TU-95. Target America (part of 2)
For the Soviet Air Force, the Tu-95 was a brand-new aircraft, primarily in terms of the tasks it was to solve. Therefore, the aviation units where he entered were new, staffed by experienced pilots and determined commanders. In 1955, in Uzin near Kiev, the 106 th TBAD was formed under the command of twice Hero of the Soviet Union, AG Molodchy. The division included the 409 th TBAP, created at the end of the same year, by M.M. Kharitonov and the 1956 TBAP, formed in June, 1006, by Yu.P. Pavlov. In 1962, the 106 th Guards TBAP of FH Tumakaeva, based in Mozdok, became part of the 182 th TBAD. The next air connection equipped with a Tu-95 was the 79-I TBAD, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General P. A. Taran, based in Semipalatinsk. It consisted of two regiments: 1223 of the TBAP of the Hero of the Soviet Union, V.M.Bezbokov (1957, Tu-95 / 95М) and 1226 (TNBL) of L. Falaleyev (1958, Tu- 95K).
Since only highly qualified officers were transferred to these air units (for example, the commander of the Tu-16 was transferred to the Tu-95 only as a right-wing pilot), the new vehicle was mastered fairly quickly. As early as August 1956, the Tu-95 group from Uzin participated in the traditional air parade over Tushino. However, it cannot be said that the development of a strategic bomber proceeded smoothly. 24 November 1956 was lost the first Tu-95. By car is gray. After takeoff, the 310 no. The turbine of one of the engines collapsed, and the plane quickly began to lose altitude. Recall that NK-12 / 12М did not yet have a screw autoflugging system, and the crew could not do this with the help of a manual system. As a result of the crash, the plane and all the crew members died. Cases of engine shutdowns took place later, mainly in hot weather, but the crews managed to cope with the situation. Since the beginning of the 60's. the bombers equipped the NK-12MB with autoflugging engines, and the failure was no longer perceived as a fatal event. The next step in the direction of improving security in such a situation was the equipment of the Tu-95MS system of automatic parry of the turning moment of the failed engine by deflecting the rudder.
The main task facing the units equipped with Tu-95 was a nuclear strike on the United States. The whole educational process was aimed at working it out. A certain number of "ninety-five" remained on the ground and was on combat duty. In each regiment to the level, and in periods of exacerbations of the international situation - to the squadron, as they said, "sat on the pit" (the size of the Soviet atomic bombs allowed them to be suspended only in this way). The bombs themselves were ready for use, but they were kept in a shelter, and from the moment an order was received until the duty personnel took off, it could take almost 2 hours. By the way, American B-52 constantly flew along the borders of the USSR with real nuclear weapons on board, therefore, an important point in the combat training of the Soviet strategic forces was to work out of the impact. At the same time, dispersal of aircraft was considered the main means, not only at the airfield of GVF, but also at operational airfields of the so-called Arctic group, from which it was much closer to the vital centers of North America.
When operating the Tu-95 in the Arctic, new problems have arisen. The powerful NK-12 engine reducer required a bulk oil system, and a significant part of the oil was always in it. At low air temperatures, the oil froze, and before starting it took a long time to warm up the engines from the ground heater. Even under basic conditions, this reduced combat readiness and cost many sleepless nights to the engineering and technical staff, who had to go to the airfield 3-4 an hour before the start of pre-flight preparation. At operational airfields, where there were no motor heaters, the engines had to be run every 3-6 hours, and immediately after shutdown they were closed with heat-insulating covers. In addition to the unjustified expenditure of time and labor, this led to an additional consumption of engine life, the value of which in the first production engines was already low. The problem was solved only after creating a new kind of oil, which allowed NK-12 to be started without heating at ambient temperatures down to minus 25'С.
During tiring combat duty and long flights (the first of which was carried out by V.G. Maslov’s crew in combat units lasting 17 hours 53 minutes around the USSR), many were convinced that the designers, creating the Tu-95, did not think about people at all. The seats were uncomfortable, the backs almost did not deviate, there was nowhere to store food, everything inside was painted black. A general assessment of the ergonomics of the bomber was successfully given by a former tank officer, who became the head of the 1006th TBAP. When he first entered the Tu-95, then, obviously excited by the meeting with something dear, he exclaimed: "As in tank! ". Board rations were disgusting, so they took ordinary food on the flight - bread, lard and smuggled cucumbers. As for drinks, they didn’t have to rely on regular juices either - their quality sometimes led to very unpleasant consequences, aggravated by the absence of a normal toilet on board They voted before the meal, because everyone had to eat right away, the reason being the air conditioning system, which was so dry in the cabin and contained so much oil dust that it was possible to open products only once. without removing the oxygen mask, it was also impossible, and they alternated: the masked commander was an assistant without, and vice versa.
But despite all the "hardships and deprivations," the Tu-95 crews were in constant readiness to complete their task. Even when the main role in delivering "retaliation" went to ballistic missiles, and the work on carrier-assault groups (AUG) became the main task of the "ninety-five", North America remained their goal. No wonder: rockets were a faster means of delivering nuclear ammunition, but airplanes were more accurate. On the Tu-95 was assigned a kind of "stripping" of the territory of the United States after a missile strike and the destruction of the surviving objects. Twice a year, large-scale exercises were held, during which all DA crews gained experience in operations from the Arctic, including ice airfields, and worked out a technique for overcoming enemy air defenses at low altitudes alone and as part of a group. The training was very high: every crew thoroughly knew "their" goals in the USA (terrain, radar conditions, weather conditions), flight routes to them, etc. And although with the advent of strategic missiles, the combat duty of the Tu-95 was abolished, but these regiments were the first to respond to all the crises in international relations. Particularly memorable for many was the Caribbean crisis of 1962, when the crews of the Tu-95 crews occupied their workplaces, leaving the epaulettes and party cards with them ...
During the Caribbean crisis and after it, the Ninety-ninths also conducted regular aerial reconnaissance of American aircraft carrier formations in the Atlantic. The mission usually took off a pair of aircraft, consisting of one missile carrier Tu-95KD / KM and one reconnaissance Tu-95МР. The missile carrier spotted the American ships using radar, after which the scout conducted their detailed photographing. In 70-80-ies. Tu-95MR performed tasks, mostly independently. Their flights allowed the Soviet command to constantly receive information about the movement of US Navy ships in the Atlantic, complementing the information obtained through space reconnaissance.
After studying the experience of local wars in the Middle East, the Tu-95 / 95М was refined to perform tactical tasks. At the initiative of the command of YES, the aircraft were equipped with means that could carry 45 bombs of the caliber 250 kg. The main purpose of the bomber with this version of the combat load was the striking of the enemy's airfield.
On August 24, 1959, the first Tu-95K landed in Uzin, which was brought from Kuibyshev by pilots of the 1006th TBAP V.G. Maslov and A.N. Ozhgibesov. At the end of the year, the 1226th TBAP received missile carriers. The period of development by their parts of the DA began. From January to October 1962, 19 launches of X-20 missiles were carried out, 15 of them hit the target. For a start, it was a good result. The complex stood in service for more than 20 years, but the most interesting case related to it occurred at the very end of operation. In 1983, at a training ground near Cape Shevchenko in the Caspian Sea, one of the missile carriers carried out tactical launch of the X-20, i.e. performed the entire cycle of necessary actions (the rocket leaves the hatch, its engine starts, guidance equipment works), except for the actual launch. One of the last operations was the inclusion of a photo set-top box, designed to record the moment of separation of the rocket. When she didn’t turn on properly, the flight engineer advised the navigator to "transfer" one of the toggle switches on her panel. As it turned out later, the combination of switch positions that had arisen in this way (never before!) Triggered a reset circuit. The plane shook. Stern shooter reported: "The rocket has gone." However, the pilots realized this too late to turn away and clear her way. As a result, the 11-ton X-20 rammed the aircraft from behind from below. The blow fell on the fuselage, but the "ninety-eight" withstood it. The crew successfully landed the damaged car, and the rocket crashed into the sea, where the entire Caspian unsuccessfully searched for it for 1,5 months flotilla.
In general, the Tu-95 is rated by all those serving on it as a very reliable and damage-resistant aircraft. Perhaps that is why the few catastrophes of these machines are quite well known. The most famous case is the loss of 26.08.1965 in two sorties of two 409-TB bombers at once. The crews of the commander of the regiment Tropynin and Major Ivanov worked through the air defense breakthrough, going at a low altitude from the sea in the direction of Odessa. Both aircraft crashed at intervals 3 minutes: Ivanov fell into the sea, Tropynin - on the coastline. Of the two crews, no one escaped. Later, the emergency commission concluded that the cause was the same in both cases: the explosion of the tail fuselage fuel tanks and the destruction of the structure caused by it. It turned out that during the anti-missile maneuver with the 30 ° roll with simultaneous firing of anti-radar cartridges from the upper cannon plant, conditions were created under which the locks of the tank fillers, located not far from the cut of the barrels, were opened ...
After this incident, the point of view spread among flight crews that it was impossible to jump out of a Tu-95 at all. To prove the opposite, on the orders of the commander of the 106 th TBAD paratroopers-athletes of the 409 regiment performed an 29.04.1966 for an indicative group jump from the bomber's front cockpit, which was watched by the entire personnel of the division, built at the Uzin airfield. The first in a group of seven people the plane left VL Konstantinov (then the captain), for which it was the 500 jump. The demonstration was quite successful, although the parachutists pretty much twisted stream.
For the destruction of AUG, oceanic convoys of the United States and its allies, the most suitable aircraft was the Tu-95K-22, armed with effective, but not very reliable X-22 missiles. After the 2-3 preliminary landings of the landfill with a suspended but not filled X-22, it often failed. For this reason, two Tu-95 were always involved in responsible launches (such as a show to the Minister of Defense): if one of the missiles did not descend, the second one fired. The cumulative warhead of this missile could, when it hit the ship, turn the 12-meter breach, and the flight speed (3670 km / h) made it almost invulnerable. The only problem was to be able to launch it: after all, the practical launch range was equal to 350 km, and the interception line defended from AUG to 1100 km. At this distance, the main danger was represented by F-14 fighter jets, capable of simultaneously attacking 6 targets. As we approached the AUG order, more and more troubles began to be delivered by its EW funds. According to the evidence of the navigators, the effectiveness of these means was enormous: the target marks on the screens literally drowned in a cloud of interference, it became impossible to aim. Therefore, the general attack scenario envisaged first of all the launch of eight X-22 with nuclear warheads, not for specific targets, but for the region where the AUG is likely to be at that moment. It was believed that after this interference situation will allow you to select individual ships and deliver an accurate strike. In the event that the second wave of X-22 loses targets due to interference, the rockets will immediately refocus on their sources, the destruction of which will make it possible to hit for the third time.
Fortunately, the real contact of the Tu-95K-22 with the US fleet has never been so dramatic. A typical picture is described in one of the November (1993) numbers of the "Red Star":
"In order to identify the location and composition of the carrier group, the DA commander decided to carry out aerial reconnaissance with four strategic planes Tu-95K-22. July 28 18 hours 03 minutes GMT from the Far Eastern aerodrome took off two pairs of rocket carriers. hours at a distance of 5 km from the coastline, they intercepted the work of the shipborne radar. Having checked the detected radiation sources, the crews began to search and at the 1400 km distance they found an order from six ships. to the target for the 220 km range, the crews visually detected the 3 of the ship in the wake formation, the aircraft carrier followed them to the distance of 4 km with a course of 140 degrees and a speed of 190 nodes. The first pair of missile carriers lowered to the height of 20 m and performed aerial photography. the carrier’s deck was raised to intercept a pair of F / A-500 fighter jets, each with two Sidewinder guided missiles. They got close to our airships to a distance of 18-200. Two more fighters approached the 300 minutes from the right, approached ivshis to 30 m. At this time, the second pair of Tu-100K-95 to search for, found and photographed the supply of transport, coming separately from the group. The task of tracking ship groups in remote oceanic areas was completed. "
To be fair, it should be noted that quite often the task of finding AUG for the crews of the Tu-95 was made easier by the NATO members themselves. General Konstantinov recalls: “The monotony of a long flight acts as a soporific. But as soon as they turned to Bear Island from the Kola Peninsula, it’s not a dream to come. They come in - the pair is on the left, the pair is on the right, under the screws, they’re saved, but they? signs: “What brought you - Sunday!” or “You don’t go there - Avian bearers are to the right!” At first we didn’t believe them, then we were perplexed, because we had never been deceived! It turned out to be very simple: for every sortie (and combat only if we fly straight to an aircraft carrier) they got solid money. The mutual benefit is obvious. "
The first Tu-95KM entered the 106 th TBN 14 February 1963 g. Since then, refueling in the air has become an essential element of combat training, which all pilots had to master, otherwise they left the "ninety-five". The refueling procedure, during which the huge Tu-95 and tankers performed joint maneuvering at distances to 15 m, was very complicated and tedious. After the completion of refueling, one of the missile carriers slipped forward and with a keel ripping the lower part of the fuselage of the 3MS-2 tanker. Despite the loss of a third keel, the aircraft successfully landed at its airport. In another case, the filling cone fell into the plane of the rocket carrier propellers. All eight blades were cut off at 20-40% span, in addition, the feathering system failed, but the Tu-95 also made a safe landing. In a very difficult situation, the crew of the commander of 1985-th TBAD Stepanov got into 79. During the transfer of fuel, the hose on the tanker broke off, splashed over the cockpit of the Tu-95, broke one of the blisters and began banging the rudders, threatening catastrophe. Then the commander decided to shoot off part of the hose from the top installation, which was done. Since then, to refuel "ninety-ninth" fly with a full ammunition top guns. Somewhat later, a similar incident occurred with the Tu-95MS, whose crew, having no means to shoot off the hose, had to sit down with such a hindrance.
Many typical Tu-95 routes included refueling, at the same time, tankers were always few. In case it was necessary to lift all the missile carriers at the same time, the tankers would definitely not be enough. In case of non-meeting with the tanker, the crews had a special instruction: turn on the distress signal, blow up secret equipment units and go to any airfield.
The carriers of Tu-95 cruise missiles began to arrive in YES in 1982. First they began to develop aircraft of this type in Semipalatinsk, then in Uzin, and in 1987 in Mozdok. The crews liked the new cars: the irreversible boosters made it easier to control, the folding-back seats gave an opportunity to relax, the cabin interior became more “alive”. However, the main difference between the Tu-95MS - immeasurably increased shock capabilities. Being highly mobile carriers of long-range nuclear .KR, these aircraft were the most real threat to the enemy and played a crucial role in the event of an air offensive against the United States.
As for the crews, the level of their training was very high. Ems flew two shifts a week, the commander flew an average of 120 hours a year. Tactical launches were carried out behind Norway, in the region of the Aleutian Islands, near Alaska and Canada. The North American continent’s air defenses reacted very clearly to these raids: after all, what was on their minds of “these Russians” didn’t know and were afraid. As a rule, the F-15 trio, accompanied by the tanker KS-135, met the Soviet missile-carriers through the 200-300 after the North Pole. Then, alternately refueling, the Americans "drove" the Tu-95MS along the entire 2000-km route and dumped, under the distance of kilometers 300, to the territorial waters of the USSR, and the EMTs landed in Anadyr or Magadan.
The crews of the Tu-95MS highly appreciated its defensive capabilities, considering the aircraft to be literally "unbreakable." The airborne defense complex (BSO) of this aircraft was the most advanced in the Union and exceeded the B-52H complex in a number of indicators. In contrast to the Tu-160, EMC successfully solved the problems of electromagnetic compatibility, and in 1987, on special tests, its electronics brilliantly sabotaged all attempts to attack the most modern MiG-31 interceptor. The flight took place at night at the PMU at an altitude of 8000. The MiG pilot reported: "I am observing the target visually, I can work with a gun, a tactical launch cannot be made." As you can see, on the "emes" the stern shooter regained its former meaning.
On the Tu-95MS combat duty was again organized. However, the crews who had become attached to it no longer experienced such psychological stress as their predecessors on the bombers. Firstly, they should not have entered the zone with a powerful air defense, and secondly, they did not know their targets, nor even the launch point. Their task is to bring the aircraft to a certain place, from where it, controlled by automation, must fly for another hour, and then launch missiles on its own. Thus, the pilots did not take any sin. But even in this scenario, free from the unreliable human factor, there was a weak spot. According to the creators of "emes", before switching on the autonomous mode, it is necessary to make a course correction for the stars. At the same time, for some reason they did not take into account that the real combat flight should take place at low altitudes, and the stars can be covered by clouds. After several disrupted tactical launches, the onboard computers programs had to be changed ...
Despite all the electronics and new technological processes, the Tu-95MS represents the development of the original bomber, the design and systems of which over the years 30 brought to a high level of reliability. Therefore, the confidence in the aircraft from the very beginning of development was high. In the middle of 80's. Alferov’s crew on Ems flew from Semipalatinsk to the Mozdok area, as they say, “to catch a complex”. When 150 kilometers remained to the target, the turbine of one of the engines collapsed. Assessing the situation, the commander decided not to sit down in Mozdok, where they could not quickly fix the problem, but to go home. The return flight passed without complications and ended with a safe landing.
Of course, besides the high survivability of the aircraft, the skill and courage of the crews played a big role. So, one of the cars got into a thunderstorm, lightning destroyed the upper part of the keel, disabled part of the equipment, but the crew managed to land the missile carrier on its airfield. By the way, among the advantages of the Tu-95 pilots attributed the possibility of using reverse propellers, which allowed to reduce the path length. Tu-95 never had a brake parachutes, but the cases of rolling out when landing outside the runway were extremely rare.
From the middle of 80's two divisions, armed with Tu-95MS, became an important part of the strategic forces of the USSR. It was a powerful tool used by the Soviet leadership to conduct its foreign policy. In 1986, these forces demonstrated their strategic maneuvering capabilities. The airplanes from Uzin carried out a flight round (with refueling) around the perimeter of the borders of the USSR; at the same time, Tu-95MS from Semipalatinsk headed across the North Pole to the borders of the USA and Canada.
Very effectively used marine modifications Tu-95. Since its entry into service by the naval aviation in August 1964 of the Tu-95РЦ, this “bear” model has become a favorite character in many Western aviation publications. His photos were constantly published, accompanied by "Phantoms", "Lightnings" and other NATO fighters. Such popularity was natural, since the main task of the Tu-95РЦ was to track warships in the vast world ocean. In the West, they were even nicknamed the "Orient Express" for being able to attend all naval exercises. These scouts were based in the north of Central Russia in the Vologda region and in the Far East. In 70-80's they constantly flew from the Far East to Vietnam to the former US military airbase in Da Nang, which was used for their temporary home base when patrolling over the waters of the seas of Southeast Asia. By the beginning of 1991, X-NUMX of Tu-37РЦ aircraft remained and were actively used in the ranks.
In preparing for the printing of the section "Practical Application", A.Yu.Sovenko / AiV, with the consent of the authors, added it with the memoirs of retired Major-General V.L.Konstantinov, reserve colonels V.M.Kolpakov and V.F.Aksenov, lieutenant colonel Yu.P.Gergovskogo, reserve major OA Bogatyrev. The work was assisted by the commander of the DA division of Ukraine, Major General G. K. Kotlyar, Colonel V. D. Makarov, Lieutenant Colonel N. G. Tkachuk, Major V. V. Burdin, Colonels Yu. P. Skabkin and A. A. Pakhomovsky.
- Vladimir G. Rigmant, Efim I. Gordon
- TU-95. Target America (part of 1)
TU-95. Target America (part of 2)
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