Tupolev Tu-95
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Tu-95
Tu-95MR
Type Strategic bomber, naval patrol, missile carrier, airborne surveillance, airliner
Manufacturer Tupolev
Designed by N.I. Bazenkov
Maiden flight November 12, 1952
Introduced 1956
Status Active in service
Primary user Russian Air Force
Russian Naval Aviation
Number built 500+
Variants Tu-114 (civilian airliner)
Tu-119 (nuclear aircraft)

The Tupolev Tu-95 (NATO reporting name Bear) is the most successful and longest-serving Tupolev strategic bomber and missile carrier built by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

The Tu-95 is still in service, as of 2007, and expected to remain so with the Russian Air Force until at least 2040.[1] The Tu-95 is powered by four Kuznetsov turboprop engines, each driving contra-rotating propellers, and remains the fastest propeller-driven aircraft to go into operational use. As such, it has a wing swept back at 35 degrees - a very sharp angle by the standards of propeller-driven aircraft.

To date, it remains the only turboprop-powered strategic bomber to have entered operational service. A naval version of the bomber is designated Tu-142.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Overview
* 2 History
* 3 Cold War icon
* 4 Nuclear Bombs
* 5 Mischief in the Air
* 6 Present and Future Status
* 7 Variants
* 8 Operators
o 8.1 Current
o 8.2 Former
* 9 Specifications (Tu-95MS)
* 10 References
* 11 Related content

[edit] Overview

For a long time, the Tu-95 was known to Western intelligence as the Tu-20. While this was the original Soviet Air Force designation for the aircraft, by the time it was being supplied to operational units it was already better known under the Tu-95 designation used internally by Tupolev. The Tu-20 designation quickly fell out of use in the USSR. Since the Tu-20 designation was used on many documents acquired by Western intelligence agents, the name continued to be used outside the Soviet Union.

Like its American counterpart, the B-52 Stratofortress, the Tu-95 has continued to operate in the Russian Air Force while several 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 nuclear weapons, it was subsequently modified to perform a wide range of roles, such as the deployment of cruise missiles, maritime patrol (Tu-142), AWACS platform (Tu-126) and even civilian airliner (Tu-114). During and after the Cold War, the Tu-95's utility as a weapons platform has only been eclipsed by its usefulness as a diplomatic icon.

[edit] History
Overhead view of a Tu-95
Overhead view of a Tu-95

Development of the turboprop powered Tu-95 began in the 1950s as an intercontinental bomber when the Tu-4 showed that piston engines were not powerful enough to fulfill that role, and the AM-3 jet engines of the proposed T-4 intercontinental jet bomber did not provide it with enough range.[2]

The Tu-95 development was officially approved by the government on 11 July 1951, resulting in the test of the first prototype 95/1 on 12 November 1952. Series production of the airplane started in January 1956.

Initially the United States Department of Defense did not take the Tu-95 seriously, as estimates showed it had a maximum speed of 400 mph (644 km/h) with a range of 7800 miles (12500 km).[3] This number had to be revised upward numerous times.
Tu-95 Bear.
Tu-95 Bear.

[edit] Cold War icon
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Navy F-14 Tomcat escorts Tu-95RT during 1985 NATO exercise Ocean Safari
Navy F-14 Tomcat escorts Tu-95RT during 1985 NATO exercise Ocean Safari

The Tu-95RT variant in particular was a veritable icon of the Cold War as it performed a vital maritime surveillance and targeting mission for other aerial platforms as well as surface and submarine cruise missile launch platforms. It was identifiable by a large bulge radar under the fuselage that was used to search for and target surface ships particularly aircraft carriers. The US Navy placed high priority in intercepting the Tu-95RT aircraft at least two hundred miles from the carrier with their F-14 Tomcat interceptors, which would stay in an escort position ready to down their prey if Rules of Engagement were satisfied.