This Day in Aviation History
January 9th, 1951
First flight of the Tupolev Tu-85.

The Tupolev Tu-85 (USAF/DoD reporting name ‘Type 31’, NATO reporting name Barge) was a Soviet prototype strategic bomber based on the Tu-4, an unlicensed reverse engineered copy of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. It was the ultimate development of the B-29 family, being over 50% heavier than its ancestor and had nearly double the range. Only two prototypes were built before the program was canceled in favor of the Tupolev Tu-95 bomber which was much faster and had the same range….

Source:
Wikipedia, Tupolev Tu-85: http://gstv.us/2iSNwLO

Please consider supporting Gazing Skyward TV by using our affiliate links when shopping online and becoming a Patron on Patreon. http://gazingskywardtv.com/donate/

Photo from: http://gstv.us/2iSTV9w

#avgeek #Tupolev #Tu85 #NATO #Barge #military #experimental #Soviet #Russia #aviation #history #fb