Italian Eurofighter jets intercept specialized Tupolev Tu-134A-4 transport aircraft over the Baltic
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Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons intercepted a rare Tupolev Tu-134UB-L training aircraft for strategic bomber crews, which was subsequently refitted as a Tu-134A-4 for the transport of senior officers, during a NATO Baltic Air Policing scramble.
On November 21, 2025, NATO Air Command described how Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons deployed at Ämari Air Base in Estonia carried out multiple scrambles over the Baltic Sea under Operation Eastern Sentry to identify and escort Russian military aircraft flying near Allied airspace. Among the aircraft encountered during this period was a rare Tupolev Tu-134A-4 operated by Russian Naval Aviation, carrying the registration RF-12041 and bort number 53, which flew together with two Su-30SM2 fighters and a Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft. This rare aircraft was originally a Soviet airliner, was later converted into a training aircraft for strategic bomber crews, and was subsequently refitted for the transport of senior officers.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The RF-12041 is a rare Soviet Tu-134 airliner modified into a Tu-134UB-L trainer for Tu-22M3 and Tu-160 strategic bomber crews, and later converted again into a Tu-134A-4 transport aircraft used to carry senior officers of the Russian Navy. (Picture source: NATO Air Command)
The Tu-134A-4 (RF-12041) is a derivative of the Tu-134UB-L training aircraft and is visually recognizable by its combination of a Tu-22-style pointed nose and a largely black paint scheme that covers most of the fuselage and tail. Along the lower fuselage, it carries narrow longitudinal stripes in the colors of the Russian flag, which further differentiate it from standard grey military transports and from white or metallic civil liveries. Close-up photographs show the designation Tu-134A-4 applied to the forward fuselage, indicating that the aircraft has been converted from its original training configuration to a role that includes the transport of personnel and senior officers of the Russian Naval Aviation. Considered one of that branch’s more identifiable aircraft due to its appearance and its origin, earlier imagery shows that RF-12041 previously flew in a blue, white, and light grey color scheme before receiving its current black finish due to the change of role and designation.
A separate airframe, RF-12037 with bort number 54, has been filmed in 2024 landing and taxiing at an unidentified airfield, and is associated with the same Tu-134UB-L and Tu-134A-4 lineage. Together, these two aircraft show that more than one example of this configuration is active for transport and staff duties while retaining their distinctive structural features. Given the location of recent interceptions, it is plausible that RF-12041 often flies to or from the Kaliningrad exclave, where the Baltic Fleet is based and where senior naval commanders may require dedicated transport. At the same time, the aircraft’s origin as a bomber trainer means it can still support navigation and training tasks that help maintain crew proficiency for long-range aviation. In February 2020, four Belgian F-16AM fighter jets deployed to Siauliai in Lithuania as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing identified and escorted the same aircraft, which was then described with its Tu-134UB-L training designation.
During that sortie, the Belgian fighters also encountered an Il-76 transport aircraft, and the Belgian Air Force released an infrared image of RF-12041 obtained from a Sniper advanced targeting pod, along with a conventional photograph of the aircraft taking off in 2019. That takeoff image is linked to a video recorded at the Minsk Civil Aviation Plant No. 407 in Belarus, where RF-12041 underwent maintenance and test flights. The video description explains that the aircraft was originally designed for training cadets on Tu-22M3 and Tu-160 strategic bombers and was later used as a passenger aircraft for personnel transport, indicating that the transition from a pure trainer role had already begun by that time. Russian info from April 2025 also refers to RF-12041 being visually identified by a United States F-16 in another air-to-air encounter, again in a context where the Western fighter performed a visual identification and escort task. Therefore, the RF-12041 appears intermittently in areas where NATO and partner air forces operate air policing or air presence missions that require visual confirmation of Russian aircraft flying with transponders off or without filed flight plans.
The Tu-134UB-L configuration, from which RF-12041 originates, was developed in the early 1980s as a training aircraft for crews of long-range strategic bombers such as the Tu-22M3 and Tu-160. It is based on the Tu-134B airframe but replaces the original airliner nose with a pointed nose section similar to that of the Tu-22M, housing a bomber-type radar and associated navigation and targeting equipment. The designation Tu-134UB-L is associated with pilot and navigation training tasks, with the cabin reportedly fitted with around twelve seats for cadets who rotate through the right-hand pilot and navigator positions during training flights. The cockpit incorporates a military communication suite and a bombing and navigation system comparable to that of the operational bombers, allowing procedures and missions to be practiced without deploying Tu-22M3s or Tu-160s.
Some aircraft in this family have been used for navigation and combat training activities that include bombing practice from racks installed on the wings, as well as for maintaining proficiency among line pilots to reduce the flying hours required on bomber aircraft. Russian Naval Aviation uses such aircraft to train and support crews assigned to maritime strike and reconnaissance missions, particularly where those missions are flown by long-range or medium-range bombers and strike aircraft comparable in size and performance to the Tu-134UB-L. Over time, RF-12041 appears to have been converted from this pure training role to a mixed or primarily transport role, with a new Tu-134A-4 designation, and its use as a staff and personnel transport while retaining its training-derived nose and airframe configuration.
The Tu-134A-4 retains the main structural characteristics of the Tupolev Tu-134 airliner while incorporating the distinctive Tu-22-style nose of the UB-L and an electrical system adapted for its mission. The Tu-134A is a narrow-body airliner with engines mounted on the rear fuselage and a T-tail, a layout that provides a clean wing for aerodynamic efficiency and reduces cabin noise relative to wing-mounted engines. The aircraft is powered by two Soloviev D-30-II low-bypass turbofan engines, each producing about 66.68 kilonewtons of thrust, and later production aircraft equipped with these engines feature thrust reversers, eliminating the need for a braking parachute that was used on early Tu-134s. The Tu-134A-4 designation is associated with the addition of a fourth electrical power system, which allows the aircraft to supply power to more demanding mission or communication equipment than standard passenger configurations, which is consistent with a role that involves carrying senior personnel and supporting specialized onboard systems such as secure communications or mission planning equipment. Although detailed interior layouts for RF-12041 are not publicly described, its role as a transport for senior officers could indicate a cabin arrangement adapted for staff seating rather than a full passenger density.
The Tu-134 itself was developed in the early 1960s as a short and medium-haul passenger airliner, derived from the Tu-124 and influenced by contemporary trends that favored rear fuselage engine mounting. The prototype, initially designated Tu-124A, performed its first flight on July 29, 1963, and production started in 1966 at the Kharkiv State Aircraft Manufacturing Company. The airliner was introduced into service on September 9, 1967, and entered both international and domestic routes of Aeroflot and other operators in the Soviet sphere. In 1968, export customers such as Interflug of East Germany, LOT Polish Airlines, and Malév Hungarian Airlines acquired Tu-134 aircraft, and in 1969, the Tu-134 was exhibited at the Paris Air Show. Over the production period from 1966 to 1989, a total of about 854 Tu-134 aircraft were built, including prototypes and testbeds. The Tu-134 became one of the most widely used aircraft in the former Comecon countries, and individual airframes often performed numerous daily flights on busy routes. After 2002, stricter international noise regulations limited Tu-134 operations into Western European airports, and following accidents in the 2000s, Russian authorities began to phase the Tu-134 out of major passenger service. The final Russian passenger flight by a Tu-134 occurred on May 22, 2019, after which most surviving airliners left mainstream commercial service, moving as government, military, or business aircraft, or preserved as static displays at airports and museums.
The Tu-134A variant typically carries a crew of three to five flight personnel plus three to four cabin crew, and in airline configuration, it can seat between 72 and 84 passengers or carry a payload of about 8,200 kilograms. Its length is approximately 37.1 meters, with a wingspan of 29.01 meters and a fuselage diameter of around 2.9 meters, while the overall height is about 9.02 meters and the wing area is roughly 127.3 square meters. Empty weight is listed at around 27,960 kilograms, with a normal gross weight of 47,000 kilograms and a maximum take-off weight of 47,600 kilograms, and fuel capacity is about 13,200 liters. Performance figures for this variant include a maximum speed of about 950 kilometers per hour, a cruise speed near 850 kilometers per hour, a range between 1,900 and 3,000 kilometers depending on payload and fuel, and a ferry range of about 3,200 kilometers, with a service ceiling of around 12,100 meters. These values frame the performance envelope available to derivatives such as the Tu-134UB-L and the Tu-134A-4, which are based on this airframe. Moreover, the Tu-134’s ability to operate from relatively modest airfields and its structural robustness have contributed to its long service life in both civil and military roles, even as total fleet numbers continue to decline.
Within the wider Tu-134 family, a broad range of variants has been developed over time, and the Tu-134A-4 Black Pearl sits within the subset derived from passenger and training models. The initial Tu-134 with a glass nose accommodated up to 64 passengers, later increased to 72, while the Tu-134A introduced upgraded engines and avionics and increased seating up to 84 passengers, with some examples later modified to the B standard with a nose radome. Further evolutions included the Tu-134A-2, A-3, and A-5, as well as specialized versions such as the Tu-134AK used by the Russian Air Force and space agency, while proposed cargo and modernized variants included the Tu-134S and Tu-134M. The Tu-134UB-L was created as a training platform for Tu-160 and Tu-22 crews, featuring the bomber-style nose and the internal arrangements needed for pilot and navigator training, while the Tu-134UB-K represented a naval version, and the Tu-134BSh and Sh-series supported bomber and navigator training with additional equipment such as bomb racks.
As of the mid-2020s, only a limited number of Tu-134s remain in active service, with operators including Russian military aviation, the Ukrainian Air Force and Air Guard, the Syrian Air Force, and North Korea’s Air Koryo on the civil side. Published figures on the training family mention both a total of 90 aircraft and a separate total of 109 Tu-134UB-L, with the first example flying in March 1981, reflecting differences in how sub-variants are counted. In this context, the Tu-134A-4 RF-12041 and its sister aircraft, RF-12037, represent a small and specialized fraction of the overall Tu-134 production run, maintained in service by Russian Naval Aviation for a combination of transport, training support, and staff-related tasks.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
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Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons intercepted a rare Tupolev Tu-134UB-L training aircraft for strategic bomber crews, which was subsequently refitted as a Tu-134A-4 for the transport of senior officers, during a NATO Baltic Air Policing scramble.
On November 21, 2025, NATO Air Command described how Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons deployed at Ämari Air Base in Estonia carried out multiple scrambles over the Baltic Sea under Operation Eastern Sentry to identify and escort Russian military aircraft flying near Allied airspace. Among the aircraft encountered during this period was a rare Tupolev Tu-134A-4 operated by Russian Naval Aviation, carrying the registration RF-12041 and bort number 53, which flew together with two Su-30SM2 fighters and a Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft. This rare aircraft was originally a Soviet airliner, was later converted into a training aircraft for strategic bomber crews, and was subsequently refitted for the transport of senior officers.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The RF-12041 is a rare Soviet Tu-134 airliner modified into a Tu-134UB-L trainer for Tu-22M3 and Tu-160 strategic bomber crews, and later converted again into a Tu-134A-4 transport aircraft used to carry senior officers of the Russian Navy. (Picture source: NATO Air Command)
The Tu-134A-4 (RF-12041) is a derivative of the Tu-134UB-L training aircraft and is visually recognizable by its combination of a Tu-22-style pointed nose and a largely black paint scheme that covers most of the fuselage and tail. Along the lower fuselage, it carries narrow longitudinal stripes in the colors of the Russian flag, which further differentiate it from standard grey military transports and from white or metallic civil liveries. Close-up photographs show the designation Tu-134A-4 applied to the forward fuselage, indicating that the aircraft has been converted from its original training configuration to a role that includes the transport of personnel and senior officers of the Russian Naval Aviation. Considered one of that branch’s more identifiable aircraft due to its appearance and its origin, earlier imagery shows that RF-12041 previously flew in a blue, white, and light grey color scheme before receiving its current black finish due to the change of role and designation.
A separate airframe, RF-12037 with bort number 54, has been filmed in 2024 landing and taxiing at an unidentified airfield, and is associated with the same Tu-134UB-L and Tu-134A-4 lineage. Together, these two aircraft show that more than one example of this configuration is active for transport and staff duties while retaining their distinctive structural features. Given the location of recent interceptions, it is plausible that RF-12041 often flies to or from the Kaliningrad exclave, where the Baltic Fleet is based and where senior naval commanders may require dedicated transport. At the same time, the aircraft’s origin as a bomber trainer means it can still support navigation and training tasks that help maintain crew proficiency for long-range aviation. In February 2020, four Belgian F-16AM fighter jets deployed to Siauliai in Lithuania as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing identified and escorted the same aircraft, which was then described with its Tu-134UB-L training designation.
During that sortie, the Belgian fighters also encountered an Il-76 transport aircraft, and the Belgian Air Force released an infrared image of RF-12041 obtained from a Sniper advanced targeting pod, along with a conventional photograph of the aircraft taking off in 2019. That takeoff image is linked to a video recorded at the Minsk Civil Aviation Plant No. 407 in Belarus, where RF-12041 underwent maintenance and test flights. The video description explains that the aircraft was originally designed for training cadets on Tu-22M3 and Tu-160 strategic bombers and was later used as a passenger aircraft for personnel transport, indicating that the transition from a pure trainer role had already begun by that time. Russian info from April 2025 also refers to RF-12041 being visually identified by a United States F-16 in another air-to-air encounter, again in a context where the Western fighter performed a visual identification and escort task. Therefore, the RF-12041 appears intermittently in areas where NATO and partner air forces operate air policing or air presence missions that require visual confirmation of Russian aircraft flying with transponders off or without filed flight plans.
The Tu-134UB-L configuration, from which RF-12041 originates, was developed in the early 1980s as a training aircraft for crews of long-range strategic bombers such as the Tu-22M3 and Tu-160. It is based on the Tu-134B airframe but replaces the original airliner nose with a pointed nose section similar to that of the Tu-22M, housing a bomber-type radar and associated navigation and targeting equipment. The designation Tu-134UB-L is associated with pilot and navigation training tasks, with the cabin reportedly fitted with around twelve seats for cadets who rotate through the right-hand pilot and navigator positions during training flights. The cockpit incorporates a military communication suite and a bombing and navigation system comparable to that of the operational bombers, allowing procedures and missions to be practiced without deploying Tu-22M3s or Tu-160s.
Some aircraft in this family have been used for navigation and combat training activities that include bombing practice from racks installed on the wings, as well as for maintaining proficiency among line pilots to reduce the flying hours required on bomber aircraft. Russian Naval Aviation uses such aircraft to train and support crews assigned to maritime strike and reconnaissance missions, particularly where those missions are flown by long-range or medium-range bombers and strike aircraft comparable in size and performance to the Tu-134UB-L. Over time, RF-12041 appears to have been converted from this pure training role to a mixed or primarily transport role, with a new Tu-134A-4 designation, and its use as a staff and personnel transport while retaining its training-derived nose and airframe configuration.
The Tu-134A-4 retains the main structural characteristics of the Tupolev Tu-134 airliner while incorporating the distinctive Tu-22-style nose of the UB-L and an electrical system adapted for its mission. The Tu-134A is a narrow-body airliner with engines mounted on the rear fuselage and a T-tail, a layout that provides a clean wing for aerodynamic efficiency and reduces cabin noise relative to wing-mounted engines. The aircraft is powered by two Soloviev D-30-II low-bypass turbofan engines, each producing about 66.68 kilonewtons of thrust, and later production aircraft equipped with these engines feature thrust reversers, eliminating the need for a braking parachute that was used on early Tu-134s. The Tu-134A-4 designation is associated with the addition of a fourth electrical power system, which allows the aircraft to supply power to more demanding mission or communication equipment than standard passenger configurations, which is consistent with a role that involves carrying senior personnel and supporting specialized onboard systems such as secure communications or mission planning equipment. Although detailed interior layouts for RF-12041 are not publicly described, its role as a transport for senior officers could indicate a cabin arrangement adapted for staff seating rather than a full passenger density.
The Tu-134 itself was developed in the early 1960s as a short and medium-haul passenger airliner, derived from the Tu-124 and influenced by contemporary trends that favored rear fuselage engine mounting. The prototype, initially designated Tu-124A, performed its first flight on July 29, 1963, and production started in 1966 at the Kharkiv State Aircraft Manufacturing Company. The airliner was introduced into service on September 9, 1967, and entered both international and domestic routes of Aeroflot and other operators in the Soviet sphere. In 1968, export customers such as Interflug of East Germany, LOT Polish Airlines, and Malév Hungarian Airlines acquired Tu-134 aircraft, and in 1969, the Tu-134 was exhibited at the Paris Air Show. Over the production period from 1966 to 1989, a total of about 854 Tu-134 aircraft were built, including prototypes and testbeds. The Tu-134 became one of the most widely used aircraft in the former Comecon countries, and individual airframes often performed numerous daily flights on busy routes. After 2002, stricter international noise regulations limited Tu-134 operations into Western European airports, and following accidents in the 2000s, Russian authorities began to phase the Tu-134 out of major passenger service. The final Russian passenger flight by a Tu-134 occurred on May 22, 2019, after which most surviving airliners left mainstream commercial service, moving as government, military, or business aircraft, or preserved as static displays at airports and museums.
The Tu-134A variant typically carries a crew of three to five flight personnel plus three to four cabin crew, and in airline configuration, it can seat between 72 and 84 passengers or carry a payload of about 8,200 kilograms. Its length is approximately 37.1 meters, with a wingspan of 29.01 meters and a fuselage diameter of around 2.9 meters, while the overall height is about 9.02 meters and the wing area is roughly 127.3 square meters. Empty weight is listed at around 27,960 kilograms, with a normal gross weight of 47,000 kilograms and a maximum take-off weight of 47,600 kilograms, and fuel capacity is about 13,200 liters. Performance figures for this variant include a maximum speed of about 950 kilometers per hour, a cruise speed near 850 kilometers per hour, a range between 1,900 and 3,000 kilometers depending on payload and fuel, and a ferry range of about 3,200 kilometers, with a service ceiling of around 12,100 meters. These values frame the performance envelope available to derivatives such as the Tu-134UB-L and the Tu-134A-4, which are based on this airframe. Moreover, the Tu-134’s ability to operate from relatively modest airfields and its structural robustness have contributed to its long service life in both civil and military roles, even as total fleet numbers continue to decline.
Within the wider Tu-134 family, a broad range of variants has been developed over time, and the Tu-134A-4 Black Pearl sits within the subset derived from passenger and training models. The initial Tu-134 with a glass nose accommodated up to 64 passengers, later increased to 72, while the Tu-134A introduced upgraded engines and avionics and increased seating up to 84 passengers, with some examples later modified to the B standard with a nose radome. Further evolutions included the Tu-134A-2, A-3, and A-5, as well as specialized versions such as the Tu-134AK used by the Russian Air Force and space agency, while proposed cargo and modernized variants included the Tu-134S and Tu-134M. The Tu-134UB-L was created as a training platform for Tu-160 and Tu-22 crews, featuring the bomber-style nose and the internal arrangements needed for pilot and navigator training, while the Tu-134UB-K represented a naval version, and the Tu-134BSh and Sh-series supported bomber and navigator training with additional equipment such as bomb racks.
As of the mid-2020s, only a limited number of Tu-134s remain in active service, with operators including Russian military aviation, the Ukrainian Air Force and Air Guard, the Syrian Air Force, and North Korea’s Air Koryo on the civil side. Published figures on the training family mention both a total of 90 aircraft and a separate total of 109 Tu-134UB-L, with the first example flying in March 1981, reflecting differences in how sub-variants are counted. In this context, the Tu-134A-4 RF-12041 and its sister aircraft, RF-12037, represent a small and specialized fraction of the overall Tu-134 production run, maintained in service by Russian Naval Aviation for a combination of transport, training support, and staff-related tasks.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
