Tupolev Tu-20
The Tupolev Tu-95 Bear is powered by four huge turboprop engines driving contra-rotating propellers, an unusual choice for a long-range strategic bomber that makes it the fastest propeller-driven military aircraft ever built and gives it a distinctive, thunderous engine roar. That turboprop power gives it exceptional range and endurance compared with pure jet bombers of similar size, useful for the long patrol and strike missions Soviet and Russian strategic aviation has always emphasised. Variants have served as bombers, maritime patrol aircraft, and cruise-missile carriers since the 1950s. Remarkably, Russia continues to operate and modernise Tu-95s today, nearly seventy years after the type's first flight.
Did you know?
Four turboprops driving contra-rotating propellers make the Tu-95 Bear the fastest propeller-driven military aircraft ever built.
Specifications
| Length | 49.5 m (162 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 50 m (164 ft) |
| Height | 12.1 m (40 ft) |
| Persons on board | 120-220 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 182 t |
| Range | 6,400 NM (11,853 km) |
| Maximum speed | 510 kt (945 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 39,400 ft (12,009 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 24,000 ft (7,315 m) |
| Engines | 4x Kuznetsov NK-12MP |
| Units built | 500 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Tupolev Tu-20 starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.
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