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Russian Propagandists Propose Converting Tu-214s into Missile Carriers to Replace Lost Bombers

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Amira Barkhush
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Russian Propagandists Propose Converting Tu-214s into Missile Carriers to Replace Lost Bombers
The Tupolev Tu-214 civil jet aircraft performs its demonstration flight at MAKS-1997 airshow in Zhukovsky near Moscow, Russia. (Source: Getty Images)

After the confirmed destruction of Russia’s strategic aviation aircraft, Russian propagandists began discussing the idea of transforming Tu-214 aircraft into “mobilization missile carriers” for X-101 and X-22 missiles, to directly replace the “classic” strategic bombers like the Tu-22M3, Tu-95MS, and Tu-160.

This was reported by Defense Express on June 6.

According to the outlet, the Kazan Aircraft Production Association, which produces the Tu-214, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160, would likely be the driving force behind such a project. However, there could be other complications that may prevent this idea from advancing beyond the conceptual stage.

It’s important to note that although the Tu-214 is officially a passenger aircraft, in reality, it has been produced primarily in reconnaissance variants such as the Tu-214R and Tu-214ON, or as “special aircraft” for government and security services, Defense Express added.

At the same time, the production rate for this type of aircraft is significantly lower than planned. For example, by the end of 2014, the manufacturer of the Tu-160 and Tu-22M3 aircraft had only met 10% of its production target for the Tu-214, which is painted in Belarus. This amounted to just two aircraft instead of the planned twenty.

Overall, 70 Tu-214 aircraft are planned to be manufactured by 2030, the news agency added, noting that the current production rates indicate that this target will not be met.

Another aspect of the story is the realism of converting the Tu-214 into a “mobilization missile carrier.” The aircraft has a takeoff weight of 110.7 tons, with a commercial payload capacity of 25 tons, which is a relatively significant figure compared to the declared combat payload of the Tu-95MS, which is up to 20.5 tons.

Therefore, the conclusion of the outlet analysts may be that this idea of using the Tu-214 as a “mobilization missile carrier” could merely be a manifestation of the “conceptual fluctuations” among Russian propagandists.

On the other hand, there may be no technical feasibility to convert the Tu-214 into a platform for delivering the X-101 (with a launch weight of 1.6 tons) or the X-22 (with a launch weight of up to 5.8 tons).

On June 5, it was reported that Russia has redeployed a Tu-160 strategic bomber to one of its most remote airbases in Anadyr, located in the Chukotka region near the Bering Sea, after Ukraine’s June 1 Operation “Spiderweb”.

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