Strategic bombing had proved decisive in helping the Western allies bring Nazi Germany to its knees during the Second World War but the Soviet Union had never developed an equivalent capability – an oversight it would rapidly address as the cold war began in earnest.
Immense efforts to reverse-engineer interned American B-29 Superfortresses resulted in the fearsome Tupolev Tu-4 – and heralded a bold new era of heavy bomber design in Russia and across the Soviet Union.
Within a few short years, the advanced swept-wing Tu-16 jet bomber, codenamed Badger by NATO had made its first flight. This was swiftly followed by the legendary turboprop-powered Tu-95, codenamed Bear, which remains a symbol of Russian air power today.
Less than a decade later, the Soviet Union was flying the mighty long-range Myasishchev M-4 Bison and the supersonic Tu-22 Blinder, both of which raised grave concerns in the West when their existence became known.
