“COUNTER FIRE”

The first Tu-22М0 released in the summer of 1969, and on August 30 the crew of a test pilot OKB of V. P. Borisov lifted him into the air… tests of the “my best” was delayed for almost four years, and in July 1971, began factory testing of pre-production Tu-22М1. In the same year began to develop more powerful and economical engines NK-25, intended for Tu-22M subsequent modifications.

 

In contrast to the “nulevka” Tu-22М1 planned to equip the engines NK-22 thrust 22 000 kgs. Externally, the aircraft differed only defensive weapons, which consisted of a feeding unit with a pair of double-barreled cannons GSH-23L and a modified wing of increased span. The plane was paid for delivery to the target up to two missiles KH-22M or up to 12 tons of bombs.

 

Flight tests of the Tu-22М1 conducted by the crew of the pilot OKB B. I. Veremey, showed that its maximum speed increased to 130 km/h and a range of almost 800 km. Total built nine Tu-22М1. And “my best”, for testing and debugging of this car took four years. During this time at the Moscow machine-building plant “Experience” have developed the serial version of the Tu-22M2, which began to supply military vehicles in combat units. The plane looks no different from its predecessors, but part of his equipment has undergone major changes. To enhance the striking power of the missile complex in the composition of his arms entered the third missile X-22M. The maximum bomb load was up to 24 tons

 

Tu-22M2

 

Tu-22M2 was tested in flight in 1973, and in the following year ended his state tests. May 13, 1976, the Tu-22M2, manned by a crew of test-pilot V. P. Borisov (second pilot G. F. Butenko, Navigator A. S. Sikachev, operator B. I. Kutakov), with two refueling in the air completed the flights to the sea of Okhotsk and back. The first refueling took place over the lake. 32 minutes to the Tu-22M2 were 41 tonnes of fuel. Next flight was in the direction of the Shantar Islands. The second refueling was carried out on the way back, near Irkutsk.

 

According to the results of state testing aircraft system adopted for the supply of the air force and naval aviation in 1976, But the Tu-22M2 still not satisfied the customer, and in the summer of 1974 issued a government resolution concerning the development of the missile-carrying bomber.

 

The new aircraft industry had to transfer to a joint state testing in the first quarter of 1977, the Period specified by the government, was very hard. During the year, was required to equip the car not only a new power plant with the engines NK-25, but adjustable air intake devices in the form of an inverted scoop. Such intakes in flight generates additional lift force, increasing of the aerodynamic quality of the car.

 

Quite a voluminous cargo Bay of the machine was allowed to place not only guided ballistic missiles on the launcher drum type, but also bombs caliber up to 3000 kg and under wing — caliber up to 500 kg Maximum combat load increased to 24 t

 

In the version of the missile was allowed suspension of up to three missiles X-22 (two under the wing and one under the fuselage in Palautordera position).

 

The first flight of the Tu-22M3 took place on 20 may 1977. The crew was composed of commander A. D. Bessonov, the second pilot A. V. Machulin, Navigator Navigator A. V. Eremenko and the Navigator-operator of B. I. Kutakov. The following year the aircraft was launched into serial production, which by 1983 was carried out in parallel with the Tu-22M2, but on arms it took only a few years later.

 

In the opinion of the test pilot of Kazan aviation plant M. Kovbasenko, “Tu-22M is a good plane, that is, a soldier is reliable and management is acceptable, does not require much effort”. This certification was awarded to the Tu-22M3, when all of its systems and assemblies were brought to the required level of reliability.

 

Tu-22M3 was first demonstrated in 1992 in Moscow at the exhibition “mosaeroshow”, and then abroad.

 

Tu-22M3

 

Except the above-mentioned variants based on the Tu-22M3 in 1985 he developed the scout Tu-22MR, jammer Tu-22МП. For studies of laminar profiles ANTK imeni A. N. Tupolev, TSAGI and LII named after M. M. Gromov has created a flying laboratory Tu-22МЛЛ. But it lasted long. In 1994, during a research flight of the Tu-22МЛЛ collided with the Tu-134, on Board of which were filmed picture of flow around the wing of the plane laboratory. The Tu-134 and its crew killed, and Tu-22M3 with fragments of skin Tu-134 was able to hold on to its airport.

 

Operation of the Tu-22M3 is associated with large costs, not only fuel but also the resource of the aircraft. Therefore, to reduce operational costs, maintain the skills of military pilots and preservation of a resource of combat vehicles on the basis of the passenger liner Tu-134 has created a training combat aircraft Tu-134УБ-L Played a role in the appearance of this machine and the Treaty on the limitation of strategic armaments OSV-2, under which fall the Tu-22M.

 

To simulate the visibility from the cockpit like the Tu-22M3, Tu-134 lengthened forward fuselage, canopy which kept the weather radar civilian airliner.

 

The prototype Tu-134УБ-L, has become, in fact, the first production model, designed and built at the Kharkov aircraft factory. In April 1981 the crew of the factory test pilot V. M. Petlyakov tested the plane in the air, and since then he became the constant companion of the pilots of the Tu-22M.

 

First in 1973 to combat units began to arrive the Tu-22М1, and retraining them for personnel long-range aviation began in 185 th guards heavy bomber regiment, stationed in Poltava (Ukraine) headed by the future commander of the air force PS by DANCENY. Aircraft of this modification had built a little, and behind them the crews of the regiment has mastered the Tu-22M2. Since the mid-1970s these machines were operated not only in the air force, but aviation Navy of the USSR.

Tu-22M2 equipped with instrument in-flight refueling. First and last experience of refueling long-range aircraft were received in June 1984, But this was the end, because after the signing of the Treaty between the USSR and the USA, the Tu-22M2 was in the strategic level, and from all machines dismantled the equipment of in-flight refueling.

 

For the first time in a combat situation, the Tu-22M2 was tested in 1984 when in Afghanistan six crews 1225 th heavy bomber regiment attacked positions of the Mujahideen bombs caliber 9000 kg.

 

Tu-22M3 has accepted baptism of fire during the war in Chechnya. November 29, 1994, the airfields of the North Caucasus military district have concentrated the aviation group, an enhanced Tu-22M3. Latest first used to isolate the battle area and attack the places where Chechen fighters (areas of Argun, Gudermes and Shali), as well as the ways of their nomination to the besieged Grozny. But it did not last long and subsequently the Tu-22M was used at night for lighting of the city lighting bombs, providing the use of su-24M bombers and precision weapons.

 

8 Jul 2004 a night in the Novgorod region occurred the last catastrophe of the Tu-22M3. The plane crashed during landing after a planned job. At a distance of 14 km from the runway lights suddenly went out. The plane turned around, and he collided with the ground with a roll of about 90 degrees.

 

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Tu-22M was taken out of Belarus and Estonia. Some of them remained in Ukraine. Russia survived four long-range aviation regiment, equipped with Tu-22M3.

 

 

 

Distant bombers Tu-22M3 (the contours of the aircraft correspond to the first series of machines):

1—fold the lantern of the assistant to the commander of the ship; 2—fold lamp Navigator; 3—cover the container rescue boat LAS-5M; 4—grid drain boundary layer air intake; 5—radio-panel; 6—the fixed part of the wing; 7 & 72—cover operating hatches of the steering console; 8—right navigation light (green); 9, 16 and 54 dischargers static electricity; 10—outer section of the spoiler; 11—the middle section of the spoiler; 12—the middle section of the outer flap; 13—inner section of the spoiler; 14—marching lights (dark blue); 15—all-moving stabilizer; 17—adjustable ejection nozzle afterburning turbojet engines NK-25; 18, 19 and 81 —intakes-cooling the engine compartment; 20—the inner section of the outer flap; 21—fuel filler cap wing fuel tank; 22—a cover of the hatch operating sensor fuel gauge; 23—fold lantern co-operator; 24—visor of the cockpit canopy; 25—spotlight backlight filling rod; 26—control rod valve mechanism turning front wheels; 27—strut; 28—hydraulic cylinder of the issue (cleaning) of the front landing gear; 29—the upper part of the folding strut; 30—engine thrust; 31—the lower part of the folding strut; 32—slot-joint; 33—bus of the front wheel 1A (1000×280 mm); 34—brace strut; 35—spring engine thrust; 36—brake pull the front wheel; a 37—rod; 38—main beam support; and 39 44—anti-roll dampers; 40—cylinder cleaning (release) the main landing gear; 41 —duplici arm; 42—gidrohlortiazidom; 43 —the lever of the truck; 45—brake bar; 46&; 47—the lever of the front wheel; 48—front main bearing; 49—folding strut; 50—tire main wheel 5A (1030×350 mm); 51 —fold the lantern of the captain; 52—mechanized leaf auxiliary power unit (APU); 53 Kil; 55 —rudder; 56-23 mm universal UK aft-9A-802; 57—plate of the rack main support; 58—side fold niche of the front landing gear; 59—external beam transient aircraft ejection device AKU-1; 60—AKU-1; 61 — rocket X-15; 62 and 66—landing-taxiway lights; 63—window optical bomb sight OPB-15T; 64—fold strut for nose landing gear; 65 fotolook of aerial camera AFA-15; 67—the front node of the inner suspension beam holder; 68—cover of the rear node of the inner suspension beam holder; 69—node average front suspension beam holder; 70—rear node of the suspension medium beam holder; 71 —front node of the external suspension beam holder; 73—operating hatch cover fuel pump; 74—slat; 75—the outermost section of the flap; 76—back node external suspension beam holder; 77—internal flap; 78 and 79 fairings hardpoints boosters; 80—fold compartment of the braking parachute; 82—feed additional fold gruzootseke; 83—key fold gruzootseke; 84—I-beam fairing main landing gear; 85—fuselage wing main landing gear; 86—front extra leaf gruzootseke; 87—multiple ejection device with the X-15 missiles; 88 transfer channel of the engine; 89—right underwing beamed holder DB-45K; 90—missile X-22M; 91 —fuselage beamed holder DB-45F; 92—aerodynamic bulkhead; 93—left underwing beamed holder DB-45K (right DB-45K — reflected view); 94—radiotransparent Radome radar sight PRS-4KM; 95—coupler lens of the television sight of TP-1 KM; 96 and 98 radomes of the system “Sirena-3”; 97—aft navigation light (white); 99—radio-panel systems short-range navigation; 100—radiotransparent Radome antenna; 101—alarm stations (red); 102—air intake cooling of the generator of the APU; 103—radiotransparent Radome; 104—the dorsal fin; 105—fold of anti-surge of the engine; 106—shovels intake; 107 and 113 antenna VHF radio and automatic radio compass, ark-15; 108—aerodynamic fairing on the site of the dismantled toplivoprovode rod; 109—radiotransparent Radome radar PN-A; 110 antenna system of national recognition “Password”; 111 receiver air pressure; 112—emergency air receiver pressure; 114, the air intake VVR; 115—internal transient beam aircraft ejection device AKU-1.

 

28 January 2006 at the air base, the Poltava, was held indicative of the utilization of the last long-range bomber from the family of Tu-22M from Ukraine inherited after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The elimination of Tu-22M and cruise missiles X-22 confirmed the course of Ukraine on the unconditional fulfillment of international obligations in terms of voluntary renunciation of nuclear weapons and strategic offensive arms reductions. In accordance with this eliminated 17 Tu-22M2 and 43 Tu-22M3, as well as 423 Kh-22. All Tu-22M at the time the decision was unfit for combat.

 

Construction and equipment