Satellite imagery confirms Russian Tu-95MS bomber damaged by drone attack

Satellite images show that the right wing of a Tu-95MS strategic bomber at Russia's Engels Air Force Base was damaged by the blast, and traces of fire were visible around the fuselage.

A Russian Tu-95MS strategic bomber was attacked by a Ukrainian drone a few days ago, and a section of the right wing was blown off. Satellite images show that there are obvious gaps and fire marks on the rear section of the wing. The outside world is currently paying attention to whether this important Russian strategic bomber can be repaired.

The enlarged image shows that the rear section of the right wing of the Tu-95MS was obviously damaged, and part of the structure was blown off.

The Ukrainian military news website "Defence Express" reported that the damaged Tu-95MS was located at Engels Air Base (Engels Air Base) in Saratov Oblast in southwestern Russia. The latest images show that the explosion occurred behind the fourth engine on the right wing. Part of the wing structure was blown up, and there were traces of fire near the fuselage. Since the Tu-95MS has a fuel tank in the wing, the fire and high temperature may further damage the internal structure.

"Defence Express" pointed out that based on the image analysis, the aircraft was carrying fuel at the time, so it was more likely to be a combat aircraft in use, rather than a decommissioned aircraft parked at the base to serve as a decoy. The damage this time is mainly on the outside of the wing, which is different from the way Ukraine's "Operation Spider Web" previously attacked the root of the wing, so Russia may still evaluate whether it is worth repairing.

Tu-95 production ended in 1992 and the production line was dismantled in 1995. Russia currently has limited facilities that can perform large-scale repairs on the Tu-95MS. To repair this damaged aircraft, it must be dismantled at the base and then transported to a maintenance facility for reassembly. Coupled with the aging of the aircraft body, metal fatigue, structural weakening caused by fire, and difficulties in obtaining spare parts, the entire project is quite complex.

Historically, a Tu-95 had part of its wing broken in a landing accident in 1956, and it was still repaired by the production factory at the time. However, "Defence Express" pointed out that the aircraft of that year can still return to the original production system, with equipment, technical documents and manufacturing capabilities; now that the Tu-95 has been out of production for more than 30 years, Russia must face completely different conditions if it wants to repair this damaged bomber. The website believes that although Russia may conduct a repair assessment first, there is still a lot of doubt whether it is worth the cost and man-hours in the end.