Listen To The Terrifying Mechanical Growl Of A Tu-95 Bear Passing Overhead

Updated Feb 5, 2021 6:52 AM EST

In the west, the B-52 Stratofortress gets a ton of attention for its antique status, with its first flight dating back to 1952, yet Russia’s Tu-95 Bear has been around just as long , and like the B-52, it still serves as the backbone of Russia’s strategic air forces. While the B-52H that is still in service features a chorus of eight low-bypass turbofan TF33 jet engines, the Bear does its thing with a quartet of massively powerful turboprop engines, a fascinating accomplishment to ponder, especially nearly 70 years since it first took to the skies. Its four Kuznetsov NK-12 engines crank out a whopping 15,000 horsepower each and push contra-rotating propellers that force the Bear along at jet speeds. Those engines and propellers also give the Tu-95 family one of its most notable features—a deafening mechanized orchestra blast.

Case in point, the video clip below, which appears to show a Tu-95MS Bear-H taking off from an airbase somewhere in Russia. The audio is absolutely tooth-rattling and offers a fascinating impression of just what the Bear can sound like to those on the ground nearby during terminal operations—a mix of standard jet engine howl with an exotic and unsettling high-frequency roar:

There are plenty of stories of fighter pilots intercepting Bears and hearing and even feeling the drone of their engines over their own jet engine noise and through their cockpit canopy enclosure and helmets. Also, it has been claimed that submarines can hear the Tu-95’s maritime patrol cousin, the Tu-142 , at ridiculously long ranges on their passive sonars.

An F-22 intercepts a Tu-95 near Alaska. , USAF

Regardless, the ancient Bear is one chaotic-sounding beast of an aircraft and its rackety buzz-saw-like hum will continue to fill the skies wherever it roams for years to come.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

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更新于美国东部时间2021年2月5日上午6:52

在西方，B-52“同温层堡垒”轰炸机因其年代久远而备受关注，其首飞可追溯至1952年。然而，俄罗斯的图-95“熊”式轰炸机服役时间同样悠久，并且与B-52一样，至今仍是俄罗斯战略空军的中坚力量。现役的B-52H配备了八台低涵道比的TF33涡扇喷气发动机，而“熊”式轰炸机则依靠四台动力强劲的涡桨发动机，这尤其令人惊叹，因为它已经服役近70年了。其四台库兹涅佐夫NK-12发动机每台都能输出高达15000马力的功率，推动反向旋转的螺旋桨，使“熊”式轰炸机以喷气式飞机的速度飞行。这些发动机和螺旋桨也赋予了图-95系列轰炸机最显著的特征之一——震耳欲聋的机械交响乐般的轰鸣声。

例如，下面的视频片段似乎显示一架图-95MS“熊-H”轰炸机从俄罗斯某空军基地起飞。音频令人毛骨悚然，生动地展现了“熊”式轰炸机在起飞作业期间，地面人员听到的声音——一种混合着标准喷气发动机啸叫声和一种异域风情、令人不安的高频轰鸣声：

有很多战斗机飞行员拦截图-95“熊”式轰炸机的案例，他们能透过座舱盖和头盔，甚至在自己的喷气式发动机噪音之上，听到并感受到“熊”式轰炸机发动机的嗡嗡声。此外，还有人声称潜艇能用被动声呐在极远的距离探测到图-95的近亲——图-142海上巡逻机。

一架F-22战斗机在阿拉斯加附近拦截了一架图-95轰炸机。（美国空军）

不管怎样，这架古老的“熊”式飞机听起来就像一头混乱的野兽，它那嘈杂的、像电锯一样的嗡嗡声将在未来几年里继续响彻天空，无论它飞到哪里。

联系作者：Tyler@thedrive.com

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