We support our Publishers and Content Creators. You can view this story on their website by CLICKING HERE.

Key Points and Summary: Russia’s modernized Tu-160M bomber addresses the immediate need for a long-range strike platform amid delays with its stealthy PAK DA program. Upgraded from the Cold War-era Tu-160, the Tu-160M features improved avionics, radar, engines, and electronic warfare systems, extending its range and survivability.

-While the PAK DA promises stealth and advanced technology, sanctions, financial strain, and shifting defense priorities have delayed its debut until the 2030s. In Ukraine, the Tu-160M delivers long-range cruise missile strikes from Russian airspace, avoiding Ukraine’s robust air defenses.

-As Russia’s most advanced bomber, the Tu-160M will remain a cornerstone of its strategic deterrence for years.

Tu-160M vs. PAK DA: Can Russia’s Upgraded Bomber Fill the Gap?

Russia’s decision to resurrect the Cold War-era Tu-160 as an upgraded variant, the Tu-160M, is a result of an increased need for a long-range stand-off strike platform to strike targets in Ukraine, as well as a raft of issues with the PAK DA, Russia’s stealth bomber.

By introducing an updated version of a legacy Soviet bomber, Russia can put more bombers in service relatively quickly, though at the cost of their future stealthy bomber fleet.

The Tu-160M: A Modernized Powerhouse

The original Tu-160, or “White Swan,” made its debut with the Soviet Air Force in the late 1980s. Emphasizing payload and speed, the white, swing-wing design could fly faster than many fighters at the time and boasted a significant range.

Fast forward to the present day, and the Tu-160M, which began rolling off production lines again in 2021, introduces a swath of updates to the bomber for the 21st century.

Although the Tu-160M’s airframe looks almost identical to the original Tu-160, it’s been significantly upgraded.

The bomber has been equipped with modernized avionics, upgraded radar, and improved engines, which give the bomber better range and fuel efficiency.

These are vitally essential improvements for a bomber intended to cover Russia’s vast distances. The Tu-160M also boasts an updated electronic warfare system suite to help it survive in increasingly dangerous and contested airspace.

A Return to the Production Line

Building the Tu-160M was not simply a matter of restarting old Tu-160 production lines. Much of the original bomber’s tooling and knowledge had disappeared, leaving parts of the updated bomber to be essentially reverse-engineered in order to bring it to life. Western sanctions also had a limiting effect on the jet bomber’s construction.

“The program for upgrading the Tu-160 was launched under the president’s personal decision,” a press release from Tass, a Russian state-controlled news agency, explained.

Tu-160 Bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

“Under the government contract concluded between the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Tupolev design bureau, the design documentation for the Tu-160M aircraft was fully digitized within a short period of time, the technique of vacuum welding of titanium products restored, and the production of airframe units was resumed. Rostec’s leading industrial enterprises in the field of metallurgy, aircraft design, engineering and instrument making revitalized their cooperation.”

The Tu-160M Resurrection

The rationale behind resurrecting an updated Cold War-era bomber came down to a question of necessity.

Russia’s upcoming stealthy bomber, the PAK DA, is running years behind schedule.

Somewhat akin to the United States’ B-2 Spirit and upcoming B-21 Raider bombers, the PAK DA is intended to also be a highly stealthy, flying-wing design and would replace Russia’s legacy Soviet bombers, including the Tu-95, the Tu-22M3, and even the Tu-160.

The PAK DA

Russia would like the PAK DA to fly undetected through heavily defended airspace, especially considering its ability to carry advanced weapons that include nuclear and hypersonics.

Though it would likely fly at subsonic speeds, anticipated advanced materials and stealth coatings, combined with internal weapon bays, would afford the PAK DA a tiny radar cross-section.

The PAK DA is also expected to incorporate advanced avionics and potentially even artificial intelligence to assist the pilot with navigation, mission planning, and threat detection.

Tu-160 bomber about to take off. Image Credit: TASS.

Tu-160 bomber about to take off. Image Credit: TASS.

The PAK DA program has been plagued by delays, largely due to technological challenges and the financial strain of developing such a cutting-edge aircraft under sanctions.

Russia’s shifting defense priorities following their full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022 and a need for ormolu vehicles and drones rather than piloted aircraft also had a detrimental effect on the PAK DA program.

Originally slated to enter service by the mid-2020s, the PAK DA is now looking at a much later debut, possibly into the 2030s.

Until Russia’s defense priorities change, the Tu-160M will fill the bomber gap as Russia’s newest and most advanced bomber.

The Tu-160’s Role in the War in Ukraine

The Tu-160 has found a new, though perhaps unexpected, role in the war in Ukraine.

Thanks to Ukraine’s robust air defenses — aided in large part by a great deal of military aid from the United States, other NATO members, and other countries around the world, Russian fighter jets and helicopters have been pushed farther away from the front lines. The same is true of Russia’s bomber fleet.

PAK DA

PAK DA stealth bomber. Image Credit: Artist Render.

Given the high payload capacity of bombers like the Tu-160, however, that and other bombers have been used by Russia to launch iKh-101 cruise missiles against Ukrainian infrastructure, including power plants and military facilities. By flying missions deep inside Russian territory, the Tu-160 can deliver strikes without straying into Ukraine’s increasingly robust and capable air defense network.

These strike missions are costly and add to the wear and tear the bombers experience, resulting in an increased need for maintenance to keep the bombers in the air, opening the door for updated and brand-new airframes.

Into the Future

The Tu-160M is a sign that Russia still depends on long-range, high-capacity bombers in Ukraine, even though those aircraft do not fly directly into contested airspace.

The rollout of the bombers shows that, despite struggling with the realities of Western sanctions, a stretched defense budget, and technological setbacks — and, perhaps most importantly, difficulty in getting the PAK DA into production — the Tu-160M will likely be the backbone of Russia’s bomber force well into the future. It will also be a cornerstone of Russian strategic deterrence.

As for the PAK DA, its future remains uncertain. The stealth bomber could redefine Russia’s air force if it were introduced in high numbers. But with delays now indefinite and budgets tightening, the question of whether it will arrive in numbers if at all, remains an open question.

PAK DA. Image Credit: Artist Rendition/Creative Commons.

PAK DA. Image Credit: Artist Rendition/Creative Commons.

About the Author: Caleb Larson 

Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.