Tu-126 Moss
Summary
| Category | Military Special Mission Aircraft |
| Origin country | 🇨🇳 Ex-USSR |
| Manufacturer | Tupolev |
| First flight | 23 January 1962 |
| Year introduced | 1965 |
| Number produced | 9 units |
Technical specifications
| Version: Tu-126 | |
|---|---|
| Crew | 12 (plus a full spare crew) |
| Operational range | 7,000 km (4,350 mi) |
| Endurance | 10 hours |
| Maximum speed | 790 km/h (491 mph) |
| Wing area | 311.1 m² (3348.6 sqft) |
| Wingspan | 51.4 m (168.6 ft) |
| Height | 16.1 m (52.7 ft) |
| Length | 56.5 m (185.4 ft) |
| Service ceiling | 10,700 m (35,105 ft) |
| Empty weight | 103,000 kg (227,076 lbs) |
| Max. takeoff weight | 171,000 kg (376,990 lbs) |
| Powerplant | 4 x Kuznetsov NK-12MV delivering 2,758 kW each |
Current operating countries
All operators
Description
The Tupolev Tu-126 (NATO reporting name: Moss) was an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed from the Tupolev Tu-114 airliner by the Tupolev design bureau. Development began in response to a 1958 Soviet requirement for an airborne radar system to counter potential US nuclear strikes from the north, avoiding the difficulties of establishing a land-based radar network along the Soviet northern coast. After testing radar installations on the Tu-95 and Tu-116, designers selected the Tu-114 airframe due to its wider fuselage, which resolved cooling and operator space limitations. The first prototype flew on 23 January 1962, and testing concluded in the autumn of 1964. Eight production aircraft were built between 1965 and 1968.
The Tu-126 accommodated a crew of 12, along with a full spare crew. The aircraft was powered by four Kuznetsov NK-12MV axial flow turboprop engines, each rated at 11,033 kW, driving eight-bladed contra-rotating propellers. An air-to-air refueling probe was fitted to meet range requirements, allowing an endurance of 20 hours with one refuel, compared to 10 hours on internal fuel. The aircraft carried the Liana radar (NATO reporting name: Flap Jack) in a rotodome mounted above the fuselage. Testing revealed the radar was effective over water but performed poorly over land, and its operation was compromised by interference from the contra-rotating propellers. The Shmel radar was later installed to marginally counter this propeller interference. The radar system lacked look-down capability. According to Western intelligence assessments, the aircraft was also equipped with powerful jamming systems.
The Tu-126 entered Soviet service in 1965, though Western intelligence did not identify the aircraft until 1968. The fleet of eight production aircraft and the prototype was nominally based at Šiauliai Air Base. Operators of the aircraft were the Soviet Air Forces, the Soviet Air Defence Forces, and the Egyptian Air Force. Western intelligence evaluated the radar as inferior to Western equivalents, noting it was unable to detect cruise missiles or small aircraft at low altitudes. This limitation, combined with NATO's shift to low-level penetration tactics, restricted the operational utility of the aircraft. The Soviet Air Force operated the Tu-126 until replacing it with the Beriev A-50. The last Tu-126 was retired in 1984.