The Tupolev Tu-95 Bear is a Soviet-designed turboprop strategic bomber that first flew in 1952 and remains in Russian service as the Tu-95MS cruise-missile carrier. Its four NK-12 engines drive contra-rotating propellers on a swept wing, giving it an unrefuelled range of about 15,000 km. Developed by Tupolev.
The Tupolev Tu-95 Bear is a Soviet-designed turboprop strategic bomber that first flew in 1952 and remains in Russian service as the Tu-95MS cruise-missile carrier. Developed by Tupolev.
Photo: Royal Air Force, Crown Copyright (OGL v3.0)See Specifications for full detail.
The Tupolev Tu-95 (NATO reporting name Bear) is a Soviet four-engine turboprop strategic bomber and missile carrier, designed by Tupolev and flown today by Russia's Long-Range Aviation. It is the only propeller-driven aircraft with swept wings built in large numbers, and the only turboprop strategic bomber still in operational use. [1]
The first prototype flew on 12 November 1952, the bomber entered service in 1956, and more than 500 aircraft of the Tu-95 family were built before production ended in the early 1990s. The current Tu-95MS cruise-missile carrier has fired missiles at targets in Syria and Ukraine. Ukrainian drone attacks since 2025 have destroyed several of the remaining aircraft, and on 29 September 2026 a Tu-95MS crashed in the Amur region, killing six of its seven crew. [1] [2]
In 1950 the Soviet government issued a requirement for a bomber with an unrefuelled range of 8,000 km. The jet engines of the time used too much fuel to meet it, so Tupolev combined a swept wing with turboprop engines. The Kuznetsov NK-12 was developed for the aircraft by a team of former Junkers engineers held in the Soviet Union, led by Ferdinand Brandner, from the wartime Junkers Jumo 022. The first NK-12 produced 12,500 hp, and the later NK-12MA reached about 15,000 hp. [1] [3]
The first prototype, the Tu-95/I, flew on 12 November 1952 with test pilot Alexey Perelet. On 11 May 1953 it crashed near Noginsk after a propeller gearbox failed, killing Perelet. Series production began in January 1956 and the bomber entered Long-Range Aviation service that year; 31 Tu-95s and 19 Tu-95Ms were built at Kuibyshev between 1955 and 1958. [1] [4] [5]
The Tu-95 has a 35-degree swept wing and four NK-12 turboprops, each driving two four-bladed contra-rotating propellers 5.6 m across. The NK-12MP of the Tu-95MS produces 14,795 hp, and the NK-12 is the most powerful turboprop to enter service. The propeller tips turn faster than sound, which makes the Tu-95 one of the loudest military aircraft. The Tu-95MS has a top speed of 925 km/h, cruises at 710 km/h and can fly 15,000 km without refuelling. It has a wing area of 310 square metres, carries 67,200 kg of fuel and has a maximum take-off weight of 188,000 kg. [1] [3]
The Tu-95MS has a crew of six or seven, including a tail gunner with two 23 mm GSh-23 cannon. The Tu-95MS6 carries six Kh-55-family cruise missiles on a rotary launcher in the bomb bay, and the Tu-95MS16 adds underwing pylons for ten more; the aircraft can also carry eight Kh-101 or Kh-102 missiles. There are no ejection seats. In an emergency the forward crew leave through the nose-wheel bay, carried down by a powered conveyor belt with the landing gear lowered. [1] [6] [7]
The Tu-95 grew into a family of aircraft. The Tu-95K carried the Kh-20 stand-off missile from 1959, and the Tu-95RTs flew maritime reconnaissance and targeting for submarines from 1966. The Tu-142 anti-submarine aircraft, of which 100 were built, served Soviet and Russian naval aviation and the Indian Navy, and the Tu-126 carried an early-warning radar from 1965 to 1984. The Tu-114 airliner set a speed record for propeller aircraft of 871.38 km/h on 24 March 1960 that still stands, and Aeroflot flew it from 1961 to 1976. [8] [9] [10] [11]
On 30 October 1961 a specially modified Tu-95V flown by Maj. Andrei Durnovtsev dropped the Tsar Bomba, the most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated, from 10,500 m. The bomber was 39 km away when the bomb went off at about 4,200 m. The shock wave reached it 115 km away and pushed it down 800 m, and it landed safely. Through the Cold War, Bears flying near NATO airspace from Alaska to Scotland and Japan were routinely intercepted and photographed by Western fighters. [12] [1]
The Tu-95MS, the version in service today, is a new-build cruise-missile carrier based on the Tu-142 airframe. It first flew in September 1979. Production began at Taganrog in 1981, moved to Kuibyshev in 1983 and ended in early 1992, with 32 Tu-95MS6s and 56 Tu-95MS16s built. Russia suspended long-range bomber patrols in 1992, and on 17 August 2007 President Vladimir Putin announced that they would resume; 14 strategic bombers flew that day. [1] [5] [13]
The Tu-95MS first saw combat on 17 November 2015, when Tu-95MS and Tu-160 bombers fired 34 cruise missiles at 14 targets in Syria, the Tu-95s using the Kh-555. A year later, on 17 November 2016, the Tu-95MS fired Kh-101 missiles for the first time, again at Syria. Since 24 February 2022 Tu-95MS bombers have fired cruise missiles at Ukraine, including a strike on Vinnytsia on 6 March 2022 and Kh-101s launched at Kyiv on 26 June 2022. Ukraine has struck back at the bomber bases, and a drone attack on Engels-2 on 5 December 2022 damaged two Tu-95s. [6] [14] [1]
On 1 June 2025, in Operation Spiderweb, Ukraine's SBU launched 117 drones from trucks driven close to Russian air bases, including Olenya in the Arctic and Belaya in Siberia. Independent satellite analysis found seven or eight Tu-95s destroyed at those two bases; NBC News confirmed at least five, and NATO officials estimated 10 to 13 aircraft of all types destroyed, against Ukraine's claim of 41 hit. Russia then moved bombers to Ukrainka in the Far East. [15] [16] [17] [18]
On the night of 16 to 17 July 2026 Ukrainian drones flew about 800 km to Engels-2 and destroyed a Tu-95MS, which satellite images showed severed in half. On 28 August a second Tu-95MS at Engels-2 lost about a third of its right wing. Tu-95MS production ended in 1992 and the Kuibyshev line was dismantled in 1995, so none of these aircraft can be replaced. [19] [20] [7] [21]
On 29 September 2026 a Tu-95MS crashed on a training flight near the village of Krasnoyarovo in Russia's Amur region, about 30 km north of Ukrainka air base. Six of the seven crew were killed, and the seventh was taken to hospital. The Russian Defence Ministry said the aircraft carried no weapons and sent a commission to the site. It has not given a cause; unconfirmed reports mention an engine fire. Two earlier Tu-95MS accidents in 2015, a take-off fire at Ukrainka on 8 June and a triple engine failure in icing near Khabarovsk on 14 July, each killed two crew. Earlier losses include a Tu-95RT near Uzyn, Ukraine, on 26 August 1965, which killed six, and two Tu-95RTs in 1971 that killed 23 crew between them. [2] [22] [23]
In 2020 Russia had 55 Tu-95MS, based at Engels-2, Ukrainka and Dyagilevo, and 51 in December 2025: 29 Tu-95MS and 22 upgraded Tu-95MSM. Ukrainian defence intelligence estimated about 38 combat-ready Tu-95MS and Tu-95MSM in late August 2026, falling to about 36 after the August strike and the September crash. The modernised Tu-95MSM, with a Novella radar, first flew at the end of 2019. Russia plans to keep the Tu-95 in service until at least 2040, but its intended replacement, the PAK DA, had no completed prototype reported as of June 2025. Rostec last said in August 2023 that the programme was on schedule, and earlier plans for state tests in February 2026 and production in 2027 have not been met. [1] [7] [24] [25]
The Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" has a top speed of 500 kn (575 mph / 925 km/h).
A total of 500 were built.
Yes, the Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" is still in service.
The Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" first flew on November 12th 1952.
The Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" has a range of 9,320 mi (15,000 km).
Operators include Russian Aerospace Forces and Soviet Air Forces / Long-Range Aviation.
Tu-95s do not broadcast civil ADS-B, so Flightradar24 never shows them directly; their movements instead surface indirectly through the NATO, US and Canadian fighters (F-35s, F-16s, F-22s, Typhoons) scrambled to intercept and shadow them near Alaska, the Barents/Norwegian Sea, and Japan, which occasionally do appear on trackers during training or intercept sorties.
| Performance | |
| Max Speed | 500 kn (575 mph / 925 km/h) |
|---|---|
| Cruise SpeedCruise Speed — The economical speed an aircraft sustains for the bulk of a flight - lower than maximum speed, chosen for the best balance of time and fuel burn. Glossary → | 440 mph |
| RangeRange — How far an aircraft can fly without refuelling. Quoted figures vary with payload, speed and reserves - see also ferry range and combat radius. Glossary → | 9,320 mi |
| Service CeilingService Ceiling — The highest altitude at which an aircraft can still climb at a useful rate (typically 100 ft/min). Above it, the air is too thin to keep climbing meaningfully. Glossary → | 45,000 ft |
| Airframe & Weight | |
| Wingspan | 164 ft 4 in |
| Length | 151 ft 7 in |
| Height | 39 ft 9 in |
| WeightMTOW — Maximum Take-Off Weight - the heaviest an aircraft is certified to be at the start of its take-off run, including fuel, crew, payload and the aircraft itself. Glossary → | empty: 198,400 lb; normal takeoff: 377,000 lb; MTOW: 414,500 lb |
| Power & Payload | |
| Engines | 4 x Kuznetsov NK-12MP turboprops (~15,000 shp each) driving 8-blade contra-rotating propellers |
| ArmamentArmament — The weapons an aircraft can carry: guns, missiles, bombs and rockets, whether mounted internally, on wing hardpoints, or in bomb bays. Glossary → | 2 x 23mm GSh-23 autocannon in remote tail turret; up to 8 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles (Tu-95MS16) or older Kh-20/Kh-22 missiles on earlier variants, plus free-fall bombs on non-missile models |
| Crew | 6-7 (pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer, navigator, communications operator, tail gunner, plus additional systems operator on missile-carrier variants) |
| CapacityPayload — Everything an aircraft is carrying that isn't the aircraft or its fuel: passengers, cargo, or weapons. Payload and fuel usually trade off against each other. Glossary → | ~15,000 kg (33,000 lb) weapons payload, including internal bomb bay and underwing pylons for cruise missiles |
| Program & Service | |
| Manufacturer | Tupolev |
| Origin | Russia |
| First Flight | November 12th 1952 |
| Service Entry | January 1st 1956 |
| Number Built | 500 |
| Unit Cost | Not publicly disclosed - production ended in 1993, so the airframe cannot be repurchased, only modernised |
11 notable events involving the Tu-95 Bear, 1953 to 2026. 33 deaths are recorded across the 6 of these with a figure listed. Curated rather than exhaustive.
The Tu-95/I prototype crashed near Noginsk after a propeller gearbox failed, about six months into flight testing. Test pilot Alexey Perelet was among those killed; sources give three or four deaths.
Maj. Andrei Durnovtsev's Tu-95V dropped the most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated from 10,500 m. The shock wave pushed the bomber down 800 m, and it landed safely.
The crew reported an engine fire, then lost control and crashed into the sea off Bear Island; a propeller blade may have penetrated the fuselage. All 12 crew were killed.
On a night approach to Fedotovo-Kipelovo in fog below minimums, after the crew ignored an order to divert, the aircraft struck trees short of the runway. All 11 crew were killed.
A Tu-95MS's left engine caught fire and exploded during take-off at Ukrainka air base, and the bomber ran off the runway and burned. Two crew died, and the fleet was grounded until early July.
Tu-95MS RF-94204 lost three engines in icing near Litovko, Khabarovsk Krai. All seven crew bailed out at 3,500 m, and two of them died.
Tu-95MS and Tu-160 bombers fired 34 cruise missiles at 14 targets in Syria, the Tu-95s using Kh-555 missiles.
Ukraine's SBU launched 117 drones from trucks driven close to Russian air bases. Independent satellite analysis found seven or eight Tu-95s destroyed at Olenya and Belaya.
Ukrainian drones flew about 800 km to Engels-2 airbase in the Saratov region. Satellite imagery showed a Tu-95MS severed in half.
A Ukrainian strike on Engels-2 removed about a third of a Tu-95MS's right wing, according to satellite imagery.
A Tu-95MS from Ukrainka air base crashed on a training flight near the village of Krasnoyarovo, about 30 km north of the base. Six of the seven crew were killed and one was taken to hospital. The Russian Defence Ministry said no weapons were aboard and has not given a cause.
| Tu-95 / Tu-95M | The original free-fall bomber. 31 Tu-95s and 19 Tu-95Ms were built at Kuibyshev between 1955 and 1958; the Tu-95M had uprated NK-12M engines, and the basic Tu-95 was the only version never fitted with a nose refuelling probe. Surviving early aircraft were converted into Tu-95U trainers, all now retired, and one became the Tu-95V that dropped the Tsar Bomba in 1961. |
| Tu-95K / Tu-95K-22 | The first missile-carrying versions. The Tu-95K became operational in September 1959 with the Kh-20 stand-off missile, which reached 600 km in its Kh-20M form, and was upgraded to Tu-95KM standard in the mid-1960s. Later, older Bears were rebuilt as Tu-95K-22s to carry the Kh-22 missile, and the conversion was formally accepted in 1987. |
| Tu-95RTs | A maritime reconnaissance and targeting version that located ships for Soviet submarines. It first flew on 21 September 1962 and entered service in May 1966, and 40 were built; 37 remained in mid-1991, and the type was retired in 1993-94. Two Tu-95RTs crashed in 1971, in the Barents Sea in January and near Vologda in September, killing all 23 crew aboard. |
| Tu-95MS / Tu-95MSM | The current version, a new-build cruise-missile carrier on the Tu-142 airframe, first flown in September 1979 and built from 1981 to early 1992. The 32 Tu-95MS6s carry six Kh-55-family missiles on a rotary launcher, and the 56 Tu-95MS16s add underwing pylons for ten more. The modernised Tu-95MSM, with a Novella NV1.021 radar, first flew at the end of 2019. |
| Tu-142 | A long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine derivative, first flown on 18 July 1968 and operational from December 1972. 100 were built until 1994, about 18 at Kuibyshev and the rest at Taganrog, including 43 Tu-142MKs. About 29 still serve with Russian Naval Aviation. India flew eight from 1988 until 29 March 2017, when the P-8I replaced them. |
| Tu-126 | An airborne early warning aircraft derived from the Tu-114 airliner and carrying the Liana radar. It first flew on 23 January 1962, and eight production aircraft plus the prototype were built between 1965 and 1968. Based at Siauliai in Lithuania, the Tu-126 served from 1965 until 1984, when the Beriev A-50 replaced it. |
| Tu-114 | An airliner derived from the Tu-95, seating 170 passengers as standard and up to 224. It first flew on 15 November 1957, and 32 were built until 1963. Aeroflot flew it from 24 April 1961 until 1976 on routes including Havana, Montreal, New Delhi and Tokyo. On 24 March 1960 it set the propeller speed record of 871.38 km/h over 1,000 km, which still stands. |
Source: Zona Militar
Source: USNI News
Numbered as cited in the Overview article. Click a reference to see where it's used.
Additional reading you might find interesting...
PlanesDB entries are living documents - this is how this one has evolved, and who helped make it happen. Spotted something out of date? Help update it.
