0:05
The 295MS is often mistakenly described
0:08
as an aircraft developed in the 1950s.
0:12
In reality, this modification of the
0:15
strategic bomber was created at the very
0:17
end of the 1970s on the basis of a
0:20
branch of the 295 family, the 2142
0:23
anti-ubmarine aircraft.
0:26
Accordingly, when we speak of the 295MS
0:29
as a gradually aging missile platform,
0:32
it must be understood that the entire
0:34
295 fleet currently in service with
0:36
Russia was built in the second half of
0:39
the 1980s and the early 1990s and start
0:42
a how many such aircraft remain in the
0:46
long range aviation of the Russian
0:47
aerospace forces in 2026 and when will
0:51
their replacement appear?
0:55
Serial production of the 295MS was
1:01
The aircraft with the MS designation
1:02
existed in two modifications. 295 MS6
1:06
with 31 aircraft and 295 MS-16 with 57
1:11
aircraft. The difference between them
1:14
lay in the number of missiles the
1:15
aircraft could carry, six and 16
1:20
The MS-16 also had certain differences
1:22
in onboard equipment.
1:25
When major political games began and
1:27
Gorbachev and Yelten were dismantling
1:29
the country, the Americans demanded that
1:32
all aircraft be armed according to the
1:36
Many years have passed since then.
1:40
For some time, the number of combat
1:42
ready 295MS aircraft was deliberately
1:47
For example, around 2018, Western
1:50
sources claimed that Russia could field
1:52
no more than 20 such aircraft for combat
1:56
However, by the end of 2023, those same
2:00
foreign authors were already stating
2:02
that 31 295MS and 27 295 MSM were in use
2:07
by the Russian military. a total of 58
2:12
During the attack organized by Ukrainian
2:15
government under the guidance of Western
2:17
governments in the summer of 2025
2:20
against Russian air bases, six to eight
2:23
aircraft were damaged, of which around
2:26
five were beyond recovery.
2:28
Again, all these figures remain on the
2:31
conscience of bloggers and foreign
2:33
intelligence services.
2:35
Meanwhile, in addition to at least 50
2:38
combat capable 295MS and MSM aircraft by
2:42
the end of 2025, there remained a
2:45
certain number of aircraft in storage,
2:47
the status of which is unknown.
2:50
A few words about the 295 MSM. This is a
2:54
modernization variant under which at
2:56
least 35 TU95 MS-16 aircraft have been
3:00
converted since 2013.
3:03
The 295 MSM allows the 295MS fleet of
3:07
the Russian Aerospace Forces to remain
3:10
in service until the 2040s.
3:13
During modernization, the aircraft
3:15
receives upgraded NK12 MPM engines.
3:19
These are NK12MP engines modified to
3:21
increase their service life by a factor
3:23
of four. They are also fitted with new
3:26
AV60T propellers which reduce noise
3:28
levels by half. As the TU95 is known as
3:32
an extremely noisy aircraft,
3:34
onboard equipment is replaced and most
3:36
importantly, new weapons control systems
3:39
are installed, allowing the use of all
3:41
modern long range air-to-surface
3:43
missiles, including KH101, KH102, and
3:49
Essentially, the subsonic 295 MSM, like
3:52
its American counterpart, the B-52, is a
3:55
deeply modernized platform from the
3:57
previous century, upgraded with one
3:59
clear goal, to stretch the service life
4:02
of strategic bombers into the 2040s and
4:08
By that time, the United States plans to
4:10
ensure serial production of the B-21
4:12
bomber, a smaller and modernized
4:14
successor to the B2, and to replace its
4:17
B-52 fleet. Russia set a similar
4:21
objective. The prospective long range
4:23
aviation complex known as PACDA was
4:26
supposed to take to the air around 2023
4:32
Since this video is being published on
4:34
the altitude addicts in January 2026 and
4:38
the first flight of the PACDA has not
4:41
yet taken place, it is obvious that
4:43
timelines have begun to shift. In the
4:46
early 2020s, the situation around the
4:49
aircraft intended to replace the 295
4:53
looked like a genuinely progressing
4:56
In early 2021, the Russian military
5:00
approved the final configuration of the
5:02
aircraft. In October 2022, testing of
5:06
the ejection seat for PACDA pilots began
5:08
at NPP's VZDA. Earlier still, in
5:12
February 2022, the Russian Ministry of
5:15
Industry and Trade designated the Kazan
5:17
Aviation plant as the facility where new
5:20
bombers would be built in parallel with
5:27
A new engine for the PACDA was
5:30
undergoing testing in 2022.
5:33
It was reported that several completed
5:35
prototypes existed, a test stand had
5:37
been built and ODK Knetsov was preparing
5:40
for serial production of the new power
5:42
plant referred to in publications as
5:50
Unofficial sources claimed that an
5:53
initial batch of three experimental
5:55
aircraft had been ordered after which
5:57
complete silence descended on the
6:01
If one believes previously published
6:03
domestic and foreign insider reports on
6:06
the appearance of the bomber intended to
6:10
and MSM, the aircraft closely resembles
6:13
the new American B-21.
6:16
Subsonic Flying Wing low observable.
6:19
There is nothing fundamentally new in
6:21
this concept and claims that the project
6:23
is stalled due to technical problems do
6:26
not inspire confidence.
6:29
Bloggers and foreign authors have
6:31
already constructed far too many
6:32
theories around the new aircraft over
6:38
However, when it comes to the real
6:40
capabilities of the manufacturer tasked
6:42
with producing the 295 replacement,
6:45
there are many questions. The PACDA is
6:48
supposed to take to the air at the Kazan
6:50
aviation plant where deadlines are not
6:52
always met. It is enough to recall how
6:56
much the 2160 production restart was
6:59
delayed after 2015 or how the civilian
7:02
2214 program was handled.
7:06
It is clear that after 2022 due to the
7:09
special military operation, the volume
7:11
of work on modernizing previously built
7:14
bombers increased significantly.
7:17
Nevertheless, the absence of news about
7:19
PACDA in early 2026 suggests that as in
7:24
the case of the 2160M2,
7:26
the plant will add several more years to
7:29
previously announced plans.
7:31
Another issue is the necessity of having
7:33
a platform broadly analogous to the
7:36
American one, especially given that
7:39
serial production of brand new 2160
7:42
bombers from scratch has begun at the
7:44
same plant with an order for 10 aircraft
7:46
and a possible continuation.
7:49
Maintaining two different types of
7:51
strategic bombers is an expensive
7:53
undertaking, but each has its own unique
7:56
features and capabilities.
7:58
Creating a single universal aircraft has
8:01
not yet proven possible.
8:03
Incidentally, the PACDA, again, if one
8:06
believes previously published materials,
8:08
is also a potential replacement for the
8:13
The latter was not a strategic bomber,
8:15
but its functional role was quite close
8:20
In conclusion, a few words about weapons
8:22
for Russia's strategic bombers.
8:25
In the late 2010s and early 2020s,
8:28
Russian and foreign media claimed that
8:30
the new PACDA would receive a next
8:32
generation missile, the KHBD, also known
8:39
This missile already exists.
8:41
In 2023, this was effectively confirmed
8:45
in Russia. And in 2025,
8:48
foreign sources began actively
8:50
describing how the KHBD is being
8:53
produced and inducted into service.
8:56
The TU95MS and MSM continues its watch.
9:00
These aircraft are not engaged solely in
9:02
nuclear deterrence against American and
9:05
European targets. The 95s are also used
9:09
in strikes against the Ukraine's rear
9:11
areas during the special military
9:13
operation and together with the 2160,
9:17
they remain the most combat experienced
9:19
strategic bombers in the world.
9:24
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9:26
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9:29
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