Tupolev Tu-95 Bear
Summary
| Category | Bombers |
| Origin country | 🇨🇳 Ex-USSR |
| Manufacturer | Tupolev |
| First flight | 12 November 1952 |
| Year introduced | 1956 |
| Number produced | 500 units |
| Average unit price | $60 million |
Technical specifications
| Version: Tu-95MS Bear-H | |
|---|---|
| Crew | 8 members |
| Operational range | 15,000 km (9,321 mi) |
| Endurance | 21 hours |
| Maximum speed | 920 km/h (572 mph) |
| Wing area | 310 m² (3336.8 sqft) |
| Wingspan | 50.1 m (164.4 ft) |
| Height | 12.1 m (39.8 ft) |
| Length | 46.2 m (151.6 ft) |
| Service ceiling | 13,716 m (45,000 ft) |
| Empty weight | 90,000 kg (198,416 lbs) |
| Max. takeoff weight | 188,000 kg (414,469 lbs) |
| Climb rate | 10.0 m/s (32.8 ft/s) |
| Powerplant | 4 x turboprops Kuznetsov NK-12M delivering 2,238 kW each |
Current operating countries
| Country | Units | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Russia | 79 | |
Armament
Recent events involving the Tu-95 Bear
Description
The Tupolev Tu-95 (NATO reporting name: "Bear") is a Soviet-designed four-engine turboprop strategic bomber and missile platform manufactured by Aviakor. Designed by Andrei Tupolev's bureau to meet a 1950 requirement for an un-refueled range of 8,000 km and an 11,000 kg payload capacity, the design utilized turboprop engines because piston powerplants lacked sufficient power and jet engines consumed too much fuel. The Tu-95/I prototype first flew on November 12, 1952. After the first prototype crashed, the second prototype (Tu-95/II) utilized Kuznetsov NK-12 engines. Production began in January 1956, and more than 500 aircraft were built through 1993.
The Tu-95 features 35-degree swept wings, a conventional fuselage, and retractable tricycle landing gear. It is powered by four Kuznetsov NK-12 turboprop engines driving eight-bladed contra-rotating propellers with supersonic tips. Modernized Tu-95MS variants employ the K-016 Sprut or K-012 Osina missile initialization systems. Upgrades to the Tu-95MSM standard introduce Novella NV1.021 passive electronically scanned array radar, the S021 navigation system, the Meteor-NM2 defense complex, and Kuznetsov NK-12MPM engines with AV-60T propellers.
The aircraft has a maximum payload capacity of 15,000 kg. Early configurations deployed free-falling nuclear weapons, while modern variants feature an internal rotary launcher for six Kh-55, Kh-55SM, or Kh-555 cruise missiles. Upgraded versions carry up to eight external Kh-101 or Kh-102 stealth cruise missiles on four double pylons. Defensive armament consists of a tail turret with two 23 mm GSh-23 autocannons, which are removed on MSM variants.
The Tu-95 entered service with the Soviet Air Forces in 1956. During the Cold War, crews conducted transpolar training patrols, and modified Tu-95V aircraft dropped devices for nuclear tests, including the 1961 Tsar Bomba. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited 23 to 29 Tu-95s; these were dismantled or returned to Russia. Russia resumed patrols in 2007. The Tu-95 made its combat debut in November 2015 during the Syrian civil war and has been deployed for cruise missile strikes in Ukraine since 2022. Drone attacks damaged two Tu-95s at Engels-2 in December 2022, and destroyed seven to eight Tu-95MS aircraft at Belaya and Olenya airbases on June 1, 2025.
Main Variants
- Tu-95MS: A cruise missile carrier variant introduced in 1981 based on the Tu-142 airframe, designed to carry Kh-55 series missiles on an internal rotary launcher.
- Tu-95RTs: A maritime reconnaissance and targeting variant designed for Soviet Naval Aviation, featuring a large ventral radome.
- Tu-95MSM: An upgraded version of the Tu-95MS16 featuring Kuznetsov NK-12MPM engines, PESA radar, and the capability to launch Kh-101 missiles.
- Tu-95K22: Reconfigured older bombers modified to carry the Raduga Kh-22 missile.
- Tu-95V: A specialized carrier version modified to transport and drop the Tsar Bomba thermonuclear bomb.