The fall of the TU-22M3 bomber: How many carriers of rockets X-22 are left in

TU-22M3 aircraft are included in the skeleton of the air nuclear triad of Russia, so the destruction of each machine is an important event. The last case in the Irkutsk region became indicative: the bomber refused the NK-25 engine, they have not been produced since 1996. The focus found out if the resource in the Russian Federation would be long enough. In the Irkutsk region of Russia, on August 15, a strategic TU-22M3 bomber fell, capable of carrying up to three winged X-22 missiles.

The event happened during a training flight, four crew members of the catapult, one of them died. Officials assure that there was a technical malfunction - refused the left engine. The TU-22M3 bomber flew from the White Air Base in the neighboring Usol district, but in just a few minutes the system showed a left engine failure, as a result, a fire occurred. The crew led the car to the area of ​​the village of Mykhailivka, the plane fell in the field.

In the CCS of Russia, this is the second irreversible loss of TU-22m3 for 2024. The Defense Forces of Ukraine also help the occupying army to increase the losses: for the first time the TU-22M3 was destroyed in the air on the morning of April 19, 2024 at a distance of more than 300 kilometers from the location of the Ukrainian starting installation of the C-200 complex.

In addition, there were several successful drones: during the attack of the Ukrainian forces at the Salt Aerodrome in the Novgorod region on August 19, 2023, a strategic bomber was completely destroyed for the first time. Ukrainian long-range drones-Kamikadze, at the end of July 2024, struck the reindeer airfield and struck two TU-22m3.

The aircraft №33 received holes of the upper part of the fuselage, and under # 31 - other "certain damage", reported in the General Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The losses of long-range TU-22m3 bombers are quite significant, since in Russia no longer produce this type of aircraft. The estimated amount of TU-22M3 in the arms of the Russian Federation-from 60 to 70 units, but not all of them are in a flight state.

TU-22m3 are operated 200, 52 and 402-M and 40-m mixed airfields with base airfields "White", "Skikivka" and "Deer". As of the end of August 2023, the invaders told about 27 good TU-22m3, the rest were maintained or modernized. There is no data on the status of Russian combat aviation for 2024 in the open access, in the GUR at the request of focus such information was not provided. The last aircraft T-22 of series M was released in 1993.

The main problem for Russians is that Tu-22m3 does not produce NK-25 motors since 1996. The possibility of restoring aircraft every year is increasingly under threat, explains the focus of the former engineer for the tests of "Design Bureau of Antonov", aircraft Konstantin Krivolap. "It is necessary to take into account the waste ", - says the expert.

There are other planes in the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, but not all of them can produce X-22 missiles up to six tons. The Tu-95MC arrow-shaped bomber began the first flights in 1952, so the word "scrap metal" is also more suitable for him, the engineer indicates. In the 1950s, aircraft designers took significant reserves of strength, so Russian aviation was still flying. The technologies were primitive, but workers, he notes.

The production of a new bomber in Russia will require about more than more than a fighter. In Europe, this does not build such plans and are satisfied with the fighters of various modifications. In addition to the above, TU-22M3 aircraft, Tu-95MC and Tu-160 are Russia's air nuclear triad. Each loss of the bomber becomes an actual blow on the nuclear forces of the occupier.