China buys the Tu22M3 Backfire production line?

[US Herk]

Originally Posted by Doctor Cruces

Goodness knows why the same designation with just a different letter at the end,

You mean like how a GR1 might be a Harrier, Tornado, or Jaguar?

[TheWestCoast]

Originally Posted by Doctor Cruces

Was confused about the "updating" bit until I flicked to the article. That's a TU-22M Backfire, not a Blinder in the picture. Makes sense now. Goodness knows why the same designation with just a different letter at the end, unless it was developed from the Blinder.

Doc C

Soviet attempt to mislead NATO into thinking it was a merely an updated Blinder rather than a completely new aircraft. The original assumption in the West was that it was designated Tu-26.

[Heathrow Harry]

I thought the (non) change in designation was really to save face in Russia - the original aircraft looked great but was a bit of a pig, a complete redesign a turned it into a decent bomber but no-one wanted to admit they'd got it wrong to start with

See B-1A & B1B lancer for a similar story

[Thrust Augmentation]

Was the Tu-22M not called so by Tupolev to make it initially appear that it was an upgraded design rather than a new aircraft (so that it was more acceptable to the powers in charge, rather than an entirely new design)?

[keesje]

The Tu22M entered service in 1972 already, 370 were build. First flight 1969. So a Concorde generation aircraft. A remarkable technological achievement by the Tupolev engineers IMO. Non were exported in the USSR tradition of keeping the best equipment for themselves..

Oekraine destroyed theirs as negotiated (11 Tu-160s too)..


Must have hurt the eyes of the Chinese..