r/WarplanePorn

the Tu-22MR was intended to replace the aging recon variants of the Tu-16 and Tu-22, a Tu-22M3 was converted into the 1st prototype and had it's maiden flight on December 6, 1985, 4 years later it was lost in an accident due to a mid-air fire and crashed into a swamp, the crew ejected with multiple injuries but survived

due to being built for reconnaissance it's missile and bomb capabilities were removed, the bulk of the recon equipment is in a technical compartment which is located in the bomb bay, it still retained it's 23mm tail gun which using special chaff and decoy rounds acts as a countermeasure system for self-defense

the equipment installed was the BKR-2 airborne reconnaissance complex (the BKR-1 was installed on the Su-24MR), which consisted of the M-202 Shompol SLAR, M-361 X-ray meter and M-265 aerial camera

a U-006 Obzor-MR forward-looking radar (modified from the T-160's Obzor-K) in the nose, OPB-18 television sight and K-044 navigation system

production of the MR was cancelled due to the collapse of the soviet union

the status of the 4 are:

2nd prototype/pre-production #36 - delivered to the VVS from the Kazan plant in 1988 and underwent testing at Akhtubinsk, after which it was transferred to Dyagilevo Air Base where it's currently in storage
1st serial-production #1, serial number 11103 - built in 1991, assigned to the 219th ODRAP in Spassk-Dalny then later ended up at Belaya Air Base in 2010, while there it was plagued by breakdowns and equipment failures and rarely flew, it's currently in storage
2nd serial-production #2, serial number 11201 - currently in service with registration number RF-94239
3rd serial-production, serial number 11301 - remains incomplete and in storage at the Kazan plant because the Ministry of Defense did not buy it

r/WarplanePorn

First Visuals of JF-17 block 3 in Azeri colours [1907x1080]

F-22 Raptor filmed with a camera so fancy, you can see the vertical stabilizers get all wobbly

Su-24M2 Fencer-D [3000x2234]

A U.S. Air Force pilot performs preflight checks aboard a F-16 Fighting Falcon. 16 June 2026 [6665 × 4443]

Boeing VC-25B Bridge, interim Air Force One, escorted by four F-22 Raptors to Washington, D.C. on July 4th, 2026. [Album]

SoloTürk F-16 Stuns the Crowd! 🦅 Incredible Aerial Performance [video]

Mirage-2000I armed with MICA IR, AN/ASW-55 data link pod and two 1700 litres drop tanks [10544x7029]

A compilation of international Air Force flyover as part of fleet review at NYC

Ukrainian MiG-29 [1500x1000]

Tu-22MR Backfire landing at Kubinka Air base in 2015, the MR or M3R is the extremely rare reconnaissance variant with only 4 built, the bulge on the bomb bay door is for the Shompol Side-Looking Airborne Radar [3000x1989]

Black Smoke From The Blazing Ploesti Oil Fields, Romania Can Be Seen Billowing Through A Layer Of White Clouds More Than 20,000 Feet Up, Following A Raid By 15th Air Force B-24 Liberators. 5 July 1944 [3757 x 3005]

An Indian Air Force Mig29UPG "Baaz" deploys it's braking parachute (drag chute) after landing [680×382]

Sudanese MiG-29SEh and Saudi Arabian EF-2000 Typhoon F2 during joint exercise Blue Shield-1 [1939 x 1080]

This specific Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23UB being the only airworthy MiG-23 in North America before it crashed on August 13, 2023, during the Thunder Over Michigan airshow with both pilots ejected safely.[2000x1334]

Fireworks burst behind a U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules of the 36th Airlift Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan. July 4, 2026 [3600 × 2400]

Italian Air Force C-27J Spartan in flight [1920x1278]

paratroopers jumping from the Y-20 [2110x1280]

"Huge 1" Formation flying over the National Mall on July 3, 2026 [2048x1365, Album]

F-35B Lightning II Demo Team from VMFAT-501 flying over the National Mall on July 3, 2026 [1638x2048]

Maj. Stephen R. Webber of the 2874th Test Squadron runs through a cockpit check before taking a U.S. Air Force F-111 Aardvark on a night test flight. 10 June 1990 [2830 × 1880]