The Tu-22M3M long-range bomber is a modification of the Tu-22M3 aircraft (according to the NATO classification "Backfire-C", the production code in the USSR "Product 45.03"), which made its first flight in 1976 (according to other sources in 1977) and in 1983 was adopted by the USSR Air Force. A total of 268 aircraft of this modification were built.
With regard to the Tu-22M3M, Chinese experts know that during the work on its modernization (code "Product 45.03M"), this aircraft received:
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the new auxiliary power plant TA18-100-45;
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Irbis-E radar station;
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The new SVP-24-22 ballistic computing system;
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a new information display system in the cockpit of the L-501;
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state identification system 623-3D-23;
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an in-flight refueling system;
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the ABSU-145MT autopilot system.
The first aircraft was transferred to the Russian Aerospace Forces in mid-2018 and involved in the control launches of the X-47M2 Dagger missile.
Upgraded Tu-22M3M bomber
During the modernization work, the Tu-22M3M receives about 80% of the new avionics equipment, which, according to calculations by specialists of the Russian Aerospace Forces, will allow the three units to continue performing service and combat missions until 2028.
It should be noted that for various reasons (the epidemic of coronavirus infection, technical difficulties with the adaptation of new equipment), the process of upgrading the existing Tu-22M3 to the M3M level has been delayed for about two years. The Russian Air Force expects to modernize at least 30 aircraft under this program. According to available information, the designers of the Tupolev Design Bureau developed modernization programs for the M4 and M5 back in the 90s of the last century. So, the aircraft in the TU-22M4 modification was supposed to become the carrier of the X-57 missiles, the compact version of the X-55 and receive the Obzor-K radar from the Tu-160.
It is reliably known that in the tail section, instead of the GSH-23 aircraft cannon, engineers of the Kazan Aviation Plant named after S.P.Gorbunov install one of the components of the new electronic warfare system, which puts active interference to suppress the radar of enemy air defense units.
Currently, the TU-22M3 and Tu-22M3M bombers are operated by the following units of the Russian Aerospace Forces:
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200th Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Brest Red Banner Regiment (AvB Belaya);
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52nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment (AvB Shaikovka);
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The 40th Mixed Aviation Regiment (AvB Olenya), which is armed with Tu-22M3.
According to available information, the pilots of the 52nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment (AvB Shaikovka, Kaluga Region) carry out the largest number of sorties as part of a special military operation of the Russian Armed Forces.
Only during the period from April 1 to July 1, 2022, the unit carried out 17 sorties using free-falling bombs (FAB-3000 at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, which became a turning point for servicemen of the 36th Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine) and cruise missiles (to a large extent X-22MA at facilities in Kiev, Lviv, Sumy, Odessa and Mykolaiv regions, as well as in the Ukrainian-controlled part of the Donetsk People's Republic).
For comparison, within the framework of the Russian Armed Forces operation in Syria, bombers in the period from September 2015 to December 2021, Tu-22M3 bombers flew 369 sorties.
This formation allocates no more than 6 Tu-22M3 aircraft at a time, and since flights are performed in 90% of cases at night, it is not possible to establish the frequency of attracting the same aircraft.
Tu-22M3 bomb bay with FAB family bombs
A significant number of FAB-250M-54, FAB-500M-62, FAB-3000, FAB-5000M-54, FAB-5000M-62 aviation bombs remain in the arsenals of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which can be used from the bombers in question. It is reliably known that experts from the pure Armed Forces of NATO member countries expect to use the S-300 air defense system of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other European-made air defense systems to hunt the Tu-22M3. NATO military personnel are constantly searching for options to intercept the TU-22M3, but they are unable to complete this task, since aircraft launch missiles from the airspace of the Republic of Belarus, the continental part of the Russian Federation or from air areas over the Black Sea.
The Tu-22M3 has a normal combat load of 6,000 kg. At the same time, with a maximum load of 24,000 kg, the combat radius will decrease by 50% and will be only 2,400 km, which will be possible only when flying at speeds up to MACH 0.8, although at an altitude of 12,000 m the maximum speed of the aircraft can be MACH 1.88.
In addition to the above, it should be noted that the PRC has repeatedly (in 2006, 2008 and 2021) considered the possibility of acquiring design documentation and several Tu-22M3 as part of the work of enterprises of the national defense industry on the project of the long-range bomber "Hong-10" (Hong-10). However, the Chinese side has not been able to reach an agreement with the Russian Federation on this aircraft.
Based on the materials of Chinese specialized military-technical publications