Russia has experienced another significant aircraft loss against the Ukrainian air defence systems with the downing of a Tu-22M3 strategic bomber.
According to Russian authorities, the aircraft crashed due to a technical problem, killing one crew member and leaving another missing.
There are claims that the S-200 long-range air defence system shot down the valuable bomber. Tu-22M3 forms an important portion of the Russian strategic bomber fleet’s strength in numbers.
The bomber fitted with twin NK-25 after-burning turbofans and variable sweep wings can reach supersonic speeds. One of the main missions of Tu-22M3 is to strike warships and critical infrastructures with long-range cruise missiles like the Kh-22.
Tu-22M3 has been used actively, particularly in strikes against Ukrainian cities during the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Recently, the bombers started undergoing modernisation, which included the capability to fire Kh-47 Khinzal hypersonic aero-ballistic missiles. Russian President Vladimir Putin is closely inspecting the modernisation works.
Kh-47 is derived from Iskander’s short-range ballistic missile and follows a more horizontal flight path. The missile was first launched from a MiG-31 interceptor aircraft. One Kh-47 per MiG-31 can be carried. Tu-22M3, with its larger payload capacity compared to MiG-31, can carry two to four missiles at once.
Ukraine Shoots Down Russian Tu-22M3 Bomber
