Aircraft
The Russian Tupolev Tu-95 Bear, A Great Veteran
Russia’s very different but strategic equivalent to the USA’s B52 shocked Western defence planners when it was introduced in 1956 and it’s still flying
There are few things Russian that I admire, but I’m not alone in admiring the Tupolev Tu-95 bomber, as well as the Antonov AN-2.
I had my own private air display of the Antonov AN-2 while in Cuba in 2017, and I’ve stood in the bomb-bay of a B-52, but I’ve never seen the Bear up close. Yet.
Just like the B-52 this plane is a relic of the cold war and still very much a key part of its country’s defences. And offences — it currently launching cruise missiles against Ukraine.
The Tu-95 Bear is an iconic and distinctive aircraft and I’ve taken a close look at it, maybe nerdy even.
Origins and Design
The Tu-95, designed by the Soviet Union’s Tupolev Design Bureau, first took to the skies in 1952. The aircraft’s design is notable for its four Kuznetsov NK-12 turboprop engines, each driving two contra-rotating propellers. This unique propulsion system gives the Tu-95 its distinctive sound, often described as a “whirring” or “buzzing,” earning it…
