Tupolev Tu - 22 The Tupolev Tu - 22 ( NATO reporting name : Blinder ) was the first supersonic bomber to enter production in the Soviet Union . Manufactured by Tupolev , the Tu - 22 entered service with the Soviet military in the 1960s , and the last examples were retired during the 1990s . Produced in comparatively small numbers , the aircraft was a disappointment , lacking the intercontinental range that had been expected . Later in their service life , Tu - 22s were used as launch platforms for the Soviet AS - 4 stand - off missile , and as reconnaissance aircraft . Tu - 22s were sold to other nations , including Libya and Iraq . The Tu - 22 was one of the few Soviet bombers to see combat , with Libyan Tu - 22s under the command of Muammar Gaddafi being used against Tanzania and Chad , and Iraq under Saddam Hussein using its Tu - 22s during the Iran - Iraq War . Development . The Tu - 22 was intended originally as a supersonic replacement for the Tupolev Tu - 16 bomber . Preliminary design of an aircraft to meet this requirement , designated Samolët 105 by Tupolev , was started in 1954 , with the first prototype completed in December 1957 , and making its maiden flight from Zhukovsky on 21 June 1958 , flown by test pilot Yuri Alasheev . The availability of more powerful engines , and the TsAGI discovery of the Area rule for minimizing transonic drag , resulted in the construction of a revised prototype , the 105A . This first flew on 7 September 1959 . The first serial - production Tu - 22B bomber , built by Factory No . 22 at Kazan , flew on 22 September 1960 , and the type was presented to the public in the Tushino Aviation Day parade on 9 July 1961 , with a flypast of 10 aircraft . It initially received the NATO reporting name ' Bullshot ' , which was deemed to be inappropriate , then ' Beauty ' , which was deemed to be too complimentary , and finally the ' Blinder ' . Soviet crews called it " " shilo " " ( awl ) because of its shape . The Tu - 22 entered service in 1962 , but it experienced considerable problems , resulting in widespread unserviceability and several crashes . Amongst its many faults was a tendency for skin heating at supersonic speed , distorting the control rods and causing poor handling . The landing speed was 100 km / h ( 62 mph ) greater than previous bombers and the Tu - 22 had a tendency to pitch up and strike its tail on landing , though this problem was eventually resolved with the addition of electronic stabilization aids . Even after some of its problems had been resolved , the ' Blinder ' was never easy to fly , and it was maintenance - intensive . Among its unpleasant characteristics was a wing design that allowed rudder reversal at high deflections . When the stick had been neutralized following such an event the deformation of the wing did not necessarily disappear but could persist and result in an almost uncontrollable aircraft . Pilots for the first Tu - 22 squadrons were selected from the ranks of " First Class " Tu - 16 pilots , which made transition into the new aircraft difficult , as the Tu - 16 had a co - pilot , and many of the " elite " Tu - 16 pilots selected had become accustomed to allowing their co - pilots to handle all the flight operations of the Tu - 16 except for take - off and landings . As a consequence , Tu - 16 pilots transitioning to the single - pilot Tu - 22 suddenly found themselves having to perform all the piloting tasks , and in a much more complicated cockpit . Many , if not most of these pilots were unable to complete their training for this reason . Eventually pilots were selected from the ranks of the Su - 17 " Fitter " crews , and these pilots made the transition with less difficulty . By the time the Tu - 22B ( Blinder - A ) entered service it was already obvious that its operational usefulness was limited . Despite its speed , it was inferior to the Tu - 16 with respect to combat radius , weapon load , and serviceability . Soviet president Nikita Khrushchev believed that ballistic missile s were the way of the future , and bombers like the Tu - 22 were in danger of cancellation . As a result , only 15 ( some sources say 20 ) Tu - 22Bs were built . A combat - capable reconnaissance version , the Tu - 22R ( ' Blinder - C ' ) , was developed along with the bomber , entering service in 1962 . The Tu - 22R could be fitted with an aerial refueling probe that was subsequently fitted to most Tu - 22s , expanding their radius of operation . 127 Tu - 22Rs were built , 62 of which went to the AVMF for maritime reconnaissance use . Some of these aircraft were stripped of their camera and sensor packs and sold for export as Tu - 22Bs , although in other respects they apparently remained more comparable to the Tu - 22R than to the early - production Tu - 22Bs . A trainer version of the ' Blinder , ' the Tu - 22U ( ' Blinder - D ' ) was fielded at the same time , with a raised cockpit for an instructor pilot . The Tu - 22U had no tail guns , and was not combat - capable . 46 were produced . To try to salvage some offensive combat role for the Tu - 22 in the face of official hostility , the Tu - 22 was developed as a missile carrier , the Tu - 22K ( ' Blinder - B ' ) , with the ability to carry a single Raduga Kh - 22 ( AS - 4 ' Kitchen ' ) stand - off missile in a modified weapons bay . The Tu - 22K was deployed both by DA ( Strategic Aviation ) , and AVMF ( Naval Aviation ) . The last Tu - 22 subtype was the Tu - 22P ( ' Blinder - E ' ) electronic warfare version , initially used for ELINT electronic intelligence gathering . Some were converted to serve as stand - off ECM jammers to support Tu - 22K missile carriers . One squadron was usually allocated to each Tu - 22 regiment . The Tu - 22 was upgraded in service with more powerful engines , in - flight refueling ( for those aircraft that did not initially have it ) , and better electronics . The - D suffix ( for " Dalni " , long - range ) denotes aircraft fitted for aerial refueling . Tu - 22s were exported to Iraq and Libya during the 1970s . An Egyptian request was refused as a result of Soviet objections to the Yom Kippur War . Design . The Tu - 22 has a low - middle mounted wing swept at an angle of 55° . The two large turbojet engines , originally 159 kN ( 35 , 273 lb ) Dobrinin VD - 7M , later 162 kN ( 36 , 375 lb ) Kolesov RD - 7 M2 , are mounted atop the rear fuselage on either side of the large vertical fin , with a low mounted tailplane . Continuing a Tupolev OKB design feature , the main landing gear are mounted in pods at the trailing edge of each wing . The very swept wings gave little drag at transonic speeds , but resulted in very fast landing speeds and a long take - off run . The Tu - 22 ' s cockpit placed the pilot forward , offset slightly to the left , with the weapons officer behind and the navigator below , within the fuselage , sitting on downwards - firing ejector seats . The cockpit design had bad visibility ( doing nothing for the Tu - 22 ' s poor runway performance ) , uncomfortable seats and bad location of instruments and switches . The Tu - 22 ' s defensive armament , operated by the weapons officer , consisted of a tail turret beneath the engine pods , containing a single 23mm R - 23 gun . The turret was directed by a small PRS - 3A ' Argon ' gun - laying radar to compensate for the weapons officer ' s lack of rear visibility . The bomber ' s main weapon load was carried in a fuselage bomb bay between the wings , capable of carrying up to 24 FAB - 500 general - purpose bomb s , one FAB - 9000 bomb , or various free - fall nuclear weapons . On the Tu - 22K , the bay was reconfigured to carry one Raduga Kh - 22 ( AS - 4 ' Kitchen ' ) missile semi - recessed beneath the fuselage . The enormous weapon was big enough to have a substantial effect on handling and performance , and was also a safety hazard . The early Tu - 22B had an optical bombing system ( which was retained by the Tu - 22R ) , with a Rubin - 1A nav / attack radar . The Tu - 22K had the Leninets PN ( NATO reporting name ' Down Beat ' ) to guide the Kh - 22 missile . The Tu - 22R could carry a camera array or an APP - 22 jammer pack in the bomb bay as an alternative to bombs . Some Tu - 22Rs were fitted with the Kub ELINT system , and later with an under - fuselage palette for M - 202 Shompol side - looking airborne radar , as well as cameras and an infrared line - scanner . A small number of Tu - 22K were modified to Tu - 22KP or Tu - 22KPD configuration with Kurs - N equipment to detect enemy radar systems and give compatibility with the Kh - 22P anti - radiation missile . Operational history . Libya . The Libyan Arab Republic Air Force ( LARAF ) used the Tu - 22 in combat against Tanzania in 1979 as part of the Uganda – Tanzania War to help its Ugandan allies , with a single Tu - 22 flying a completely unsuccessful bombing mission against the town of Mwanza on 29 March 1979 . The Libyan aircraft were also used against Chad as part of the Chadian – Libyan conflict , with strikes into western Sudan and Chad . Libyan Tu - 22s flew their first mission over Chad on 9 October 1980 against Hissène Habré ' s forces near the Chadian capital of N ' Djamena . Occasional bombing raids by small numbers of Tu - 22s against targets in Chad and Sudan , including a raid on Omdurman in September 1981 which killed three civilians and injured 20 others , continued to be performed until a ceasefire was arranged in November 1981 . Fighting restarted in July 1983 , with Libyan air power , including its Tu - 22s , being used in attacks against forces loyal to Habré , before a further ceasefire stopped the fighting until Libyan - assisted forces began a fresh offensive in early 1986 . On 17 February 1986 , in retaliation for the French Operation Èpervier ( which had hit the runway of the Libyan Ouadi Doum Airbase one day earlier ) , a single LARAF Tu - 22B attacked the airfield at N ' Djamena . Staying under French radar coverage by flying low over the desert for more than 1 , 127 km ( 700 mi ) , it accelerated to over Mach 1 , climbed to 5 , 030 m ( 16 , 503 ft ) and dropped three heavy bombs . Despite the considerable speed and height , the attack was extremely precise : two bombs hit the runway , one demolished the taxiway , and the airfield remained closed for several hours as a consequence . The bomber ran into technical problems on its return journey . U . S . early warning reconnaissance planes based in Sudan monitored distress calls sent by the pilot of the Tu - 22 that probably crashed before reaching its base at Aouzou ( maybe hit by twin - tubes that fired in N ' Djamena airport ) . One bomber was shot down by captured 2K12 Kub ( SA - 6 ) surface - to - air missiles during a bombing attack on an abandoned Libyan base at Aouzou on 8 August 1987 . One eyewitness report suggests that the pilot ejected but his parachute was seen on fire . Another Blinder was lost on the morning of 7 September 1987 , when two Tu - 22Bs conducted a strike against N ' Djamena . This time , French air defenses were ready and a battery of MIM - 23 Hawk SAMs of the 402nd Air Defence Regiment shot down one of the bombers , killing the East German crew . This raid was the last involvement of the Tupolev Tu - 22 with the Libyan - Chadian conflict . The last flight of a Libyan Blinder was recorded on September 7 , 1992 and are probably now unserviceable because of a lack of spare parts , although seven are visible at the Al Jufra Air Base at the following coordinates : . They were reportedly replaced by Su - 24 s . Iraq . Iraq used its Tu - 22s in the Iran – Iraq War from 1980 to 1988 , with offensive operations starting on the first day of the war , when a Tu - 22 based at H - 3 Air Base struck an Iranian fuel depot at Mehrabad International Airport , Tehran , which in conjunction with other Iraqi attacks resulted in a shortage of aviation fuel for the Iranians in the early period of the war . Otherwise , these early attacks caused were relatively ineffective , with many raids being aborted owing to Iranian air defences and operations being disrupted by heavy Iranian air strikes against Iraqi airfields capable of handling the Tu - 22 . Iran claimed three Tu - 22s shot down during October 1980 , one shot down over Tehran on 6 October , and two shot down on 29 October , one near Najafabad by an AIM - 54 Phoenix missile launched by a F - 14 fighter and one over Qom . Iraq deployed its Tu - 22s during the " War of the Cities " , flying air - raids against Tehran , Isfahan and Shiraz , with these attack supplemented by Iraqi Scud and Al Hussein missiles and Iran retaliating against Iraqi cities with its own Scuds . The Iraqi Air Force were particularly enthusiastic users of the gargantuan FAB - 9000 general - purpose bomb , which skilled Tu - 22 pilots could deploy with impressive accuracy , utilizing supersonic toss bombing techniques at stand - off distances and allowing the aircraft to escape retaliatory anti - aircraft fire . Usage of the FAB - 9000 was so heavy that the Iraqis ran low of imported Soviet stocks and resorted to manufacturing their own version , called the Nassir - 9 . Iraqi Tu - 22s were also deployed in the last stages of the " Tanker War " . On 19 March 1988 , four Tu - 22s together with six Mirage F . 1 s carried out a raid against Iranian operated oil tankers near Kharg Island , with the Tu - 22s sinking one supertanker and setting another on fire , while Exocet missiles from the Mirages damaged another tanker . A second strike against Kharg Island later the same day was less successful , encountering alerted Iranian defences , with two Tu - 22s being shot down together with several other Iraqi aircraft . These were the final operations carried out by Iraq ' s Tu - 22s during the Iran – Iraq war , with total Iraqi losses during the war being seven Tu - 22s , with several more badly damaged . The remaining Iraqi Tu - 22s were destroyed by American air attacks during the 1991 Gulf War . Soviet Union . The only Soviet combat use of the Tu - 22 occurred in 1988 , during the Soviet war in Afghanistan . Radar - jamming Tu - 22PD aircraft covered Tu - 22M bombers operating in Afghanistan near the Pakistan border , protecting the strike aircraft against Pakistani air defence activity . The Tu - 22 was gradually phased out of Soviet service in favor of the more - capable Tupolev Tu - 22M . At the time of the dissolution of the Soviet Union there were 154 remaining in service , but none are now believed to be used . More than 70 were lost in various operational accidents – a loss rate which gave the type the name among pilots of " Man eater " . Variants . A total of 311 Tu - 22s of all variants were produced , the last in 1969 . Production numbers were following : 15 of bomber version ( B ) , about 127 of reconnaissance versions ( R , RD , RK , RDK and RDM ) , 47 of ELINT versions ( P and PD ) , 76 of missile carriers ( K , KD , KP and KPD ) and 46 of training versions ( U and UD ) . Trainer version . All Soviet Union Tu - 22 aircraft were passed to successor states : Russia and Ukraine .