Air Power The Cold War

Tupolev Tu-142 'BEAR-F'

Being the fastest prop aircraft in the world and having an extraordinarily long range makes the Tu-142 the ideal choice for a weekend away with the missus in Siberia.

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First flown in 1954, the Tu-20, as it was then known, was very advanced for the era. It shared many systems with the Tu-16, but its use of the new turboprop engines with their 18ft 8-bladed contraprops gave this strategic bomber double the Tu-16's range. Still in service in 2000, the Bear was truly an icon of the Cold War era.

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Length: 161 feet 2 ins. approx.

Wing span: 164 feet 2 ins. approx.

Weight: Loaded 320,000 lbs. approx

Power: 4 x 12,000 s.h.p. Kuznetsov turboprop

AFX Designer : Chris Lampard, Michael Davies

Panel : Phil Perrott