The Tupolev Tu-98A 'Backfin' (inc. Iraq)

[Spinners]

Tupolev Tu-98A 'Backfin' - Soviet Air Force, 1979

Edited August 31, 2019 by Spinners

[Spinners]

Tupolev Tu-98A 'Backfin' - 109th Squadron, Iraqi Air Force, 1973

The so-called 'Treaty of Friendship' with the USSR brought large numbers of relatively modern combat aircraft into the Iraqi Air Force and in 1972 the 109th Squadron began to re-equip with the Tupolev Tu-98A 'Backfin' supersonic bomber. Even before the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Iraqi Air Force had sent 12 Hawker Hunters to Egypt and in late September 1973 these were followed by the deployment of the 109th Squadron to Syria. On October 6th, 1973 a massive Egyptian crossing of the Suez Canal saw the Egyptian Army quickly advance into the Sinai Peninsula. Meanwhile, at the same time, Syria launched a surprise attack on the Golan Heights and initially made significant gains into Israeli-held territory with the Iraqi Air Force intervening on the Syrian front with an armored division and over 100 aircraft including the Tu-98A's of the 109th Squadron flying low-level interdiction missions on October 6th and on the following day.
 
However, the Iraqi Tu-98A's deployed to Syria suffered heavy losses on the first two days primarily due to Israeli fighter aircraft and SAM's but at least three Tu-98A's were also hit by friendly fire from Syrian SAM's. A planned strike mission on October 8th was cancelled due to these heavy losses and eventually all Iraqi Tu-98A's were withdrawn from their bases in Syria. Despite these losses, after the war the Iraqi Air Force ordered 23 more Tupolev Tu-98B's and the enlarged Iraqi Tu-98A force played a major role in the Iran-iraq war by striking airbases, military infrastructure, industrial infrastructure, powerplants and oil facilities as well as the systematic bombing of Iranian cities in the infamous 'War of the Cities'. However, during this long war of attrition the Iraqi Tu-98A force slowly dwindled away and by 1987 the type was withdrawn from service.

Edited August 31, 2019 by Spinners
Backstory added.

[kblomkvist]

Both skins are really cool! Could you release them?

[Viggen]

Good looking skins and I like the backstory for the Iraqi aircraft!

I'm sure after they were withdrawn, Iraq held on to them as airfield decoys, and most were destroyed by allied bombing during the Persian Gulf War.

[Spinners]

14 hours ago, kblomkvist said:

Both skins are really cool! Could you release them?

Thank you! They are essentially 'quickie' skins without proper panel lines but I can release them AS IS - both use stock decals.

Edit: Now attached here.

Backfin_Skins.7z

Edited September 1, 2019 by Spinners
Skins attached