LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Tu: Tu-95
built 675 days ago
The Tu-95RT variant in particular was a veritable icon of the Cold War as it performed a vital maritime surveillance and targeting mission for other aircraft and surface ships and submarines. It was identifiable by a large bulge radar under the fuselage that was used to search for and target surface ships. The US Navy placed high priority in intercepting the Tu-95RT aircraft at least two hundred miles from the carrier with its F-14 Tomcat interceptors, which would then escort the Tu-95. On occasion, USN Tomcats demonstrated an ability to intercept Tu-95RT aircraft at ranges up to 1,000 miles from the fighters' carrier battle group.
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The greatest difficulty in the development of the Tu-95 was engines. After studies on different engine combinations and versions, a final design was made to incorporated four turbo-prop engines with a thrust of about 10,000-shp advocated by Tupolev. In the late 1940s, the most powerful turbo-prop engine available was the BK-2 prototype which had significantly less thrust (4800-shp). By early 1950s OKB-276 N.A. Kuznetsov developed the TV-2 engine and the TV-2F booster engine with a thrust of 6,250-shp., while work on the TV-12 engine with sufficient thrust for the "95" aircraft continued.
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As late as 1999, Russian Tu-95s, usually flying in pairs, have come within striking distance both of the Iceland/Greenland route of North Atlantic and Alaska/Bering Sea route of North Pacific. In June of 1999, the Tu-95s, along with two Tu-160s, turned back after being intercepted by U.S. fighters. A similar incident occurred in September but the Tu-95s turned back without making contact.
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A Tu-95 Bear H aircraft escorted by a US Air Force F-15 Eagle aircraft. The Tupolev aircraft regularly made long-range patrols near NATO and US airspace up to the end of the Cold War.
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The Tu-95 development was officially approved by the government on 11 July 1951, resulting in the test of the first prototype 95/1 on 12 November 1952. Series production of the airplane started in January 1956.
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Tu-95