Aviation Tag: Tu-16K-26P (Badger-G) 74 Yellow
The Tupolev Tu-16, known in NATO classification as the Badger, became one of the most successful jet bombers of the Cold War era. The aircraft made its first flight in 1952 and was put into service just two years later. It was the Tu-16 that carried the first Soviet thermonuclear bomb, the RDS-37, tested in 1955 at the Semipalatinsk test site. In total, more than 1,500 aircraft of various modifications were built, which remained in service for decades not only in the USSR but also in Egypt, Iraq, Indonesia, and China, where its licensed version, the H-6, continues to serve today.
This tag was made from a parachute box of a Tu-16K-26P aircraft, a specialized variant designed for electronic warfare and the deployment of KSR-5P anti-ship missiles. The aircraft, with factory number 36-05 and tail number 74 Yellow, was built in 1957 and entered service with the 132nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment, based at Raadi Airfield in Estonia. In the late 1980s, it was transferred to the 251st Guards Training Regiment in Bila Tserkva, where it continued its service on Ukrainian territory.
After Ukraine gained independence, the aircraft remained in service with the Ukrainian Air Force. In 1992, it took part in an international aviation event at the Russian airbase in Dyagilevo, where it performed a demonstration flyby alongside American B-52s and KC-10s. It was during this period that aircraft technician Volodymyr Zinchenko personally painted the Ukrainian flag on the aircraft’s nose—a symbolic gesture that became one of the first expressions of Ukrainian identity among aviators of the former Soviet long-range aviation.
This Tu-16 made its final flight in 1992. After being decommissioned, the aircraft was disarmed and later dismantled. In 2025, the Fuselage Creations team, with the support of Ukrainian aviation enthusiasts, acquired a section of this historic aircraft and transformed it into a limited-edition series of collectible tags. Each keychain is not just a piece of aircraft metal, but a unique artifact that combines the history of the Cold War, the development of strategic aviation, and an important chapter in Ukraine’s history regarding the legendary Tu-16.
You can order the Tu-16 keychain on our website or purchase it at our store located at 50b Khreshchatyk Street, Kyiv. We provide fast shipping to any corner of the world and guarantee quality.
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