From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Tupolev Tu-143

Aircraft in the Soviet Army

Field	Value
name	Tu-143
image	Tu-143 Reis.jpg
caption	Tu-143 "Reys"
type	unmanned reconnaissance aircraft
manufacturer	Tupolev
first_flight	1970
(Tu-243 1987)
introduction	1976 (Army i.e. Ground Forces, SSV)
1982 (Air Force, VVS)
(Tu-243 1999)
status	Active
primary_user	Soviet Union
Russia
Ukraine
produced	1973–1989 (Tu-243 1994-)
number_built	950
developed_from	Tupolev Tu-141

(Tu-243 1987) 1982 (Air Force, VVS) (Tu-243 1999) Russia Ukraine

The Tupolev Tu-143 Reys (Cruise, ; also Reis, Rejs) was a Soviet unmanned reconnaissance aircraft in service with the Soviet Army and a number of its Warsaw Pact and Middle East allies during the late 1970s and 1980s. It contained a reconnaissance pod that was recovered after flight, and from which imagery was retrieved.

History

Development

The Tu-143 was introduced in 1976 and strongly resembled the Tu-141, but was substantially scaled-down. It was a short-range (60–70 kilometer) tactical reconnaissance system and had low-level flight capability. The Tu-143 was truck-launched with JATO boosting, recovered by parachute, and powered by a TR3-117 turbojet with 5.8 kN (590 kgf, 1300 lbf) thrust. The initial version carried film cameras, but later versions carried a TV or radiation detection payload, with data relayed to a ground station over a datalink. Some 950 units were produced in the 1970s and 1980s.

Operation history

The Tu-143 was used by Syria in reconnaissance missions over Israel and Lebanon during the 1982 Lebanon War, as well as by Soviet forces in Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War.

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine appeared to use them to spot Russian air defences and as an ersatz cruise missile.{{cite web | url=https://eurasiantimes.com/ukraine-celebrates-as-russia-shoots-down-its-tupolev-tu-143-drone/?amp | title=Cheering Its Own Misery – Why Did Ukraine 'Celebrate' Downing Of Its Own Tupolev Tu-143 Drone By Russia?

During the 2020s Israel–Hezbollah conflict Israel claimed that they destroyed a Hezbollah "DR-3 cruise missile" which they illustrated with images of the Tupolev Tu-143.

M-143 variant

A target drone version, the M-143, was introduced in the mid-1980s.

Tu-243 variant

The Tu-143 was followed into service in the late 1990s by the similar but improved "Tu-243 Reys-D", with a 25 cm (10 inch) fuselage stretch, to provide greater fuel capacity and about twice the range; it had an uprated TR3-117 engine with 6.28 kN (640 kgf, 1,410 lbf) thrust; and improved low-altitude guidance.

Tu-300 variant

Since 1995, Tupolev began promoting the further refined "Tu-300 Korshun", which resembles its predecessors but is fitted with a nose antenna dome and nose fairings for modern sensors and electronic systems. It also features a centerline pylon for a sensor pod or munitions. Financial issues forced a halt to development at the end of the 1990s, but work was resumed in 2007.

Operators

Current operators

: In service as of 2016 as targets.
: Received VR-3s in 1984.
Hezbollah (Named DR-3)

Former operators

: retired
: VR-3 Rejs, retired in 1995
: Received two squadrons in 1984
Republic of Iraq
: VR-3 in service from 1987 until the early 2000s
: VR-3 Rejs, retired
: Passed to successor states

Specifications

Tupolev TU-143 Reys:

wingspan 2.24 m (7 ft 4 in)
length 8.06 m (26 ft 5 in)
height 1.54 m (5 ft 1 in)
launch weight 1,230 kg (2,710 lb)
maximum speed 950 km/h (515 kn, 590 mph)
engine Klimov turbojet TR3-117
service ceiling 5,000 m (16,400 ft)
range 200 km (110 nmi, 125 mi)

References

This article contains material that originally came from the web article by Greg Goebel, which exists in the Public Domain.

Bibliography

References

The ''Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Political, Social, and Military History: A Political, Social, and Military History'', ABC-CLIO, 12 May 2008, by Spencer C. Tucker, Priscilla Mary Roberts, page 1055
(July 1, 2022). "Cruise Missile or Suicide Drone – Russia Shoots Down Invading Tu-143 Inside Its Airspace With Buk Missile".
(23 September 2024). "Hezbollah Converted Soviet Tu-143 Jet Recon Drone Into Cruise Missile Says IDF, Just Like Ukraine". The War Zone.
"ВР-3 "Рейс", комплекс воздушной разведки с беспилотным летательным аппаратом Ту-143 — ОРУЖИЕ РОССИИ, Федеральный электронный справочник вооружения и военной техники".
"Воздушные мишени – вторая жизнь зенитных ракет — ОРУЖИЕ РОССИИ, Информационное агентство". Arms-expo.ru.
The Military Balance 2016, p. 190
(16 March 2024). "Ukraine’s Seven-Ton Strike Drones Are Back In Action". Forbes.
Rogoway, Howard Altman, Tyler. (2024-09-23). "Hezbollah Converted Soviet Tu-143 Jet Recon Drone Into Cruise Missile Says IDF, Just Like Ukraine".
"VR-3 (TU-143)". Aripi Argintii.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

tupolev-aircraft unmanned-aerial-vehicles-of-the-soviet-union

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Tupolev Tu-143 — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report