Tupolev Tu-160

Tupolev Tu-160
Name	Tupolev Tu-160
Caption	A Tupolev Tu-160 in flight.
Type	Supersonic strategic bomber / Heavy bomber
National origin	Soviet Union / Russia
Manufacturer	Tupolev
Designer	Valentin Bliznyuk
First flight	18 December 1981
Introduction	1987
Status	In service
Primary user	Russian Aerospace Forces
Number built	36 (10 prototypes and pre-series, 26 serial)
Developed from	Tupolev Tu-144
Variants with their own articles	Tupolev Tu-160M

Tupolev Tu-160. The Tupolev Tu-160 is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing heavy bomber designed by the Tupolev design bureau in the Soviet Union. Entering service with the Soviet Air Forces in 1987, it remains the largest and heaviest combat aircraft ever built, the fastest bomber in service, and the largest variable-geometry aircraft ever flown. Known by its NATO reporting name "Blackjack" and nicknamed "White Swan" by its Russian crews, it forms a key component of Russia's nuclear triad alongside the Tupolev Tu-95 and is operated by the Long-Range Aviation branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

Development and design

The development of the Tu-160 was initiated in the 1970s as a Soviet response to the United States Air Force's Rockwell B-1 Lancer program. The Tupolev and Myasishchev design bureaus submitted proposals, with the Tupolev design, influenced by the earlier Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic transport, ultimately winning the competition under chief designer Valentin Bliznyuk. The aircraft's design incorporates variable-sweep wings, which adjust in flight for optimal performance at different speeds, and four powerful Kuznetsov NK-32 afterburning turbofan engines mounted in pairs under the fuselage. Its primary armament is carried internally in two weapons bays and can include up to twelve Raduga Kh-55 or newer Raduga Kh-101/Raduga Kh-102 cruise missiles, or various free-fall bombs. The airframe makes extensive use of titanium and aluminium alloys, and the crew of four is housed in a pressurized cabin equipped with K-36LM ejection seats.

Operational history

The Tu-160 entered operational service with the 184th Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment at Pryluky Air Base in Ukrainian SSR in April 1987. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, 19 aircraft were stranded in newly independent Ukraine, which, under the Budapest Memorandum, eventually transferred most to Russia as debt repayment, while others were scrapped under the Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program. Russian operations were severely limited during the 1990s but resumed more actively in the 2000s under Vladimir Putin. The bombers have conducted long-range patrols over international waters, including the Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Pacific Ocean, often escorted by North American Aerospace Defense Command fighters. They saw their first combat use in 2015, launching Raduga Kh-101 missiles against targets in Syria during the Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war, and have been used extensively in the Russian invasion of Ukraine beginning in 2022.

Variants

The primary variant is the original production model, with modernized versions emerging later. The Tupolev Tu-160M is a comprehensively upgraded version featuring new Kuznetsov NK-32-02 engines, modernized avionics, and enhanced electronic warfare systems, with the first newly built example delivered in 2023. A proposed passenger variant, the Tupolev Tu-160SK, was a commercial transport concept that was never realized. The Tupolev Tu-160PP was a projected electronic warfare variant, also unbuilt, while the Tupolev Tu-160V was a design study for a liquid hydrogen-fueled aircraft.

Operators

The sole operator of the Tu-160 is the Russian Aerospace Forces. All aircraft are assigned to the Long-Range Aviation command. The two primary bases are Engels-2 air base in Saratov Oblast, home to the 121st Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment, and Dyagilevo (air base) near Ryazan, which hosts the training center. The former operator was the Soviet Air Forces, which transferred the fleet to the Russian Air Force after 1991. Ukraine briefly inherited 19 aircraft but never operated them as part of its Ukrainian Air Force and subsequently disposed of them.

Specifications (Tu-160M)

* Crew: 4 (pilot, co-pilot, offensive systems officer, defensive systems officer) * Length: 54.1 m (177 ft 6 in) * Wingspan: 55.7 m (182 ft 9 in) spread (20° sweep), 35.6 m (116 ft 10 in) swept (65° sweep) * Height: 13.1 m (43 ft 0 in) * Empty weight: 110,000 kg (242,508 lb) * Max takeoff weight: 275,000 kg (606,271 lb) * Powerplant: 4 × Kuznetsov NK-32-02 afterburning turbofan engines, 245 kN (55,000 lbf) thrust each * Maximum speed: Mach 2.05 at high altitude * Cruise speed: Mach 0.9 * Range: 12,300 km (7,600 mi, 6,600 nmi) subsonic * Combat range: 2,000 km (1,200 mi, 1,100 nmi) at Mach 1.5 * Service ceiling: 16,000 m (52,000 ft) * Armament: Two internal weapons bays for up to 45,000 kg (99,208 lb) of ordnance, including Raduga Kh-55, Raduga Kh-555, Raduga Kh-101/Raduga Kh-102 cruise missiles, or free-fall bombs.

In popular culture

The Tu-160 has appeared in several video games, most notably as a high-tier bomber in the online game War Thunder and in the Ace Combat series. It features in the plot of the Tom Clancy novel The Bear and the Dragon and has been depicted in various Discovery Channel and National Geographic documentaries about Cold War military technology. The aircraft is also a prominent subject in Russian media, often highlighted during Victory Day Parades on Red Square as a symbol of national military power.

Tu-160 Category:Supersonic aircraft Category:Strategic bombers of the Soviet Union Category:Strategic bombers of Russia Category:Variable-sweapons of the Soviet Union