Ref.: TRUM-01609
Tupolev Tu-142MR Bear- J TU-142MR BEAR J - -- The TU-142MR was a further modification of the Tu-142M The prototype Tu-142MR 'Bear-J' was based on the airframe of the Tu-142MK, and used for submarine communication relay, allowing national command authorities and strategic missile-carrying submarines to communicate. The under fuselage search radar has been removed, and the aircraft is equipped with an under fuselage winch pod for a several kilometer long trailing wire antenna. It has a communications antenna in a spike fairing that project forward from the fin tip, and a trailing wire antenna (and associated winch package) located below the belly. Production Tu-142MRs are more like the Tu-142M-Z, with an under nose sensor package and ECM system antennas underneath the rear fuselage. Unlike all the other maritime 'Bears,' the production Tu-142MR has a solid radome in place of the usual nose glazing where a limited-range search/weather radar is probably housed to compensate for the lack of a Korshun system. Only a small number of Tu-142MRs were produced, and the prototype was delivered to the 76th Regiment along with early production aircraft.