Entering service in 1987, the Tu-160 was the laststrategic bomber designed for theSoviet Air Forces and was built to serve as a conventional and nuclear-capable strike aircraft. Production was stopped in 1992 following thedissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, and the newly independent Russian andUkrainian air forces inherited a fleet of 13 and 19 Tu-160s, respectively. Following protracted negotiations, eight Ukrainian Tu-160s were purchased by theRussian Federation while the remaining 11 were scrapped in the late 1990s under theNunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction agreement. Following these actions, the sole operator of the aircraft type became theRussian Aerospace Forces'Long Range Aviation branch, which still had 17 Tu-160s in service as of 2022.[3] The type had its combat debut in November 2015 during theRussian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War, conducting numerous airstrikes usingKh-101 air-launched cruise missiles. Various overseas deployments have been conducted, including to distant nations such asVenezuela andSouth Africa.
Since the early 2000s, the active fleet has been subject to several upgrades, largely focusing on various electronics systems. The Tu-160M modernization program of existing models began with the first updated aircraft delivered in December 2014. Plans announced in 2015 called for the delivery of 50 new-built Tu-160Ms as well as the upgrading of 16 existing aircraft.[4]
In January 2022, a newly-built Tu-160M performed a test flight,[5] the first of the resumed serial production, with two new aircraft planned for delivery in 2022[6] from 10 on order.[7][4][needs update]
The first competition for asupersonic strategic heavy bomber was launched in theSoviet Union in 1967. In 1972, the Soviet Union launched a new multi-mission bomber competition to create a new supersonic,variable-geometry ("swing-wing") heavy bomber with a maximum speed of Mach 2.3, in response to theUS Air ForceB-1 bomber project. The Tupolev design, namedAircraft 160M, with a lengthenedblended wing layout and incorporating some elements of theTu-144, competed against theMyasishchev M-18 and theSukhoi T-4 designs.[8] Work on the new Soviet bomber continued despite an end to the B-1A and, in the same year, the design was accepted by the government committee. The prototype was photographed by an airline passenger at aZhukovsky Airfield in November 1981, about a month before the aircraft's first flight on 18 December 1981. Production was authorized in 1984, beginning at theKazan Aircraft Production Association (KAPO).[9]
In 2002, the Russian Defence Ministry and KAPO agreed to modernise 15 Tu-160s.[10] In July 2006, the first overhauled and partially modernized aircraft was accepted into Russian service after testing; it reportedly received the capability to use conventional weapons but was not upgraded with new avionics as previously planned.[11] The first modernized aircraft capable of carrying the new long-rangeKh-555 conventional cruise missile was delivered to theRussian Air Force in April 2008;[12][13] a follow-up contract for the modernization of three more aircraft is estimated to cost RUR3.4 billion (US$103 million).[14]
Tu-160Aleksandr Novikov in flight over Russia
The modernization appeared to be split into two phases, first concentrating on life extension with some initial communication–navigation updates, followed by engine upgrades after 2016.[15] In November 2014, a Tu-160 upgraded with new radar and avionics performed its first flight.[12] The aircraft was delivered to the Russian Air Force as the Tu-160M model in December 2014.[16][17] The phase I update was due to be completed by 2016, but industrial limitations may delay it to 2019[needs update] or beyond.[18]
Although Kuznetsov designed an NK-32M engine with improved reliability over the NK-32 engines, its successor company has struggled to deliver working units. Metallist-Samara JSC had not produced new engines for a decade when it was given a contract in 2011 to overhaul 26 of the existing engines; two years later, only four had been finished.[18] Ownership and financial concerns hinder the prospects of a new production line; the firm insists it needs a minimum of 20 engines ordered per year but the government is only prepared to pay for 4–6 engines per year.[18][19] A further improved engine was bench tested in 2012 and projected to potentially enter production as early as 2016.[15][needs update]
On 2 February 2020, the modernized Tu-160M performed its first test flight at the airfield of the Kazan Aviation Plant named for I. Gorbunov.[20] Deliveries started later that year, five aircraft were equipped with the new engines by August 2022.[21] According toVladimir Putin, 4 Tu-160M were delivered in 2023.[22]
In 2008, Russia revealed plans for one new Tu-160 to be delivered every one to two years with the aim of increasing the active inventory to 30 or more aircraft by 2025–2030.[23] On 29 April 2015, Russian Defense MinisterSergei Shoigu, on order of President Putin,[24] announced that Tu-160 production would resume.[25] In May 2015,TASS reported that the Russian Air Force would purchase at least 50 KAPO-built Tu-160s.[26] General Viktor Bondarev stated that development of thePAK DA will proceed alongside Tu-160 production.[26]
On 16 November 2017, a newly assembled Tu-160, built from an unfinished airframe, was unveiled during a roll-out ceremony at KAPO, signifying a restoration of certain production techniques such aselectron-beam welding ortitanium work reportedly lost after the termination of serial production in 1992. According toDmitri Rogozin, the serial production of wholly new airframes for the modernized Tu-160M2 should begin in 2019 with deliveries to the Russian Aerospace Forces in 2023.[27][28] The aircraft, namedPetr Deinekin, after thefirst commanding officer of the Russian Air Force.[29]
Maiden flight of the first newly manufactured Tu-160M2Petr Deinekin
Tu-160Petr Deinekin performed its first public flight on 25 January 2018, during PresidentVladimir Putin's visit to KAPO plant.[30] The same day, a contract for ten upgraded Tu-160M2s was signed.[31][32][33] On 12 January 2022 a new-build[34] Tu-160M had its first low altitude basic test flight.[35] It is planned to deliver two new-build Tu-160M in 2022[6] with production increasing until all 50 new aircraft on order are delivered.[citation needed] In December 2022,United Aircraft Corporation announced that the second new-build Tu-160M and the fourth modernized Tu-160M were starting flight tests.[36] It was also reported that the first new Tu-160 had completed factory testing.[37] 4 aircraft were delivered on 21 February 2024.[38][39]
A demilitarized, commercial version of the Tu-160, namedTu-160SK, was displayed atAsian Aerospace in Singapore in 1994 with a model of a small space vehicle named Burlak[40] attached underneath the fuselage.
In January 2018, Vladimir Putin, while visiting the KAPO plant, floated an idea of creating a civilian passengersupersonic transport version of Tu-160.[41] Experts quoted by the news media were skeptical about the commercial and technological feasibility of such a civilian conversion.[31][42]
The Tu-160 is a variable-geometry wing aircraft. The aircraft employs afly-by-wire control system with ablended wing profile, and full-spanslats are used on the leading edges, with double-slottedflaps on the trailing edges andcruciform tail.[43] Titanium constitutes around 30% of the aircraft's 110 t (242,508 lb) empty weight, and the largest component (the swing wing hinge) weighs six tonnes (13,230 lb).[35] The Tu-160 has a crew of four (pilot, co-pilot,bombardier, and defensive systems operator) inK-36LMejection seats.[44][45]
The Tu-160 is powered by fourKuznetsov NK-32afterburningturbofan engines, the most powerful ever fitted to a combat aircraft. Unlike the AmericanB-1B Lancer, which reduced the original Mach 2+ requirement for the B-1A to achieve a smallerradar cross-section, the Tu-160 retains variableintake ramps, and is capable of reaching Mach 2.05 speed at altitude.[46] The Tu-160 is equipped with aprobe-and-droguein-flight refueling system for extended-range missions, although it is rarely used. The Tu-160 has an internal fuel capacity of 130 tonnes (286,600 lb).[47] In February 2008, Tu-160 bombers andIl-78 refueling tankers practiced air refueling during air combat exercise, as well asMiG-31,A-50 and other Russian combat aircraft.[48]
Weapons are carried in two internal bays, each capable of holding 22,500 kg (49,600 lb) of free-fall weapons or arotary launcher for missiles capable of carrying conventional or nuclear-warheads. The aircraft's total weapons load capacity is 45,000 kg (99,208 lb).[52] No defensive weapons are provided; the Tu-160 is the first post-World War II Soviet bomber to lack such defenses. In 2020, officials stated that the Russian Aerospace Forces is planning to arm the Tu-160 with new hypersonic missiles, in particular the nuclear-capableKh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic air-launched ballistic missile.[53]
While similar in appearance to the American B-1 Lancer, the Tu-160 is a different class of combat aircraft; its primary role being astandoff missile platform (strategic missile carrier).[35] The Tu-160 is also larger and faster than the B-1B and has a slightly greater combat range, though the B-1B has a larger combined payload with external payload.[54] Another noticeable difference is that the B-1's colour scheme is usually subdued dark gray to reduce visibility; the Tu-160 is painted withanti-flash white, giving it the nickname among Russian airmen "White Swan".[55][35] On 16 September 2023, Commander of the long-range aviation Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylash announced that Russian Tu-160s were outfitted with the newestKh-BD cruise missile with range of 6,500 km. Each bomber can carry 12 missiles separated on two rotary launchers.[56]
A Tu-160 with Soviet officers in front, September 1989
In April 1987, the Tu-160 entered operational service with the 184th Guards Heavy Bomber Regiment located atPryluky,Ukrainian SSR.[57] The regiment, previously operatingTu-16 andTu-22M3 strategic bombers, was the first unit to receive the Tu-160. Squadron deployments toLong Range Aviation began that same month. The Tu-160's first public appearance in a parade came in 1989. During 1989 and 1990, a total of 44 world speed flight records in its weight class were set. In January 1992,Boris Yeltsin decided to end serial production of the Tu-160; 35 aircraft were completed by this time. Russia also unilaterally suspended flights of strategic aviation over remote regions.[10]
A total of 19 Tu-160s were based inside the newly independentUkraine during thedissolution of the Soviet Union. On 25 August 1991, the Ukrainian parliament decreed that the new nation would take control of all military units on its territory; a Defence Ministry was created that same day. By the mid-1990s, the Pryluky regiment had lost its value as a combat unit; 19 Tu-160s were effectively grounded due to a lack of technical support and spare parts. Ukraine considered the Tu-160s to be a bargaining chip in economic negotiations with Russia and of limited military value. While Russian experts, who examined the aircraft at the Pryluky Air Base in 1993 and 1996, assessed their technical condition as good, the US$3 billion price proposed by Ukraine was considered by Russia to be unacceptable. In April 1998, amid stalled negotiations, Ukraine decided to commence scrapping the fleet under theNunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction agreement. In November, the first Tu-160 was deconstructed at Pryluky.[58]
In April 1999, Russia resumed talks with Ukraine, proposing to purchase eight Tu-160 and threeTu-95MS bombers manufactured in 1991 (those in the best technical condition), as well as 575Kh-55SM cruise missiles. An agreement was reached and a US$285 million contract was signed, the value of which was deducted from Ukraine's debt fornatural gas. On 20 October 1999, a group of Russian military experts went to Ukraine to prepare the aircraft for the flight toEngels-2 air base. On 5 November, the first two aircraft, a Tu-160 and a Tu-95MS, departed Pryluky. During the following months, the balance were flown to Engels-2.[58]
Russian PresidentVladimir Putin inside the cockpit of a Tu-160 in August 2005
Alongside buying Ukrainian Tu-160s, Russia pursued other means to expanding its fleet. In June 1999, theRussian Defence Ministry and KAPO signed a contract for a delivery of a single near-complete bomber. NamedAleksandr Molodchiy, it was the second aircraft in the eighth production batch. It arrived at Engels-2 on 10 September and was commissioned into service on 5 May 2000.[58] The unit operating the fleet from Engels-2 was the 121st Guards Heavy Bomber Regiment which was formed up in early 1992 and received six aircraft by 1994. By the end of February 2001, the fleet stood at 15 with the addition of the eight Ukrainian Tu-160s and the new-build.[58][59] The fleet was reduced to 14 due to the crash of theMikhail Gromov during flight trials of a replacement engine on 18 September 2003.[60][59] On 5 July 2006, a Tu-160 namedValentin Bliznyuk, named after theTu-160's chief designer, entered service with the Russian Air Force after completing its overhaul, bringing the total number back to 15.[11] Built in 1986, it was formerly used as a test aircraft by Tupolev.[10]
On 22 April 2006, the commander of the Long-Range Aviation Lieutenant General Igor Khvorov reported a pair of Tu-160s flew undetected through a US-controlled sector during a military exercise in the Arctic.[10][61]
On 17 August 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the resumption of strategic aviation flights stopped in 1991.[62][63] On 14 September 2007, British and Norwegian fighters intercepted two Tu-160s in international airspace near the United Kingdom and Finland, as they were patrolling the North Atlantic.[64][65][10] On 25 December 2007, two Danish Air ForceF-16s were scrambled to intercept two Tu-160s near Danish airspace.[citation needed]
On 11 September 2007, according to Russian government sources, a Tu-160 deployed a massive fuel-air explosive device, calledFather of All Bombs, for its firstfield test.[66] Some US military analysts expressed skepticism that the weapon was actually delivered by a Tu-160.[67]
On 29 April 2008, a new Tu-160 namedVitaly Kopylov joined the Russian Air Force, increasing the total number of aircraft in service to 16.[10][68][69] In early 2008, Tu-160s took part in an exercise with theRussian Navy in the Atlantic Ocean.[10]
On 10 September 2008, two Tu-160s made an unprecedented deployment to Russia's allyVenezuela as part of military manoeuvres amid increasingly tense relations between Russia and the United States. The Russian Defence Ministry saidVasily Senko andAleksandr Molodchiy would conduct training flights over neutral waters before returning to Russia. They were escorted by NATO fighters as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean.[70]
A Tu-160 is intercepted by anRAFTornado F3 in March 2010
On 12 October 2008, Tu-160s were involved in the largest Russian strategic bomber exercise since 1984. A total of 12 bombers including Tu-160 and Tu-95 aircraft conducted a series of launches of their cruise missiles. Some bombers launched a full complement of missiles; it was the first time that a Tu-160 had ever fired a full complement of missiles.[71]
On 10 June 2010, two Tu-160s carried out a record-breaking 23-hour patrol with a planned flight range of 18,000 km (9,700 nmi), having flown along Russia's borders and over neutral waters in the Arctic and Pacific Oceans.[citation needed]
In August 2011, Russian media claimed that only four of the sixteen Tu-160s were flight worthy.[18]Flight International reported eleven were combat-ready by mid-2012;[15] between 2011 and 2013, eleven were observed in flight.[72]
On 1 November 2013,Aleksandr Golovanov andAleksandr Novikov entered Colombian airspace on two separate occasions while flying from Venezuela to Nicaragua. Noting a lack of clearance, the Colombian government issued a letter of protest to the Russian government after the first violation.[73] In the second violation, twoColombian Air ForceIAI Kfirs stationed atBarranquilla intercepted and escorted the two Tu-160s out of Colombian airspace.[74][75]
A Tu-160 launching aKh-101 cruise missile at targets in Syria, November 2015.[76]
On 17 November 2015, as part of theRussian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War, several Tu-160 and Tu-95MS strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces firedKh-101 air-launched cruise missiles from above the Mediterranean Sea, striking targets inIdlib andAleppo provinces. In total, between 34 and 83[77] cruise missiles were fired, destroying 14 targets. In addition,Tu-22M3 strategic bombers hit numerous claimedIslamic State targets with unguided munitions. This operation also marked the combat debut for the Tu-160 and Tu-95MS.[78][79]
In August 2018, a number of Russian military aircraft including two Tu-160, Tu-95MS strategic bombers and Il-78 aerial tankers were deployed for the first time to theRussian Far East as part of a long-range tactical flight exercise, flying 7,000 km non-stop flight from their home base inSaratov Oblast toChukotka. During the exercise, the crews practised the combat use of cruise missiles at the Komi Test Range and performed aerial refueling.[80][81]
In November 2018, a modernized Tu-160M test-fired a full complement of 12 Kh-101 cruise missiles at the Pemboi Test Range in the northeastern region ofKomi Republic.[82]
On 10 December 2018, two Tu-160s accompanied by anAn-124 cargo plane and anIl-62 passenger plane, landed at theMaiquetía airport in Venezuela.[83] On 23 October 2019, two Tu-160s accompanied by an An-124 and an Il-62 visited South Africa as part of strengthening ties between the two nations; the aircraft performed a 13 hours non-stop flight over theCaspian Sea,Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean, covering 11,000 km (6,800 mi) with mid-air refueling and landed atWaterkloof Air Force Base in South Africa. It was the Tu-160's first visit to the African continent.[84]
The type was involved in the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to Ukrainian sources, on 6 March 2022, a Tu-160 along with a Tu-95MS strategic bomber launched eight cruise missiles, presumably the Kh-101, at theHavryshivka Vinnytsia International Airport from theBlack Sea area.[86] On 26 June 2022, Ukrainian Air Force spokesmanYurii Ihnat reported four to six Kh-101 cruise missiles were launched by Tu-160 and Tu-95MS bombers atKyiv from theCaspian Sea area.[87]On 20 January 2025, during theRusso-Ukrainian War,Ukraine launched a drone attack on theGorbunov Kazan Aviation Plant inKazan, Russia where the Tu-160 is built, about 1,000 km (620 mi) from the border with Ukraine, causing several explosions. Russian sources stated that damage was minimal and all drone threats had been neutralized.[88][89]
In 2022, retired Air Chief MarshalAnoop Raha said India was interested in purchasing Tu-160s.[90] Reports emerged in late 2022 that India was in talks with Russia to acquire six Tu-160s that could make India the only country other than US, Russia and China to have operational strategic bombers.[91][92][needs update]
Proposed commercial version, designed to launch satellites via the "Burlak" (Russian:Бурлак, "hauler") launch system.[93]
Tu-160M2
Highly upgraded version featuring,[94][95][96] new avionics, electronics, glass cockpit, communications and control systems, and a number of new weapons, as well as new more powerful and efficient engines giving it greater operational range. It will also have a new defensive system protecting it from incoming missiles.[97][98] The first plane was to be ready by late 2021.[99]
Russian Aerospace Forces – 17 Tu-160s are in service as of 2022 with modernization to the Tu-160M2 level started in 2018.[100] All aircraft are being modernized to the "M2" standard.[3][101] Another 10 Tu-160M2 are on order.[31]
Ukrainian Air Force – inherited 19 Tu-160s from the former Soviet Union, and subsequently handed over 8 Tu-160s to Russia as exchange for gas debt relief in 1999; the remainder were scrapped under theNunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction agreement led by the US.[102][103]
201st Heavy Bomber Aviation Division –Pryluky Air Base, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine
184th Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment (GvTBAP)
Maximum speed: 2,220 km/h (1,380 mph, 1,200 kn) at 12,200 m (40,000 ft)
Maximum speed: Mach 2.05
Cruise speed: 960 km/h (600 mph, 520 kn) / M0.9
Range: 12,300 km (7,600 mi, 6,600 nmi) practical range without in-flight refuelling, Mach 0.77 and carrying 6 × Kh-55SM dropped at mid range and 5% fuel reserves[107]
Combat range: 2,000 km (1,200 mi, 1,100 nmi) at Mach 1.5; or 7,300 km (4,536 mi) at subsonic speeds[108]
Service ceiling: 16,000 m (52,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 70 m/s (14,000 ft/min)
Lift-to-drag: 18.5–19, while supersonic it is above 6[109]
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^Bergmans, Werner (1996–2011)."Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack".Fighter-Planes.com. Werner Bergmans, Eindhoven, the Netherlands.Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved2 March 2015.
^Vladimir Isachenkov (10 December 2018)."Russia Just Sent Two Nuclear-Capable Bombers to Venezuela".Time. Archived fromthe original on 11 December 2018. Retrieved11 December 2018.The bombers' deployment follows Venezuelan PresidentNicolas Maduro's visit to Moscow last week in a bid to shore up political and economic assistance even as his country has been struggling to pay billions of dollars owed to Russia.
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