Tupolev Tu - 142 The Tupolev Tu - 142 ( 142 ; NATO reporting name : Bear F / J ) is a maritime reconnaissance and anti - submarine warfare ( ASW ) aircraft derived from the Tu - 95 turboprop strategic bomber . A specialised communications variant designated " Tu - 142MR " was tasked with long - range communications duties with Soviet ballistic missile submarine s . The Tu - 142 was designed by the Tupolev design bureau , and manufactured by the Kuibyshev Aviation and Taganrog Machinery Plants from 1968 to 1994 . Formerly operated by the Soviet Navy and Ukrainian Air Force , the Tu - 142 currently serves with the Russian and Indian Navies . Developed in response to the American Polaris programme , the Tu - 142 grew out of the need for a viable Soviet ASW platform . It succeeded the stillborn Tu - 95PLO project , Tupolev ' s first attempt at modifying the Tu - 95 for maritime use . The Tu - 142 differed from the Tu - 95 in having a stretched fuselage to accommodate specialised equipment for its ASW and surveillance roles , a reinforced undercarriage to support rough - field capability , improved avionics and weapons , and enhancements to general performance . The Tu - 142 ' s capability was incrementally improved while the type was in service , eventually resulting in the Tu - 142MZ , the final long - range Tu - 142 with highly sophisticated combat avionics and a large payload . Tupolev also converted a number of Tu - 142s as avionics ( Tu - 142MP ) and engine ( Tu - 142LL ) testbeds . Design and development . Early designs . In the late 1950s the US Navy developed the UGM - 27 Polaris , a submarine - launched ballistic missile ( SLBM ) with a range of more of than ( ) . The Navy test - fired rocket boosters to perfect the design , culminating in the first underwater launch of a ballistic missile by USS " George Washington " on . Polaris became operational on that year , when the " George Washington " left Charleston , South Carolina , with a complement of nuclear - armed Polaris missiles . The Soviet government consequently ordered Tupolev and other aircraft design bureaus to study possible dedicated anti - submarine warfare ( ASW ) designs . Tupolev initially designed the " Tu - 95PLO " ( " protivolodochnaya oborona " , or ASW ) , a development of the Tu - 95 equipped with sonobuoy s , anti - submarine mines and torpedo es . It was to carry a ( ) payload with a maximum loiter time of . The design was dropped , however , because it lacked a powerful radar , thermal imaging ( infrared ) system and magnetic anomaly detector ( MAD ) . On , the Council of Ministers ( the highest executive and administrative body of the Soviet Union ) issued a directive to Tupolev requiring his bureau to develop a long - range ASW aircraft . The resultant design was named Tu - 142 and had features in common with the Tu - 95RT . The ventral and dorsal gun turret s were removed , as was the large dielectric radome housing the Upseh radar system , which was replaced by a thermal imaging system located in a smaller fairing . This left the tail turret with twin 23 - mm AM - 23 cannons , along with electronic countermeasure s , as the only defensive armament . The aircraft ' s search - and - targeting system featured " Berkut " ( Golden Eagle ) . A complex navigation system was integrated with the weapons targeting system . Structural differences included an airfoil change to the wing , expanding its area to ( ) . The area of the elevators was increased by 14 % , and improved hydraulic actuators were fitted . Metal fuel tanks replaced rubber bladders . To allow the Tu - 142 to operate from semi - prepared runways , the Tu - 95 ' s four - wheel main undercarriage bogies were replaced with six - wheel units ; the main undercarriage fairings were also modified . The first Tu - 142 ( construction number 4200 ) was built at the in Samara . It performed its first flight on , with test pilot at the controls , taking off from Zhukovsky Airfield southeast of Moscow . Early testing indicated that the fuselage needed to be lengthened by at least to accommodate new combat equipment . Therefore , the second prototype ( c / n 4201 ) joined the flight - test programme on 3 September with a front fuselage stretch , a modification found on all subsequent Tu - 142s . The third and final development Tu - 142 entered flight test on , complete with the full equipment suite . In May 1970 , the Soviet Naval Aviation ( AV - MF ) – the air arm of the Soviet Navy – began receiving production Tu - 142s for operational trials . Improved variants . During early operations , the Tu - 142 revealed several shortcomings . The aircraft ' s rough - field capability was found to be of limited use , so the two six - wheel bogies used on the first 12 of 36 aircraft were replaced with four - wheel reinforced bogies from the Tu - 114 airliner ; consequently , the wheel - wells in the engine nacelle were made slimmer . These changes , along with the deletion of the thermal imaging system and parts of the electronic countermeasure ( ECM ) equipment , reduced the empty weight by . The modified aircraft also introduced a crew rest area for long - duration missions , and was assigned the codename ( " Bear F " Mod 1 ) ; from 1968 to 1972 the Kuibyshev Plant produced a total of 18 Tu - 142s . In the early 1970s , production of Tu - 142s was switched to the near the Black Sea . It has been speculated that the change to the idle plant was to give employment to the workers there . The move required many improvements to the plant and the surrounding area , including the establishment of new assembly shops , the installation of new machinery and tooling , the re - training of the workforce , and the building of a new airfield . Preparation took place until 1975 , when production of the first Tu - 142 began . The Tu - 142s built by Taganrog incorporated the changes found on the last of the Kuibyshev aircraft . Differences included a stretch to the front fuselage and a redesigned cockpit . Additional changes included new two - axle main undercarriage bogies . This version was given the factory designation " Tu - 142M " , which was not adopted by the Soviet Navy ; NATO codenamed it " Bear - F " Mod 2 . As the 1970s progressed , silencing technology in submarines rendered acoustic - band sonobuoys and trigger devices ineffective . During 1961 and 1962 , the Soviet Union conducted research and development into an explosive sound system ( ESS ) – used to locate deep - diving submarines – under the name " Udar " ( Blow ) . In 1965 , work had started on sonobuoy systems using ESS to be integrated with the " Berkut " radar . The programme was postponed when one of the aircraft intended to carry it , the Ilyushin Il - 38 , was found to be incompatible . The developments instead resulted in the " Udar - 75 " , which was featured in a new search and targeting system ( STS ) of the Taganrog - built Tu - 142Ms . A new target acquisition system dubbed " Korshun - K " , the cornerstone of which was the " Korshun " ( Kite ) radar , was installed on all subsequent Tu - 142s . This system was used for detecting surfaced and submerged submarines , communicating with other ASW aircraft and ground bases , and performing navigational and tactical tasks . The first three Tu - 142Ms were the first aircraft to be equipped with this system , and thus were redesignated " Tu - 142MK " . It was the first Tu - 142 to feature a MAD , its MMS - 106 Ladoga system being mounted in an aft - facing fairing atop the vertical stabiliser . The first of three Tu - 142MKs that underwent of the trials programme made its first flight on ; despite the dismal performance figures , a production go - ahead was given . , conducted during , found that the aircraft ' s avionics were extremely unreliable ; like , these problems were apparently ignored when a directive issued on cleared the Tu - 142MK for operational service . Technological upgrades . Even as the Tu - 142MK entered service , its " Korshun - K " STS was already becoming obsolete . Work began on yet another improved Tu - 142 , resulting in the Tu - 142MZ with the " Korshun - KN - N " STS . This consisted of " Nashatyr - Nefrit " ( Ammonia / Jade ) ASW avionics , which included the " Zarechye " sonar system . As well as the RGB - 1A and RGB - 2 buoys of the " Berkut " , the Tu - 142MZ was compatible with the RGB - 16 and RGB - 26 buoys . When working with the ASW avionics , these buoys provided 50 % greater coverage . The Kuznetsov NK - 12MV were replaced by the more - powerful NK - 12MP engines , and for the first time , the Tu - 142 had an independent engine - starting capability with the addition of the TA - 12 auxiliary power unit . This variant was distinguished from earlier " Bear Fs " by the chin fairings housing several antennas . The flight test programme started in 1985 with the maiden flight of a converted Tu - 142M fitted with the advanced avionics ; state acceptance trials began within two years . Test results proved excellent , as the aircraft successfully tracked nuclear - powered submarines of the Northern and Pacific Fleet s . The aircraft became operational with Russian Naval Aviation ( AV - MP ) in 1993 . The last Tu - 142MZ rolled off the Taganrog production line the following year , bringing an end to a 26 - year production run during which 100 Tu - 142s were produced . A communications variant designated " Tu - 142MR " ( " Bear J " ) was the last production version of the Tu - 142 . It was tasked with long - range communications duties with Soviet ballistic missile submarine s , a role similar to that of the Boeing E - 6 Mercury . The Tu - 142MR differed from the ASW Tu - 142s in having less - sophisticated avionics , but had a long trailing wire radio aerial to relay messages to submerged Soviet submarines in times of nuclear war . This was amongst the many distinctive features of the Tu - 142MR that allows it to communicate with satellites , airborne and ground - based command posts , and submarines . The aircraft replaced the Ilyushin Il - 80 in the airborne command and control role . Tu - 142s are currently operated by the 76th Naval Aviation Regiment from Kipelovo Air Base . Other developments of the Tu - 142 include the one - off Tu - 142MRT maritime reconnaissance variant , and the unbuilt Tu - 142MS missile - carrying variant . Operational history . To prepare for Tu - 142 operations , on the Soviet Navy began selecting personnel for conversion training . The first group began its three - month training period on at the seaside town of Nikolayev ( since renamed Mykolaiv ) . Meanwhile , the first Tu - 142s were delivered to the Northern Fleet at Kipelovo AB , where they were initially tasked with tracking and monitoring nuclear - powered submarines as part of the type ' s operational trials . Throughout the test programme , effort focused on the verification of the ASW avionics , notably the " Berkut - 95 " radar , as the airframe itself was not a major concern . The Tu - 142 reached initial operational capability in after a successful flight - test programme . Prior to that , in , the second group selected for Tu - 142 operations started its own conversion training . Deliveries of the aircraft at first proceeded slowly ; as more Tu - 142s were produced , the type was allocated to the Pacific Fleet . Throughout its operational history , the Tu - 142 demonstrated significant capabilities . On , four Tu - 142s shadowed a foreign submarine in the Barents Sea ; one of the aircraft was reported to have maintained continuous contact for 2 hours and 55 minutes . In 1975 , a Tu - 142 managed to trail a Soviet submarine for 3 hours and 16 minutes . On , a group of five Tu - 142s tracked a US submarine in the Philippine Sea ; one of the Tu - 142s reportedly trailed the submarine for 4 hours and 5 minutes . Soviet Tu - 142s , besides operating domestically , were sent to friendly overseas bases in Angola , Cuba , Ethiopia , Vietnam , and Yemen . In the early 1990s , with the dissolution of the Soviet Union , the Soviet fleet of Tu - 142s was handed to the Russian Navy , although the Ukrainian Air Force gained a few Tu - 142s that had been left in its territory . Ukrainian Tu - 142s were later dismantled as a result of the bilateral START I treaty signed between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1991 , which came into effect in late 1994 . Besides the Tu - 142 ' s military applications , a one - off Tu - 142MP was used to test a new ASW suite . Another Tu - 142 was converted to replace the Tu - 95LL for the testing of turbojet engines . Designated " Tu - 142LL " , the ASW equipment and armament were removed to allow an engine test bed to be carried under the belly . Some of the engines installed were the NK - 25 for the Tu - 22MZ , RD36 - 51A for the Tu - 144D , and the NK - 32 for the Tu - 160 . The first Tu - 142MK was converted for an airborne laboratory role , setting several altitude - in - horizontal and time - to - altitude records in its class . In 1981 the Indian Navy began considering a long - range maritime reconnaissance and anti - submarine warfare aircraft for its Naval Air Arm . The Soviet Union initially offered to refurbish some of its own Tu - 142s for India , rather than construct new aircraft . The Indian Navy was at first hesitant about the large Tu - 142 , which was heavy and thus would require runways to be reinforced and lengthened at potential operating bases . Consequently , the service requested three Ilyushin Il - 38 s – then being phased out of service with the Soviet Navy – be refurbished for Indian operations . This request fell through , and so in an agreement to purchase eight Tu - 142s was signed . For the twelve - month period stating from , the Indian Navy sent 40 pilots and observers , 16 technical officers and 128 sailors to Riga for training . On , the first three Tu - 142s arrived at the Indian naval air station of INS Hansa , Goa , after a flight from Simferopol in the Crimean peninsula . On two more aircraft arrived , prior to the commissioning of INAS 312 , the operator of Indian Tu - 142s ; by the end of October the fleet of eight Tu - 142s was delivered . In , the squadron was relocated to its current operating base at INS Rajali on the Indian east coast . The Tu - 142s are expected to be replaced by twelve smaller Boeing P - 8Is . Notable accidents . On , eleven crew were killed when their Tu - 142 crashed over the Strait of Tartary near Japan during a training flight . Flights of aircraft belonging to the Pacific Fleet were suspended pending an investigation into the crash . There was no indication that the crew made use of emergency equipment , although a lifeboat on board the plane was fitted with a device that transmits a signal in the event of an accident . Chief of the General Staff Nikolay Makarov believed an engine failure could have caused the crash . A memorial service was held for the crew on . A search for the bodies of the eleven crew members was suspended several times due to ice floes and bad weather , and was planned to be resumed on .