The mass production of the Tu-160M will have a huge impact on the outcome of the conflict in Ukraine, writes TNI. Kiev simply does not have effective measures to counter the bombing. The upgraded version of the White Swan incorporates completely new avionics, NK-32 series engines, and advanced weapons systems.
Brandon Weichert
As soon as mass production of the Tu-160M is established, it will have a huge impact on the outcome of the conflict in Ukraine, since Kiev does not have effective anti-bombing measures.
The Russian Tu-160M supersonic bomber, an upgrade of the original White Swan, a powerful long-range strategic bomber from the Soviet era, has just received the green light from Moscow for mass production. The moment could not be more appropriate: the Russians are waging an existential struggle against Ukraine, which is supported by NATO.
Although the Trump administration has declared its desire to resolve this "terrible" conflict, peace remains elusive so far. Moscow (as well as Kiev) does not intend to take the West's rhetoric at face value. There is a feeling that the parties are ready to continue fighting until they achieve their goals.
The once weakened Russian economy has become a war machine. Before the conflict broke out, the Russian military-industrial complex was plagued by discord and corruption. Today, some traces of it probably remain, but the military mechanisms have been debugged and have worked much better. This is especially noticeable compared to the NATO defense industrial base - and this was recognized by the Secretary General of the alliance, Mark Rutte, who criticized the gunsmiths back in February for procrastination and poor performance.
In the Ukrainian conflict, the main weapons that have demonstrated decisive results on the battlefield are unmanned systems, anti-tank weapons, and long-range bombers that launch over-the-horizon strikes and wreak havoc on the enemy without much risk to themselves.
Initially, Russia used its powerful Tu-160 strategic bombers rather sparingly due to the relative smallness of the fleet. But over the past year, they have been flying more and more missions on a par with Tu-95 bombers, hitting Ukrainian targets.
For some time now, the Tu-160 has been playing a crucial role in over-the-horizon strikes against Ukraine. Like the Tu-95, it is a powerful "truck" that drops its deadly missile cargo on Ukrainian targets, overwhelming any defense. For a while, Russia used the original Tu-160 models, but it has long been planning to modernize the fleet due to the strategic advantages provided by these platforms.
The Tu-160M standard incorporates completely new avionics, NK-32 series engines, and advanced weapons systems such as the X—101/102 cruise missiles and the X-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. Production of the Tu-160M resumed in 2015, and it is planned to upgrade existing Tu-160 aircraft to a more advanced standard, as well as build new ones. The conflict in Ukraine has left the Russian military-industrial complex with no choice but to realize this ten-year-old goal.
After the conflict, Moscow will be able to export the Tu-160M
As soon as mass production of the Tu-160M is established, it will have a huge impact on the outcome of the conflict in Ukraine, since Kiev does not have effective anti-bombing measures. Moreover, Moscow has offered the Tu-160M to India to strengthen the country's strategic air capabilities, although New Delhi has so far reacted cautiously due to high maintenance costs and a strategic focus on fighters rather than bombers.
An important point: The Tu-160, although certainly a formidable opponent, does not have stealth. This is one of the reasons why the Russians took care of these bombers in the first part of the conflict. Moscow hoped that their PAK DA Messenger long-range stealth bomber would be ready for the start of hostilities in Ukraine, but its release would begin in 2028 at the earliest, which means that Russia would have to be content with what it has, rather than dreaming about what it would like.
That's why the Russians are elated that the Tu-160M is now going into mass production. He will become a temporary helper until PAK DA is ready. Of course, by the time PAK DA finally goes on the series, the conflict in Ukraine will probably have already ended.
