RuAviation

On November 12, 1952, the first flight of the prototype of the Tu-95 strategic bomber took place. The machine was lifted into the sky by the crew under the command of test pilot Alexey Dmitrievich Pereleta.

After the end of World War II, the question of creating a strategic bomber capable of hitting targets not only in Europe – this task was able to bomber Tu-4, but also in the United States. Experimental bomber Tu-85 with piston engines could overcome up to 12 thousand kilometers, but its speed was insufficient. Search work on the future Tu-95 team led by Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev began in 1948.

In the summer of 1951, the appearance of the machine as a whole was determined, by the end of the year approved the preliminary design, in October began construction of a prototype aircraft. Flight tests were difficult, the first prototype was lost. Nevertheless, in 1955, before the end of the test program, started serial production of the Tu-95. In the series were modifications of the Tu-95M – 50 machines, including four machines in the variant of long-range strategic reconnaissance Tu-95MR, as well as a long-range reconnaissance and targeting aircraft Tu-95RC – 53 machines, strategic aircraft missile carriers Tu-95K and Tu-95KM, carriers of missiles X-20M – 71 machines.

Built Tu-95 various modifications were in service until the early 1990s, having undergone a number of major modifications and modernization work on engines, weapons and equipment. On the basis of serial Tu-95KM in 1970-1980-ies were created missile carriers Tu-95K-22 – carriers of missiles X-22N. By deep modernization of the Tu-95RC in the late 1960s. creates a long-range anti-submarine aircraft Tu-142, later on the basis of its modification of the Tu-142M was created strategic aircraft-missile carrier Tu-95MS – a carrier of long-range cruise missiles.

Aircraft Tu-95MS is an all-metal monoplane with a medium-sloped arrow-shaped wing and a single wing tip. This layout of the airframe provides high aerodynamic quality at high flight speeds. Improved performance is also achieved through a large extension of the wing, the appropriate choice of sweep angle and a set of profiles along its span.

Power plant Tu-95MS consists of four NK-12MP turboprop engines with coaxial four-bladed propellers AV-60K. Fuel on the aircraft is placed in eight sealed compartments caisson part of the wing (caisson-tanks) and three soft tanks in the center wing and the rear fuselage. Fueling is centralized. There is a boom fuel receiver system refueling in the air.

The first combat use of the missile carrier took place more than 60 years after the creation of the aircraft – on November 17, 2015, in accordance with the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, massive strikes with air-launched cruise missiles and bombs were carried out on the positions of militants in Syria by the crews of Tu-160, Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 long-range aircraft of the Russian Air Force.

On the basis of the Tu-95 created anti-submarine aircraft Tu-142, aircraft with the layout of the “Salon” Tu-116, passenger Tu-114. The latter, in turn, was used to create the Tu-126 airborne radar aircraft. In total, more than 200 Tu-95s have been built, of which presumably more than 60 are in service with the Russian Air Force. Veterans are expected to be able to perform combat service until the 2040s.