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A kamikaze drone explodes at Shaikovka Air Force Base in Kaluga Oblast. The Shaykovka base is located 140 miles (225 km) from the Ukrainian border and 170 miles (273.5 km) from the Russian capital, Moscow. Photo/The War Zone
This is the first time, during the conflict with Ukraine that broke out in late February 2022, that Russia has come under attack on its own territory. News of a kamikaze drone explosion enlivened social media and several Twitter accounts on October 7, 2022.
Quoted from SINDOnews from The War Zone page, Saturday (8/10/2022), the drone hit two Tu-22M Backfire bombers. “They (the two bombers) are irreversible,” said a US source quoted by The War Zone.
There is no detailed information about the model of the kamikaze drone that attacked the Shaikovka Air Force base. Russia partially confirmed the information, saying that the kamikaze drone came from the Ukrainian border.
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At the same time, Russian media denied that the drone caused any damage. Russian media Readovka said the drone was shot down before hitting an important object. “The UAV was shot down over the runway of a military unit in the Kaluga region,” Readokva reported on his Telegram channel.
According to various Russian channels on Telegram, there was an attempt to attack the air base, but the drone was shot down over the base. “The drone was not known to cause serious damage, it was shot down in the air as it approached,” Readokva wrote.
Vladislav Shapsha, governor of Kaluga Oblast, said the drone did not cause any damage. Shapsha said the drone caused no infrastructure damage, there were no casualties among base personnel, and Moscow had launched an operational investigation into the incident.
BulgarianMilitary.com cannot confirm the veracity of any of the statements. However, Ukraine has proven in recent months that it can strike targets inside Russia.
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It is still just mentioned from the ammunition depot in Belgorod, which was blown up by the Ukrainian armed forces. Earlier, there was a Ukrainian helicopter attack on a refinery in the same area.
Tu-22M bomber
The Tu-22M (Backfire) bomber is the successor to the Tu-22 bomber, which incorporates variable geometry outer wing panels. Although designated as an “improved” version of the Tu-22, the Tu-22M bomber is a completely different aircraft.
The first mass-produced Tu-22M model, the Tu-22M2, had longer wings and a redesigned fuselage. The bomber is powered by two NK-22 afterburning engines rated at 215 kN each.
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Production of the Tu-22M bomber began in 1972 and made its first flight in 1973. In 1976 the Tu-22M2 bomber demonstrated a range of about 7,000 km with a single in-flight refueling.
So while this bomber lacks the range for strategic missions, and cannot reach the United States, its in-flight refueling capabilities expand its range significantly.
A total of 211 Tu-22M bombers were built for the Soviet Air Force and Naval Aviation. These Tu-22M bombers are usually armed with a single Kh-22 nuclear missile and are intended to attack US carrier strike groups.
(Web)