Russia Has Big Plans for Its ’New’ Tu-160 Bomber

The Tupolev Tu-160 with NATO’s reporting name of Blackjack, is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber. It was disclosed in 2015 that Russia’s defence industry plans to modernize Tu-160 with the coming Tu-160M revision. The new variant was trialled in the late 2010s and undertook its maiden flight in 2020, suggesting that the Tu-160M is nearing service readiness. The new fighter jet largely retains its predecessor’s design. Rather, it concentrates on a raft of improvements and new features under the hood. The Tu-160M modification follows an established pattern for Russian aircraft modernization initiatives in recent years, replicating the avionics and radar upgrades given to the Tu-22 bomber. This strategy makes sense in the near future, to say on a tried-and-true frame that saves time and money over investing in a new airframe design. All content on Military TV is presented for educational purposes. Subscribe Now :