Military expert Sebastian Roblin on the US portal 19FortyFive explained how Russia used its old bombers to put pressure on its opponents.
At the beginning of the article, Mr. Roblin commented that the Tu-95 strategic bomber is still in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces despite the fact that it is very old, even the Indian navy retired these bombers long back from service, which stems from Moscow’s lack of reliable enough bomber.
Tu-95 Bear was born as the asymmetrical response of Russia to the US, in order to overcome long distances and carry a large amount of weapons, the designers installed four powerfull NK-12 turboprop engines on the aircraft.
This is an extremely high-noise aircraft, causing a loud noise that is heard everywhere when the Tu-95 flies by, it can even be detected by the submarine’s sonar navigation system, but decidedly This decision is justifiable.
The giant Tu-95 is the world’s fastest turboprop aircraft, capable of reaching speeds of 920 km/h, can travel 14.5 thousand km with fuel reserves, The upgraded version also has the ability to refuel in the air.
Sebastian Roblin recalls that Cold War patrols were carried out in 10 hours, but the Tu-95’s flight was usually longer. The expert added: “If the Cold War turns hot, dozens of Tu-95s will fly over the Arctic Circle and drop nuclear bombs on targets located on US territory.”
Then Russia realized the need to integrate cruise missiles to attack the enemy in the context of the new air defense systems are much more fearsome, military observers noted.
Before this fact, upgraded versions of the Bear were born and the naval reconnaissance function was assigned to it. For this purpose, the Tu-95 is equipped with a powerful radar and sonar system.
The American military expert believes that the task of pressuring opponents is one of the main functions of Russian missile-carrying bombers in the current period.
The role of the Tu-95 can be useful not only in combat but also psychologically putting pressure on the opponent, demonstrating the fleet’s vulnerability to air attack.
Currently, Russia is continuing to improve the performance of “The Bears”. The latest modernized version Tu-95MSM can attack with cruise missiles Kh-101 as well as nuclear variant Kh-102. The low altitude movement allows the projectile to go undetected.
The author considers the appearance of Tu-95 Bear bombers at the border as one of the causes of alarm in many different countries around the world.
According to the expert, Tu-95s were discovered off the coast of the United Kingdom, in the Alaskan air defense identification zone, and they regularly harassed Japan. The Bears don’t cross borders, but they cause anxiety and reminders of Russia’s military strength.
“In theory, these are reconnaissance missions, but they remind adversaries that Russia still has the ability to send nuclear bombers close to their airspace if it wants to.”
Mr. Sebastian Roblin added, the ability of modern air defense systems makes the Tu-95 very easy to shoot down if it enters the danger zone. However, the bomber does not need to approach that close, because it is capable of hitting targets with long-range cruise missiles.
The Tu-95 Bear is not an invisible vehicle, but the Russian Army has turned this disadvantage into an advantage: “Caution does not prove necessary for some missions, but also goes against its purpose. them,” Mr. Roblin concluded.