Russia’s fleet of Tu-214Rs is very small—and shows no sign of increasing. But the bird’s advanced electronics and optical systems offer unique advantages to the Russian military.

The result of a requirement to replace the Tupolev Tu-2 piston engine bomber, the design on the Ilyushin Il-28 began in 1947, with the first flight of a pre-production model on Aug. 8, 1948.

Iran’s Deputy Transportation Minister Ali Akbar Golrounia said in Tehran Tuesday that the possibility of explosion being the cause of the Tupolev 154 plane crash in Lorestan province last ...