The Backfire Bomber Is Russia’s ‘Carrier Killer’

War is Boring ^ | November 19, 2015 | Dave Majumdar

[C19fan]

The Russian air force conducted another massive strategic bomber raid on Daesh targets in Syria yesterday. As before, the Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-95MS bombers played a prominent role, however, the supersonic Tu-22M3 Backfire bombers conducted the majority of the attacks.

“A squadron of Tu-22M3 long-range bombers made airstrikes against six ISIS facilities in the provinces of Raqqah and Deir Ezzor. They engaged depots with weapons and ammunition, mass concentrations of military hardware, training camps and workshops producing explosives,” reads a statement from the Russian defense ministry.

[Conan the Librarian]

“Red Storm Rising” by Tom Clancy. 1986.

[doorgunner69]

F-18 does not have near enough range, nor can it carry the Phoenix missile. The carrier defense role of the F-14 with AIM-54 is long gone and has not been replaced. Nothing to keep Backfires from getting into standoff missile firing range, guess the deep thinkers figured the end of the cold war removed that need.

[ealgeone]

There was an article on business insider (?) that noted the navy shifted it strategy to bombing land targets as a priority and sacrificed the ability to interdict the backfires and such. Someone’s not thinking.

[doorgunner69]

Someone's not thinking.

They never are until too late.

Good article or mention recently about how we have to lose the first half a war before we get the thumb out. There is a real institutional problem in the Pentagon.