Originally posted by W4rl0rD
Good for them, Pakistan will be shaking already.
They sure are. they were since the time the deal was signed.
Check out this :
www.pakalert.net...
Then again, big bombers are still VERY vunerable to everything. If they had bought Su-34s instead, they might be more useful.
I guess you are right, but India alredy have upgraded their Jaguars and moreover the scale of operations of the Su-34 and the M3 are totally
different
Btw, the pics you posted, are that of the Tu-22. The Tu-22M is a very different aircraft.
Check this out :
Tupolev TU-22 Blinder
Origin: USSR
Type: supersonic stand-off missile carrier
Max Speed: 802 kt / 924 mph
Max Range 3100 km / 1,926 miles
Dimensions: span 23.75 m / 77 ft 11 in
length 40.53 m / 132 ft 11.7 in
height 10.67 m / 35 ft 0 in
Weight: empty 40,000 kg / 88,185 lb
max. take-off 84,000 kg /
185,188 lb
Powerplant: two 16000-kg (35,273-lb) afterburning thrust Koliesov VD-7M turbojets
Armament: one 23-mm NR-23 cannon in radar-controlled tail turret, plus one AS-4 'Kitchen' stand-off missile recessed into the weapons bay
Operators: Iraq, Libya, Ukraine
Tupolev TU-22M Backfire
Origin: USSR
Type: medium strategic bomber and maritime reconnaissance/attack aircraft
Max Speed: 1,147 kt / 1,321 mph
Max Range 4,000 km / 2,485 miles
Dimensions: span 34.30 m / 112 ft 6.5 in
length 39.60 m / 129 ft 11 in
height 10.80 m / 35 ft 5.25 in
Weight: max. take-off 130,000 kg / 286,596 lb
Powerplant: two 20000-kg (44,092-lb) afterburning thrust turbofans of unknown designation
Armament: two 23-mm GSh-23 two-barrel cannon in a radar-controlled tail barbette; provision for 12000 kg (26,455 Ib) of disposable stores, including
nuclear weapons and free-fall bombs carried internally, or two AS-4 'Kitchen' missiles carried under the wings, or one AS-4 'Kitchen' missile
carried semi-recessed into the lower fuselage, or up to three AS-6
Operators: India, Russia, Ukraine
--from combataircrafts.com
The pics posted me are of the right aircraft.
The Indian one is an exclusive variant and custom fitted as per India's asking and are the most advanced Backfires in the world.
And, lease orders are as good as buying. How long are the Indians going to lease them?
India have leased them and not bought them 'cause there are clauses in NPT treaties(which Russia is a signatory of) prohibiting the sale of such long
range nuclear bombers, so the sale has been dubbed lease and been executed. So effectively the lease is as good as a buy.