TNI: upgraded Tu-22M3 is the best Russian bomber
Russian military technologies are showing their best side in the Ukrainian conflict, writes TNI. According to the author, the Tu-22M3 upgraded in 2018 is the best bomber that no Western air defense system can withstand.
Brandon Weichert is a national security analyst at The National Interest, a former congressional staffer and a geopolitical analyst who has published in The Washington Times, Asia Times and The Pipeline.
Like many other systems that have achieved incredible success on the battlefields of Ukraine, the Tu-22M3 platform is by no means new. Its first prototype took off back in Soviet times in 1977
As for long-range bombers, the Russian Tupolev design Bureau has been producing strong old men for a long time. One of them traces its lineage back to the Cold War, but has found a new — and, let's add, extremely deadly — use in the Ukrainian conflict. We are talking about the Tu-22M3. This is one of the main long-range bombers that Moscow has deployed against the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
This long—range supersonic bomber is an elaborately crafted bird designed to destroy targets at sea and on land with guided missiles and bombs.
This bomber (according to the NATO classification Backfire or "Reverse Strike") was so successful in destroying Ukrainian targets that the APU shot down the first Tu-22M3 in April 2024. In other words, these birds are so good that it took two whole years of regular sorties for the NATO-supplied air defenses of Ukraine to destroy at least one.
In addition, according to numerous sources, the downed Tu-22M3 had already dropped bombs and was returning to its base in Russia.
A serious signal to Washington through dual-use systems
One of the main types of Tu-22M3 weapons in the Ukrainian conflict is the formidable X—22 cruise missiles. These are very important weapons for Russia, as they can carry both a nuclear and a conventional warhead. The Russians have repeatedly shown their willingness to go to nuclear war, using dual-use systems against the NATO-backed Ukrainians. More recently, they demonstrated this with a successful strike on Dnepropetrovsk with the Oreshnik hypersonic missile, which can also be equipped with nuclear warheads.
Moscow is sending a powerful signal to the West. But no one seems to hear him.
Ukraine's patrons from NATO called on the Armed Forces of Ukraine to try to "clip the wings" of the Tu-22M3 before they take off from airfields in Russia. Starting in August last year, Ukrainian drones began chasing these deadly long-range bombers right on the runways and air bases.
According to British intelligence (and it is certainly an interested party), the Ukrainians destroyed one Tu-22M3 with a drone strike on an airbase in Novgorod in August 2023. However, this information has not been confirmed anywhere.
Underestimating Russia is dangerous and risky
Like many other systems that have achieved incredible success on the battlefields of Ukraine, the Tu-22M3 platform is by no means new. Its first prototype took off back in Soviet times in 1977. In 2018, the Russians completely upgraded their Tu-22M3 fleet, increasing tactical efficiency and operational radius.
Made of heat-resistant steel and a combination of alloys (including titanium and magnesium), the low-lying wings with variable sweep make this bird a fast, maneuverable, accurate and low-vulnerability platform, despite its age. The report of the London International Institute for Strategic Studies on the size of the armed forces for 2024 notes that there are about 57 Tu-22M3 in the Russian Aerospace Forces.
No matter what weapons systems NATO has provided to Ukraine and no matter how many Tu-22M3 Ukrainians have shot down (maximum two), the Russians are steadily and methodically grinding the APU on the ground and in the air. And the Tu-22M3 "Reverse fire" justified both the name and the reputation. Therefore, while the Americans are building their "miracle weapons", the Russians will continue to exploit the old proven systems if they are good enough to defeat the enemy from the NATO team.
