Russia is upgrading the Tu-160M Blackjack long-range bomber as a bridge platform while the Russian PAK DA stealth bomber has been delayed. The Russian Tu-160M Blackjack bomber is armed with up to 6 Kh-55SM ground-attack cruise missiles. Each Kh-55SM cruise missile can carry a 200-kiloton thermonuclear warhead or a conventional high-explosive fragmentation warhead.
Russia’s Tu-160M Bomber Is No Joke
As Russian weapons developers await the uncertain arrival of its PAK DA stealth bomber designed to rival the US B-21, the country’s military is surging with extensive “bridge” upgrades to its Tu-160 “M” long-range bomber.
While emerging in the 80s as a very non-stealthy bombing platform, the Russian Tu-160 could be seen as somewhat analogous to the US B-52 because it has both been substantially upgraded for continued service life and also intended for more permissive environments due to its size and vulnerability to fighter jets and advanced air defenses.
Nonetheless, Russia’s Tu-160M upgraded bomber variant has been fitted with a new navigation system and next-generation autopilot technologies.
Much like the US B-52, upgrades to the Tu-160M “BlackJack” are indeed extensive, including work on a Tu-160M2 variant with an upgraded NK-32 engine, jamming equipment, a digital cockpit, and an NVI-70 radar.
Russian Tu-160 bomber. Image Credit – Creative Commons.
Russia’s Tu-160 bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Tupolev Tu-160 at the 2013 Moscow Victory Day Parade.
Russia’s Tu-160 Bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Cruise Missile-Armed Blackjack
The Blackjack is also armed with as many as six Kh-55SM ground-attack cruise missiles, each capable of carrying a nuclear or conventional warhead.
As described in his essay, the warheads can either be a 200-kiloton thermonuclear warhead or a conventional high-explosive fragmentation warhead. Russia’s Rostec plans to produce roughly 2 new Tu-160Ms per year, bringing the fleet to 10 aircraft by 2027.
Unlike the Vietnam-era classic B-52, the Tupolev Tu-160 first entered service in the Soviet era during the 1980s. Russia’s Tupolev looks a little more like the large, elongated B1-B bomber able to carry a massive payload, bringing the max take-off weight up to 300 tons.
Russia seeks to maintain an active and capable bomber fleet, yet the Tu-160M faces many of the same challenges as the B-1B and B-52. Simply put, Russia’s legacy bomber lacks the stealth required for today’s environment.
The Tu-160M’s fuselage does bear some resemblance to the B-1B bomber with its narrow, elongated nose and rounded front section.
B-1B Lancer. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Tu-160 “M” vs. B-52
While the “M” does suffer from a lack of stealth, the US experience has shown that decades-old airframes can remain relevant and viable for decades beyond their intended service life with proper maintenance and structural support. This has been the case with the US B-52 bomber, which may fly for close to 100 years.
The 1950s- and 1960s-era B-52 has become almost a different aircraft through extensive upgrades.
Over the past few decades, the B-52 has received a new engine, a digital cockpit, a reworked internal weapons bay, communications technology, and new weapons systems.
The US Air Force’s modern B-52 operates with a massively larger bomb capacity and, moving forward, may likely launch drones, hypersonic missiles, and even lasers.
These innovations could also be integrated into the Tu-160M, adaptations that could make the bomber quite relevant in the context of modern great-power warfare.
Should longer-range sensors and weapons be capable of targeting air defenses and enemy ground targets at much greater stand-off distances, the Tu-160Ms’ attack reach could compensate for its lack of stealth.
Hypersonic-Armed Tu-160
There is also the question of hypersonic weapons, which Russia is known to operate.
The integration of air-launched hypersonic weapons and long-range anti-ship cruise missiles could enable the Tu-160M to hold previously unreachable targets at great risk.
Configuring the Tu-160M2 for hypersonics is entirely realistic, if not already underway, as Russia intends to arm the bomber with the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missile.
The Kinzhal is quite significant, as it was used with success in Ukraine in 2022 to attack weapons storage facilities and ammunition depots.
However, while the Kinzhal is cited to be capable of reaching speeds of Mach 10, it is not considered “fully” hypersonic because it follows a standard ballistic missile trajectory and does not maneuver in flight the way a hypersonic weapon traveling at this speed is typically able to do.
This air-launched ballistic missile trajectory is likely a main reason why Ukraine was able to successfully destroy a Kinzhal using a Patriot missile air-defense weapon.
About the Author: Kris Osborn
Kris Osborn is the Military Technology Editor of 19FortyFive. Osborn is also President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Master’s Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
