor version... its nose is enormous... imagine the size of the AESA radar you could fit there, and the electricity takeoff you could get from two 25 ton thrust jet engines would be enormous too.

They did test a jammer version of the aircraft that would be awesome for SEAD missions where a supersonic heavy jammer with ARMs could operate with the bombers, but they found the power takeoff with an Il-76 was greater so the jammers could be rather more powerful and operate from further away...

Regarding the Tu-22M3M they talked about all sorts of upgrades and changes that included lengthening the bomb bays and even changing the aircraft from four seaters to two seaters with the new automated air defence systems (as fitted to the Su-57 and PAK DA).... it will be interesting to see what they actually end up doing though the Combat Approved TV episode on the aircraft clearly showed an inflight refuelling probe on the top of the nose of the aircraft.

There has been a lot of talk about the US demanding promises about the range of missiles the Tu-22M3M will be allowed to carry, but I would expect none of those promises were written promises and even if they were, well the US rips up such agreements when it suits them, and this is currently war.

Thing about the Tu-22M3 is that it takes a lot longer to climb up to altitude than the MiG-31 does

Being rocket powered altitude and speed of launch are quite important for the Dagger... at likely 18km and a mach 2.6 launch speed probably adds quite a few kms to the range of the missile, over perhaps the 12km launch altitude the Tu-22M could manage and perhaps mach 2.0 launch speed with external Daggers fitted... even if it could probably carry four.

Indeed a lot can be done with this platform.

I remember reading years ago, some put forward that there was initial plans to put something like an upgraded Irbis-E style radar on the aircraft - some figures said it could be massive detection range with such a radar ~600km. But anyway, a radar, modified engines for better efficiency and newest equipment for EW capabilities or launching more advanced long range missiles would make the Tu-22M a platform perfect for a missile truck.