Tu-160 Blackjack

Russia's Mach-2-capable strategic heavy bomber and standoff cruise-missile carrier, the most powerful supersonic platform in service.

Overview

The Tupolev Tu-160, known by its NATO reporting name Blackjack and nicknamed the White Swan, is a supersonic, variable-sweep-wing strategic bomber operated exclusively by the Russian Aerospace Forces. Designed during the late Cold War as a counterpart to the American B-1B, it remains the largest and fastest combat aircraft in service, capable of delivering nuclear and conventional cruise missiles from standoff ranges. Since 2015, the type has fired Kh-101 and Kh-555 cruise missiles in Syria and appears regularly in the long-range standoff strikes against Ukraine. Russia is modernising the fleet through a low-rate new-build and upgrade programme, but only a limited number of airframes remain operational.

Development

The Tu-160 was developed by the Tupolev design bureau in the 1970s and 80s as a supersonic penetrating bomber; its first flight took place in December 1981 and the type entered service in 1987, with serial production at the Kazan Aviation Plant. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, production stalled and the fleet atrophied. Russia revived the platform in the 2010s through the Tu-160M modernisation programme: the first modernised aircraft flew in February 2020 and the first completely new-build Tu-160M airframe made its maiden flight on 12 January 2022, according to The War Zone. Deliveries of upgraded and new aircraft resumed in small batches; two modernised Tu-160M bombers were turned over to the Russian Aerospace Forces in 2024–2025, as Aerotime and Defence Blog reported, though production rates remain far below the stated ambition of 50 aircraft.

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