Tu-22M-0

In days of « cold war » supersonic rocket carriers-bombers Tu-22М were intimidation of OTAN. These machines were "eurostrategic", i.e. capable to strike rocket blow on any object in the Europe from a considerable distance, not entering at all to a zone its air defence. In OTAN they have received the code name „Бэкфайр". This powerful plane created in Tupolev DB in the end of 60th years, owing to a wing changeable стреловидности combined high supersonic speed (reached 1800 km at an o'clock) with significant range and a possibility to operate from rather short runways.

The first model - Tu-22М-0 - was armed only with one cruise missile and has been let out in 10 copies. In the world it was kept only two Tu-22М-0 - in the State museum of aircraft in Kiev and in museum Monino in Russia.

Improved version Tu-22М-2 already was armed with three rockets Х-22 with range of flight in 450 km. These rockets could be equipped usual, antiradar or nuclear warheads. The rockets of model Х-22Н presented to expositions have been equipped by nuclear warheads capacity in 200 ktn (ten times more, than a bomb dumped to Hiroshima).

The plane could top up in air, therefore possessed in fact unlimited radius of action. In total 500 bombers of type Tu-22М of all models have been let out.

After reception of last production version of the plane - Tu-22М-3 - creation unique in the world „Бэкфайр"-collections - for memory to descendants about strategic power of the domestic Air Force which after disintegration of the USSR remained the second in the world on capacity will be completed.