TU-143 Reys (1970)

Russian Unmanned Reconnaissance Missile

Scale: 1/72
Initial Release: 2020
Medium: Styrene
Kit Rarity: 2

About the Design

The TU-142 "Reyes" was an unmanned, rocket boosted, jet-powered reconnaissance aircraft used by the Soviet Army and numerous Warsaw Pact countries during the 1970s and 1980s. First flown in 1970, the TU-143 was launched off the back of a truck and then flown remotely over its target. A high-resolution camera was encased in its nose and would be ejected upon mission completion. (Later versions carried TV cameras or radiation detectors.) The camera pod would then return to earth by parachute. Powered by a TR3-117 turbojet engine, the vehicle had a limited range of only 60 to 70 kilometers. 

The vehicle was retired in the mid-1980s.

About the Kit

This limited-run injection-molded kit was produced in 2020 by Clear Prop models of Ukraine. It could be build in one of several variations (including this launch configuration), and had decals for numerous countries.

The TU-143 wasn't a particularly large vehicle and, as a result, the 1:72 model is only four inches long!

This model was built from an original issue.