Ukrainian official channels reported the shootdown of a Russian Tu-22 M3 bomber (NATO identifier: Backfire-C) on 19 April, 2024 over Stavropol Krai. This footage is a compilation, comprising a peek inside the air defense command station, as well as the bomber in a flat, falling spin after the hit.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, the Russian Ministry of Defense has claimed the aircraft was lost due to a technical malfunction. One supposes that the pilot failing to get out of the way, or the engine failing to operate with a missile shoved into it, are both technical malfunctions.

The Tu-22 M series refers to long-range strategic bombers with variable wing geometry, first formally inducted by the Soviet Union in 1972. While envisioned as bombers, in the current conflict, Tu-22s are primarily used to deliver missiles, as this one was reportedly doing when shot down. This shootdown- Ukraine's first in-the-air destruction of a Tu-22- occurred using an S200 missile, the same weapon used to shoot down a Russian A-50 earlier this year.

 

About the Author

 

       

     

Cole Simms

     

Cole Simms is an Air Guardsman, NASA enthusiast, police officer, and security contractor with particular experience in austere environments. Outside of work, he volunteers as a Stop The Bleed instructor for area schools. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and blends his knowledge and experience to write analysis for Funker530.

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