144-024 Tu-22 KD Blinder

Development of the supersonic TU-22 bomber began after the start of production of the TU-16.
This supersonic medium-range bomber is a swept-wing aircraft with two engines positioned as the base of the tailfin. The low-mounted swept-back wings are tapered with square tips and a wide wing root. The landing gear pods extend beyond wings trailing edges. Two turbojets engines are low-mounted on the tail fin, with round air intakes. This eliminated the need for a complicated boundary layer separation system in the intakes, but added a 15% weight penalty, and made engine maintenance much more difficult because of how high they were off the ground.
The prototype of the “105” aircraft with BD-7M engines made its’ first flight on 21 June 1958, but was subsequently extensively modified and upgraded. During testing, numerous problems arose, and a number of crewman were lost in crashes. Series production of this aircraft — designated the TU-22 — started at the plant Nr.22 in Kazan in 1959, where more than 300 TU-22 bombers were built through 1969.
Several versions of the Blinder-bomber were built.
Blinder B – Tu-22K — The Tu-22K was equipped to carry one Kh-22 (AS-4 Kitchen ) 250-nm range air-to-surface The TU-22K carried a missile, and could also carry free-fall bombs. It carried out its’ first tests in 1961 and deployment started in 1967 after conclusion of the testing phase.
Blinder D – Tu-22U — The – Tu-22B is a trainer version similar to Blinder A, though with a raised student cockpit.
From 1965 on, all Blinder aircraft were equipped with an air refueling system, consisting of a refueling probe which folds into the fuselage when not in use. And beginning in 1965 the TU-22 fleet was re-equipped with more powerful RD-7M2 engines which allowed an increase in the maximum speed up to 1,600 km/h.
The Tu-22 was used by the Soviet Union in the Afghanistan War, and served the Soviet Air Force, and Navy into the late 1980-s. Iraq received about 12 Blinders in 1973, while Libya received their 12 to 18 from 1977 to 1983. They were used by Iraq during in Iraq-Iran War, and by Libya during the conflicts in Sudan and Chad.instr

(ALSO COMBINED WITH “THE Kh-22 (AS-4) 1/144)