Tupolev Tu-160
Encyclopedia
The Tupolev Tu-160 ' onMouseout='HidePop("79275")' href="/topics/NATO_reporting_name">NATO reporting name
: Blackjack) is a supersonic
, variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber
designed by the Tupolev Design Bureau
in the Soviet Union
. Although several civil and military transport aircraft are larger in overall dimensions, the Tu-160 is currently the world's largest combat aircraft, largest supersonic aircraft
, and largest variable-sweep aircraft built. In addition, the Tu-160 has the heaviest takeoff weight of any combat aircraft.
Entering service in 1987, the Tu-160 was the last strategic bomber
designed for the Soviet Union. The aircraft remains in limited production, with at least 16 aircraft currently in service with the Russian Air Force
.
strategic heavy bomber was launched in the Soviet Union
in 1967. The new bomber was to have a cruise speed of over Mach
3, in response to the American B-70 Valkyrie
. It soon became apparent that such an aircraft would be too expensive and difficult to produce, so it was decided to reduce demands (in the US, the B-70 bomber project had already been cancelled).
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 direct response to the US Air Force
B-1 bomber project. The Tupolev design, dubbed Aircraft 160M, with a lengthened flying wing
layout and incorporating some elements of the Tu-144
, competed against the Myasishchev M-18
and the Sukhoi T-4
designs. Myasishchev
's version, a variable-geometry aircraft, was considered to be the most successful. However, the Tupolev organization was regarded as having the greatest potential for completing this complex project and was assigned in 1973 the development of a new aircraft based on the Myasishchev design.
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 a Zhukovsky Airfield in November 1981, about a month before the aircraft's first flight on 18 December 1981. Production was authorized in 1984, beginning at Kazan Aircraft Production Association
. Production of the aircraft, designated Tu-160 (factory designation "aircraft K" or "product 70"), was originally intended to total 100 aircraft, although only 35 have been produced, including three prototypes. The second prototype was lost in flight testing in 1987, the crew ejecting successfully.
Changes announced include completely digital, multireserved, neutron and other nuclear emissions resistant avionics
; full support of cruising and steering through GLONASS
global satellite positioning system; and updated version of NK-32 engines with increased reliability. Weapon upgrades will allow the use of new nuclear/non-nuclear GLONASS-navigated cruise missiles (Kh-55), and drop laser-guided bombs. Planned upgrades are also to add the ability to handle missiles that launch military or civil satellites; and addition of advanced radar emissions absorbing coatings.
The Tu-160 is a variable-geometry wing aircraft, with sweep selectable from 20° to 65°. The aircraft employs a fly-by-wire
control system with a blended wing profile and full-span slats
are used on the leading edges, with double-slotted flap
s on the trailing edges. The variable geometry gives conventional takeoff, and efficient subsonic cruise, while also permitting Mach 2 flight.
The Tu-160 is powered by four Kuznetsov NK-321 afterburning
turbofan
engines, the most powerful ever fitted to a combat aircraft. Unlike the American B-1B Lancer, which reduced the original Mach 2+ requirement for the B-1A to achieve a smaller radar profile, the Tu-160 retains variable intakes, and is capable of reaching Mach 2 speed at altitude. The NK-321 turbofans are efficient for subsonic cruise, but suboptimal for supersonic flight due to inlet drag.
The Tu-160 is equipped with a probe-and-drogue in-flight refueling system for extended-range missions, although it is rarely used. The Tu-160's internal fuel capacity of 130 tons gives the aircraft a roughly 15-hour flight endurance at a cruise speed of around 850 km/h (Mach 0.77, 530 mph) at 9,145 m (30,003 ft). In February 2008, Tu-160 bombers and Il-78 refueling tankers practiced air refueling during air combat exercise, as well as Mig-31, A50 and other Russian combat aircrafts.
Although the Tu-160 was designed for reduced detectability to both radar
and infrared
, it is not a stealth aircraft
. Nevertheless, on 25 April 2006 Lt. Gen. Igor Khvorov claimed that Tu-160s managed to penetrate the US sector of the Arctic undetected, leading to a USAF investigation according to a Russian source.
The Tu-160 has an Obzor-K attack radar in a slightly upturned dielectric
radome
, and a separate "Sopka
" terrain-following radar
, which provides fully automatic terrain-following flight at low altitude. The Tu-160 has an electro-optical bombsight
. Its electronic warfare suite includes comprehensive active and passive ECM
systems.
The Tu-160 has a crew of four (pilot, co-pilot, weapons systems officer and defensive systems operator) in K-36DM ejection seats. The pilot has a fighter-style control stick, but the flight instruments
are traditional "steam gauge" dials. A crew rest area, a toilet, and a galley are provided for long flights. There is no HUD
, nor are CRT
multi-function displays provided in the original aircraft; however, plans for modernization of all Tu-160s were announced in 2003. They include a new digital flight control system, and the ability to carry new weapon types, such as new non-nuclear long-range cruise missiles.
Weapons are carried in two internal bays, each capable of holding 20,000 kg (44,400 lb) of free-fall weapons or a rotary launcher for nuclear
missiles; additional missiles may also be carried externally. The aircraft's total weapons load capacity is 40,000 kg (88,185 lb). However, no defensive weapons are provided; the Tu-160 is the first unarmed post-World War II
Soviet bomber.
A demilitarized, commercial version of the Tu-160, named Tu-160SK, was displayed at Asian Aerospace
in Singapore
in 1994 with a model of a small space vehicle named Burlak attached underneath the fuselage. In 1995 Tupolev announced a partnership with the German
firm OHB-System
to produce the aircraft as a carrier for the launch vehicle; the German government subsequently withdrew funding in 1998.
While similar in appearance to the American B-1 Lancer, the Tu-160 is an entirely different class of combat aircraft, its primary role being a standoff missile platform (strategic missile carrier). 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 and more modern avionics. Another significant difference is that the colour scheme on the B-1B Lancer is usually radar-absorbant Black, the Tu-160 is painted with anti-flash white, giving it the nick-name among Russian Airforce soldiers "White Swan".
, in 1987.
in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
, replacing Tu-16
and Tu-22M3
aircraft. In January 1992, Boris Yeltsin
decided to discontinue production of the Tu-160. By this time, 35 aircraft had been built. In the same year, Russia unilaterally suspended its flights of strategic aviation in remote regions. After the fall of the Soviet Union, 19 of 35 aircraft became property of the newly-independent Ukraine
, although in 1999 a deal between Russia and the Ukraine led to eight of those aircraft being turned over to Russia in exchange for a reduction in Ukraine's energy debts. Ukraine, which gave up nuclear weapons under the Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Agreement, destroyed its other Blackjacks, except for one airframe retained for static display.
Russia's second Tu-160 unit, the 121st Guards Heavy Bomber Regiment based in Engels, was organised in 1992, but by 1994 it had received only six aircraft. Between 1999 and 2000 the eight former Ukrainian aircraft were assigned to the regiment, and another newly-built aircraft was assigned in 2000. By early 2001, in accordance with the START-2 Treaty, Russia has had 15 new-built Tu-160s, of which six were formerly missile-armed strategic bombers. One aircraft was lost during a test flight after engine repairs, on 18 September 2003.
There were 14 Tu-160s in service as of November 2005. Another two new-built aircraft are nearing completion at the Kazan Aircraft Plant, one of which was due to enter service in March 2006, with the other following later in the year. As of 2001, six additional Tu-160 have served as experimental aircraft at Zhukovski, four remaining airworthy.
On 30 December 2005, under an order signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin
, the Tu-160 officially entered service in the Russian Air Force
.
On 17 August 2007 Putin announced that Russia was resuming the strategic aviation flights stopped in 1991, sending its bomber aircraft on long-range patrols. On 14 September 2007, British and Norwegian fighters intercepted two Tu-160s which breached NATO airspace near the UK and Finland. On 25 December 2007, two Blackjacks came close to Danish airspace, and two Danish Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons scrambled to intercept and identify them.
According to Russian government sources, on 11 September 2007, a Tu-160 was used to drop the massive fuel-air explosive device, the Father of all bombs, for its first ever field test
. However, some military analysts expressed skepticism that the weapon was actually delivered by a Blackjack.
On 28 December 2007, the first flight of a new Tu-160 was reported to have taken place following completion of the aircraft at the Kazan Aviation Plant. After flight testing, the bomber joined the Russian Air Force on 29 April 2008, bringing the total number of aircraft in service to 16. One new Tu-160 is expected to be built every one to two years until the active inventory reaches 30 or more aircraft by 2025–30.
On 10 September 2008 two Russian Tu-160 landed in Venezuela
as part of military maneuvers, announcing an unprecedented deployment to Russia's ally at a time of increasingly tense relations between Russia and the United States. The Russian Ministry of Defence
said the two Tu-160 bombers were on a training mission. It said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that the aircraft would conduct training flights over neutral waters before returning to Russia. Its spokesman added that the aircraft were escorted by NATO fighters as they flew across the Atlantic Ocean
.
On 12 October 2008 a number of Tu-160 bombers were involved in the largest Russian strategic bomber exercise since 1984. A total of 12 bombers including Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-95 Bear conducted a series of launches of their cruise missiles. Some bombers launched a full complement of their missiles. It was the first time that a Tu-160 had ever fired a full complement of missiles.
Pilots of the Tu-160 call it the “White Swan”, due to its maneuverability and anti-flash white
finish.
On 10 June 2010, two Tu-160 bombers carried out a record-breaking 23-hour patrol with a planned flight range of 18,000 kilometers. The bombers flew along the Russian borders and over neutral waters in the Arctic and Pacific Oceans.
Backfire bombers, but these were soon replaced with a highly modified variant of the Tupolev Tu-134
airliner. Designated the Tu-134UBL, this unusual aircraft has had the nose and cockpit section of a Tu-160 grafted onto the aircraft's nose, giving students an unobstructed view from the simulated Tu-160 cockpit. In this arrangement the Tu-134UBL is reported to have flying characteristics similar to the Tu-160.
Several variants have been proposed, but not built, including:
NATO reporting name
NATO reporting names are classified code names for military equipment of the Eastern Bloc...
: Blackjack) is a supersonic
Supersonic
Supersonic speed is a rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound . For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C this speed is approximately 343 m/s, 1,125 ft/s, 768 mph or 1,235 km/h. Speeds greater than five times the speed of sound are often...
, variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber
Strategic bomber
A strategic bomber is a heavy bomber aircraft designed to drop large amounts of ordnance onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating an enemy's capacity to wage war. Unlike tactical bombers, which are used in the battle zone to attack troops and military equipment, strategic bombers are...
designed by the Tupolev Design Bureau
Tupolev
Tupolev is a Russian aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Basmanny District, Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow. Known officially as Public Stock Company Tupolev, it is the successor of the Tupolev OKB or Tupolev Design Bureau headed by the Soviet aerospace engineer A.N. Tupolev...
in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Although several civil and military transport aircraft are larger in overall dimensions, the Tu-160 is currently the world's largest combat aircraft, largest supersonic aircraft
Supersonic aircraft
A supersonic aircraft is designed to exceed the speed of sound in at least some of its normal flight configurations.-Overview:The great majority of supersonic aircraft today are military or experimental aircraft...
, and largest variable-sweep aircraft built. In addition, the Tu-160 has the heaviest takeoff weight of any combat aircraft.
Entering service in 1987, the Tu-160 was the last strategic bomber
Strategic bomber
A strategic bomber is a heavy bomber aircraft designed to drop large amounts of ordnance onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating an enemy's capacity to wage war. Unlike tactical bombers, which are used in the battle zone to attack troops and military equipment, strategic bombers are...
designed for the Soviet Union. The aircraft remains in limited production, with at least 16 aircraft currently in service with the Russian Air Force
Russian Air Force
The Russian Air Force is the air force of Russian Military. It is currently under the command of Colonel General Aleksandr Zelin. The Russian Navy has its own air arm, the Russian Naval Aviation, which is the former Soviet Aviatsiya Voyenno Morskogo Flota , or AV-MF).The Air Force was formed from...
.
Development
The first competition for a supersonicSupersonic
Supersonic speed is a rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound . For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C this speed is approximately 343 m/s, 1,125 ft/s, 768 mph or 1,235 km/h. Speeds greater than five times the speed of sound are often...
strategic heavy bomber was launched in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1967. The new bomber was to have a cruise speed of over Mach
Mach number
Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any other fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance for its particular physical conditions, including those of temperature and pressure...
3, in response to the American B-70 Valkyrie
XB-70 Valkyrie
The North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie was the prototype version of the proposed B-70 nuclear-armed deep-penetration strategic bomber for the United States Air Force's Strategic Air Command...
. It soon became apparent that such an aircraft would be too expensive and difficult to produce, so it was decided to reduce demands (in the US, the B-70 bomber project had already been cancelled).
In 1972, the Soviet Union launched a new multi-mission bomber competition to create a new supersonic, variable-geometry
Swing-wing
A variable-sweep wing is an aeroplane wing that may be swept back and then returned to its original position during flight. It allows the aircraft's planform to be modified in flight, and is therefore an example of a variable-geometry aircraft....
("swing-wing") heavy bomber with a maximum speed of Mach 2.3, in direct response to the US Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
B-1 bomber project. The Tupolev design, dubbed Aircraft 160M, with a lengthened flying wing
Flying wing
A flying wing is a tailless fixed-wing aircraft which has no definite fuselage, with most of the crew, payload and equipment being housed inside the main wing structure....
layout and incorporating some elements of the Tu-144
Tupolev Tu-144
The Tupolev Tu-144 was a Soviet supersonic transport aircraft and remains one of only two SSTs to enter commercial service, the other being the Concorde...
, competed against the Myasishchev M-18
Myasishchev M-18
The Myasishchev M-18 was a design for a Soviet supersonic bomber with a variable-geometry wing.The project was dropped in favour of the Tupolev Tu-160 program. Although the design was the most successful when competing with the Tu-160 and Sukhoi T-4, it was dropped as Tupolev had the most potential...
and the Sukhoi T-4
Sukhoi T-4
-See also:-External links:**...
designs. Myasishchev
Myasishchev
V. M. Myasishchev Experimental Design Bureau or OKB-23, founded in 1951 by Vladimir Myasishchev) was one of the chief Soviet aerospace design bureaus until its dissolution in 1960. Vladimir Myasishchev went on to head TsAGI...
's version, a variable-geometry aircraft, was considered to be the most successful. However, the Tupolev organization was regarded as having the greatest potential for completing this complex project and was assigned in 1973 the development of a new aircraft based on the Myasishchev design.
Kazan Aircraft Production Association
Kazan Aircraft Production Association is an aircraft manufacturer based in Kazan, Russia.-Overview:KAPO currently produces Tu-214 passenger planes and Tu-160 strategic bombers. There are also plans to start producing Tu-334 regional airliners and Tu-330 freighters.The company was established in...
. Production of the aircraft, designated Tu-160 (factory designation "aircraft K" or "product 70"), was originally intended to total 100 aircraft, although only 35 have been produced, including three prototypes. The second prototype was lost in flight testing in 1987, the crew ejecting successfully.
Modernisation
In 2006, the Russian Air Force was expected to receive five modernised and one new-built Tu-160. The Russian Air Force will receive a further five modernized Tu-160s each year, which means that modernization of the fleet could be achieved within three years if the schedule is kept up.Changes announced include completely digital, multireserved, neutron and other nuclear emissions resistant avionics
Avionics
Avionics are electronic systems used on aircraft, artificial satellites and spacecraft.Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems and the hundreds of systems that are fitted to aircraft to meet individual roles...
; full support of cruising and steering through GLONASS
GLONASS
GLONASS , acronym for Globalnaya navigatsionnaya sputnikovaya sistema or Global Navigation Satellite System, is a radio-based satellite navigation system operated for the Russian government by the Russian Space Forces...
global satellite positioning system; and updated version of NK-32 engines with increased reliability. Weapon upgrades will allow the use of new nuclear/non-nuclear GLONASS-navigated cruise missiles (Kh-55), and drop laser-guided bombs. Planned upgrades are also to add the ability to handle missiles that launch military or civil satellites; and addition of advanced radar emissions absorbing coatings.
Design
Fly-by-wire
Fly-by-wire is a system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface. The movements of flight controls are converted to electronic signals transmitted by wires , and flight control computers determine how to move the actuators at each control...
control system with a blended wing profile and full-span slats
Leading edge slats
Slats are aerodynamic surfaces on the leading edge of the wings of fixed-wing aircraft which, when deployed, allow the wing to operate at a higher angle of attack. A higher coefficient of lift is produced as a result of angle of attack and speed, so by deploying slats an aircraft can fly at slower...
are used on the leading edges, with double-slotted flap
Flap (aircraft)
Flaps are normally hinged surfaces mounted on the trailing edges of the wings of a fixed-wing aircraft to reduce the speed an aircraft can be safely flown at and to increase the angle of descent for landing without increasing air speed. They shorten takeoff and landing distances as well as...
s on the trailing edges. The variable geometry gives conventional takeoff, and efficient subsonic cruise, while also permitting Mach 2 flight.
The Tu-160 is powered by four Kuznetsov NK-321 afterburning
Afterburner (engine)
An afterburner is an additional component added to some jet engines, primarily those on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to provide a temporary increase in thrust, both for supersonic flight and for takeoff...
turbofan
Turbofan
The turbofan is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used for aircraft propulsion. A turbofan combines two types of engines, the turbo portion which is a conventional gas turbine engine, and the fan, a propeller-like ducted fan...
engines, the most powerful ever fitted to a combat aircraft. Unlike the American B-1B Lancer, which reduced the original Mach 2+ requirement for the B-1A to achieve a smaller radar profile, the Tu-160 retains variable intakes, and is capable of reaching Mach 2 speed at altitude. The NK-321 turbofans are efficient for subsonic cruise, but suboptimal for supersonic flight due to inlet drag.
The Tu-160 is equipped with a probe-and-drogue in-flight refueling system for extended-range missions, although it is rarely used. The Tu-160's internal fuel capacity of 130 tons gives the aircraft a roughly 15-hour flight endurance at a cruise speed of around 850 km/h (Mach 0.77, 530 mph) at 9,145 m (30,003 ft). In February 2008, Tu-160 bombers and Il-78 refueling tankers practiced air refueling during air combat exercise, as well as Mig-31, A50 and other Russian combat aircrafts.
Although the Tu-160 was designed for reduced detectability to both radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
and infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
, it is not a stealth aircraft
Stealth aircraft
Stealth aircraft are aircraft that use stealth technology to avoid detection by employing a combination of features to interfere with radar as well as reduce visibility in the infrared, visual, audio, and radio frequency spectrum. Development of stealth technology likely began in Germany during...
. Nevertheless, on 25 April 2006 Lt. Gen. Igor Khvorov claimed that Tu-160s managed to penetrate the US sector of the Arctic undetected, leading to a USAF investigation according to a Russian source.
The Tu-160 has an Obzor-K attack radar in a slightly upturned dielectric
Dielectric
A dielectric is an electrical insulator that can be polarized by an applied electric field. When a dielectric is placed in an electric field, electric charges do not flow through the material, as in a conductor, but only slightly shift from their average equilibrium positions causing dielectric...
radome
Radome
A radome is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a microwave or radar antenna. The radome is constructed of material that minimally attenuates the electromagnetic signal transmitted or received by the antenna. In other words, the radome is transparent to radar or radio waves...
, and a separate "Sopka
Sopka
* Šopka, a Macedonian oro from the region of Kratovo.* Sopka, a hill or volcano in Siberia and Russian Far East....
" terrain-following radar
Terrain-following radar
Terrain-following radar is an aerospace technology that allows a very-low-flying aircraft to automatically maintain a relatively constant altitude above ground level. It is sometimes referred-to as ground hugging or terrain hugging flight...
, which provides fully automatic terrain-following flight at low altitude. The Tu-160 has an electro-optical bombsight
Bombsight
A bombsight is a device used by bomber aircraft to accurately drop bombs. In order to do this, the bombsight has to estimate the path the bomb will take after release from the aircraft. The two primary forces during its fall are gravity and air drag, which makes the path of the bomb through the air...
. Its electronic warfare suite includes comprehensive active and passive ECM
Electronic countermeasures
An electronic countermeasure is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar or other detection systems, like infrared or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting information to an enemy...
systems.
The Tu-160 has a crew of four (pilot, co-pilot, weapons systems officer and defensive systems operator) in K-36DM ejection seats. The pilot has a fighter-style control stick, but the flight instruments
Flight instruments
Flight instruments are the instruments in the cockpit of an aircraft that provide the pilot with information about the flight situation of that aircraft, such as height, speed and altitude...
are traditional "steam gauge" dials. A crew rest area, a toilet, and a galley are provided for long flights. There is no HUD
Head-Up Display
A head-up display or heads-up display is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints...
, nor are CRT
Cathode ray tube
The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...
multi-function displays provided in the original aircraft; however, plans for modernization of all Tu-160s were announced in 2003. They include a new digital flight control system, and the ability to carry new weapon types, such as new non-nuclear long-range cruise missiles.
Weapons are carried in two internal bays, each capable of holding 20,000 kg (44,400 lb) of free-fall weapons or a rotary launcher for nuclear
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
missiles; additional missiles may also be carried externally. The aircraft's total weapons load capacity is 40,000 kg (88,185 lb). However, no defensive weapons are provided; the Tu-160 is the first unarmed post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Soviet bomber.
A demilitarized, commercial version of the Tu-160, named Tu-160SK, was displayed at Asian Aerospace
Asian Aerospace
Asian Aerospace is an international trade fair for the aerospace business. Currently based in Hong Kong, it was held in Singapore since 1981 until disagreements between co-organisers Reed Exhibitions and Singapore Technologies in 2006 forced its relocation from 2007.-History:Asian Aerospace was...
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in 1994 with a model of a small space vehicle named Burlak attached underneath the fuselage. In 1995 Tupolev announced a partnership with the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
firm OHB-System
OHB-System
OHB-System is a medium-sized spaceflight company located in Bremen, northern Germany, which belongs to the OHB-Technology AG. OHB-System is a systems provider in the areas of telematics, space technology, security and satellite services...
to produce the aircraft as a carrier for the launch vehicle; the German government subsequently withdrew funding in 1998.
While similar in appearance to the American B-1 Lancer, the Tu-160 is an entirely different class of combat aircraft, its primary role being a standoff missile platform (strategic missile carrier). 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 and more modern avionics. Another significant difference is that the colour scheme on the B-1B Lancer is usually radar-absorbant Black, the Tu-160 is painted with anti-flash white, giving it the nick-name among Russian Airforce soldiers "White Swan".
Operational history
The Tu-160 began service with the 184 Guards Bomber Regiment, based at Priluki, Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, in 1987.
Deployment
Squadron deployments to Long Range Aviation began in April 1987 before the Tu-160 was first presented to the public in a parade in 1989. In 1989 and 1990 it set 44 world speed flight records in its weight class. Until 1991, 19 aircraft served in the 184th Guards Heavy Bomber Regiment in PrylukyPryluky (air base)
Pryluky is an air base in Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine located 6 km west of Pryluky. This airfield was Ukraine's primary Tupolev Tu-160 bomber base . There are revetments for 20 large aircraft.Pryluky accepted USSR's first Tu-160 in April 1987, building its fleet up to 19 by 1994...
in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
, replacing Tu-16
Tupolev Tu-16
The Tupolev Tu-16 was a twin-engine jet bomber used by the Soviet Union. It has flown for more than 50 years, and the Chinese license-built Xian H-6 remains in service with the Chinese air force.-Development:...
and Tu-22M3
Tupolev Tu-22M
The Tupolev Tu-22M is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Soviet Union. Significant numbers remain in service with the Russian Air Force....
aircraft. In January 1992, Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
decided to discontinue production of the Tu-160. By this time, 35 aircraft had been built. In the same year, Russia unilaterally suspended its flights of strategic aviation in remote regions. After the fall of the Soviet Union, 19 of 35 aircraft became property of the newly-independent Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, although in 1999 a deal between Russia and the Ukraine led to eight of those aircraft being turned over to Russia in exchange for a reduction in Ukraine's energy debts. Ukraine, which gave up nuclear weapons under the Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Agreement, destroyed its other Blackjacks, except for one airframe retained for static display.
Russia's second Tu-160 unit, the 121st Guards Heavy Bomber Regiment based in Engels, was organised in 1992, but by 1994 it had received only six aircraft. Between 1999 and 2000 the eight former Ukrainian aircraft were assigned to the regiment, and another newly-built aircraft was assigned in 2000. By early 2001, in accordance with the START-2 Treaty, Russia has had 15 new-built Tu-160s, of which six were formerly missile-armed strategic bombers. One aircraft was lost during a test flight after engine repairs, on 18 September 2003.
There were 14 Tu-160s in service as of November 2005. Another two new-built aircraft are nearing completion at the Kazan Aircraft Plant, one of which was due to enter service in March 2006, with the other following later in the year. As of 2001, six additional Tu-160 have served as experimental aircraft at Zhukovski, four remaining airworthy.
On 30 December 2005, under an order signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
, the Tu-160 officially entered service in the Russian Air Force
Russian Air Force
The Russian Air Force is the air force of Russian Military. It is currently under the command of Colonel General Aleksandr Zelin. The Russian Navy has its own air arm, the Russian Naval Aviation, which is the former Soviet Aviatsiya Voyenno Morskogo Flota , or AV-MF).The Air Force was formed from...
.
On 17 August 2007 Putin announced that Russia was resuming the strategic aviation flights stopped in 1991, sending its bomber aircraft on long-range patrols. On 14 September 2007, British and Norwegian fighters intercepted two Tu-160s which breached NATO airspace near the UK and Finland. On 25 December 2007, two Blackjacks came close to Danish airspace, and two Danish Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons scrambled to intercept and identify them.
According to Russian government sources, on 11 September 2007, a Tu-160 was used to drop the massive fuel-air explosive device, the Father of all bombs, for its first ever field test
Live fire exercise
A live fire exercise or LFX is any exercise in which a realistic scenario for the use of specific equipment is simulated. In the popular lexicon this is applied primarily to tests of weapons or weapon systems that are associated with the various branches of a nation's armed forces, although the...
. However, some military analysts expressed skepticism that the weapon was actually delivered by a Blackjack.
On 28 December 2007, the first flight of a new Tu-160 was reported to have taken place following completion of the aircraft at the Kazan Aviation Plant. After flight testing, the bomber joined the Russian Air Force on 29 April 2008, bringing the total number of aircraft in service to 16. One new Tu-160 is expected to be built every one to two years until the active inventory reaches 30 or more aircraft by 2025–30.
On 10 September 2008 two Russian Tu-160 landed in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
as part of military maneuvers, announcing an unprecedented deployment to Russia's ally at a time of increasingly tense relations between Russia and the United States. The Russian Ministry of Defence
Russian Ministry of Defence
The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation exercises operational leadership of the armed forces of Russia.The Russian Minister of Defence is the nominal commander of all the armed forces, serving under the president of the Russian Federation, in whom executive authority over the military is...
said the two Tu-160 bombers were on a training mission. It said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that the aircraft would conduct training flights over neutral waters before returning to Russia. Its spokesman added that the aircraft were escorted by NATO fighters as they flew across the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
.
On 12 October 2008 a number of Tu-160 bombers were involved in the largest Russian strategic bomber exercise since 1984. A total of 12 bombers including Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-95 Bear conducted a series of launches of their cruise missiles. Some bombers launched a full complement of their missiles. It was the first time that a Tu-160 had ever fired a full complement of missiles.
Pilots of the Tu-160 call it the “White Swan”, due to its maneuverability and anti-flash white
Anti-flash white
Anti-flash white is a brilliant white color commonly seen on United States, British and Soviet nuclear bombers. The purpose of the color was to reflect some of the thermal radiation from a nuclear explosion, protecting the aircraft and its occupants....
finish.
On 10 June 2010, two Tu-160 bombers carried out a record-breaking 23-hour patrol with a planned flight range of 18,000 kilometers. The bombers flew along the Russian borders and over neutral waters in the Arctic and Pacific Oceans.
Trainer aircraft
No dedicated Tu-160 trainer version has yet appeared. Initially, pilot training was conducted using Tu-22MTupolev Tu-22M
The Tupolev Tu-22M is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Soviet Union. Significant numbers remain in service with the Russian Air Force....
Backfire bombers, but these were soon replaced with a highly modified variant of the Tupolev Tu-134
Tupolev Tu-134
The Tupolev Tu-134 is a twin-engined airliner, similar to the American Douglas DC-9 and the French Sud Aviation Caravelle, and built in the Soviet Union from 1966–1984. The original version featured a glazed-nose design and, like certain other Russian airliners , it can operate from unpaved...
airliner. Designated the Tu-134UBL, this unusual aircraft has had the nose and cockpit section of a Tu-160 grafted onto the aircraft's nose, giving students an unobstructed view from the simulated Tu-160 cockpit. In this arrangement the Tu-134UBL is reported to have flying characteristics similar to the Tu-160.
Variants
- Tu-160: Production version.
Several variants have been proposed, but not built, including:
- Tu-160S: designation used for serial Tu-160s when needed to separate them from all the pre-production and experimental aircraft.
- Tu-160V: liquid hydrogenLiquid hydrogenLiquid hydrogen is the liquid state of the element hydrogen. Hydrogen is found naturally in the molecular H2 form.To exist as a liquid, H2 must be pressurized above and cooled below hydrogen's Critical point. However, for hydrogen to be in a full liquid state without boiling off, it needs to be...
fueled version (see also Tu-155Tupolev Tu-155-External links:* *...
). - Tu-160 NK-74: upgraded (extended range) version with NK-74 engines.
- Tu-160M: a stretched bomber carrying two long-range, hypersonicHypersonicIn aerodynamics, a hypersonic speed is one that is highly supersonic. Since the 1970s, the term has generally been assumed to refer to speeds of Mach 5 and above...
Kh-90Kh-90The Kh-90 was Soviet cruise missile which was supposed to replace subsonic intermediate range missiles in Soviet inventory. The missile was an ambitious project since the target was to ultimately develop it into hypersonic missile...
(3M25 Meteorit-A) missiles. - Tu-160P (Tu-161): a very long-range escort fighter/interceptor.
- Tu-160PP: an electronic warfareElectronic warfareElectronic warfare refers to any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults via the spectrum. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of, and ensure friendly...
aircraft carrying stand-off jamming and ECMElectronic countermeasuresAn electronic countermeasure is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar or other detection systems, like infrared or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting information to an enemy...
gear . - Tu-160R: a strategic reconnaissanceReconnaissanceReconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
platform. - Tu-160SK: commercial version, designed to launch satellites within the "Burlak" system.
- Tu-170: a conventional bomber (conceived in order to avoid SALT-2 limits).
Current
- Russian Air ForceRussian Air ForceThe Russian Air Force is the air force of Russian Military. It is currently under the command of Colonel General Aleksandr Zelin. The Russian Navy has its own air arm, the Russian Naval Aviation, which is the former Soviet Aviatsiya Voyenno Morskogo Flota , or AV-MF).The Air Force was formed from...
: As of April 2008, 16 were in service, with the 121st Guards Heavy Bomber Regiment at Engels/Saratov.
Former
- Ukrainian Air ForceUkrainian Air ForceThe Ukrainian Air Force is a part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukrainian Air Force Command and headquarters are located in the city of Vinnytsia....
inherited 19 Tu-160s from the former Soviet Union, but subsequently handed over eight Tu-160s to Russia as exchange for debt relief in 1999; the remainder have been withdrawn from service.
- Soviet Air ForceSoviet Air ForceThe Soviet Air Force, officially known in Russian as Военно-воздушные силы or Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily and often abbreviated VVS was the official designation of one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces...
(transferred to Russian and Ukrainian Air Forces in 1991)
- 184th Guards Heavy Bomber Regiment (TBAP), Priluki, Ukrainian SSR
Specifications (Tu-160)