Posted on 11/09/2009 5:35:55 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
A Russian Tu-142M3 reconnaissance aircraft recently crashed twenty kilometers off the Pacific coast, during a training mission. The Tu-142 is an unarmed maritime patrol aircraft that, in the last few years, have resumed long range patrols. Such activity had been halted in the early 1990s. The Tu-142, which was introduced in the 1970s, is the patrol version of the Tu-95 heavy bomber. This aircraft entered service 51 years ago, and is expected to remain in service, along with the Tu-142 variant, for another three decades. But these elderly aircraft are increasingly expensive to maintain, and prone to developing unexpected problems. The one that recently crashed, disappeared without any message from the crew, and none of the eleven man crew appears to have survived. The aircraft went down in 44 meters (135 feet) of water, and that makes it possible to recover the wreckage, and try to determine the cause of the accident.
Over 500 Tu-95s were built, and it is the largest and fastest turboprop aircraft in service. Russia still maintains a force of 60 Tu-95s, but has dozens in storage, which can be restored to service as either a bomber or a Tu-142. The 188 ton aircraft has flight crew consisting of a pilot, copilot, engineer and radioman, and an unrefueled range of 15,000 kilometers. Max speed is 925 kilometers an hour, while cruising speed is 711 kilometers an hour.
(Excerpt) Read more at strategypage.com ...
Ping.
That’s good news for the people of Darfur.
Bump
Pacific coast of where?
One would surmise the Russian Far East...
Pity the poor Russians. “Is good aircraft’’! Hey Yuri, don’t crash plane’’!!
One of the few prop aircraft with swept wings, IIRC...
That is correct. But it can still carry 8 Kh-55 cruise missiles with about 200 kilotons a piece.
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