TU-95 MS Bear in 1/72 Scale

Introduction - Tupulov Tu-95 MS Fighter/Bomber

The Tu-95 is the longest in service Russian aircraft in their inventory. Like the US Air Force B-52 bomber, the Tu-95 design was so good and so versatile, that although it was designed and put into service in 1956, it is still in service today, approaching 60 years later.

To speak to how good and long lasting this aircraft is, one need only note the various US aircraft that have been used to intercept the Tu-95 over the years as it has been used to shadow US Navy forces, or to skirt the edges of, and some times enter into US (or its allies) air space.

The list reads like a who's who in US aircraft inventory.

There was the F-8 Crusader, the F-102 Delta Dart and the F-106 Delta Dagger who began intercepting the Bear in the 1950s.

There was the F-4 Phantom, the A-7 Corsair, and the original F-14 Tomcat who intercepted the Bear in the 1960s, 1970s and into the 1980s.

There is the F-18 Hornet and Super Hornet, the F-15 Eagle, who have intercepted the Bear in the 1990s and 2000s, and along with the F-22, who intercept the Bear today.


So, as you can see, this long-lived and long range Russian aircraft, that was originally built under the Soviet Union, has persisted through to this day, and is still being intercepted by the latest US Navy and US Air Force aircraft (along with NATO aircraft and Pacific allies aircraft) to this day. The grandsons of pilots who intercepted the Bear in the 50s and 60s are now intercepting the Bear today.

As with the US Air Force B-52, in order to retain this ability, the aircraft have been upgraded over the years to keep them relevant. The genius of their design has been that their basic airframes have allowed for this.

The Soviet Union issued a new requirement for an intercontinental bomber to both Tupolev and Myasishchev design bureaus in 1950. The aircraft would have to have an un-refueled range of 8,000 km and carry an 11,000 kg load to the target.

Tupolev, who had built the Soviet Union's first intercontinental bomber, the Tu-85 (which was a scaled up, reverse engineered version of US B-29 bombers that had been forced to land in the Soviet Union after damage over Japan), proposed an aircraft entitled the Tu-95 Bear with four turboprops engines. These provided more power than the piston engines of the day, but were not as fuel hungry as the jet engines available at the time. This would provide the power to carry the weight needed, and the economy to attain the range required.

In July of 1951, the Soviet government chose Tupolev's design for the new bomber. The four Kuznetsov coupled turboprops each featured two contra-rotating propellers of four blades each, producing 8,948 kW (12,000 eshp) of power. This advanced turboprop engine was actually designed for the Soviets by German prisoner engineers who had worked for Junkers before being captured. The aircraft featured a mid-wing cantilever monoplane wing with 35 degrees of sweep, an angle which ensured the main wing spar passed through the fuselage in front of the bomb bay. Retractable tricycle landing gear had their strut units retracting rearwards, with the main gear retracting into extensions of the inner engine nacelles.

The first prototype Tu-95, flew in November 1952, with initial engines designated 2TV-2F. After six months of testing, this aircraft suffered a propeller gearbox failure and crashed, killing the test pilot. The second aircraft, featured four new 12,000 ehp, Kuznetsov NK-12 turboprops, which proved more reliable than the 2TV-2F. After a successful flight testing phase, series production of the Tu-95 started in January 1956.

Initially the Soviet Air force called the aircraft the Tu-20, but by the time it was being supplied to operational units it was already better known under the Tu-95 designation used internally by Tupolev, and the Tu-20 designation was dropped and changed to the Tu-95.

The aircraft was originally produced to be a long range intercontinental bomber, and the first Soviet Tu-95 division, the 106th Heavy Bomber Air Division, was formed in 1956. The division commander was a twice-Hero of the Soviet Union A. G. Molodchi. The 106th TBAD's base was Uzin near Kiev. The second, the 1223rd TBAP in Semipalatinsk, under the command of Hero of the Soviet Union Colonel V. M. Bezbokov, was raised in 1957. The 1223rd's targets were Canada and the northern part of the US.

But as the US and the Soviet Union developed and then instituted long range jet bombers, and then particularly Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) the use of the slow Bear for such missions quickly went obsolete. However, the aircraft had such long range and good stability and handling that it was also produced as a maritime patrol and bomber aircraft. This version, the Tu-95RT, which later would become the Tu-142, became a veritable icon of the Cold War as it performed maritime surveillance and targeting missions for Soveit surface ships and submarines. During the Cold war, most often it was this version being intercepted by US Naval aircraft.

But the aircraft also continued to be used to test Soviet nuclear weapons. In 1961, a modified Tu-95 carried and dropped the AN602 bomb that was also called the Tsar Bomb. The bomb was attached underneath the aircraft, as it would not fit into the internal bomb-bay. This weapon yielded 50 mega-tons (compared to the largest US weapon ever tested, the B41 which yielded 25 Mega-tons). The bomb was the biggest and most powerful thermo nuclear bomb ever made and detonated. It was dropped over Novaya Zemlya Island in the Russian Arctic Sea by the Tu-95.


Altogether, over 500 aircraft were built between 1952 and 1994. The later versions have been modified, modernized and improved.

All Tu-95s now in Russian service are the new Tu-95MS variant, built in the 1980s and 1990s and based on the Tu-142. They continue to be improved.

Although Tu-95 patrols looking at the western allies were suspended after the fall of the Soviet Union, In August 2007, President Vladimir Putin announced that Tu-95 patrols would resume. Now, once again, NATO and US fighters are seen intercepting Tu-95s as they perform their missions along the periphery of NATO and US airspace.

These days, Tu-95s sometimes act in concert with Tu-22M3 Backfire bombers and Russian airborne early-warning aircraft while accomplishing their patrol and practice missions..

During the Russian Stability 2008 military exercise in 2008, Tu-95MS aircraft fired live air-launched cruise missiles for the first time since 1984. The long range of the Raduga Kh-55 cruise missile means Tu-95MS Bears can once again serve as a strategic weapons system, and act in that role similar to USAF B-52 bombers.

In November 2015, Tu-95 MS aircraft had their actual combat debut being employed in long range airstrikes as part of the Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War.

The sensors, avionics, and weapons systems of the Tu-95 MS aircraft are modern and capable. Although the aircraft themselves are relatively slow, they have long range and can fly in close enough to launch their cruise missiles against opposition who have strong air defense systems. Against less capable opponents, they can carry various types of ordinance from shorter range missiles to iron bombs.

Currently a total of 63 Tu-95 MS aircraft are available for the Russian Air Force and Navy. 55 of them are maintained in a combat ready status.

Charcteristics/Specifications:

Crew: 6–7; pilot, co pilot, flight engineer, communications, navigator (2), gunner
Length: 46.2 m (151 ft 6 in)
Wingspan: 50.10 m (164 ft 5 in)
Height: 12.12 m (39 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 310 m² (3,330 ft²)
Empty weight: 90,000 kg (198,000 lb)
Loaded weight: 171,000 kg (376,200 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 188,000 kg (414,500 lb)
Powerplant: 4 × Kuznetsov NK-12M turboprops, 11,000 kW (14,800 shp) each
Maximum speed: 920 km/h (510 knots, 575 mph)
Range: 15,000 km (8,100 nmi, 9,400 mi) unrefueled
Service ceiling: 13,716 m (45,000 ft)
Armament: (Up to 15,000 kg (33,000 lb))
Missiles:
- 6 x Kh-55, Kh-55SM or Kh-555 cruise missiles on a rotary launcher in the aircraft's weapons bay
- 8 x Kh-101/102 cruise missiles mounted on underwing pylons
Gun:
- 23 mm AM-23 autocannon in radar controlled tail turret

What's in the Box - December 24, 2015

Trumpeter makes some of the best scale models on the planet, both ships (particularly 1/350 scale) and aircraft (particularly 1/72 scale).

This model of the Tu-95MS is no exception and is just an awesome model with very well molded and detailed parts, excellent instructions, excellent decals, and an excellent full color painting guide.

There are eight sprues molded in light gray and one sprue molded in clear plastic for the canopy. The fuselage comes in four pieces. Altogther there are right at 200 pieces to the aircraft.

This is a large model so you will have to have room to display it. Although the bomb bays can be shown open, the newer rotary launcher and cruise missiles are not cinluded with this kit (that innovation being newer thant he design of the kit) and the new pylons and wing mounted cruise missiles are also not available. I hope to eithe rfind and puchase the proper 1/27 scael Russian weapons, and/or scratch build the pylons and rorary launcher. we will have to see while building how that goes.

Instructions are very good, and the decals are also good, but not super detailed, although there are decals for either Russian or Ukrainian aircraft. I intend to build the Russian aircraft and will probably buy after market decals for more detail.

Painting schemes comes in full color glossy. Very nice.

Here is the model with its box, the parts, the decals and the instructions:

This should be a really fun build. I have always thought this aircraft to be one of the best looking long-range, prop driven modern bombers.

Interesting this big boys in more i get new infos now. I suggest you read Air International 08/2015 with a great article !

I think the more big propeller Bombers maybe aircraft with An-22 eventualy other, except prototypes.
With A-400M, also An-22 ? get the more powerful propeller motors, turboprops and have a speed enough fast. A very long range the best with Tu-160 and B-52 despite her more small size i think turboprops are more economical as reactors.

Tu-95MS/Tu-95H for NATO are based on the Tu-142, ASW variant especialy for her more big size as other. Built to replicate end 1970' s to US B-52G/H after B-1B armed with LACM LR AGM-86.

Tu-95MS exist in 3 sub variants in fact :
Tu-95M6 : 6*AS-15/KH-55 or Kh-55SM in a weapon bay

Tu-95M16 same but in more 10 Under wings on 4 hard points 2 with adapter for 3 missiles and 2 HP with adapter for 2 missiles.

Tu-95MSM the new first delivered last year 10 now especialy can be armed with the new Kh-101 or 102 nucl variant. But Kh-101 are clearly bigger than Kh-55 2,3 t/ 7.5m vs 1.5 t/6 m.
Then external loadout is different now max 8 Kh-101 or 8 Kh-555 for him despite is more small coz now only HP with adaptater for 2 missiles for all hardpoints this number because of the greater weight of Kh-101.
In more Kh-101 so long for weapons bay, Kh-555 fit then posible with external HP max 14.

Theroricaly definitely possible but all Tu-95MS/H are not armed with bombs.
And only new Tu-160M can be armed with Kh-101 in weapons bays 2 of 11.3 m x 2 m ! fit easy !

The Build</font> Main landing gear, noise landing gear, propellers - January 4, 2016

I started the model by building the landing gear. First, I wanted to make sure I knew what color to paint the wheels. Russia has usually had a policy of painting all of its aircraft wheels green. But

depending on the time frame, this varied with the main gear wheels of the Tu-95. I wanted to paint it the current Russian configuration. I used the following recent pictures to choose:


So, an off white for the main wheels, and green for the nose gear wheels is what they are currently flying with.

First I gathered all of the pieces for the tires/wheels themselves. I glued them together and then painted them accordingly.

Then I gathered all of the parts for the main gear. There are a lot of them, 19 parts for each gear. I glued these together, painted them, and then assembled them into the main gear wheel bay which will later be attached to the two inboard engine nacelles.