prinCZess
Warrior, Writer, Performer, Perv
The Russian's just lost a Tu-22M to wither friendly fire or UA fire; either way, that's another strategic bomber they cannot replace.
This is a complete and total tangent, but...
There's a weird...not 'beauty' at all, but a good appearance...to the mid-60s Soviet design bureau love-affair with big honkin' air intakes that extend to just behind the cockpit and makes the whole plane just...look like a Soviet apartment block but in a good way somehow? The Tu-22M, the Mig 23/27, the Mig-25/31 (which is easily the most attractive of all these), the SU-24...
The closest the US ever got to such is the F-15, which maybe makes sense if it was cribbing off the Mig-25 in the first place, but US designers...I dunnow, mounted the intakes lower and rounded things off more and changed the body design of the aircraft such that it doesn't have that same should-be-ugly-but-isn't appearance to it...
Maybe I'm just crazy and, as said, this is totally and completely unrelated. Just always feel compelled to point it out when I notice it.
Anyhow, if wikipedia-claims are worth anything, there were supposedly only 66 22Ms in service circa 2021. Dunnow if this is the first Russia has lost during their whole Ukriane intervention fiasco or if there's been previous destroyed on runway or otherwise lost.