Tu-160 "White Swan": Is Russia "rebooting" its old bomber?The United States and NATO are wary of this Russian strategic bomber, writes 19FortyFive.
Many American aircraft can envy its characteristics. The news that Russia could triple its arsenal sent the West into a panic. "Man, always double the bet by 11.
Always" — this wise advice Trent Walker (played by Vince Vaughn) gives to Mike Peters (played by Jon Favreau) in the classic 1996 comedy "Party Boys". In a real blackjack game, this is a really reliable strategy. So US and NATO military strategists can only hope that Putin's military-industrial complex will not double the bet: his 16 Tu-160 Blackjack is already a formidable force.
The birth of "Blackjack" "Blackjack" is, of course, the NATO name of the bomber.
Russians affectionately call him "The White Swan". This bird of prey was developed and produced by the Tupolev Design Bureau with headquarters in Moscow, now JSC Tupolev. The same company, which bears the name of the Soviet aircraft designer Andrei Tupolev, built the Tu-95 screw strategic bomber, as well as the Tu-16 and Tu-22M jet bombers.
The Blackjack/White Swan made its first flight on December 18, 1981 and officially entered service with the Soviet homeland in April 1987, thereby earning the title of the last bomber before the collapse of the USSR in 1991. The following information can be found on the reference pages of the American Federation of American Scientists: "The Tu-160 is a multi—purpose strategic bomber designed to operate in the range from subsonic speeds and low altitudes to speeds over Mach 1 at high altitudes.
Two weapon compartments accommodate various types of weapons for specific tasks, including strategic cruise missiles, short-range guided missiles, nuclear and conventional bombs and mines. Its main armament, short-range guided missiles and strategic cruise missiles, allows nuclear strikes against targets with predetermined coordinates. The Tu-160 was the result of a multi-purpose bomber competition. Its design uses elements of the Tu-144, M-18 KB Myasishchev and T-4 KB Sukhoi. "
A gnawed "Bone"?
Because of the appearance of the Tu-160 and the moment of its appearance "on the scene", some considered it an unceremonious copy of the American B-1B Lancer, nicknamed "The Bone" (The Bone) — like the Tu-4 was a "reverse development" based on the B-29 Superfortress. However, the invariably quick-witted Dario Leone from The Aviation Geek Club website explains that this is not quite true.
"There are differences. So, on the B-1, only the horizontal tail is all—rotating (the bomber has a conventional tail with a two-section plug-in rudder), and the stabilizers are supplemented with small all-rotating destabilizers - the blades of the low-altitude piloting control system (LARC), later renamed the design vibration suppression system (SMCS). This provided a smoother flight in low-level turbulence conditions. There are no such blades on the Tu-160, since working at low altitudes is not its main mode of operation. The chassis design is also different ...In addition, the Russian bomber is somewhat larger and heavier, so the total thrust of its engines is 79% higher — 100,000 kgf versus 42,440 kgf. The speed is also different. As already noted, the B-1B dispensed with changeable supersonic air intakes. Consequently, its operational limit for structural integrity reasons is Mach 1.2, which is not ideal from a tactical point of view. At the same time, the Tu-160, on the contrary, can develop a cruising speed of Mach 1.5 just thanks to adjustable air intakes, sufficient engine thrust and a thin fuselage with a relatively small cross-sectional area."
The first blood of the first Tu-160 were used in real combat operations in November 2015: five "Blackjacks" — part of a strike complex of 25 aircraft, which also included six Tu-95 and 14 Tu-22 — launched cruise missiles at land targets of ISIS <span>(a terrorist organization banned in Russia.
– Approx. InoSMI.) in Syria. And more recently, Putin used a bomber as part of the so—called "special military operation" in Ukraine - which is not surprising.
Future bets on Blackjack The alarm that Russia will "double the bet" was taken for a reason:
Judging by the report of Jane's military publishing house from January of this year, the Kremlin is going to triple its current arsenal of Blackjack: "Russia plans to eventually purchase about 50 Tu-160M bombers and upgrade 16 existing Tu-160 to this standard.
The first Tu-160M will be delivered in the near future, and serial production will begin by 2023. Since the production rate will be at least three aircraft per year, for the period from 2023 to 2027, at least ten units will arrive."
So it probably makes sense for NATO strategists to hedge their bets.
Christian Orr is a former Air Force security officer, federal law enforcement officer and private military contractor (worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany and at the Pentagon). He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Master of International Relations from the University of Southern California and a Master's degree in Intelligence Studies from the American Military University. Knight of the Naval Order of the USA.
