-8-

The Backfire sits between the
F-111 and B-1B in sizing and
capability, and with likely future weapons upgrades will provide
similar capabilities (Author).






This chart compares the strategic
punch of the Backfire
against tanker supported F-111s. To strategically balance a dozen
Backfires requires two dozen F-111s and a dozen supporting
KC-30B/A330-200MRTT
tankers. Without the F-111, the number of F/A-18As or JSFs is
effectively doubled, and tanker demands are nearly doubled. Should
useful
numbers of Backfires arrive in the region, the current plan for the
RAAF's force structure will result in a strategically irrelevant
RAAF strike capability (Author).

-9-

Backfire C Growth Paths
Sources in Eastern Europe observe that the Russian Air Force
has planned for some time to equip the Backfire C with a conventional
precision weapons capability, emulating the current trend pursued with
the US heavy bomber fleet. There are no reports as yet that this has
materialised, due to the parlous budgetary situation the Russians face.
With experience from the glass cockpit Su-27SKM and more recent Su-35BM
MLU package design,
there would be no issues for Russian designers in retrofitting a glass
cockpit.
It is very unlikely that Russia would agree to export the
Kh-55 / AS-15
Kent strategic cruise missile or the Kh-15A/R/S / AS-16 Kickback or
SRAM-ski as
part of an export package, although an anti-ship Kh-65 has been offered
for export. It is known that the PLA acquired samples of the Kh-55SM
via the Ukraine earlier in the decade.

Conventional variants of the Kh-22 were apparently offered
to India and would not present any major issues for export. Indeed, as
the PLA-AF and PLA-N both operate variants of the Styx/Silkworm which
use a closely related rocket engine and the same propellants, the Kh-22
would be very easy for the PLA to support and operate. We should not be
surprised if the PLA opts to licence build the Kh-22 as it could be
rapidly assimilated given the infrastructure to manufacture the
C-601/611. The Kh-22 remains a formidable anti-shipping weapon and with
precision guidance, an extremely potent land attack weapon.
Integration of the 1,000 lb KAB-500L and 3,000 lb KAB-1500L
Paveway-ski laser guided bombs would be relatively simple, exploiting
hardware for the FAB-1500. Adaptation of the existing nine round
FAB-250 rack to carry six KAB-500 is feasible. A thermal imaging laser
targeting pod like the Sapsan-E could be carried externally, but also
repackaged into the existing bombsight fairing under the flight deck,
exploiting the extant Weapons Officer's display for the remote OBP-15T
bombsight. The latter arrangement offers lower drag and a better field
of regard, but would require additional infra-red transmissive window
integration, yielding similar packaging to the JSF EOTS. Such as
arrangement is likely to be attractive as it doubles up as a day/night
thermal imaging sight to replace the OBP-15T, and with further
integration via a HUD could provide a night penetration capability.

Clearance of the fire-and-forget KAB-500/1500Kr GBU-8-ski
would present little difficulty, but inflight retargeting would require
wiring additions to the glove and ventral inlet stations. The
KAB-1500TK GBU-15-ski would require integration of the APK-9 Tekon pod,
already carried by the Su-30MKK and Su-27SKU.
The new GPS/Glonass aided inertially guided KAB-500S-E
'JDAM-ski' based on the KAB-500 kit is currently being
integrated on the Su-27SKM, Su-30MK and Su-35BM, with KAB-1500S-E
integration
now planned. These weapons would require software and wiring changes to
integrate, and would essentially replicate the capabilities of the JDAM
on US heavy bombers.
There are no fundamental obstacles to integrating the KAB
family weapons on the Backfire C, and the prospect of the PLA funding
such prior wishlist developments is likely to be very attractive to the
cash strapped RuAF. Arguably this may have been the motivation behind
senior RuAF officers publicly advocating the export of the Backfire to
China.

Indian sources claimed that the integration of the Kh-31/AS-17
Krypton series, adopted by the PLA-AF for the Su-30MKK, was a likely
prospect for the planned and later cancelled Indian Backfire C lease.
As an inventory
weapon for the PLA-AF, it is another likely development. Similar claims
were also made for the Kh-35U Kharpunski, and it also could be
integrated for tandem carriage on suitable launchers. A variant of the
existing bomb rack fitted with tandem AKU-58 launchers would easily
accommodate both the Kh-31 and Kh-35U in a low drag configuration.
It is to be expected that the PLA-AF would seek to carry its
planned ALCMs on the Backfire C. As these weapons are similar in size
and
weight to the FAB/KAB-1500 series, a similar external carriage
arrangement is to be expected. As the Chinese weapons will have unique
software requirements, it would likely be a later rather than earlier
addition to any export aircraft.

-10-




The PLA-AF already operates the podded L-005 Sorbtsiya and it
is likely that a block upgrade of the SPS-171/172 jammer would be
performed to bring them to a similar configuration. This would provide
considerable commonality in the support base, and in programming
jamming modes into the embedded firmware.

If a laser targeting system is fitted, there will be little
near term pressure to upgrade the attack radar system. The current
state of Russian multimode radar development is best exemplified by the
Leninetz B004 phased
array in the Su-34 Fullback, and the
Tihkomirov NIIP BARS and
newer Irbis E in the Su-30MK/35BM Flankers, all of which have
Ground/Maritime Moving Target Indicator and
Synthetic Aperture Radar high resolution mapping capabilities. A block
upgrade of the PNA-D signal and data processors vs replacement with a
derivative Su-30 radar would present an interesting dilemma for PLA-AF
planners. The stabilised gimbal and large radome volume present
considerable flexibility for retrofits. Of the choices available, the
most ambitious would clearly involve integrating a gimballed variant of
the Fullback's B004.

-11-
It is abundantly clear that the PLA-AF would have a wide range
of options in avionic block upgrades and weapons upgrades for the
Backfire C.










Above: The four crew members sit
on
ejection seats as in the B-1B, with individual hatches, an arrangement
not unlike the F-111
(RuAF). The conventional instrumentation
in the cockpit reflects the
late Soviet era design heritage of the Backfire. A glass cockpit
upgrade following the Su-27SKU model is a feasible option. Below:
Admiral Charles R. Larson, Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet, sits
in the cockpit of a Soviet Tu-22M Backfire aircraft during a visit to
a Soviet air base during the latter Cold War period (US DoD).

-12-

Above: Aft Offensive and Defensive Systems Operator stations. Below: crew access hatches (via airforce.ru).

A nine station MER is used to carry the 500 lb class FAB-250 demolition bomb.

Footnote: The Kh-22 Burya was a contemporary of the Avro Blue Steel Mk.1 carried by Victors and Vulcans of RAF Strike Command. The Soviet missile was however larger, faster and longer ranging, and evolved across a range of roles and missions unlike the British missile, limited to nuclear strike [More ..]. Avro Blue Steel Mk.1 (Image via Wikipedia). Avro Blue Steel Mk.1 and Avro Vulcan. Launch of a Blue Steel Mk.1 from an RAF V-bomber.

-13-

Tu-22M3 Backfire C MAKS 2005 Tupolev Bureau Images

Imagery Sources: US DoD, Russian MoD; other Internet sources.

المصدر
http://www.ausairpower.net/APA-Backfire.html

Crew	4
Entered service in	1976
Dimensions and weight
Length	42.5 m
Wing span	23.3 - 32.3 m
Height	11.1 m
Weight (normal)	125 t
Engines
Engines	2 x NK-25 turbojet engines
Traction	2 x 25 000 kgs
Altitude	15 000 m
Maximum speed	2 450 km/h
Flying range	7 000 km
Armament
Aviation cannon	GSh-23M 23-mm aviation cannon
Missiles	3 x Kh-22 Air-to-Surface missiles, 6 x Kh-15 guided missiles
Bombs	23 tones

In 1969 the newest supersonic bomber in the Soviet Union made it's first flight. It was developed by the A.N.Tupolev Aviation Design Bureau. In 1976 this bomber entered service with the Soviet Air Force as the TU-22M. It was a deep modernization of the TU-22 "Blinder" Medium Range Bomber. The new aircraft design idea was made referring on a number of sufficient disadvantages on it's predecessor. In the year 1978 appeared it's new modification - the TU-22M2 which had slightly modified air intakes and dual GSh-25 twin barrel aviation gun placed in the rear part of the fuselage. Another modification of the TU-22M "Backfire" - the TU-22M3 entered service in 1981. It was fitted with new air intakes, which had much in common with the MIG-25 Fighter ones, new board electronic equipment and modified defense artillery (GSh-23M twin barrel placed in a vertical position instead of dual GSh-25. It has a rate of fire in 4 000 rpm.). The TU-22M3 was intended to defeat ground and sea targets with supersonic missiles and aviation bombs at a day/night time and at any meteorological conditions. For these purposes the aircraft is fitted with powerful board electronics that includes high capability radiolocation station which allows to notify ground and sea targets by OPB-15 optical-electronic bomber's sight It also includes inertial navigation system, active and passive radio electronic counteraction devices. The TU-22M3 is equipped with two R-832M ultra short band radio stations and one R-846 scrambler short band radio station. Depending from the mission the TU-22M3 "Backfire" can use mixed various bombs and missiles (5 tones of bombs in a bomb compartment and one Kh-22 Air-to-Surface missile on the external slung). The aircraft was fitted with the TA-6 additional engine which started the main engines and provided electricity supply for board equipment independently from the airdrome electricity sources. The "Backfire" is equipped with a KT-1 catapult seats. The crew ejection may be constrained for all crew members or they are able to leave the aircraft one by one on their own. The TU-22M3 features good take off - landing and speed-up characteristics. The aircraft has a three bearing chassis. The main rear chassis has a three pares of wheels each, while the frontal only single. Referring to the international strategic armament agreement made between the Soviet Union and the United States of America the TU-22M aircrafts lost their air refueling systems in fact that the USA agreed to consider the TU-22M as a medium range bomber class in stead of the strategic. The TU-22M2 and TU-22M3 took action in 1987-1988 year during some operations of Afghanistan war. In the year 1988 the TU-22M5 aircrafts covered derivation of the Soviet Army from the Afghanistan where it widely used FAB-1500, FAB-3000 heavy aviation bombs. In 1992 the TU-22M3 was presented at the Farnboro international aviation fair (United Kingdom) where it has got a highest evaluation of the specialists. No other country except Russia has aircrafts of such type. In 1992 Russian and Ukraine Air Forces had 380 TU-22M2 and TU-22M3 aircrafts. Since 1992 the TU-22M3 "Backfire" with a full armament is offered on the international military markets. At the moment the TU-22M3 is the main medium range bomber of the Russian Air Force.

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