The loss of any Tu-95s will be felt by Russia’s air force considering its already small fleet.
Analysts continue to pour over the footage captured during Ukraine’s recently launched “Operation Spiderweb” in Russia to ascertain airframe losses. In the aftermath of Kyiv’s largest unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operation amidst the ongoing invasion to date, aircraft loss figures ranging from several to dozens have been documented. While the total number remains unconfirmed, released images and short videos depict destruction at the five bases that Ukraine targeted in its unprecedented covert drone strikes in early June. Initial reports indicated a range of Russian bombers, including the Tu-22M3 Backfire-C intermediate-range supersonic bomber, the Tu-95MS Bear-H long-range turboprop bomber, the Tu-160 Blackjack long-range supersonic bomber, and the A-50 Mainstay airborne early warning and control platform, may have been impacted in the strikes. Satellite imagery recently reviewed by The War Zone demonstrates that multiple Tu-95 bombers positioned at Belaya Air Base were damaged or destroyed completely.
Introducing the Tu-95 Bear Bomber
Moscow’s Tu-95 turboprop-powered strategic bomber has Cold War origins. Designated by NATO as “Bear,” the Tupolev-designed airframe first took to the skies in the early 1950s just before entering service with the Soviet Air Force’s long-range aviation arm. The Tu-95’s turboprop engine configuration enabled the aircraft to fly over 13,000 km, which would make the Bear an effective threat as a strategic bomber if used against the United States. In 1961, Nikita Khrushchev announced that the Soviets were planning to detonate the most powerful nuclear bomb in the world from a Tu-95 airframe. The modified Bear variant was equipped with new mechanisms to allow it to successfully release the Tsar Bomba, as referred to by its AN602 designation.
Over the last half-century or so, several upgrades have been incorporated into Russia’s Bear fleet in order for the strategic bombers to remain relevant in the modern threat climate. As detailed by Airforce Technology, “The Bear J radio relay aircraft are equipped with VLF communications sets with a VLF ventral antenna pod under the centre fuselage. The satellite communications radome is installed just to the aft of the flight deck canopy. The aircraft maintain communications between the submarines of the Northern and Pacific fleets and the Russian command stations.”
How Would Moscow Fare with Fewer Tu-95 Bear Bombers?
Production of the Tu-95 Bear bombers was terminated by the early 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union. While Moscow does fly another type of strategic nuclear-capable bomber, the loss of any Tu-95s will be felt by Russia’s air force considering its already small fleet. The outcome of Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb may be the greatest blow Russia has received to its air fleet since the war began more than three years ago. Citing American and European security officials, The New York Times reported that as many as 20 airframes at Belaya and Olenya alone were struck in the UAV barrage. While the range of damage inflicted on these bombers is unverified, the pictures of damaged airframes circulating on social media indicate the operation was massively successful.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
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