A Russian Tupolev Tu-22M3, NATO reporting name “Backfire”, twin-engine supersonic
bomber crash-landed in the Atrakhan-Oblast region of southern Russia.
Initial reports indicate that the aircraft suffered engine failure.
The crew was able to land the aircraft in a “field” situated in a rural area devoid
of high civilian concentration and escape without injuries.
The crew’s actions are already being hailed as “heroic” in Russian news outlets and
social media.
It is important to note that the Russian military stated that the aircraft was unarmed and flying
in a routine training mission.
Tu-22M3 is a deadly adversary.
But it is important to note that this incident can’t be seen in isolation and has a much
wider connotation.
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes why Russia’s Tupolev Tu-22M3 Backfire bomber's
crash indicates deep rot in Russian military?
Let's get started.
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Tu-22M is a Cold War era designed aircraft.
The aircraft was first flown on 30 August 1969 and was introduced in service in 1972.
During the Cold War, Soviet Air Force used the aircraft as a missile carrier for the
strategic bombing role and the Soviet Naval Aviation for long-range maritime anti-shipping
role.
It is a supersonic and long range bomber with variable-sweep wing design.
The bomber can reach speeds of Mach 1.88 and has a range of around 6800 km or around 4225
miles.
Russia built about 497 Tu-22M bombers but currently, around 100 are in use.
Tu-22M3 is variant of Tu-22M
Notably on 17 November 2015, as part of the Russian military intervention in the Syrian
Civil War, Russia used 12 Tu-22M3 bombers to hit targets in Syria, along with cruise
missiles fired from the Mediterranean and Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers.
The bomber is now going through an extensive upgrade program and is designated as Tu-22M3M.
According to Tupolev, the aircraft has been extensively modernized, “In the process
of profound upgrade, the Tupolev-22M3M was equipped with the newest on-board digital
radio-electronic equipment made of domestically manufactured components.
In particular, the plane boasts new navigation, communication and targeting equipment, new
engine and fuel consumption control systems and radio-electronic warfare means.
The upgraded plane was also equipped with a new information and control system with
digital indicators in the cockpit and the function of intellectual support for the crew.”
Tu-22M3M has more efficient engines that may increase its range further.
Also, Tu-22M3M has an aerial refueling boom which will increase its range significantly.
At the roll-out ceremony on August 16, Tupolev CEO Alexander Konyukhov said, “The first
experimental Tupolev-22M3M was created under a large-scale program for upgrading strategic
and long-range aircraft Tupolev is working on at the moment.
In the next phase, the first batch of Tupolev-22M3 planes currently in service will be upgraded”.
He added, “The Defense Ministry will make a decision to upgrade operational planes on
the basis of results of joint government certification tests”.
Konyukhov said, “By and large the upgrade program will ensure the operation of strategic
and long-range planes in the long term and effective performance of their tasks.”
Tu-22M3M is able to carry many different types of weapons including free-fall bombs, smart
bombs as well as cruise missiles.
The 2 particularly significant weapons are the Kh-32 anti-ship missile and Kinzhal hypersonic
missile.
Kh-32 is intended to target U.S Carrier Battle Groups from long ranges.
It weighs close to 5,800 kg or around 12,785 lbs, is 12 meters long with a one-meter diameter
and a 3 m wingspan.
It can be armed with a 500 kg conventional warhead or a nuclear warhead.
The Tu-22M3M will be able to carry 3 of these missiles.
It has a speed of Mach 4.5 and a range of around 1000 km around 620 miles.
The excellent range means that Tu-22M3M will be able to launch the missile from a standoff
distance.
Kinzhal is designed to take out high-value land targets as well as has an anti-ship capability.
The defining features of the missile are its Mach 10 speed and in-flight maneuverability,
a combination of which makes it almost immune to current anti-missile defense systems.
It has a range of around 3,000 km or around 1,900 mi and hence will allow Tu-22M3M to
strike land and maritime targets across Europe, the Middle East, the Asia Pacific and the
North Atlantic regions.
Viewers may note that this accident is the second one involving a Tu-22M3 so far in 2019.
Earlier this year on January 22, 2019, a Tu-22M3 crashed near the city of Olenegorsk in Russia’s
Murmansk region.
In that accident, four people died in the January 2019 accident.
Russia reported that the aircraft was not armed at the time of the crash.
There have been several reports published related to the cause of the crash but were
very vague.
Dangerous weather in the region which included an arctic storm was cited as a possible contributing
factor to the fatal accident.
These incidents are especially troubling keeping in mind that the bomber is going through an
upgrade program.
This news comes only a week after a tragic fire aboard Admiral Kuznetsov killed at least
one with several injured and unaccounted for.
Admiral Kuznetsov is Russia's only aircraft carrier.
The vessel has been facing major issues since 2016 and black smoke was seen coming out from
it during its engagement in the Syrian conflict.
Like the Tu-22M3, Kuznetsov is of the Soviet era and was launched in 1985 and commissioned
on 25 December 1990.
To know in detail, please check the video on the above card.
This is not it, earlier this month, on December 12, 2019, the Moscow Times reported the crash
of a Russian Mi-28 two-man gunship helicopter.
Mi-28 which has a NATO reporting name “Havoc” is also a Soviet era platform and was first
flown on 10 November 1982.
Russian Defense Ministry’s official statement stated that “flight took place without ammunition.
There are no marks of destruction on the ground.
Both pilots were killed”.
The upgrade plan of Tu-22M3 indicates that Russia wants to continue to fly this aircraft.
Currently, it is not clear if Tu-22M3M will be counted as a “heavy bomber” under the
New START treaty.
Viewers may note that as per the New START treaty, the United States, and Russia are
each limited to 700 launch platforms, which includes submarine-launched ballistic missiles
(SLBMs), intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and heavy bombers.
A fleet of upgraded Tu-22M3 seems to give Russia a potent capability on paper but how
dependable they will be in real battle is anyone guess.
The questions remain about the inherent unreliability of the platform and whether upgrading the
aircraft is a wise decision.
It is also to be noted that the Tu-22M3 is not a stealth aircraft and has a large Radar
Cross Section (RCS) which makes it vulnerable to modern ground-based air defense systems
as well as air to air missiles launched from fighter jets.
Russia’s desire to match the U.S platform by platform instead of maintaining a credible
deterrence only is a difficult task since its military budget is around 1/10 of the U.S.
It remains to be seen how things pan out in the future.