RacecarRoadcar
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1. The venerable Tupolev Tu-95 'Bear' bomber was intercepted many times by multiple generations of western military aircraft. While there are plenty of pictures of the Bear getting intercepted from the western side, pictures from the Russian side were very rare. Here are a few of them taken from Tu-95RT "Bear-D" (reconnaissance version) of the 392 ODRAP (long-range reconnaissance aviation regiment) based at Kiplevo. Thanks to Dmitriy Ermolin and the Facebook page dedicated to the Kipelovo airbase he administers, we are able to see the NATO interceptors dispatched to identify and escort the Soviet Bear-D aircraft during their long-range missions as seen from the of fuselage of the Bears.
2. US Navy F-4J of VF-102 escorting a Tu-95RT "Bear-D" (reconnaissance version) of 392 ODRAP during its reconnaissance flight of USS Independence (CV-62). Circa 1971-72. The photo was taken by Boris Melenevskiy of 392 ODRAP.
3. US Navy Р-3B ‘LC-81’ of VP-8 escorting Tu-95RTs of 392 ODRAP over North Atlantic circa 1979-80. Photo credit to Evgeniy Kalinin of 392 ODRAP.
4. 1972. F-4J from VF-84 and USS Franklin D Roosevelt in the Atlantic Ocean. Photo from Tu-95RT of 392 ODRAP.
5. F-14A of VF-102 from USS America over North Sea during exercise Ocean Safari 85. Photo from Tu-95RTs of 392 ODRAP. The fall of 1985.
6. F-14A of VF-102 from USS America over North Sea during exercise Ocean Safari 85. Photo from Tu-95RTs of 392 ODRAP. The fall of 1985.
7. Royal Air Force Phantom FG.1 of No. 111 Squadron from Leuchars AFB escorting Tu-95RTs of 392 ODRAP over the North Atlantic ocean. 1970s. The photo was taken by Tu-95RTs crew.
8. Royal Air Force Phantom FG.1 escorting Tu-95RTs of 392 ODRAP over Northen Atlantic, late 1970s. The photo was taken from tail cabin of the Tu-95RT. Phantom’s WSO is taking a photo of the Tu-95.
9. US Navy F-4B of VF-14 escorting Tu-95RTs of 392 ODRAP during its reconnaissance flight to USS John F Kennedy in 1973 at the Atlantic Ocean. The names on the cockpit: Pilot LCDR John Allen, RIO LTJG Dan Cnopp.
10. Two US Navy F-4Js of VF-102 escorting Tu-95RTs of 392 ODRAP during its reconnaissance flight of USS Independence. Circa 1974-75. The photo was taken by Boris Melenevskiy of 392 ODRAP.
11. 24 July 1978. Interception of Tu-142 "Bear-F" of 76 OPLAP (Long Range Anti-Submarine Aviation Regiment) also from Kipelovo AFB by the Royal Norwegian Air Force F-104G of 331 squadron from Bodo AFB. Archieve of Victor Kibalnik.
12. WSO of a US Air Force F-4E of 57th Fighter Interceptor Squadron from NAS Keflavik taking a photo of a Tu-142 of 76 OPLAP.
13. These are some of the many pictures of Tu-95s getting intercepted by western military aircraft.
Source: https://theaviationist.com/2020/06/12/take-a-look-at-these-rare-photos-of-nato-fighters-intercepting-soviet-tu-95rt-bear-d-during-the-cold-war/
sultin
I have a pic somewhere of the tail gunner in a Bear flipping my dad the bird.
felinemaria
The bear is a sturdy platform. My favourite bomber though is the stratofortress strictly because of its name.
Themenacingfew
Bear is for always.
tiderfish
These are really cool, thanks for posting
GTimgur
"Sup guys." "Sup." "Pics?" "Uh yeah sure. Same?" "Same bro." "Aight see you bro." "See ya."
BedBugDude
#12 i didn't know Goose and Maverick flew an F4
Rayfire3535
There's a joke about how long the Russians have kept that plane in service, but I love and respect the B-52 too much to make one.
ButtmoTerror
"rare photos"
sliveroflight
Rare but OP posts a hundred of them. Yeah
balsamicninja
Happens in Canada's North. Col Hadfield, of astronaut guitar fame, intercepted BEARS
dnebdal
Norwegian air force, too - it's high on the "what does our air force actually do" list, alongside "bomb middle-eastern targets for the US".
YourIceCreamMan
MrWobblyHead
I've often wondered what first technology pioneers and investors would make of how far we've come with technology.
BadaBigBoom
#12
v
ayhhha
what a Scientologist
itgrunt
So you're the one...
NarratesTheDarkerStory
*cough*bullshit
NothingToSeeHereKeepMoving
You wouldn't be saying that if you were intercepting a MiG-28.
konelhft
No, it's true man. It's a really good photo.
bydand724
And what exactly were you doing there?
konelhft
Keeping up foreign relations
galiean251
I'm sorry, I hate it when it does that, I'm sorry. Excuse me.
PrincePiggo
Makes for a pretty cool T shirt -
ComediNyan
Another russian speaker here and - just please don't. This is just rude.
tentacularfleshscape
Perfect to wear to an air force gay bar
rulingniko
Dare ya to wear it in Palm Springs Ca...
OldirtyBurton
People are just gonna think youre cruising for hairy dudes
ElroydIsGone
"Veaja Ndsiteja? OMG, is it really you...?"
EirikurDC
No, it is I, Vzdja Ntsitzja.
allysuzumiya
I would love to actually name my child this with the Russian spelling just to fuck with all of his teachers
ElroydIsGone
Ah, with the block letters, I wasn't sure, if it was the e or the z. I'm not too proficient at reading cyrillic. That makes it even better!
AnActualTsundere
as a russian speaker that gives me a fucking stroke trying to read it. Ugh
elvianempire
not a russian speaker, but I know some. annoys the shit out of me as well
NotAPervert
Any way to spell it in Russian that would look better? охотник на медведя?
etcnotect
Same lol although I can barely speak it, more so just read it
cyberimg
ЬФИDЏLДЍҪԐ DЇSPДҬҪҤЭD
RaptureYearly
Underrated joke right there lol
JustSomePersonThere
Doesn’t “intercepted” mean shot down? I’m dumb, pls to essplain.
dnebdal
It's just passive-aggressively tracking what they're doing.
SenfinaZeit
Intercept means caught up to, destroyed means destroyed.
SuperiorPebble
The Russians like to send their bombers on patrol very close to NATO airspace periodically, just because they can, so NATO aircraft follow.
JustSomePersonThere
Understood, thank you!
MrWobblyHead
It just means they flew course that would have them meet the offending aircraft. At that point they would shoot it down if ordered.
JustSomePersonThere
Gotcha, thanks!
aloha611
To be fair the US still uses the B-52 bomber, which started out back in the '50s
rengelmann
Rock lobster
TallyReign
Good lawd Phantoms and Tomcats are sexy as hell
Travelcedric
It amazes me that Japan has FINALLY retired their last F-4. Amazing legacy.
RacecarRoadcar
Only the RF-4s, the regular F-4 is still flying.
Scando
I'm so glad I got to visit Hyakuri air base last year. The roar of 6 F-4 is something I never will forget.
Travelcedric
Wow.
RacecarRoadcar
It's also still being used by Iran, South Korea, Greece, and Turkey.
Travelcedric
As an aircraft mechanic, I am embarrassed that I didn't know this.
neutronfish
The little Russian writing on one of the pictures says “strike aircraft carrier ’Roosevelt,’ USA.”
Nuraalek
Cool pics, the dates are a little off on a couple tho - in #1 the 1960s looks to be showing an F4 from the late 80s/early 90s. Likewise #7
Rodenbeard
Always loved the way the Tu-95 looked. Menacing and majestic all at once.
welluhwhatdoyouwantmetosay
Not rare. All too common. The Russians want to know that they can blow us up.
likeumreal
GODLESS COMMIE BASTARDS! - Sincerely, GenX dealing with an adulthood in a society lacking any uniting foreign enemy since the fall of USSR.
CandidGamera
Huh? Didn't you get the memo? "Darker-skinned folks". Works for domestic issues too! /s
RafntheTiger
Yikes but tru
NotToBeTHATGuyBut
Not gonna lie, I kinda miss the cold war when we had a specific enemy with a central government instead of "rogue nations" and insurgents.
likeumreal
Right? There was little good about the USSR. Now we have to live up to our ideals that we could ignore knowing they were 10 times worse. Ugh
ZachManDo
ifindthingsinteresting
This looks like it is from Hot Shots.
joe6paques
I wonder if designers of fighter jets build in a minimum speed so they don’t just blow by a Bear without time to observe what’s going on
TwoAccountsDown
Ah just send some Hornets. They can fly, like, 3 mph without stalling.
Kamelaase
(1/2) That is a good question, there are a number of incidents where either NATO or USSR pilots are stalling aircrafts when they are trying
Kamelaase
(2/2) to follow slower moving airplanes. P3’s and Russian jets are a classic, where the P3 would reduce speed and the Russias would stall
RacecarRoadcar
It is one of the things that fighter pilots practice for. This was also mentioned in the KAL 007 incident.
RacecarRoadcar
The bear is the fastest production turboprop ever built, so not really a problem.
sultin
Counter rotating props f my head.
joe6paques
What’s its stall speed, assuming the Bear pilot doesn’t want to cooperate?
RacecarRoadcar
Probably higher than normal due to the swept wings. I'd say around 120 knots.
CorrectMostOfTheTime
Aren't knots used for boats
Freightshaker
...and rope
NicodemusArch
Yes but it's also used for airspeed.
wandergeist
Carrier-based Navy aircraft are designed to be able to fly (relatively) slow to make carrier landings possible, so there's that.
MufLR
Except carrier landings (the arrested ones) are generally a bit faster than non-carrier ones, so.. nope.
redgiantcreative
Fun fact: When F-22 Raptors intercept Bear bombers off the coast of AK they turn on very loud radar beacons to mask their level of stealth.
TerriblePokemon
Its like wearing a ghillie suit and using one of those mega wat LED flashlights
AdrianDunne
In fairness to the Bear and the people flying them, the B-52 is pretty ancient too 1/2
AdrianDunne
and is likely to still be flying long after the heat death of the universe. 2/2
tomatoboy
Amusingly, the B52 as a design flew first. However, the newest B-52s are probably a tad younger. But the Bear *looks* much older...
tomatoboy
...thanks to the props, the general shape, and the coloring.
Ronelyn
It gets together with the B-52 and C-130 to bitch about "these young kids" and chat about Back In The Day. :)
ServerMonkeyKing
A-10 is that one actor from their generation who seems to never age.
Ronelyn
I love the HELL out of the A-10, but it's a young pup compared to those three.
Nuttsy
"Back in day, waz no complex politicking. Was our guyz, your guyz, and couple fish in between...no insurgent operating out school yard..."
thinkstopthink
Ha! Yeah, I think the Tu-95 is gonna be replaced at the same time as the B52. Which is schedule for... ugh, never.
Counterfit
The B-21 is supposed to replace the B-52 eventually (and the B-1 and B-2 as well)
supraman2turbo
Theres just no reason to replace it tbh. The B-52 fills its role so well that its hard to improve on it so why dump the money into it
Dalael
Not sure if true, but Bear's properller were so noisy, US submarines could track them.
delpharseven
Bears are deafeningly loud. Pilots who have intercepted them say it is uncomfortable being anywhere near them.
yellowtoolboxblackbag
Subs can hear all sorts of planes underwater, but iirc bears were especially noisy and distinctive.
tomatoboy
IIRC it’s the loudest aircraft (or loudest propeller aircraft) ever built?
TerriblePokemon
The propellers rotate so fast the tip break the speed of sound. Dey loud as fuck
TheMeanGombeen
That's actually quite common.
0570
Russia keeps sending aircraft into EU airspace every month to see how far they get before being escorted back to international airspace
MrWobblyHead
RAF Typhoons were scrambled quite recently along with fuel tanker aircraft as support.
bax498
They're scrambled almost weekly. There was a month back in '16 when the base where the bears take off from was closed. It was quiet.
UnluckyLunkhead
Every time the Russians want a photo of the latest USAF hardware they fly an old propeller bomber near to Alaska.
yetipc
they only see what the usa wants them to see, and they know it.
SabreTurbo02
Yeah sudden Eielson or Elmendorf AFB scramble intercepts happen at least once every quarter it seems.
YouEatYellowSnow
I'll take jet engines any day.
pseudopseudonym
So... fucking slow versus fucking slow. By warplane standards.
YouEatYellowSnow
One is dropping bombs the other is still one hour out and 75 miles away minimum.
pseudopseudonym
Both of them launched all their cruise missiles the at the same time from where they were loitering 6000 miles from the targets.
YouEatYellowSnow
If you don't believe their speed and there operations platforms are similar and don't matter, you are misinformed.
MisterLemons
Latest active hardware. Even the F35 program is 26 years old starting in 1995. Our fucktastic military budget must have undisclosed projects
Pentjotal
And it's not even working properly yet : 883 problems & 165 with no resolution in sight
CandidGamera
You'd be surprised how much of a fucktastic budget "keeping fucktons of old-to-somewhat-newish stuff maintained and running" can swallow up.
MisterLemons
I have a fair idea, considering how much of the finances are mismanaged, but it's 3/5ths of a trillion dollars.
astrangehop
There's only three guys who can keep the 8-tracks running on those b-52s
iancarry
both sides also do this for electonic recon .. they fly close and gather all electronic comms, so they later try to analyse it
insomniac24x7
Btw generally speaking propeller doesn’t necessarily mean old.
StillNotYouTube
I think they’re just testing the U.S. response.
circlebreaker
*snaps Polaroid shot out of tiny window*
AccidentalPhallacy
You see Ivan, no need to build expensive spy plane. Americans only know how to show off.
Amousewithchees
But Sergei what if Americans start demanding more bribes because of this, comrade?
Fleaofpain
ATerribleArtist
Fake! The hands are too big to be real. Lol
GiantAsteroid2021
Why bother? Just ring Donald for the blueprints
CptPanduh
I wouldn’t doubt if that was actually the case. Easy way to get intel if you don’t give a shit about country relations
valen00
Wait till you hear about the SR71 and U2
HeinekenBottle
They fly down the east coast of the uk frequently to test response times
dreikommavierzehn
That seems arbitrary
haggerton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_Open_Skies
ComediNyan
Oh that's sweet.
FrolickingFrolicking
What I don’t get is why, during the US years in treaty no Russian planes over US soil? (Before criminal defeated trump withdrew)
haggerton
US jets kept on intercepting them? :^)
Cataphract01
Oh Trump pulled out of that treaty too, weird decision considering everything is done via satellite now anyways
FeIineDisrespectFromBehind
And I'm betting we go right back in once Biden hits office.
CanadaIdentifier
The benefit of arms control treaties like this is mutual communication and engagement, not the actual reconnaissance itself
Cataphract01
Yeah so pulling out probably didn't do much good. Well maybe Biden will rejoin that too, like the PCA
FrolickingFrolicking
The fact that he withdrew from treaty AFTER losing election means he has criminal intentions.
CanadaIdentifier
It takes 6th months under the treaty to withdraw, the process began months ago. Also not sure what criminal intentions would be solved by
PballQhead
The Tu-95 is just as old and capable as the B-52...
candiduscorvus
They probably would think those fighter jets are the “latest” too, and not the spooky hypersonic earthquake-striking Things in Groom Lake.
MisterLemons
Capital what?
DaveTheScientist
I imagine the Russians know the planes they see are the planes the USAF wants them to see. Which is also information.
WhoYouGonnaCallGhostNappa
The latest models that we have more than 2 of at least
MikeKeyser
or at least which planes are in the area and how long it takes them to respond to a blip on the radar.
Kateness
Big old noob question here, but aren't most modern fighter jets hypersonic? Or does that mean something other than supersonic?
candiduscorvus
Generally speaking supersonic means it goes above Mach 1, but hypersonic is Mach 5 or greater. Incredibly fast things like scramjets.
Kateness
I did not know this! Thank you for the reply!
candiduscorvus
You’re very welcome!