The Tupolev Tu-16 (USAF/DOD reporting name Type 39; [2] NATO reporting name: Badger) [3] is a twin-engined jet strategic heavy bomber used by the Soviet Union. It has been flown for almost 70 years.

Mar 3, 2025 · The Tu-16 carried a crew of six and was armed with six or seven 23-millimetre cannons at nose and tail. It carried a maximum bomb load of 19,800 pounds (9,000 kg). The Tu-16 was used by the Soviet bomber force and was made available to the People’s Republic of China, Egypt, and Iraq.

Jan 21, 2024 · The aircraft made its maiden flight on April 27, 1952, under the initial designation of Tu-88, but upon entering frontline service in 1954, it was redesignated as the Tu-16, with NATO assigning...

Jan 24, 2025 · The Tu-16 began to quickly replace long-range Tu-4 bombers in combat units, becoming a carrier of nuclear and conventional weapons at medium (or, as they say, Euro-strategic) ranges.

Jun 10, 2017 · One of the classic aviation designs of the 1950s, the Tu-16 was Russia’s most successful jet bomber. It remains in active service today as a missile platform and maritime reconnaissance craft. The origins of the famous Tu-16 trace back to 1944, when bad weather forced down three U.S. Boeing B-29s on a Russian airfield in Siberia.

Mar 27, 2011 · The Tu-16 was first seen by the public during the May Day military parade in 1954. About 2,000 of these versatile aircraft were built as strategic bombers, anti-shipping bombers, aerial refueling tankers, and reconnaissance aircraft.

Dec 12, 2018 · Page details technical specifications, development, and operational history of the Tupolev Tu-16 (Badger) Multirole Twin-Engined, Jet-Powered Fast Bomber including pictures.

Tupolev Tu-16 (Russian: Туполев Ту-16; NATO reporting name: Badger) was a Soviet twin-engine heavy bomber designed by Tupolev. It has stayed in service for almost 70 years, and the Xian H-6, which is based on the Tu-16, is still flying today with the People's Liberation Army.

Tu-16 BADGER (TUPOLEV) The Tu-16 was designed as an high-speed jet bomber for operations in theaters close to the Soviet Union. Intended to replace the propeller-driven TU-4, the greatest challenge during development was to doubling the speed to improve survivability in the face of enemy fighters.

The Tupolev Tu-16 was a subsonic, twin-engine, turbojet-powered medium bomber developed in the 1950s by the extinct Soviet Union as a replacement to Tu-4 bomber. Nicknamed Badger by Western intelligence it was mass produced totaling between 1,500 to 1,800 aircraft including more than 100 license built aircraft in China under H-6 designation.