Watch Russian Tu-22M bomber perform high-altitude old-fashioned carpet bombing in Syria

Jan 25 2016 - 24 Comments
By David Cenciotti

Some more Tu-22 Backfire footage.

Here’s the latest footage showing Tu-22M3 long-range bombers conducting air strikes on targets in Syria.

As already shown by several other clips released by the Russian MoD, the Tu-22s mainly employ iron bombs from high-altitude: although dumb bombs can be dropped with a fair accuracy on soft targets, the use of FAB-250 unguided bombs in a WWII fashion seems to be a bit anachronistic considered the (costly) PGMs (Precision Guided Munitions) available today.

 

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  • Art!P

    CLASSIC carpet bombing

  • Camille Ratel

    avec tout cet armement!!!!! je supplie la GRANDE RUSSIE de mettre DAECH A GENOUX!!!!!

  • Roland Lawrence

    Indeed such a shame. Maybe the USA could give the Russians some cash as they don’t seem in the slightest bit worried that their $500m programme to train moderate rebels for Syria only yielded 6 persons. Im sure that could by lots of PGMs.

    • Aero

      I think they were 4 not 6.
      These rebels gonna beat F-35 in per unit cost. ~$100 M/rebel. lol

  • B-Sabre

    Well….at least Ted Cruz will be happy.

  • Andrew Tubbiolo

    Check me on this. Go to 1:30 in the video. The camera seems to be looking aft along the longitudinal axis of the Backfire. You can see the unswept wing off to the left. Then below that is another Backfire pointing 90 deg to the left of the velocity vector of the Backfire the camera is mounted on. Now play the clip along from 1:30 to 1:33 the velocity vector of the other Backfire is totally wrong. It’s as if it’s in a horizontal skid to it’s left. It’s longitudinal axis is not in line with the velocity vector of the reference frame of the camera. And when the bombs fall out they’re being retarded in the wrong direction from the POV of the relative wind due to the motion of the mother ship holding the camera. Yet the other backfire is in ‘formation’ with the mothership based on it’s relative motion.

    I think the Russians are reverting to Soviet days and releasing doctored images. In this case video.

    Unless I’m viewing this totally wrong, I really don’t want to have to start doubting everything the Russians put out. Please someone show me where I’m wrong on this.

    REDIT: I went full screen and saw this as legit. I was mistaking the air intake as part of the wing line and got the orientation wrong.

    • Ryan Barry

      I also noticed that aircraft moving seemingly perpendicular to the camera. I figured maybe some kind of lens illusion but propaganda seems logical.

  • Marco

    I keep not understanding these missions. The loadout is incredibly small. All this big show to drop what? 12 FAB-250 per plane. A Su-25 can do the same. Ok, nowadays oil comes for free…

    • BushidoBlade

      It’s all about the propaganda value, not the military value. Only a select few would notice.

    • Ryan Barry

      That’s what I was thinking. Either they don’t have enough bombs or the tu-22 can’t carry as much as advertised. Maybe a thrust issue? We all know their engines are garbage.

    • OR

      You would be surprised but these bombs dropped from these bombers could be quite accurate, this missions are targeting areas of interest, ..e.g. could have been to assist Syrian army in the latest successful offensive operation in Deraa, Su-25 is not for this type of job, ..now think about it – really cheap munition delivered precisely enough (no offence to B-17 funs, great machine, but precision here is a way better) using cheap fuel (as you mentioned), also btw you don’t need to ship this munition first to Syria to deliver it to the addressee and all this is to achieve the goal which clearly has been – more and more cities under Syrian’s army control ..I am surprised you don’t understand the reason

  • Gregory Anbreit

    well, they are bombing the desert around Deir ez-Zor. Considering the current situation there, specially in the last week (constant ISIS attacks all over the place), carpet bombing is quite appropriate.

  • Jan Schmidt

    Dan Rosenthals answer to why russia uses dumb bombs in syria:
    https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Russia-using-dumb-bombs-in-Syria

    PGMs are not wonder weapons:
    https://defenseissues.wordpress.com/2013/01/19/the-myth-of-the-precision-bombing/

    btw backfires were intended to sink cvbg and close the atlantic shipping lanes

  • CWO

    Good, I’m gad see that they are helping us kill the enemy.

  • DVader

    Depends on the model of the Backfire. A smart aircraft can make up for dumb bombs.

    • Ryan Barry

      Even the most modern tu-22 and 90% of the Russian fleet isn’t modern by western standards. Even the newer fighters and fighter bombers are 10-15 years back in avionics, ISR, and smart payload tech. Then you have the antiquated engines. They’re paper tigers playing with big fireworks.

      • OR

        quite modern F-117 was taken down in 1999 by quite old Russian/Soviet era SA-3, technology that goes back to 50th..

    • OG_Locc

      LMAO. No. They can’t. Only in Russian fairy tales, is high altitude dumb bombing “accurate”.

      • OR

        all tell fairy tails.. only facts speak for themself, as long as you are willing to consider them..

  • tempest411 .

    That plane is completely overkill for what they’re using it for. We could just as easily, and perhaps more effectively, send B-17s there for bombing runs. If we had any…

  • su34

    Brainless nato propaganda created the “smart” munitions for dumb
    warriors myth. As can be seen in today’s Yemen, modern overpriced
    “smart” yank junk is still not enough against outdated, soviet era
    weapons. Capable, determined warriors more than outbalance the odds.
    Even highly paid western mercs had to repeatedly bite the hot desert
    dust.
    What you ignore is the balance of costs – for every mission the appropiate weapon. For area targets, “dumb” iron bombs are more than enough, especially when stocks are plentiful. In eastern Syria, where the Tu22M3s are mostly operating, those are the most efficient means to deliver the needed punch. There is no need for overpriced “smart” upgrades, which only fill the greedy corporate pockets, on the taxpayer’s costs.

  • BushidoBlade

    The Russians are producing slick videos like this of their air war over Syria. They are winning the global propaganda war, putting the U.S. effort to shame. Where are the slick U.S.A.F. videos over the ISIS battlesphere? The Russians are on social media promoting their global geopolitical agenda while the U.S. is still using the archaic VOA and RFE/RL.It’s a joke.

  • Ryan Barry

    The Russians sure know how to make ugly ducks. Performers for sure but 90% of their aircraft are just plain ugly.

  • Roland Lawrence

    However when B52s and B1Bs do it it’s aok? Truth is always the 1st casualty of war they say. The location for this is perfect for the Tu22M3 as its not too far away as the Russians dont really have many Tu160s.