Indian Bear ASW variant?

The model is most impressive; it carries 8 underwing KH-35E air launched AShMs on 4 pylons,

Date Posted: 13-Oct-2004

INTERNATIONAL DEFENSE REVIEW – NOVEMBER 01, 2004

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India and Russia ponder ASW variations on venerable ‘Bear’
Piotr Butowski

Russia’s Taganrogskaya Aviatsiya (Tavia) company has unveiled a model of an upgraded variant of the Tupolev Tu-142 ‘Bear-F’ maritime patrol aircraft, armed with eight air-launched Kh-35E sea-skimming anti-ship missiles under the wings, at the Gidroaviasalon 2004 show at Gelendzhik, Russia.

The model, referred to as the Tu-142MSD in an export version offered to India, is a variant of the Tu-142MN that is planned to be procured for the Russian Navy. While the latter is planned to be fitted with a Novella mission system, the former should receive the Sea Dragon system, which itself is an export variant of Novella.

The Russian Navy has around 20 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) Tu-142M and Tu-142MZ aircraft, plus a dozen Tu-142MR radio-relay aircraft for communication with submerged submarines. India purchased eight Tu-142ME (‘Bear-F’ mod 3) aircraft in 1986.

The modernised Tu-142MSD should be able to perform ASW as well as littoral patrol operations, search and rescue, and overland surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition operations.

Tavia proposes to implement the upgrade alongside a structural airframe overhaul that will lengthen the type’s operational life by a decade from 22 to 32 years, providing a lifetime for the Indian-owned aircraft to 2018 and for the youngest Russian-owned Tu-142 to 2026.

The Russian Navy will probably receive the basic upgrade variant as described above, while India intends to order a more advanced missile carrier configuration armed with eight subsonic Kh-35E anti-ship sea-skimming missiles or six Yakhont M supersonic missiles.

These weapons are mounted on underwing pylons. The aircraft is equipped with a missile programming and launching system. The range of the aircraft carrying the missiles is reduced from 12,000km to 9,500km (with eight Kh-35E missiles) or to 7,500km (with six Yakhont M missiles). The Indian Navy is expected to use an indigenously developed variant of the Yakhont, the PJ 10 Brahmos and the pending air-launched version will be called Brahmos A.

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