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Key Points and Summary: Russia’s upgraded Tu-160M Blackjack bomber mirrors the U.S. Air Force’s modernization of the B-52 in maintaining a legacy platform for modern conflicts.

-The Tu-160M, with enhanced navigation, autopilot systems, and a payload of up to six nuclear-capable Kh-55SM cruise missiles, is undergoing limited production to bridge Russia’s bomber gap ahead of the stealth PAK DA. However, like the B-52 and B1-B, the Tu-160M lacks stealth capabilities, restricting it to permissive environments.

-Planned upgrades, including advanced radars and anti-jamming systems, aim to keep the Blackjack relevant, but its vulnerability in contested airspace limits its strategic viability in modern warfare.

Russia’s Tu-160M Bomber, Upgraded and Ready to Fight 

Russia’s upgraded Tu-160M Blackjack strategic bomber could be compared to ongoing U.S. efforts to maintain and improve the famous B-52.

Unlike the Vietnam-era classic B-52, the Tupolev Tu-160 first entered service in the Soviet era during the 1980s. Russia’s Tupolev looks a little more like the large, elongated B1-B bomber able to carry a massive payload, bringing the max take-off weight up to 300 tons.

Does Russia’s large and heavily upgraded 1980s-era Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bomber align with the US Air Force’s classic B-52, as both aircraft have been substantially modernized and upgraded to fight and remain relevant in a modern threat environment?

Meet Russia’s Rebooted Supersonic Bomber

In one sense, they emerged in very different timelines, as the Soviet Blackjack arrived in the 1980s, more than two decades after the B-52.

Yet the bombers are similar in mission scope and Concept of Operation. 

The B-52 has surged into the future with paradigm-changing upgrades in almost a continuous fashion through the decades. Yet, Russia’s Tu-160M stopped production in 1995 and restarted about 10 years ago in 2015. 

Putin’s rationale for re-starting the Tu-160M BlackJack was reportedly due to a need to bridge a bomber “gap” as the Russian Air Force awaits the arrival of the new PAK DA stealth bomber.

Indeed, the Russian military does not want to operate with a bomber “deficit” moving into a modern threat environment. 

Specs and Capabilities of this Bomber 

The Tu-160M is a modernized variant of the original bomber, adding a new navigation system and autopilot technologies.

The Blackjack is also armed with as many as six Kh-55SM ground-attack cruise missiles, each capable of carrying a nuclear or conventional warhead, according to an interesting essay from Kyle Mizokami in Popular Mechanics.

Tu-160. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

As described in his essay, the warheads can either be a 200-kiloton thermonuclear warhead or a conventional high-explosive fragmentation warhead. 

More Bombers Coming Soon 

Russia reportedly plans to produce as many as two Tu-160Ms per year to add as many as 10 new airplanes by 2027

A Janes report notes Russia’s Rostec plans to produce roughly two new Tu-160Ms per year to reach 10 aircraft between 2023 and 2027. 

That same report explains that Russia’s Rostec will also build a Tu-160M2 phase, which will include a NVI.70 radar, digital class cockpit, anti-jamming equipment, and an upgraded NK-32 engine.

Russia seeks to maintain an active and capable bomber fleet, yet the Tu-160M bomber suffers many of the same challenges likely to be encountered by the B1-B and B-52. Simply put, Russia’s legacy bomber does not have the stealth required for today’s environment.

Tu-160

Modernized Tu-160. Image Credit: Russian Government.

While it does have a slightly rounded fuselage, which could give it some advantage, a super large, non-stealthy bomber such as the Tu-160M will likely need to be restricted to permissive environments as it would likely be highly vulnerable to NATO air and ground attacks

About the Author: Kris Osborn 

Kris Osborn is the Military Technology Editor of 19FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.