Key Points and Summary: The Tupolev Tu-95 “Bear,” a Cold War icon and the world’s only frontline turboprop bomber, is facing an existential crisis in Ukraine.
-The Threat: Used as a “missile truck” to launch Kh-101 cruise missiles, the Bear remains a potent weapon, but its bases are now vulnerable to Ukrainian drone strikes.
Tu-95 Bear Bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-The Losses: Recent attacks have reportedly destroyed or damaged over a dozen Tu-95s—losses the Russian Air Force cannot replace because production lines closed in the 1990s.
-The Reality: With no new hulls available and the next-gen PAK DA bomber delayed, Russia is watching a key leg of its nuclear triad slowly disintegrate.
The Tu-95MS Bear Bomber, The Russian Missile Truck
The Tupolev Tu-95MS “Bear” bomber, despite its age, remains a viable and vital part of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
It continues to serve as a strategic missile platform and performs other roles, with its service life expected to extend to at least 2040. The Russians use the Tu-95MS or Bear bomber as a standoff missile truck in the war in Ukraine.
The Tu-95 bomber, with its turboprop engines, has been a cornerstone of Soviet and Russian air power since its introduction in 1956. Designed for long-range missions, it boasts an operating range exceeding 8,000 miles.
It is the only frontline turboprop bomber. The Tu-95MS is one of the loudest military aircraft, particularly because the tips of the propeller blades move faster than the speed of sound.
Tupolev Tu-95MS Armament
Russia uses the Bear as a long-range electronic surveillance aircraft and as a long-range missile truck for the Russian Air Force. The Tu-95K variant can carry and launch the Russian Kh-20 nuclear cruise missile, making it a very lethal threat given its range and payload capacity.
Tu-95 Bomber Russian Air Force. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The old “Bears” can carry 33,069 pounds (15,000 Kilos) of bombs or missiles as its payload. Missiles can be carried internally in the bomb bay or externally on underwing pylons.
Each aircraft can carry 16 cruise missiles—either the Kh-55/Kh-555 or the newer Kh-101 and Kh-102 air-launched cruise missiles. Just like the old American B-52, the Bear remains an integral part of Russia’s defenses.
The Tu-95MS Bear aircraft is armed with two Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23 twin-barrelled, 23mm automatic cannons at the rear for self-defense against airborne threats. The tail gunner position is a throwback to earlier designers.
Each cannon has a rate of fire of 2,400 rounds a minute. Six 2,500km-range Kh-15 air-launched cruise missiles are carried in the drum launcher.
Ukrainian Drone Attack Targets Tu-95s
During the SSU’s (Security Service of Ukraine) special operation, Operation Spider Web, Ukraine targeted and destroyed more than 40 Russian aircraft stationed at four key air bases across Russian territory. The significant losses include strategic bombing, aviation, and airborne early warning and control aircraft.
In an earlier 2022 operation, a Ukrainian drone attack on Engels Airbase damaged two Tu-95s and a Tu-22. Engels-2 has been a frequent target of Ukrainian strikes since Russia’s full-scale invasion. A drone attack on December 5, 2022, reportedly damaged two Tu-95 bombers.
After Ukraine attacked Russian air bases close to the border, Russia dispersed its bombers that had been making cruise missile attacks to bases far from the fighting, in the Arctic and as far as Siberia (Irkutsk), where they were thought to be safe.
Bears Lost In June Can’t Be Replaced
During the Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday, June 1, on Russian airfields, several Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers were destroyed or damaged. These losses were keenly felt, as the losses are ones the Russian Air Force can’t replace.
Tu-95. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Before the drone attack, Russia was believed to have 55 Tu-95s still operational. A video confirmed that at least five were destroyed. However, Ukrainian officials are claiming that more than a dozen were destroyed. If that is true, then it is a devastating loss that can’t be replaced.
Production of the Tu-95 and Tu-22M ended after the 1991 collapse of the USSR, meaning that any losses in June could not be replaced. Russia also has another type of strategic nuclear-capable bomber, the supersonic Tu-160.
The Bear’s Combat Record
The Soviet Union envisioned the Tupolev Tu-95 bomber, similar to the US B-52, as a nuclear deterrent and, if a nuclear war broke out between the two great powers, as the Soviets’ primary nuclear bomber.
However, the Tu-95 didn’t see combat until 2015, when Russia intervened in the Syrian Civil War, where it launched cruise missiles at militant sites in the country. The aircraft’s ability to carry a wide range of conventional and nuclear weapons makes it a versatile and formidable platform.
Most infamously, the Tu-95 has played a prominent role in the war in Ukraine, where it has been used to conduct missile raids against Ukrainian electrical infrastructure.
No Replacements Are Available
Tu-95 bombers and other similar Russian strategic aircraft, such as the Tu-22M3 Backfire, are impossible to replace due to the closure of their production lines following the collapse of the USSR.
The Russians were supposed to have the PAK DA, the next-generation bomber, online by now, but that is still in development and isn’t yet operational, and won’t be for several years. Therefore, they are currently having to rely on restarting production of the Tu-160 Blackjack bombers, which is moving at a glacial pace.
Russia Tu-160 Bomber on Tarmac. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
As we pointed out in an earlier piece, the Russian Air Force has only 13-16 Tu-160s, so it cannot afford to lose any of its Bear bombers.
Russia lacks the industrial base to quickly replenish such losses. Even if some airframes could be repaired, replacing avionics, engines, or airframe parts may be prohibitively difficult.
The Tu-95 has also been steadily upgraded into the MS variant and remains a key element of Russia’s nuclear triad, while also serving in a maritime reconnaissance role.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
