Tupolev Tu-160

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Tupolev Tu-160

The Tupolev Tu-160 (Russian: Туполев Ту-160


Tu-160
Белый лебедь, romanized: Bely Lebed, lit. 'White
Swan';[1] NATO reporting name: Blackjack) is a
supersonic, variable-sweep wing nuclear-capable heavy
strategic bomber and airborne missile platform designed
by the Tupolev Design Bureau in the Soviet Union in
the 1970s. The Tu-160 is operated by the Long Range
Aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces.[2]

Entering service in 1987, the Tu-160 was the last


strategic bomber designed for the Soviet Air Forces and
was built to serve as a conventional and nuclear-
Tupolev Tu-160 in flight over Russia, August
capable strike aircraft. Following the dissolution of the
Soviet Union in 1991, the newly independent Ukraine 2005
inherited a fleet of 19 Tu-160s, over half of all the Tu- Role Supersonic strategic heavy
160s in existence at that time. They had been deployed bomber
there since the late 1980s with local Soviet Air Force National origin Soviet Union / Russia
units and were soon afterwards handed over to the Design group Tupolev
newly formed Ukrainian Air Force. Following
Built by Kazan Aircraft Production
protracted negotiations, 11 Ukrainian Tu-160s were
Association
purchased by the Russian Federation while the
remainder were scrapped in the late 1990s under the First flight 18 December 1981
Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction agreement. Introduction April 1987
Following these actions, the sole operator of the type is Status In service
the Russian Aerospace Forces' Long Range Aviation
Primary users Russian Aerospace Forces
branch, which has 16 Tu-160s in service as of 2016.[3]
Soviet Air Forces (historical)
The type had its combat debut in November 2015 Ukrainian Air Force
during the Russian military intervention in the Syrian (historical)
Civil War, conducting numerous airstrikes using Kh-
Produced 1984–1992, 2002, 2008,
101 air-launched cruise missiles. Various overseas
2017, 2021–present
deployments have been conducted, including to distant
nations such as Venezuela and South Africa. Number built 41 (9 test and 32 serial)

Since the early 2000s, the active fleet has been subject to several upgrades, largely focusing on various
electronics systems. The Tu-160M modernization program of existing models began with the first updated
aircraft delivered in December 2014. Plans announced in 2015 called for the delivery of 50 new-build Tu-
160Ms as well as the upgrading of 16 existing aircraft.[4] In January 2022, a newly-built Tu-160M
performed a test flight,[5] the first of the resumed serial production, with two planned for delivery in 2022[6]
from 10 on order.[7][4]

Development

Origins
The first competition for a supersonic strategic heavy bomber was launched in the Soviet Union in 1967. In
1972, the Soviet Union launched a new multi-mission bomber competition to create a new supersonic,
variable-geometry ("swing-wing") heavy bomber with a maximum speed of Mach 2.3, in response to the
US Air Force B-1 bomber project. The Tupolev design, named Aircraft 160M, with a lengthened blended
wing layout and incorporating some elements of the Tu-144, competed against the Myasishchev M-18 and
the Sukhoi T-4 designs.[8] Work on the new Soviet bomber continued despite an end to the B-1A and, in
the same year, the design was accepted by the government committee. The prototype was photographed by
an airline passenger at a Zhukovsky Airfield in November 1981, about a month before the aircraft's first
flight on 18 December 1981. Production was authorized in 1984, beginning at the Kazan Aircraft
Production Association (KAPO).[9]

Modernization
In 2002, the Russian Defence Ministry and KAPO agreed to modernise 15 Tu-160s.[10] In July 2006, the
first overhauled and partially modernized aircraft was accepted into Russian service after testing; it
reportedly received the capability to use conventional weapons but was not upgraded with new avionics as
previously planned.[11] The first modernized aircraft capable of carrying the new long-range Kh-555
conventional cruise missile was delivered to the Russian Air Force in April 2008;[12][13] a follow-up
contract for the modernization of three more aircraft is estimated to cost RUR3.4 billion
(US$103 million).[14]

The modernization appeared to be split into two phases, first


concentrating on life extension with some initial communication–
navigation updates, followed by engine upgrades after 2016.[15] In
November 2014, a Tu-160 upgraded with new radar and avionics
performed its first flight.[12] The aircraft was delivered to the
Russian Air Force as the Tu-160M model in December
2014.[16][17] The phase I update was due to be completed by 2016,
but industrial limitations may delay it to 2019 or beyond.[18]
Tu-160 Aleksandr Novikov in flight
Although Kuznetsov designed an NK-32M engine with improved over Russia
reliability over the NK-32 engines, its successor company has
struggled to deliver working units. Metallist-Samara JSC had not
produced new engines for a decade when it was given a contract in 2011 to overhaul 26 of the existing
engines; two years later, only four had been finished.[18] Ownership and financial concerns hinder the
prospects of a new production line; the firm insists it needs a minimum of 20 engines ordered per year but
the government is only prepared to pay for 4–6 engines per year.[18][19] A further improved engine was
bench tested in 2012 and projected to potentially enter production as early as 2016.[15]
On 2 February 2020, the modernized Tu-160M performed its first test flight at the airfield of the Kazan
Aviation Plant named for I. Gorbunov.[20] Deliveries started later that year, five aircraft were equipped with
the new engines by August 2022.[21] According to Vladimir Putin, 4 Tu-160M were delivered in 2023.[22]

Resumed production
In 2008, Russia revealed plans for one new Tu-160 to be delivered
every one to two years with the aim of increasing the active
inventory to 30 or more aircraft by 2025–2030.[23] On 29 April
2015, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, on order of
President Putin,[24] announced that Tu-160 production would
resume.[25] In May 2015, TASS reported that the Russian Air Force
would purchase at least 50 KAPO-built Tu-160s.[26] General
Tupolev Tu-160 at the 2013 Moscow Viktor Bondarev stated that development of the PAK DA will
Victory Day Parade proceed alongside Tu-160 production.[26]

On 16 November 2017, a newly assembled Tu-160, built from an


unfinished airframe, was unveiled during a roll-out ceremony at KAPO, signifying a restoration of certain
production techniques such as electron-beam welding or titanium work reportedly lost after the termination
of serial production in 1992. According to Dmitri Rogozin, the serial production of wholly new airframes
for the modernized Tu-160M2 should begin in 2019 with deliveries to the Russian Aerospace Forces in
2023.[27][28] The aircraft, named Petr Deinekin, after the first commanding officer of the Russian Air Force,
performed its maiden flight in January 2018 and began flight testing the same month.[29] It performed its
first public flight on 25 January 2018, during President Vladimir Putin's visit to KAPO plant.[30] The same
day, a contract for ten upgraded Tu-160M2s was signed.[31][32][33] On 12 January 2022 a new-build[34]
Tu-160M had its first low altitude basic test flight.[35] It is planned to deliver two new-build Tu-160M in
2022[6] with production increasing until all 50 new aircraft on order are delivered. In December 2022,
United Aircraft Corporation announced that the second new-build Tu-160M and the fourth modernized Tu-
160M were starting flight tests.[36] It was also reported that the first new Tu-160 had completed factory
testing.[37] 4 aircraft were delivered on 21 February 2024.[38][39]

Other proposed variants


A demilitarized, commercial version of the Tu-160, named Tu-160SK, was displayed at Asian Aerospace in
Singapore in 1994 with a model of a small space vehicle named Burlak[40] attached underneath the
fuselage.

In January 2018, Vladimir Putin, while visiting the KAPO plant, floated an idea of creating a civilian
passenger supersonic transport version of Tu-160.[41] Experts quoted by the news media were skeptical
about the commercial and technological feasibility of such a civilian conversion.[31][42]

Design
The Tu-160 is a variable-geometry wing aircraft. The aircraft employs a fly-by-wire control system with a
blended wing profile, and full-span slats are used on the leading edges, with double-slotted flaps on the
trailing edges and cruciform tail.[43] Titanium constitutes around 30% of the aircraft's 110 t (242,508 lb)
empty weight, and the largest component (the swing wing hinge)
weighs six tonnes (13,230 lb).[35] The Tu-160 has a crew of four
(pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, and defensive systems operator) in K-
36LM ejection seats.[44][45]

The Tu-160 is powered by


four Kuznetsov NK-32
afterburning turbofan
Cockpit view of a Tu-160
engines, the most powerful
ever fitted to a combat
aircraft. Unlike the American B-1B Lancer, which reduced the
original Mach 2+ requirement for the B-1A to achieve a smaller
radar cross-section, the Tu-160 retains variable intake ramps, and is
Blended wing profile
capable of reaching Mach 2.05 speed at altitude.[46] The Tu-160 is
equipped with a probe-and-drogue in-flight refueling system for
extended-range missions, although it is rarely used. The Tu-160 has an internal fuel capacity of 130 tonnes
(286,600 lb).[47] In February 2008, Tu-160 bombers and Il-78 refueling tankers practiced air refueling
during air combat exercise, as well as MiG-31, A-50 and other Russian combat aircraft.[48]

The aircraft carries a TsNPO Leninets Obzor-K (Survey, NATO: Clam Pipe)[49] radar for tracking ground
and air targets, and a separate Sopka Terrain-following radar.[50] Although the Tu-160 was designed for
reduced detectability to both radar and infrared signature,[51] it is not a stealth aircraft.

Weapons are carried in two internal bays, each capable of holding 22,500 kg (49,600 lb) of free-fall
weapons or a rotary launcher for missiles capable of carrying conventional or nuclear-warheads. The
aircraft's total weapons load capacity is 45,000 kg (99,208 lb).[52] No defensive weapons are provided; the
Tu-160 is the first post-World War II Soviet bomber to lack such defenses. In 2020, officials stated that the
Russian Aerospace Forces is planning to arm the Tu-160 with new hypersonic missiles, in particular the
nuclear-capable Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic air-launched ballistic missile.[53]

While similar in appearance to the American B-1 Lancer, the Tu-160 is a different class of combat aircraft;
its primary role being a standoff missile platform (strategic missile carrier).[35] The Tu-160 is also larger and
faster than the B-1B and has a slightly greater combat range, though the B-1B has a larger combined
payload with external payload.[54] Another noticeable difference is that the B-1's colour scheme is usually
subdued dark gray to reduce visibility; the Tu-160 is painted with anti-flash white, giving it the nickname
among Russian airmen "White Swan".[55][35] On 16 September 2023, Commander of the long-range
aviation Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylash announced that Russian Tu-160s were outfitted with the
newest Kh-BD cruise missile with range of 6,500 km. Each bomber can carry 12 missiles separated on two
rotary launchers.[56]

Operational history
In April 1987, the Tu-160 entered operational service with the 184th Guards Heavy Bomber Regiment
located at Pryluky, Ukrainian SSR.[57] The regiment, previously operating Tu-16 and Tu-22M3 strategic
bombers, was the first unit to receive the Tu-160. Squadron deployments to Long Range Aviation began
that same month. The Tu-160's first public appearance in a parade came in 1989. During 1989 and 1990, a
total of 44 world speed flight records in its weight class were set. In
January 1992, Boris Yeltsin decided to end serial production of the
Tu-160; 35 aircraft were completed by this time. Russia also
unilaterally suspended flights of strategic aviation over remote
regions.[10]

A total of 19 Tu-160s were based inside the newly independent


Ukraine during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. On 25 August
1991, the Ukrainian parliament decreed that the new nation would A Tu-160 with Soviet officers in front,
September 1989
take control of all military units on its territory; a Defence Ministry
was created that same day. By the mid-1990s, the Pryluky regiment
had lost its value as a combat unit; 19 Tu-160s were effectively grounded due to a lack of technical support
and spare parts. Ukraine considered the Tu-160s to be a bargaining chip in economic negotiations with
Russia and of limited military value. While Russian experts, who examined the aircraft at the Pryluky Air
Base in 1993 and 1996, assessed their technical condition as good, the US$3 billion price proposed by
Ukraine was considered by Russia to be unacceptable. In April 1998, amid stalled negotiations, Ukraine
decided to commence scrapping the fleet under the Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction agreement.
In November, the first Tu-160 was deconstructed at Pryluky.[58]

In April 1999, Russia resumed talks with Ukraine, proposing to purchase eight Tu-160 and three Tu-95MS
bombers manufactured in 1991 (those in the best technical condition), as well as 575 Kh-55SM cruise
missiles. An agreement was reached and a US$285 million contract was signed, the value of which was
deducted from Ukraine's debt for natural gas. On 20 October 1999, a group of Russian military experts
went to Ukraine to prepare the aircraft for the flight to Engels-2 air base. On 5 November, the first two
aircraft, a Tu-160 and a Tu-95MS, departed Pryluky. During the following months, the balance were flown
to Engels-2.[58]

Alongside buying Ukrainian Tu-160s, Russia pursued other means


to expanding its fleet. In June 1999, the Russian Defence Ministry
and KAPO signed a contract for a delivery of a single near-
complete bomber. Named Aleksandr Molodchiy, it was the second
aircraft in the eighth production batch. It arrived at Engels-2 on 10
September and was commissioned into service on 5 May 2000.[58]
The unit operating the fleet from Engels-2 was the 121st Guards
Heavy Bomber Regiment which was formed up in early 1992 and
Russian President Vladimir Putin received six aircraft by 1994. By the end of February 2001, the fleet
inside the cockpit of a Tu-160 in
stood at 15 with the addition of the eight Ukrainian Tu-160s and the
August 2005
new-build.[58][59] The fleet was reduced to 14 due to the crash of
the Mikhail Gromov during flight trials of a replacement engine on
18 September 2003. [60][59] On 5 July 2006, a Tu-160 named Valentin Bliznyuk, named after the Tu-160's
chief designer, entered service with the Russian Air Force after completing its overhaul, bringing the total
number back to 15.[11] Built in 1986, it was formerly used as a test aircraft by Tupolev.[10]

On 22 April 2006, the commander of the Long-Range Aviation Lieutenant General Igor Khvorov reported
a pair of Tu-160s flew undetected through a US-controlled sector during a military exercise in the
Arctic.[10][61]
On 17 August 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the resumption of strategic aviation
flights stopped in 1991.[62][63] On 14 September 2007, British and Norwegian fighters intercepted two Tu-
160s in international airspace near the United Kingdom and Finland, as they were patrolling the North
Atlantic.[64][65][10] On 25 December 2007, two Danish Air Force F-16s were scrambled to intercept two
Tu-160s near Danish airspace.

On 11 September 2007, according to Russian government sources, a Tu-160 deployed a massive fuel-air
explosive device, called Father of All Bombs, for its first field test.[66] Some US military analysts expressed
skepticism that the weapon was actually delivered by a Tu-160.[67]

On 29 April 2008, a new Tu-160 named Vitaly Kopylov joined the Russian Air Force, increasing the total
number of aircraft in service to 16.[10][68][69] In early 2008, Tu-160s took part in an exercise with the
Russian Navy in the Atlantic Ocean.[10]

On 10 September 2008, two Tu-160s made an unprecedented deployment to Russia's ally Venezuela as part
of military manoeuvres amid increasingly tense relations between Russia and the United States. The
Russian Defence Ministry said Vasily Senko and Aleksandr Molodchiy would conduct training flights over
neutral waters before returning to Russia. They were escorted by NATO fighters as they crossed the
Atlantic Ocean.[70]

On 12 October 2008, Tu-160s were involved in the largest Russian


strategic bomber exercise since 1984. A total of 12 bombers
including Tu-160 and Tu-95 aircraft conducted a series of launches
of their cruise missiles. Some bombers launched a full complement
of missiles; it was the first time that a Tu-160 had ever fired a full
complement of missiles.[71]

On 10 June 2010, two Tu-160s carried out a record-breaking 23-


A Tu-160 is intercepted by an RAF
hour patrol with a planned flight range of 18,000 km (9,700 nmi), Tornado F3 in March 2010
having flown along Russia's borders and over neutral waters in the
Arctic and Pacific Oceans.

In August 2011, Russian media claimed that only four of the sixteen Tu-160s were flight worthy.[18] Flight
International reported eleven were combat-ready by mid-2012;[15] between 2011 and 2013, eleven were
observed in flight.[72]

On 1 November 2013, Aleksandr Golovanov and Aleksandr Novikov entered Colombian airspace on two
separate occasions while flying from Venezuela to Nicaragua. Noting a lack of clearance, the Colombian
government issued a letter of protest to the Russian government after the first violation.[73] In the second
violation, two Colombian Air Force IAI Kfirs stationed at Barranquilla intercepted and escorted the two Tu-
160s out of Colombian airspace.[74][75]

On 17 November 2015, as part of the Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War, several Tu-160
and Tu-95MS strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out airstrikes in Idlib and Aleppo
provinces using the Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles fired from the Mediterranean. In total, between 34
and 83[77] cruise missiles were fired, destroying 14 targets. In addition, Tu-22M3 strategic bombers hit
numerous claimed IS targets with unguided ammunition. This also marked the combat debut for the Tu-160
and Tu-95MS.[78][79]
In August 2018, a number of Russian military aircraft including two
Tu-160, Tu-95MS strategic bombers and Il-78 aerial tankers were
deployed for the first time to the Russian Far East as part of a long-
range tactical flight exercise, flying 7,000 km non-stop flight from
their home base in Saratov Oblast to Chukotka. During the
exercise, the crews practised combat use of cruise missiles at the
Komi Test Range and performed aerial refueling.[80][81]
A Tu-160 launching a Kh-101 cruise
missile at targets in Syria, November
In November 2018, a modernized Tu-160M test-fired a full
2015.[76]
complement of 12 Kh-101 cruise missiles at the Pemboi Test Range
in the northeastern region of Komi Republic.[82]

On 10 December 2018, two Tu-160s accompanied by an An-124 cargo plane and an Il-62 passenger plane,
landed at the Maiquetía airport in Venezuela.[83] On 23 October 2019, two Tu-160s accompanied by an
An-124 and an Il-62 visited South Africa as part of strengthening ties between the two nations; the aircraft
performed a 13 hours non-stop flight over the Caspian Sea, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean, covering
11,000 km (6,800 mi) with mid-air refueling and landed at Waterkloof Air Force Base in South Africa. It
was the Tu-160's first visit to the African continent.[84]

On 11 November 2021, the Belarusian Defense Ministry announced that two Russian Tu-160s flew on a
training mission over Belarus alongside Belarusian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30s.[85]

The type was involved in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to Ukrainian sources, on 6
March 2022, a Tu-160 along with a Tu-95MS strategic bomber launched eight cruise missiles, presumably
the Kh-101, at the Havryshivka Vinnytsia International Airport from the Black Sea area.[86] On 26 June
2022, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat reported four to six Kh-101 cruise missiles were launched
by Tu-160 and Tu-95MS bombers at Kyiv from the Caspian Sea area.[87]

Potential operators
In 2022, retired Air Chief Marshal Anoop Raha said India was interested in purchasing Tu-160s.[88]
Reports have emerged that India is in talks with Russia to acquire six Tu-160s that will make India the only
country other than US, Russia and China to have operational strategic bombers.[89][90]

Variants
Tu-160
Production version.
Tu-160S
Designation used for
serial Tu-160s when
needed to separate
them from all the pre-
Tu-160 Vasily Reshetnikov at the Engels-2 air base
production and
experimental
aircraft.[91]
Tu-160V
Proposed liquid hydrogen fueled version (see also Tu-155).[91]
Tu-160 NK-74
Proposed upgraded (extended range) version with NK-
74 engines.[91]
Tu-160M
Upgraded version that features new weaponry,
improved electronics and avionics.[36]
Tu-160P (Tu-161)
Proposed very long-range escort fighter/interceptor
version. Tu-160 with Burlak launch vehicle
Tu-160PP
Proposed electronic warfare version carrying stand-off
jamming and ECM gear (Russian: ПП – постановщик помех "jamming").
Tu-160R
Proposed strategic reconnaissance version.
Tu-160SK
Proposed commercial version, designed to launch satellites via the "Burlak" (Russian:
Бурлак, "hauler") launch system.[91]
Tu-160M2
Highly upgraded version featuring,[92][93][94] new avionics, electronics, glass cockpit,
communications and control systems, and a number of new weapons, as well as new
more powerful and efficient engines giving it greater operational range. It will also have a
new defensive system protecting it from incoming missiles.[95][96] The first plane was to be
ready by late 2021.[97]

Operators

Current operators

Russia

Russian Aerospace Forces – 17 Tu-160s are in service as of 2022 with modernization to the
Tu-160M2 level started in 2018.[98] All aircraft are being modernized to the "M2"
standard.[3][99] Another 10 Tu-160M2 are on order.[31]
6950th Guards Air Base – Engels-2 (air base), Saratov Oblast
121st Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment

Former operators

Soviet Union

Soviet Air Forces Long Range Aviation – aircraft were transferred to Russian and Ukrainian
Air Forces after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
201st Heavy Bomber Aviation Division – Pryluky Air Base, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukrainian
SSR
184th Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment (GvTBAP)

Ukraine
Ukrainian Air Force – inherited 19 Tu-160s from the
former Soviet Union, and subsequently handed over 8
Tu-160s to Russia as exchange for gas debt relief in
1999; the remainder were scrapped under the Nunn–
Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction agreement led by
the US.[100][101]
201st Heavy Bomber Aviation Division – Pryluky Air
Base, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine
Ukrainian Air Force Tu-160, 1997
184th Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment
(GvTBAP)
1 Tu-160 in the Poltava Museum of Long-Range and Strategic Aviation[102][103]

Specifications (Tu-160)
Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2003–2004 [104]
General characteristics
Crew: 4 (pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, defensive systems
officer)
Length: 54.1 m (177 ft 6 in)
Wingspan: 55.7 m (182 ft 9 in) wings spread (20°)

35.6 m (117 ft) wings swept (65°)

Height: 13.1 m (43 ft 0 in)


Wing area: 400 m2 (4,300 sq ft) wings spread

360 m2 (3,875 sq ft) wings swept

Empty weight: 110,000 kg (242,508 lb) Orthographic projection of the


Gross weight: 267,600 kg (589,957 lb) Tupolev Tu-160

Max takeoff weight: 275,000 kg (606,271 lb)


Powerplant: 4 × Samara NK-321 afterburning turbofan engines, 137.3 kN (30,900 lbf) thrust
each dry, 245 kN (55,000 lbf) with afterburner
Performance
Maximum speed: 2,220 km/h (1,380 mph, 1,200 kn) at 12,200 m (40,000 ft)
Maximum speed: Mach 2.05
Cruise speed: 960 km/h (600 mph, 520 kn) / M0.9
Range: 12,300 km (7,600 mi, 6,600 nmi) practical range without in-flight refuelling, Mach
0.77 and carrying 6 × Kh-55SM dropped at mid range and 5% fuel reserves[105]
Combat range: 2,000 km (1,200 mi, 1,100 nmi) at Mach 1.5; or 7,300 km (4,536 mi) at
subsonic speeds[106]
Service ceiling: 16,000 m (52,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 70 m/s (14,000 ft/min)
Lift-to-drag: 18.5–19, while supersonic it is above 6[107]
Wing loading: 742 kg/m2 (152 lb/sq ft) with wings fully swept
Thrust/weight: 0.37
Armament

Two internal weapon bays for 45,000 kg (99,208 lb) of ordnance.[108]

Two internal rotary launchers each holding 6 × Raduga Kh-55SM/101/102/555/BD


cruise missiles (primary armament) or 12 × Raduga Kh-15 short-range nuclear
missiles.

See also

Aviation portal
Soviet Union
portal
Russia portal

Tupolev PAK DA
Tupolev Tu-134UBL, used for Tu-160 pilot training
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Sukhoi T-4
Rockwell B-1 Lancer
Xi'an H-6K
Tupolev Tu-22M
Related lists

List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS


List of bomber aircraft

References

Notes
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2767/). Russian Aviation. 27 November 2014. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/201509
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September 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
2. "Largest military aircraft by weight, operational bomber" (http://www.guinnessworldrecords.c
om/world-records/largest-military-aircraft-by-weight-operational-bomber). Guinness World
Records. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20181006225602/http://www.guinnessworldr
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bardirovshchiki-tu-160-moderniziruiut.html). Rossiyskaya Gazeta. 28 April 2017. Archived (ht
tps://web.archive.org/web/20170618122541/https://rg.ru/2017/04/28/reg-pfo/vse-bombardirov
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External links

"Первый полет нового стратегического ракетоносца Ту-160" (https://www.youtube.com/w


atch?v=92JDz_vvhck) [First flight of new strategic missile carrier Tu-160]. United Aircraft
Corporation (in Russian). 25 January 2018. Archived (https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtu
be/20211221/92JDz_vvhck) from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 25 January
2018 – via YouTube.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tupolev_Tu-160&oldid=1241523513"

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