FILE – On this file picture taken on Friday, Could 4, 2018, Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers fly previous the … [+]
Russian navy airbases positioned removed from the frontlines of the continuing battle in Ukraine have been more and more focused in drone assaults—and quite a few the Kremlin’s plane have been destroyed on the bottom. This weekend, the Russian Aerospace Forces apparently adopted a really “low-tech” answer, which concerned using outdated automobile tires on the wings and fuselage of its Chilly Warfare-era Tupolev Tu-95 (NATO reporting identify “Bear”) strategic bombers.
Pictures of one of many plane lined with tires on the Engels airfield circulated on Sunday on X, the social media platform previously referred to as Twitter.
This obtained mockery from Ukrainians and little commentary from the normally vocal Russian propagandists.
“Brace yourselves, as a result of russians have as soon as once more showcased unparalleled innovation. What you’re looking at is a satellite tv for pc picture that includes a TU-95 strategic bomber lined with automobile tires. In accordance with them, this could defend strategic bombers from drones,” posted @Tatarigame_UA, who presupposed to be a Ukraine navy officer.
Tatarigame_UA shared extra photographs, noting that it wasn’t a single prevalence, and recommended it was the Kremlin’s try to create a “budget-friendly model of ERA substitute”—a reference to explosive reactive armor that’s employed to counter anti-tank weapons.
As one other person additionally famous, “So, after his 4th bottle of Vodka, the Russian commander immediately screamed—’Let’s use extremely flammable automobile tyres to guard the bombers from drones.'”
“Superb what determined Russian Common’s may conceive. Pondering rubber tires on prime of Russian bombers would make Ukraine drones bounce off its goal. OR Putin is a genius, making us suppose his Nuclear Bombers are a part of a junkyard,” recommended @BobbyAlb.
The big Chilly Warfare-era strategic bomber was first flown in 1952, and it’s now among the many oldest plane designs nonetheless in service with the Russian navy. The Tu-95 can be the one propeller-powered bomber in service anyplace on this planet right now. Nonetheless, regardless of the age of the platform, it’s a extremely succesful bomber—and very like the USA Air Pressure’s B-52 Stratofortress, it has been steadily upgraded and can seemingly stay in service properly into the 2040s or later.
Armor Or Camouflage?
That is simply the newest Russian advert hoc try to guard its navy automobiles by masking them with available supplies. Tank crews in Ukraine resorted to welding metal cages over the turrets to counter a menace from loitering munitions—also called “kamikaze drones”—and by inserting wood logs on the edges of the tanks.
Although such low-tech options with tanks and different armored automobiles have been fairly efficient, the identical cannot be mentioned of merely inserting tires on the tops of the bombers. Nonetheless, is unclear if the tires had been positioned on the bombers to truly defend the plane from an assault, or if that is being employed as a technique to conceal the plane at night time, when many of the drone strikes have occurred.
In Crimea, the Russian Navy had painted the bow and stern of its Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates as the results of Kyiv’s repeated maritime drone strikes on the warships in port.
In fact, the truth that the photographs are circulating on social media of the camouflaged ships and plane has seemingly significantly diminished the effectiveness of such efforts to cover these platforms in plain sight!
