Hi Sainz. I wonder if you can check with your Tu-22 contact?
The F-14 is tucked in to around the 8 o’clock position relative to the Tu and slightly low , I would suggest that the escorting aircraft would not risk getting that close in ahead of the wing of the Tu. Thus a shot from the Tu cockpit is unlikely.
For this and other reasons I think the “set ” of the picture mitigates towards a picture taken from the tail end of the intercepted aircraft.
The Tu22R has a large , cut off low set stabiliser and ,as far as I am aware, no camera port in that area to give such an angle of shot, which certainly looks like being from a hand-held camera ,being in focus to such a close target.
Which brings us to look at the object in the top right of the image. This is largely in shadow ,with the exception of the sun illuminated small cylindrical object on its “trailing edge”.
I suspect that what we are looking at is a bit of tailplane ,slightly higher set on the aircraft than the camera, with a possible small ESM aerial of sorts on its trailing edge. Its a bit too hefty to be a static discharger! I don’t think its a fuel jettison pipe either, but I could well be mistaken.
This enclosed shot of a Tu-16 perhaps helps to support this supposition -note that this lump is by no means on all Badgers.
Perhaps your contact was on Tu-16’s at some time?
In any event it’s still a very unusual shot ( is that an AGI below?) . Please don’t misinterpret my nit-pick as anything other than an expression of interest.
25deg south !
Unfortunately I have no personal contact with the photographer.
Maybe You are right..
Here is the correct source :
http://foto.rambler.ru/users/grigorev2006/30ka/
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