Tu-22M3 Backfire

Russia's supersonic, variable-sweep long-range bomber — a stand-off launch platform for the near-unstoppable Kh-22/Kh-32 heavy missile, now contracting under the weight of attrition, precision-strike inadequacy, and a stalled modernization program.

Overview

The Tupolev Tu-22M3 (NATO reporting name Backfire-C) is a supersonic, variable-geometry long-range bomber in service with Russian Long-Range Aviation. Originally fielded as a maritime strike platform to hunt carrier battle groups with large stand-off missiles, it has been re-rolled in Russia’s war against Ukraine into a blunt instrument for land-attack terror strikes. A single Tu-22M3 can carry up to three Kh-22 or Kh-32 supersonic cruise missiles, each weighing roughly 5.8 tonnes and delivering a ~1,000 kg warhead at speeds exceeding Mach 4; the combination has proved almost impossible for Ukraine’s air defenses to intercept. Wikipedia

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