I was stationed at King Salmon Air Force Station in Alaska in 1976, A bear bomber came in on final due to an in-flight emergency of low fuel. He was allowed to land and then refueled to head back to it's base. One of the gunners or observers held up a Pepsi can that was red white and blue at the time. No one got on or off the bomber so we were confused as to how the man had a US Pepsi can on board the bomber. Our commander had the picture blown up to life size and displayed in the combat alert center on our little base!! While the governments of both countries were at odds, the people of both nations were not, it was my first glimpse that the people of the Soviet Union were not eager to fight with the US. Beautiful looking aircraft though I favor the B-52!
Couple of comments to make here! Concerning the bomber: What a sight to see in person! Was the Tupolev’s engines noticeable louder than the base’s usual aircraft? True airmen can appreciate true airmanship regardless of the flag on the fuselage! and then the Pepsi: Pepsi’s sworn enemy was Coca Cola, and to get the upper-hand, their CEO Don Kendall made a deal with capitalism’s sworn enemy, the Soviet Union. He was so successful, that by 1971 Pepsi was being made, bottled and sold in the USSR! It’s an absolute wild tale that involved the CEO personally charming Soviet Premier Khrushchev, and for a time, even accepting vodka as a form of payment. Do check it out sometime!
The Pepsi - soweit Union relationship is a wild story! Chruschow loved this stuff and after payments in vodka became unprofitable the sowiets payed in demobilized warships and submarines which Pepsi sold for scrap metal
@@expertizerAh yes, the Pepsi Navy. 17 submarines, 1 cruiser, 1 frigate, and 1 destroyer. Pepsi briefly had, on paper, the 6th largest navy in the world, even if its fleeting fleet was to go straight to the ship-breakers.
And then September 83 came along and they shot down KAL 007 over Sakhalin. Not feeling all fuzzy about that Pepsi can. I was at NAS Keflavik, Iceland at the time. Fun and games every night up and down that slot...non stop leading up to Able Archer 83. And we all know what almost happened then.
I was a U.S. Treaty officer and went to Russia's Engle AFB in 1996 to witness the destruction of this aircraft as they did for some B52s. At that time I was encouraged that our two countries might continue down the road of peaceful coexistence. Now it seems we are back to the relationships we had in 1970. An opportunity missed for the world.
@@diggledoggle4192We've been encircling them for decades with bases and NATO expansion. Kinda hard for them to not eventually do something to a NATO country when they're all but surrounded by NATO and NATO allies. As much as I love America, we're the aggressors, not Russia.
Story at the end was awesome. You can tell that even tho he was trained to fight the Russians, he still had respect for somebody just like him, just on the other side. Very cool
After the end of the Cold War I am told that the Russians just wanted relations normalised that there might be cooperation and mutual support. In my opinion I t’s a lasting shame that that never came to pass and the Russians were understandably hurt and offended by ongoing standoffishness. Again we seemed to win the war and loose the peace. Now we pay the price for that shortsightedness. 😢
One of them landed at my local airport for an air show about ten years ago. It's exactly eight miles away and the sound of it was loud enough to wake me up.
I was in Moscow for the previous inauguration of President Putin and I watched the fly past from the gardens behind the Kremlin. Helicopters first and then fighters, then I think Russian 'stealth' planes. But I think we were all surprised when these enormous four-engined Tu-95 bombers flew over. The sound that these planes made was extraordinary. Not a jet's roar or the thump of a helicopter engine, but something deeply sonorous and different. I remember looking up at them and thinking "look, here comes the enemy."
Incredible behind the scenes history that almost no one knows about! Amazing planes and aviation history. In the end everyone on both sides has great pride and respect for flying.
Before seeing actual combat in Syria in 2015 and Ukraine in 2022, the Tupolev Tu-95 Bear was commonly getting intercepted by NATO interceptors and also dropped the Tsar Bomba the world's most powerful nuclear bomb on October 30, 1961.
I'm no slavophile but it is too bad that that brief period, right after the Cold War ended when both sides seemed open to friendship didn't last longer.
Awesome documentary, the story about the 2 Bears flying to England was entertaining that story would make a interesting movie with all the details mentioned in the telling of that story.
Ak tak jedine roky 1989 - 1991. Potom začali USei vyzbrojovat Ukrajinu proti Ruskej Federácii. Dnes to vrcholí, záleží len od senilneho pedofila Bidena či chce 3. S.vojnu.
They were years of coexistence and cooperation but US, realizing itself as the hegemony, began behave like one, demolishing who refuse to bow to its dictates, and Nato kept pushing right towards Russia's border. Russia was too weak to do anything.
@@Time4Peace - Three Baltic nations took advantage to gain back their independence, and other Eastern European nations knew how volatile and corrupt Russian politics are from the past. By choice and as guaranteed protection against Russian rule. These nations joined NATO. That is happening right now in Ukraine, as it tried to join EU and later on NATO. Putin’s attempt to crush freely elected leader and install someone who obeys Putin’s Russia. After Stalin died and more liberal leader came to power. Few of the Warsaw pact nation tried to gain political freedom, but were quickly crushed by the Soviets. It’s good to remember non of the Soviet Union partner nations didn’t join one party communist rule freely or if they wanted to be part Warsaw pact, but were forcefully invaded by SU. Who then in turn choose puppet dictator run the previously democratic nation. Jailing opposite party leaders and anyone who SU thought was dangerous to communist ideology. After WW2 my old home country lived in fear of getting invaded by SU. Finns had to provide communist party majority seats in government. Even though communists lost every election. Conservative Party won most of the election but they were not allowed to form a government. Every bigger or “sensitive” purchase had to be okayed by Moscow. All the military equipment, with few exceptions, had to bought from Soviets. If Finns bought something, like Saab fighters Soviets had a change to look it over. After 1990 everything changed and Finns were free to run their country as they pleased. First get rid of SU fighters and bought F-18 hornets.
@Time4Peace Total BS ruSSia was offered the opportunity to be part of a peaceful and democratic world. ruSSia joined the G7 (although its economy was not at that level) and there were negotiation for ruSSia to join NATO too. In 1997/98 ruSSia made joint military exercises with NATO, and a cooperation treaty was signed in 1997. Then poo-tin arrived to power...
This has got to be the most stiff upper lip British story telling I have ever heard and thoroughly enjoyed. His explanation of a bunch of Russian airman getting snot faced was so eloquent I was just giggling. Well done sir great story told with panache and gentlemanly demeanor and language.
@@tubthumpHe' might be referring to the last potion of the documentary the chief RAF commodore telling the story of the British inviting the Soviet bear bombers over to the UK
Wonderful documentary! Makes me believe in humanity again. If there were no politicians this world would be such a wonderful place,! Also being a physician I must add to include “administrators” along with politicians : then the world would be near paradise!!😊
In 1985 I was 15 years old and got a chance when touring East Berlin Germany 🇩🇪 😳, to go to an air show that was happening and stand beside a Bear to have my photo taken with the pilot and the rear gunner. It took forever to get the photo because to get any of the aircraft in the shot other than the landing gear my mom had to stand back like 20 yards and people kept walking in front of us. I got to sit in the cockpit of a Mig-21 too. I loved that. I gave the pilot a drawing I had made of a Mig-21. He gave me his address and he became my Russian pin pal for a while. I'm sure it was more of an assignment for him by the KGB to try and glen info from me. My dad was a Ranger heavy weapons instructor and I'll bet they were hoping I would say things like my dad is in Angola right now and I miss him or something like that.
21:35 The only B-25 bomber I'm aware of is the Mitchell and its first flight was in 1940. So if the TU 16 began flying around the same time then THAT'S the aircraft that needs waaay more coverage than it's gotten so far..
OK, I don't know how heavy the tank on that Atland is, but even if it was empty, that's got to be 50% of the plane's weight at least, aside from altering the aerodynamic profile. I have never seen that footage before and that is damned impressive both on the part of the plane's engineering, and on the pilot(s)'s prowess.
It is crazy to think how open and peaceful the Russian air force and navy were in the 1990's. Not forgetting the Red Army as well, as their choir and orchestra had a free open air concert at Helsinki Senate Square in collaboration with Leningrad Cowboys, a goofy Finnish rock band. Those were the days, my friend.😪
We never thought that Russians would pillage their neighbors and threaten to nuke the rest of the world. It is as if the Cold War was actually managed by sane people.
I was too young, in my teens… but from my age now and perspective of the current world, I so much wish that those days would come back…. Even for just a few years, to let everything just cool down. The Russian people are not evil…. The people in power are…. And they have a first class ticket to HELL on one of these Bears!. So sad.
The Tupolev Tu-95 and Boeing B-52 Stratofortress are a bunch of big, [so ugly they’re] beautiful b•stards! Their rivalry is greatly underrated to this day!
The story at the end is fascinating. I noticed how the gentleman was surprised by Russians easily accepting the invitation, and allowing guests and even TV crew inside the bombers, during flight. I am Russian, I grew up in Moscow. I emigrated to the States in 1992. I believe I understand why Russian military command was so relaxed in allowing intimate English access to its strategic bombers. I think it's an important point, considering current events : In the early 90s most Russians were indeed convinced the Cold War was over and done. I was convinced. Russians did indeed believe the assurances about NATO not moving east. Russians did (later on) even inquire about joining NATO. Russians were ready and willing to engage in friendship and cooperation. Obviously the enlightened democracies of the West had other plans. Well, the enlightened democracies of the West should rejoice and celebrate, as their plans are coming to fruition. Russians were ready and open for friendship. But if the West wanted to continue with confrontation, leading to war... enjoy!
I call BS. The de-politicization of the Russian populace just putting another czar in power is pathetic. The US propped up the Russian govt in the early 90’s to prevent nukes wandering off. Russia had every chance to rebuild and not be a mafia run kleptocracy, but nooooo, tooo haaaarrdd. A country with massive resources and bright people, but instead invests not in plumbing, or anything outside of St. Petersburg and Moscow is a pile of trash, and have been launching wars of conquest and division in all their neighbors. There was never a written agreement to NATO to get larger, that’s a myth. Also, countries apply to get into NATO, not strong armed in like Russia does to its neighbors. Poland practically used blackmail to get in because they know Russia Will Russia and without protection, it would mean another Russian invasion. If Ukraine and Georgia had been fast paced into NATO in 2008, hundreds of thousands wouldn’t be dying for a homicidial midget in the Kremlin with a tenuous grasp on history thinking he will be the next Catherine the Great.
@@Smokey298 The words of the American representative to Gorbachev - We understand the situation of the USSR, and we will not take advantage of its temporary weakness, NATO will not come an inch closer to Russia ...... after which NATO accepted all the countries that were in the USSR bloc ..... and then bombed Yugoslavia, destroyed all Russia's allies Libya, Iraq, Syria, carried out many "color revolutions" around the borders of Russia.
I visited a big public open naval event at Portsmouth, England, about 20 years ago. A big Russian warship was at the event along with a state of the art German warship and other nations warships. We were allowed to go on the Russian warship but could not go inside, but everyone was very friendly, and at the bottom of the gangway Russian officers were othering drinks of Vodka. On the German warship the Captain allowed one or two of us on to the Bridge to see the high tech controls. The ship was virtually controlled by a computer mouse 😊. Deep inside the ship was a strong room which would be used in the event of 'Action Stations'. Most people want to live in peace. But we have to look at the reality. I studied Marx, Engels. Lenin, Stalin, Mao, and so on, 50 years ago. Capitalism is alive and thriving and is now in its Imperialist stage. And that's the problem. We have in the Western World a minority of people who control the majority. The minority are the problem. The minority have no feeling for any thing to do with Socialism / progress, and they try to convey their feelings on to the majority. They appear to have been winning. But now Russia under Vladimir Putin and China under Xi Jinping are saying, enough is enough.
If Russia didn't want all their neighbours to seek NATO membership, then they shouldn't have driven them away. Try being *_nice_* to your allies, rather than menacing them and they'll be more likely to stand by you. Russia, and Russia alone is responsible for NATO's "expansion."
The Soviets used to run a Tu 95 out of Cuba and try and fly it up the East coast. Routinely they were intercepted by fighters. They modified a Tu 95 turning it into a transport for Nikta Kruschev when he needed to travel abroad. The fact that it was obviously a modified bomber and the fact the leader would have to exit the plane by a rear facing door was deemed to be embarrassing.
Excellent video. I have one net to pick, I think you misspoke at the 21:46 mark where you say the TU 16 bBdger first flew at about the same time as the B 25.
The story of the pilot tearing up talking about flying to Cuba honestly is one of the best stories I’ve heard it was probably the closest thing to escaping the USSR without defecting
I was stationed at Ft. Wainwright in Fairbanks at the time and remember the buzz that aircraft caused with it's emergency, and the permission to land being granted.
Never the less the Russian design brilliant aircraft just like the British and ather countries well the Russian beat the Europeans flying to space can't understand why the people in Europe hate the Russian they are friendly people from my experience
The TU-4 (approx 11:35) was actually an American B-29 stolen and copied when the planes had to land in USSR. The B-36 was also copied. The plans for the American space shuttle was public information for a short term and the Soviets got copies during this time and built the shuttle Buran (only 2 were built before they cancelled their space program).
Loved it! One of the B-29's captured by Uncle Joe was one autographed by George C. Marshall during an inspection tour at the Boeing plant in Wichita Kansas. I've often wondered if the Ruskies had the same level of engine trouble as we did with the 29's, especially the early ones used to bomb Japan which the ones obtained by the Soviets were a part of.
They even back eng a personal photo camera left by a crew member hanging by his strap in its leather case. You follow uncle joes orders strictly or ... well we all know.
Yes the Soviets had most of the same problems with the copied engines so much so they later made their own svetsov engines also they had difficulty with getting the sheet metal to the correct thickness as they didn’t have presses to the exact tolerances so they had to vary the thickness of each panel making the plane heavier with less range .Also the fact everything on the B29 was imperial English measurements and not metric made copying even more difficult. It was rumored the Soviets had spies sent to the west to try and acquire imperial rulers and tooling to try and compare to metric measurements.
Good video. A bit slow at first. The last third was worth waiting for but could perhaps be broken out into a separate piece just focused on the UK visit.
I lived a few miles from the now closed plattsburgh air force base in plattsburgh ny in the 80s, back then as part of the strategic air command there was a b52 in the air loaded with nukes 24/7 365
For me, the Bear and the Fiddler symbolise Russia in all its hugeness. We in India has the naval -142 variant and IMO, it was a most premature and retrograde decision to phase them out in 2017 as, after the 142, India lost realtime long range surveillance completely. There is one aircraft on static display at INS Kurusura, the naval museum in Vizag and I shall be paying my respects to it soon during my east coast ride. Somebody please post that Swedish Air Force Viggen interception anecdote here😂
Another great vid. At the moment it is busy at nights in the Fairford area. I can literally tell what is in the air but I have no idea what a Bear would sound like.
The plane is based on technologies acquired when copying B-29 into Tu-4, with turboprop engines designed by captured German engineers interned on the Volga river.
Let me remind you that Werner von Braun was born in Georgia, lived most of his life in Mozambique and after the war, immigrated to USA where he happened to instruct American engineers how to build a simple rocket to take them to the Moon 🤣
@@xandervk2371 I'm sick and tired of reading stuff like: Chinese steal everything, Russians steal everything, they never make anything original, and so on. No, I'm not on wrong video.
Forgive me but I forgot to comment on the Phil Wilkinson segment. I worked as a lad at dowty rotol in staverton Glos before following my career into music and the media . My father and i were huge fairford fans. I was living in Germany in 94 but my father was there. Do you have any other info regarding this historic event? Its still fascinating. Dave
Amazing airplane indeed! But MAAAN What a story at the end!!! As he said, i was a huge Triumph! A triumph of humanity and cooperation showing us we better work together rather than against eachother. I Hope YOU dear reader, have a wonderfoul life, please radiate the light of peace and love. This shows we can create amazing things, enjoy them together. As the cold war ended, these dark times must come to an end Ghaza, Ukraine all cruelty. One thing for sure my fellow airplaine nerd, whatever happens i will not harm any of you.. Whether you are ,white, black, asian even outher earth. Peace and light🤍 the sky connects us all. Love you❤
Interesting/informative/entertaining. Excellent still -:motion photography job. Enabling viewers to better understand what the orator is describing. Enjoying this presentation from the comfort of my computer room. Along the " Space Coast "🚀of Florida 🐊🐊🐊. Wishing viewers a safe/healthy/prosperous ( 2024 )🌈🎉🎉 😉😉.
Just after the Soviet Union broke up, I had such high hopes for the future. Especially when a Tu-95 and a Tu-22M turned up at the Royal International Air Tattoo in England. But I should have realised that it wouldn't last long. There's too much money in making weapons
If it should come to pass that I must die in WW3, I’m at least gratified that the TU-95 was part of it all, how cool is that: I lived and died in a conflict in which ONE of the most awesome propeller driven aircraft ever conceived played a part. An apex aircraft of the 20th century still going strong. Color me odd, but the Bear is so much more classy than myriad other aerial platforms. Grateful for the little things, which are the big things. ❤
Telling a story you’ve told a hundred times, now in front of a camera, not easy. This guy did very well. The absurd pathos of the Cold War was communicated. The Russians did well to assure that the British hospitality was reciprocated in full before departure.
It's a scaled up B29 with new engines. It was already obsolete when they finally started production. They couldn't steal a B-52 to copy. It was already obsolete when they managed to produce them.
@@abergethirty Let me list foreign (stolen) words in English that you used in the above sentence: scale engine obsolete x 2 finally start produce x 2 copy manage 😂
Does this bourgeois celebration concern also Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, Latino Americans or any other second class Americans or simply European Americans?
@@johnnash5118Am afraid you're comprehensively off topic with your unrelated question! Rather answer my question squarely whether or not second class Americans ought to join in that bourgeois celebration. Period.
Celebrating the independence you wanted cause rich colonials dont want to pay taxes to help cover for the war expenses to keep its colonies and also that you were forbidden to expand more into indian lands. Then you got that independence cause Britain's enemies heavily supported you and went to steal and kill natives, also idk if slavery really bad cause it makes money. Wtf are you celebrating? American founding myth and its propaganda sound so bloodthirsty and insane. You weren't even relevant before european powers decided to nerf themselves, you mf's started your industry by stealing technology from britain... Nothing to be proud of.
Click the link to watch more aircraft, heroes, and their stories, and missions: www.youtube.com/@Dronescapes
I liked the British guy's stories.
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I was stationed at King Salmon Air Force Station in Alaska in 1976, A bear bomber came in on final due to an in-flight emergency of low fuel. He was allowed to land and then refueled to head back to it's base. One of the gunners or observers held up a Pepsi can that was red white and blue at the time. No one got on or off the bomber so we were confused as to how the man had a US Pepsi can on board the bomber. Our commander had the picture blown up to life size and displayed in the combat alert center on our little base!! While the governments of both countries were at odds, the people of both nations were not, it was my first glimpse that the people of the Soviet Union were not eager to fight with the US. Beautiful looking aircraft though I favor the B-52!
Couple of comments to make here!
Concerning the bomber: What a sight to see in person! Was the Tupolev’s engines noticeable louder than the base’s usual aircraft? True airmen can appreciate true airmanship regardless of the flag on the fuselage!
and then the Pepsi: Pepsi’s sworn enemy was Coca Cola, and to get the upper-hand, their CEO Don Kendall made a deal with capitalism’s sworn enemy, the Soviet Union. He was so successful, that by 1971 Pepsi was being made, bottled and sold in the USSR! It’s an absolute wild tale that involved the CEO personally charming Soviet Premier Khrushchev, and for a time, even accepting vodka as a form of payment. Do check it out sometime!
The Pepsi - soweit Union relationship is a wild story! Chruschow loved this stuff and after payments in vodka became unprofitable the sowiets payed in demobilized warships and submarines which Pepsi sold for scrap metal
@@expertizerAh yes, the Pepsi Navy.
17 submarines, 1 cruiser, 1 frigate, and 1 destroyer. Pepsi briefly had, on paper, the 6th largest navy in the world, even if its fleeting fleet was to go straight to the ship-breakers.
@@jamesm3471 what a time it was to be alive :D
And then September 83 came along and they shot down KAL 007 over Sakhalin. Not feeling all fuzzy about that Pepsi can. I was at NAS Keflavik, Iceland at the time. Fun and games every night up and down that slot...non stop leading up to Able Archer 83. And we all know what almost happened then.
I was a U.S. Treaty officer and went to Russia's Engle AFB in 1996 to witness the destruction of this aircraft as they did for some B52s. At that time I was encouraged that our two countries might continue down the road of peaceful coexistence. Now it seems we are back to the relationships we had in 1970. An opportunity missed for the world.
What does the destruction process look like?
The problem is that NATO kept expanding towards the border of Russia.
@@robertbennett9949 we do what the fuck we want, russia isnt something to worry about lmao
@@robertbennett9949Utter nonsense. Russia need only ever worry about NATO if it actually invades a NATO country
@@diggledoggle4192We've been encircling them for decades with bases and NATO expansion. Kinda hard for them to not eventually do something to a NATO country when they're all but surrounded by NATO and NATO allies. As much as I love America, we're the aggressors, not Russia.
Give this guy commenting in the last 20 minutes a medal for his humour. Best part of the whole vid.
The fact that it is propeller driven makes it a uniquely distinctly beautiful masterpiece of Russian design.
Soviet design.
@@robertbennett9949 as was the an-225, soviet
Story at the end was awesome. You can tell that even tho he was trained to fight the Russians, he still had respect for somebody just like him, just on the other side. Very cool
yes, that interview/story at the end was excellent.
That was absolutely the best part. Utterly fascinating. Sad we are back to adversarial times with the Russians
Loved the last segment, with the Russians bringing two Bears to the UK. It's a shame that the world has regressed.
Yes its a great shame. Now the Bear's are back doing the stuff that they were designed to do.
After the end of the Cold War I am told that the Russians just wanted relations normalised that there might be cooperation and mutual support. In my opinion I t’s a lasting shame that that never came to pass and the Russians were understandably hurt and offended by ongoing standoffishness. Again we seemed to win the war and loose the peace. Now we pay the price for that shortsightedness. 😢
@@robinwells8879 It would be a different world if they didn't have a psychopath with a massive small-man complex as their leader.
I could listen to this guy's soviet encounter stories all day
What an absolutely wonderful interview.
Thank you for this.
One of them landed at my local airport for an air show about ten years ago. It's exactly eight miles away and the sound of it was loud enough to wake me up.
I was in Moscow for the previous inauguration of President Putin and I watched the fly past from the gardens behind the Kremlin. Helicopters first and then fighters, then I think Russian 'stealth' planes. But I think we were all surprised when these enormous four-engined Tu-95 bombers flew over. The sound that these planes made was extraordinary. Not a jet's roar or the thump of a helicopter engine, but something deeply sonorous and different. I remember looking up at them and thinking "look, here comes the enemy."
Świetny odcinek. Niezwykle ciekawe zdjęcia archiwalne. Sympatyczny wywiad kończący odcinek. Dzięki za napisy pl. Pozdrawiam.
there are no sub titles
Incredible behind the scenes history that almost no one knows about! Amazing planes and aviation history. In the end everyone on both sides has great pride and respect for flying.
You guys can never come even close to the original narration of Peter ustinov..
Before seeing actual combat in Syria in 2015 and Ukraine in 2022, the Tupolev Tu-95 Bear was commonly getting intercepted by NATO interceptors and also dropped the Tsar Bomba the world's most powerful nuclear bomb on October 30, 1961.
Rad by som poznal bombarder USei ktorý nedosiahne stíhačka Ruskej Federácie ?
A ktorý bombarder nedá dole S-550 ?
@@Jozef-g6m English plz.
Excellent documentary, particularly the interview towards the end. Magic.
Great documentary, really enjoyed it - especially the story at the end -.. thanks a lot for uploading!
I'm no slavophile but it is too bad that that brief period, right after the Cold War ended when both sides seemed open to friendship didn't last longer.
What a brilliant video. I especially enjoyed the chap at the end and his whole monologue. Thanks for making this and for sharing.
That "Chap" was the equivalent to a one star General officer. In the Royal Air Force, he's an Air Commodore.
Soviet engineers are very efficient. I bought a Russian snowblower that was equally good at melting snow and even better as a boat anchor ⚓️
Awesome documentary, the story about the 2 Bears flying to England was entertaining that story would make a interesting movie with all the details mentioned in the telling of that story.
Throughly marvelous episode, thank you.
1992-99 was best peaceful years between west and east. Sad to see how world has gone downhill in many levels.
Ak tak jedine roky 1989 - 1991.
Potom začali USei vyzbrojovat Ukrajinu proti Ruskej Federácii.
Dnes to vrcholí, záleží len od senilneho pedofila Bidena či chce 3. S.vojnu.
They were years of coexistence and cooperation but US, realizing itself as the hegemony, began behave like one, demolishing who refuse to bow to its dictates, and Nato kept pushing right towards Russia's border. Russia was too weak to do anything.
@@Time4Peace - Three Baltic nations took advantage to gain back their independence, and other Eastern European nations knew how volatile and corrupt Russian politics are from the past. By choice and as guaranteed protection against Russian rule. These nations joined NATO. That is happening right now in Ukraine, as it tried to join EU and later on NATO. Putin’s attempt to crush freely elected leader and install someone who obeys Putin’s Russia.
After Stalin died and more liberal leader came to power. Few of the Warsaw pact nation tried to gain political freedom, but were quickly crushed by the Soviets. It’s good to remember non of the Soviet Union partner nations didn’t join one party communist rule freely or if they wanted to be part Warsaw pact, but were forcefully invaded by SU. Who then in turn choose puppet dictator run the previously democratic nation. Jailing opposite party leaders and anyone who SU thought was dangerous to communist ideology. After WW2 my old home country lived in fear of getting invaded by SU. Finns had to provide communist party majority seats in government. Even though communists lost every election. Conservative Party won most of the election but they were not allowed to form a government. Every bigger or “sensitive” purchase had to be okayed by Moscow. All the military equipment, with few exceptions, had to bought from Soviets. If Finns bought something, like Saab fighters Soviets had a change to look it over. After 1990 everything changed and Finns were free to run their country as they pleased. First get rid of SU fighters and bought F-18 hornets.
@Time4Peace
Total BS
ruSSia was offered the opportunity to be part of a peaceful and democratic world.
ruSSia joined the G7 (although its economy was not at that level) and there were negotiation for ruSSia to join NATO too.
In 1997/98 ruSSia made joint military exercises with NATO, and a cooperation treaty was signed in 1997.
Then poo-tin arrived to power...
@frankguz55 you seriously believe this 😂😂😂😂😂.
"recruited from Germany at the end of the war" that's one way of putting it!
This has got to be the most stiff upper lip British story telling I have ever heard and thoroughly enjoyed. His explanation of a bunch of Russian airman getting snot faced was so eloquent I was just giggling. Well done sir great story told with panache and gentlemanly demeanor and language.
Isn't he speaking with a North American accent?
@@tubthump😂
@@tubthumpHe' might be referring to the last potion of the documentary the chief RAF commodore telling the story of the British inviting the Soviet bear bombers over to the UK
@tubthump not remotely, he sounds (and looks) like Prince Andrew
@tubthump He said British story telling, not British accent...
Either way who knows.
Wonderful documentary!
Makes me believe in humanity again.
If there were no politicians this world would be such a wonderful place,!
Also being a physician I must add to include “administrators” along with politicians : then the world would be near paradise!!😊
Great video, really liked the story at the end.
In 1985 I was 15 years old and got a chance when touring East Berlin Germany 🇩🇪 😳, to go to an air show that was happening and stand beside a Bear to have my photo taken with the pilot and the rear gunner. It took forever to get the photo because to get any of the aircraft in the shot other than the landing gear my mom had to stand back like 20 yards and people kept walking in front of us. I got to sit in the cockpit of a Mig-21 too. I loved that. I gave the pilot a drawing I had made of a Mig-21. He gave me his address and he became my Russian pin pal for a while. I'm sure it was more of an assignment for him by the KGB to try and glen info from me. My dad was a Ranger heavy weapons instructor and I'll bet they were hoping I would say things like my dad is in Angola right now and I miss him or something like that.
Excellent. Especially the interview. Marvelous.
21:35 The only B-25 bomber I'm aware of is the Mitchell and its first flight was in 1940. So if the TU 16 began flying around the same time then THAT'S the aircraft that needs waaay more coverage than it's gotten so far..
Loved the gentleman at the end especially, thanks!
OK, I don't know how heavy the tank on that Atland is, but even if it was empty, that's got to be 50% of the plane's weight at least, aside from altering the aerodynamic profile. I have never seen that footage before and that is damned impressive both on the part of the plane's engineering, and on the pilot(s)'s prowess.
It is crazy to think how open and peaceful the Russian air force and navy were in the 1990's. Not forgetting the Red Army as well, as their choir and orchestra had a free open air concert at Helsinki Senate Square in collaboration with Leningrad Cowboys, a goofy Finnish rock band. Those were the days, my friend.😪
We never thought that Russians would pillage their neighbors and threaten to nuke the rest of the world.
It is as if the Cold War was actually managed by sane people.
I was too young, in my teens… but from my age now and perspective of the current world, I so much wish that those days would come back…. Even for just a few years, to let everything just cool down. The Russian people are not evil…. The people in power are…. And they have a first class ticket to HELL on one of these Bears!. So sad.
yeah, that were the days...
Meanwhile we were bombing the shit out of everything.
Ah, the lenningrad cowboys, authors of my favorite version of 'puttin' on the ritz'.
The Tupolev Tu-95 and Boeing B-52 Stratofortress are a bunch of big, [so ugly they’re] beautiful b•stards! Their rivalry is greatly underrated to this day!
There really was a window of opportunity in the 1990's. Sadly we missed it.
nonsense
What could've been done to catch the opportunity? Strangle Putin?
There definitely was. We could've learned a lot from them, but I guess pride was more important.
@@volo870 good idea, I tweeted it more than two years ago and got suspended. The opportunity was in the 1990s.
@@yeanah2571 I don't know what we could learn from a bankrupt dictatorship, besides of the not to do.
Just to clarify - Tu-4 engines ASh-73TK were not copies of R-3350, but were of ingenuine design.
The story at the end is fascinating.
I noticed how the gentleman was surprised by Russians easily accepting the invitation, and allowing guests and even TV crew inside the bombers, during flight.
I am Russian, I grew up in Moscow. I emigrated to the States in 1992.
I believe I understand why Russian military command was so relaxed in allowing intimate English access to its strategic bombers.
I think it's an important point, considering current events :
In the early 90s most Russians were indeed convinced the Cold War was over and done.
I was convinced.
Russians did indeed believe the assurances about NATO not moving east. Russians did (later on) even inquire about joining NATO.
Russians were ready and willing to engage in friendship and cooperation.
Obviously the enlightened democracies of the West had other plans. Well, the enlightened democracies of the West should rejoice and celebrate, as their plans are coming to fruition. Russians were ready and open for friendship. But if the West wanted to continue with confrontation, leading to war... enjoy!
I call BS. The de-politicization of the Russian populace just putting another czar in power is pathetic. The US propped up the Russian govt in the early 90’s to prevent nukes wandering off. Russia had every chance to rebuild and not be a mafia run kleptocracy, but nooooo, tooo haaaarrdd. A country with massive resources and bright people, but instead invests not in plumbing, or anything outside of St. Petersburg and Moscow is a pile of trash, and have been launching wars of conquest and division in all their neighbors. There was never a written agreement to NATO to get larger, that’s a myth. Also, countries apply to get into NATO, not strong armed in like Russia does to its neighbors. Poland practically used blackmail to get in because they know Russia Will Russia and without protection, it would mean another Russian invasion. If Ukraine and Georgia had been fast paced into NATO in 2008, hundreds of thousands wouldn’t be dying for a homicidial midget in the Kremlin with a tenuous grasp on history thinking he will be the next Catherine the Great.
The West did not try to confront Russia on anything.
@@Smokey298 The words of the American representative to Gorbachev - We understand the situation of the USSR, and we will not take advantage of its temporary weakness, NATO will not come an inch closer to Russia ...... after which NATO accepted all the countries that were in the USSR bloc ..... and then bombed Yugoslavia, destroyed all Russia's allies Libya, Iraq, Syria, carried out many "color revolutions" around the borders of Russia.
I visited a big public open naval event at Portsmouth, England, about 20 years ago. A big Russian warship was at the event along with a state of the art German warship and other nations warships. We were allowed to go on the Russian warship but could not go inside, but everyone was very friendly, and at the bottom of the gangway Russian officers were othering drinks of Vodka. On the German warship the Captain allowed one or two of us on to the Bridge to see the high tech controls. The ship was virtually controlled by a computer mouse 😊. Deep inside the ship was a strong room which would be used in the event of 'Action Stations'. Most people want to live in peace. But we have to look at the reality. I studied Marx, Engels. Lenin, Stalin, Mao, and so on, 50 years ago. Capitalism is alive and thriving and is now in its Imperialist stage. And that's the problem. We have in the Western World a minority of people who control the majority. The minority are the problem. The minority have no feeling for any thing to do with Socialism / progress, and they try to convey their feelings on to the majority. They appear to have been winning. But now Russia under Vladimir Putin and China under Xi Jinping are saying, enough is enough.
If Russia didn't want all their neighbours to seek NATO membership, then they shouldn't have driven them away.
Try being *_nice_* to your allies, rather than menacing them and they'll be more likely to stand by you.
Russia, and Russia alone is responsible for NATO's "expansion."
"My gast was totally flabbered." What the Brits do with English is marvelous.
Stress was the Cuban missile crisis and having to curl up under my desk as a first-grader.
The Soviets used to run a Tu 95 out of Cuba and try and fly it up the East coast. Routinely they were intercepted by fighters. They modified a Tu 95 turning it into a transport for Nikta Kruschev when he needed to travel abroad. The fact that it was obviously a modified bomber and the fact the leader would have to exit the plane by a rear facing door was deemed to be embarrassing.
Very well documented! 🙏
Joyful to watch!
Congratulations!
I’ve seen some crapy documentaries!😩
This particular one it’s really good!👌
I always loved the Tupolev design. Bomba 💣 крута 💕
Good Video!!! 👏👏👏
Excellent video. I have one net to pick, I think you misspoke at the 21:46 mark where you say the TU 16 bBdger first flew at about the same time as the B 25.
Yes I picked that up as well. I think he meant B-52 not B-25.
What a gem of a video...bravo
Extraordinary presentation. Well-done! ✈️👍
A great story, thanks.
Your Work is Spectacular !
The Best I have Ever seen.
Thanks Sir .
The narrator did a good job, no constant use of "however" as a matter of fact I don't he used it once.
Great stuff excellent. The pilots flying those Tornados made their day for sure! Grettings.
🇨🇦 Ive heard that cf 18 pilots flying interception ,can feel the prop noise!😮 🇨🇦
Watched again, mainly to hear the “Bears On Holiday” story, but the entire video was worth another viewing.
me encantan estos videos, gracias por agregar subtítulos
The story of the pilot tearing up talking about flying to Cuba honestly is one of the best stories I’ve heard it was probably the closest thing to escaping the USSR without defecting
I was stationed at Ft. Wainwright in Fairbanks at the time and remember the buzz that aircraft caused with it's emergency, and the permission to land being granted.
That man's whole monologue was riveting haha
What an excellent film.
great documentary
At the end - the BEST interview! ❤
The noise from its propellers drive their crew into insanity.
I heard that as well
Bull poop!
@@jyy9624and you still have your hearing? Lucky for you!
That figures
Never the less the Russian design brilliant aircraft just like the British and ather countries well the Russian beat the Europeans flying to space can't understand why the people in Europe hate the Russian they are friendly people from my experience
This was mesmerizing to me,
to see how militaries
of the world interact.
The TU-4 (approx 11:35) was actually an American B-29 stolen and copied when the planes had to land in USSR. The B-36 was also copied. The plans for the American space shuttle was public information for a short term and the Soviets got copies during this time and built the shuttle Buran (only 2 were built before they cancelled their space program).
Great story telling
You lucky guy all the food and vodka! Great pick Nick! Awesome time to be alive to witness!
Loved it! One of the B-29's captured by Uncle Joe was one autographed by George C. Marshall during an inspection tour at the Boeing plant in Wichita Kansas. I've often wondered if the Ruskies had the same level of engine trouble as we did with the 29's, especially the early ones used to bomb Japan which the ones obtained by the Soviets were a part of.
They even back eng a personal photo camera left by a crew member hanging by his strap in its leather case. You follow uncle joes orders strictly or ... well we all know.
You either get A: Shot on site or B: You get a vacation to a Gulag somewhere in the cold wilds of Siberia.......never to be seen again.
Yes the Soviets had most of the same problems with the copied engines so much so they later made their own svetsov engines also they had difficulty with getting the sheet metal to the correct thickness as they didn’t have presses to the exact tolerances so they had to vary the thickness of each panel making the plane heavier with less range .Also the fact everything on the B29 was imperial English measurements and not metric made copying even more difficult. It was rumored the Soviets had spies sent to the west to try and acquire imperial rulers and tooling to try and compare to metric measurements.
i heard they replicated the dents@@JuanSaldivia-xz6jj
@@ronalddavis wow. Cant belive it. Its true or your pulling my leg?
Good video. A bit slow at first. The last third was worth waiting for but could perhaps be broken out into a separate piece just focused on the UK visit.
Brilliant story. Shame the politicians on both sides won't cooperate with each other. The people always find a way though.
I lived a few miles from the now closed plattsburgh air force base in plattsburgh ny in the 80s, back then as part of the strategic air command there was a b52 in the air loaded with nukes 24/7 365
For me, the Bear and the Fiddler symbolise Russia in all its hugeness.
We in India has the naval -142 variant and IMO, it was a most premature and retrograde decision to phase them out in 2017 as, after the 142, India lost realtime long range surveillance completely.
There is one aircraft on static display at INS Kurusura, the naval museum in Vizag and I shall be paying my respects to it soon during my east coast ride.
Somebody please post that Swedish Air Force Viggen interception anecdote here😂
Another great vid. At the moment it is busy at nights in the Fairford area. I can literally tell what is in the air but I have no idea what a Bear would sound like.
The plane is based on technologies acquired when copying B-29 into Tu-4, with turboprop engines designed by captured German engineers interned on the Volga river.
Let me remind you that Werner von Braun was born in Georgia, lived most of his life in Mozambique and after the war, immigrated to USA where he happened to instruct American engineers how to build a simple rocket to take them to the Moon 🤣
@@ShamanKish You might be commenting on a wrong video.
@@xandervk2371 I'm sick and tired of reading stuff like: Chinese steal everything, Russians steal everything, they never make anything original, and so on. No, I'm not on wrong video.
Turbo prop engines designed by captured german engineers intervened on the Volga river? Really? I don't think so.
@@davidfoster5906 Interned, not intervened. It is also your God given right now to think.
They said about the bear being noise Z. But, it is called the "BEAR", And I think it's "BEAUTIFUL" It's on my bucket list to get a ride on.
Wonderful documentary ...Thanks
Forgive me but I forgot to comment on the Phil Wilkinson segment. I worked as a lad at dowty rotol in staverton Glos before following my career into music and the media . My father and i were huge fairford fans. I was living in Germany in 94 but my father was there. Do you have any other info regarding this historic event? Its still fascinating. Dave
Amazing airplane indeed! But MAAAN What a story at the end!!!
As he said, i was a huge Triumph!
A triumph of humanity and cooperation showing us we better work together rather than against eachother. I Hope YOU dear reader, have a wonderfoul life, please radiate the light of peace and love.
This shows we can create amazing things, enjoy them together. As the cold war ended, these dark times must come to an end Ghaza, Ukraine all cruelty.
One thing for sure my fellow airplaine nerd, whatever happens i will not harm any of you.. Whether you are ,white, black, asian even outher earth.
Peace and light🤍 the sky connects us all. Love you❤
Interesting/informative/entertaining. Excellent still -:motion photography job. Enabling viewers to better understand what the orator is describing. Enjoying this presentation from the comfort of my computer room. Along the " Space Coast "🚀of Florida 🐊🐊🐊. Wishing viewers a safe/healthy/prosperous ( 2024 )🌈🎉🎉 😉😉.
where is this aviation museum that can be seen at minute 37?
Wow the film and Photos are fantastic
It just looks Russian. What a beast. One of my favorite aircraft.
Thanks again for your information and analysis on USSR MILITARY
If we didn’t establish NATO we probably would have not had this arms race? I don’t know?
intersting interview at the end.!!!!!!!!!
Just after the Soviet Union broke up, I had such high hopes for the future. Especially when a Tu-95 and a Tu-22M turned up at the Royal International Air Tattoo in England. But I should have realised that it wouldn't last long. There's too much money in making weapons
If it should come to pass that I must die in WW3, I’m at least gratified that the TU-95 was part of it all, how cool is that: I lived and died in a conflict in which ONE of the most awesome propeller driven aircraft ever conceived played a part. An apex aircraft of the 20th century still going strong. Color me odd, but the Bear is so much more classy than myriad other aerial platforms. Grateful for the little things, which are the big things.
❤
Has a radar signature of the sun.
21:46 The B25 first flew in 1940. The Soviet Airforce didn't have multi engined jet bombers with a 7,300 mile range in 1940
I think the numbers “2” and “5” were mistakenly transposed in the narrator’s printed script. ( 21:42) A simple typographic error.
awesome!
EXCELLENT REPORTING PRESENTATION
"My ghast was totally flabbered." 😂 I'm definitely going to borrow that quote whenever I can find something close to justification for doing so. 😂
The tu 95 is a sexy looking lil plane
thanks sir for bringing our nations closer together ttfn&ty
Telling a story you’ve told a hundred times, now in front of a camera, not easy. This guy did very well. The absurd pathos of the Cold War was communicated. The Russians did well to assure that the British hospitality was reciprocated in full before departure.
Please tell me twin engine propeller called name?
26:55 extremely long range fuel tank attachment
We fly to moon now comrade you see, Да? lol
@@AGTheOSHAViolationsCounter Muhahaha haaaaa, da comrade ,haaa haa!
The Soviet "BEAR" was a very scary bomber of the late 1980s...
It's a scaled up B29 with new engines. It was already obsolete when they finally started production. They couldn't steal a B-52 to copy. It was already obsolete when they managed to produce them.
@@abergethirty Let me list foreign (stolen) words in English that you used in the above sentence:
scale
engine
obsolete x 2
finally
start
produce x 2
copy
manage
😂
@@abergethirty u have no clue
@@abergethirty No need to copy the B52 when the TU95 is pretty much the same thing in real world terms and better in other ways such as range.
@@abergethirty
Sidebar : does anyone else see footage/photo of a Bear and think :
ILL Communication ?
?
Great album..great cover!
@@treestandsafety3996 phew.....thought I had Mandela'd an entire band haha 😎 cheers 🍻
I would love to know what the cost of the three Planes and 76 Crew cost and who eventually paid for it. Great to see such cameradery
Quite the story at about the hour mark. Great story.
Happy 4th all my American Patriots. 247 years now. 🇺🇸
Does this bourgeois celebration concern also Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, Latino Americans or any other second class Americans or simply European Americans?
@@ngandosambalundula8183What race was king George?
@@johnnash5118Am afraid you're comprehensively off topic with your unrelated question! Rather answer my question squarely whether or not second class Americans ought to join in that bourgeois celebration. Period.
Celebrating the independence you wanted cause rich colonials dont want to pay taxes to help cover for the war expenses to keep its colonies and also that you were forbidden to expand more into indian lands.
Then you got that independence cause Britain's enemies heavily supported you and went to steal and kill natives, also idk if slavery really bad cause it makes money.
Wtf are you celebrating?
American founding myth and its propaganda sound so bloodthirsty and insane.
You weren't even relevant before european powers decided to nerf themselves, you mf's started your industry by stealing technology from britain...
Nothing to be proud of.
The man at the end was the icing on the cake
Amazing Story!!
The problem. Is that from the soviet viewpoint. The issue is really the Western Menace.
My only complaint is when they let child or passenger pilot plane, or keep foot on brakes trying to take off.