Tupolev TU-22M Backfire – M3M prototype RF-94267

Description

Herpa, one of the oldest brands on the market (1949) to offer collector's miniatures in limited series. More than 1500 references in scales 1/500, 1 / 200,1 / 400. No base for the 1/500.
More than 50 years after the prototype's first flight, the TU-22M long-range bomber remains a very capable weapons system. To ensure this remains the case for years to come, a modernization program is underway for some of the remaining aircraft. The modernizations transform the bomber, powered by two powerful jet turbines, into the TU-22M3M, the first prototype of which took off during its maiden flight in December 2018. A particularity of the bomber are its wings with variable geometry, adjustable from 20 to 65 degrees, and its good takeoff and landing characteristics, which enable economical long-range cruising flight or, fully retracted, at high speeds up to twice the speed of sound. The TU-22M3 is also capable of launching cruise missiles against targets at great distances, thus evading enemy air defenses. By 1993, the Kazan-based manufacturer had built 514 TU-22Ms of different series, most of them of the M3 version. There are still at least 60 in service today, not all of which are operational, and not all of which will benefit from the M3M upgrade. This includes, above all, the use of improved navigation and communication systems.