those are old, slow, lumbering and have no defense. The easiest bomber in the world to just shoot down. That is IF they function long enough to get to even Ukraine.
I’ve spent many hours flying on the wing of those guys while escorting them around the Carrier Battle Group. They’re faster than you would think and the Bear-D versions I escorted did have guns…top, belly, and tail IIRC. I have some good photos of their tail gunners and other crew members in the observation windows.
Their pilots in WestPac were A-holes and would try to turn into you at low altitude and drag you off on the water or a ship’s superstructure. On the other hand, the guys we encountered in the North Atlantic were pretty professional. I flew formation on one Bear off of Norway for a couple of hours in clouds from 25,000’ down to 500’ and they didn’t scare me at all. My RIO kept me posted on turns but the copilot would signal before a turn or descent/climb. It was actually pretty cool.
What was really annoying was that you could feel the props pounding the air and if the crew wanted, they could de-synchronize the props and create a “beat” that you would feel in your chest sort of like the a top fuel dragster.
Last edited by navlav8r; 03/24/24.
NRA Life,Endowment,Patron or Benefactor since '72.
