The Russian air force has struggled mightily in the skies over Ukraine, but the Kremlin does not seem to mind. The idea is to utilize mass and large numbers so the attackers can mostly ignore the losses, command their defense industrial base to build more airplanes, and continue attacking the enemy with deadly cruise missiles and glide bombs.
But the Russians were forced to swallow some bad news lately with the Tupolev Tu-22M.
One of these bombers went down near Usolsky District on April 2, in eastern Russia—a location 2,700 miles from Ukraine in Siberia. This is likely the fifth Tu-22M that has been destroyed since the war began.
Tu-22M: Bringing Terror Attacks Against Civilians
There were around 60 of the Tu-22Ms, but the Russians lost almost 10 percent of the bomber fleet. The Tu-22M has been around since the Cold War. The airframes carry anti-ship and cruise missiles for ground strikes. Russia prefers to use the Tu-22M to destroy cities. That rankles the Ukrainians, who believe that the bombers are committing acts of terror against civilians.
However, Russia has struggled to keep the Tu-22Ms from being destroyed. One has been taken out of the air by surface-to-air missiles, and another two have been knocked out on the ground at air bases by Ukrainian drones.
Try to Use Drones to Destroy the Tu-22M on the Ground
Since Ukraine is so concerned about the Tu-22M blasting away at cities, Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces have targeted it in addition to other bombers with long-range unmanned loitering munitions.
Russia’s Engels air base in southern Russia has been badly hit by drone strikes and succumbed to an attack that took out a huge amount of cruise missiles that the Tu-22M usually deploys.
Ukrainian Air Defenses Are Sometimes Effective
Russia is not likely to change its tactics for the current use of Tu-22Ms. The bombers stay deep in Russian air space, usually at least 600 miles from the Ukrainian border, and fire their cruise missiles at urban areas to terrify non-combatants. Sometimes, Ukrainian surface-to-air missiles can strike back. A SAM destroyed a Tu-22M in April of last year that was flying in Russian air space in the southern part of the country.
Russian Tu-22M Bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
But there are plenty of Tu-22Ms left to bring doom and destruction to Ukrainian cities. The Kh-22 cruise missiles are especially dangerous to civilians.
Quick History of the Tu-22M
The Tu-22M is nicknamed the “Backfire,” and it has been a Russian mainstay since the Cold War. It was developed from the Tu-22 Blinder medium bomber from the 1960s, so that gives you an idea of its age. The Tu-22M ushered in an era of supersonic flight from bombers that Russian engineers and designers were proud of.
The Tu-22M can carry nuclear weapons and also take out ships, even though today, it is mainly used for ground strike missions. The bombers can be re-fueled in-air and were initially thought to be able to launch nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles against NATO troops in Europe.
Swept-wing Design Makes It Stand Apart
The Backfire has an interesting design described well by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). “Special attention was given to the construction of the variable sweep wing—the basis of the whole project. The mid-mounted wings are variable, swept-back, and tapered with curved tips and a wide wing root.
Two turbofan engines are mounted in the body, with large rectangular air intakes and dual exhausts. The fuselage is long and slender with a solid, pointed nose and stepped cockpit. The body is rectangular from the air intake to the exhausts. The tail fin is swept-back and tapered with a square tip,” according to FAS.
The Tu-22M has a crew of four, so it is a substantial loss when one is shot down or crashes due to an accident.
The bomber had an extensive combat record in Afghanistan, and it blew up many insurgent positions in that conflict, supporting Soviet troops. There were still over 100 in service by the late 1990s.
The Backfire has two NK-22 turbojet engines. Its top speed is a shade over 1,000 miles per hour. The bomber carries a payload of around 13,000 pounds. For self-defense, it has two GSH-23 (23mm) guns.
Look for the Backfire to continue raiding Ukrainian cities with cruise missiles. The airplane could even be outfitted with the deadly glide bombs that give the Tu-22M another armament to harass the Ukrainian people. The airplane has taken a pounding, but it will still be a factor in the war as a cease-fire has proved elusive.
Ukraine believes that the Tu-22M is an instrument of terror and a force that must be reckoned with. The Backfire will surely go down in infamy when historians take a closer examination of the air war in Ukraine and Russia.
About the Author: Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
