In the 1950s, it became evident that the Soviet Union required a supersonic bomber to overcome the new generation of Western interceptors and missile systems that would make the earlier Tu-16 obsolete. The result was the Tupolev Tu-22 'Blinder' which was introduced in the 1960s and was still in service in some countries in the early 21st century. It was the first Soviet combat aircraft to make use of the 'area rule' to improve transonic performance and the result was an attractive design with a gradually narrowing fuselage cross section. The Tu-22 was also instantly recognizable by its unconventional engine installation which is mounted on each side of the rear fuselage besides the tail fin thus giving the fuselage more room for fuel and allowing for an undisturbed airflow with smaller inlets. As with the Tu-16, rear landing gear was housed in two wing pods. Tu-22's were designed for both nuclear and conventional bombing, with the latter function being mainly for anti-shipping strike and some were also used for the maritime reconnaissance role. Although a fairly capable bomber, the Tu-22 suffered due to inadequate range which made it impossible to reach the continental United States. It also was difficult to handle and not very well liked by its pilots. Nevertheless they were still in service in large numbers with the USSR at the end of the Cold War and were exported to various Soviet allies including Libya and Iraq. Tu-22s saw combat in Afghanistan, the Iran-Iraq War as well as Libya's conflicts in Sudan and Chad. It was replaced by the Tu-22M 'Backfire' which despite retaining the same designation (for political reasons) was an entirely different aircraft.

The Tu-22 had its maiden flight on 7 September 1959 as the Tu-105 prototype, it was first seen by the West in the Soviet Aviation Day fly-by of 1961. The initial bomber variant is known as the Tu-22B 'Blinder-A' with only free-fall bombing capability (both conventional and nuclear) but was built in very small numbers. This was followed by the Tu-22K 'Blinder-B' which was equipped with the Kh-22 cruise missile. The Tu-22KP could also carry anti-radiation variants of the Kh-22. A maritime reconnaissance variant, the Tu-22R 'Blinder-C' featured six camera windows in the weapon bay doors while retaining bombing capability. ELINT equipment was added in the Tu-22RK, while the Tu-22RDM was the most advanced reconnaissance variant built. A more modern electronic warfare version was known as the Tu-22P 'Blinder-E'. Many of these variants were built with inflight refueling capability, and were known by having a D suffix in their designation (ex: the Tu-22KD version of the Tu-22K). Finally, the Tu-22U 'Blinder-D' is a trainer with a raised instructor's cockpit behind the pilot's deck.