Destruction of the last Tu-22 bomber

Poltava, January 27, 2006. Video footage of the destruction of the last Tu-22 bomber: an airfield, workers dismantling the aircraft, military personnel and other people at the airfield.

Reference: On January 27, 2006, the process of disposing of the last Ukrainian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber was completed at the Poltava airbase. This was part of the international “Joint Threat Reduction Program,” which provided for the disarmament of Ukraine after it gained independence.

In total, 60 Tu-22M strategic bombers (17 Tu-22M2 and 43 Tu-22M3 models) and 423 Kh-22 cruise missiles were destroyed under this program. This was done to reduce the risks of nuclear weapons proliferation and strengthen international security.

The disposal of the bombers was carried out with financial and technical support from the United States.