Russia’s PAK DA Stealth Bomber Can Be Summed Up in 2 Words

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Key Points: Russia’s PAK DA Poslannik stealth bomber remains in prototype limbo, with its first flight postponed to at least 2025 and serial production unlikely before 2030.

-Designed as a sixth-generation flying wing, the PAK DA boasts a 7,500-mile range and could carry 30 tons of nuclear and conventional ordnance, including hypersonic missiles.

-Despite claims of advanced technologies like lasers, AI, and drone integration, the program faces significant challenges due to Western sanctions, limited resources, and outdated manufacturing infrastructure.

-While the PAK DA symbolizes Russia’s ambition to rival U.S. and Chinese stealth bombers, its future remains uncertain and largely aspirational.

Russian Next-Generation PAK DA Bomber Is Not Ready for Prime Time 

The United States has its new B-21 Raider stealth bomber. China may have two stealth bombers in the works: the H-20 and the JH-XX. It only stands to reason that Russia wants to join this exclusive club. Enter the PAK DA Poslannik (“envoy” or “messenger”) stealth bomber. If initial reports can be believed, it can carry 30 tons of nuclear-tipped hypersonic weapons and other conventional munitions. 

Let’s take a deeper dive into the PAK DA to determine if it is indeed ready to enter the Russian air force or if it is “vaporware” that Vladimir Putin is using for propaganda purposes to give his struggling military some glowing press clippings.

The U.S. Is in the Target Range

If reports are accurate, this Russian bomber has the range (7,500 miles) to reach the United States and more than enough to endanger Europe. 

It has stealth attributes with ample radar evasion capabilities. It can carry a diverse range of nuclear and conventional weapons – from hypersonics to precision-guided missiles and bombs.

The PAK DA may be all bark and have no bite, though. 

After ground testing earlier this year, the first flight date has been pushed to at least 2025. That means no serial production until 2030.

What Does PAK DA Mean? 

PAK DA is translated from Russian to “Promising Aviation Complex for Long-Range Aviation.” 

That’s a vague word salad and doesn’t explain much about the mysterious bomber.

However, the Russians categorize it as a sixth-generation airplane with internal weapons bays and subsonic speed without afterburners, according to ArmyRecognition.com.

Lasers and Tethered Drones 

It might be equipped with lasers which would make it unique compared to the American and Chinese models. 

Artificial intelligence in the cockpit is another possibility. 

The Russians have thrown the term “network-centric” around without expanding on that concept. 

The PAK DA could also have an unmanned version or the ability to fly in a “Loyal Wingman” configuration in which combat drones are tethered to the bomber for better reconnaissance data collection, target acquisition, and bomb damage assessment.

One thing is sure, Russia needs a new bomber. They are flying the Tupolev Tu-95 Bear and Tu-160 – Cold War models that have seen too much service over the years to keep up with the times (although the new Tu-160M variant has been modernized). 

The Bite of Sanctions

However, the PAK DA is still in prototype mode (there may be more than one experimental model). Russia is suffering from sanctions that make the high-tech components of airplane building, especially stealth coatings and microchips, challenging to acquire.

Development for the PAK DA has progressed slowly since the late 1990s, which shows just how much Russian engineers and designers are struggling with next-generation bombers.

Russia Wants Another Nuclear Delivery Option

There is a war to think about, and time, money, and resources are being spent on existing airplanes and stealth fighters such as the Su-57 and Su-75. 

Putin is likely frustrated that the PAK DA is taking so long and will probably not be ready until the war is over. 

However, if the Poslannik does enter full-time production by the 2030s, it gives Putin another nuclear option to threaten the United States.

The PAK DA is expected to be big, with a weight of 145 tons and a cruising speed of only 500 miles per hour, but this enables it to carry more ordnance.

There will likely be a crew of four with room for one pilot to sleep during long intercontinental flights lasting as long as 30 hours. The Russians want the service life to be at least 12 to 21 years. 

The design is expected to be a flying wing like the American B-2 Spirit, and once again, an adversarial air force is copying U.S. airplanes. 

Will This Stealth Bomber Ever Fly? 

You can tell that I am skeptical about this bomber. 

It is more of an aspiration than a full-fledged airplane ready for production. Flying slowly without much maneuverability will not make it immune from enemy anti-aircraft batteries despite the stealth characteristics it may have.

Resources are minimized at this time. Sanctions are causing delays, and designers are unsure which prototype to pick. 

The PAK DA is another example of the Russians getting out over their skis with a new aircraft that mainly exists on paper. Don’t look for it to fly anytime soon. It is more for bragging rights to claim that the defense industrial base is still strong despite all the struggles the Russian air force is enduring against Ukrainian warplanes and air defense batteries. 

The Poslannik may stand for messenger or envoy, but the program won’t deliver the goods until the end of the decade, if then.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood 

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.