Tu-22M3 bombers are designed to perform combat missions in the operational zones of land and sea theaters of operations in order to destroy mobile and stationary, area and radar-contrast, visible and invisible targets with missiles and bombs, day and night, in simple and complex meteorological conditions.
The aircraft has an aerodynamic configuration with a low-mounted variable sweep wing. The structure was made mainly of aluminum alloys, as well as heat-resistant and high-strength steels, magnesium and titanium alloys. The wing consisted of a fixed part and rotating consoles.
Unlike the Tu-22, whose crew consisted of three people, whose workplaces were equipped with downward-firing K-22 ejection seats, the Tu-22M3 crew consisted of four people, located in upward-firing KT-1M ejection seats, which significantly increased the chances of the "twenty-second-M" crew surviving in an emergency situation.
Compared to its predecessor, the tactical radius of the Tu-22M3 increased by almost 15%. When based at a distance of 800 km from the front line, the depth of combat operations increased by 20% when flying at high altitudes and by 17% at low altitudes. The total combat effectiveness increased by 2.2 times.
The PNA radar installed on the Tu-22M3 made it possible to detect large ground objects from a range of 350-500 km, ships of the "cruiser" type from 250-350 km, and aircraft carriers from 300-400 km. The probability of a Kh-22 anti-ship missile hitting a "cruiser" or "aircraft carrier" type target was estimated at 0.8-0.9.
Earlier www1.ru reported that the use of half-century-old Grad MLRS has been completely rethought: new approaches to combat work.
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