Till lately, army specialists in Russia expressed concern in regards to the completion standing of the nation’s nuclear triad. Particularly, they had been apprehensive that vital parts of it had been both completely modernized or solely partially so. The final facet of their triad that had been slated for appreciable updates was their long-range aviation fleet.
In the meantime, hundreds of miles away, an occasion of nice significance to the USA transpired final December. People witnessed the revealing of the superior prototype B-21 Ryder bomber, geared up with stealth expertise. Though it shares many conceptual similarities with its predecessor, the B-2 Spirit, it’s an intriguing mannequin contemplating the U.S. plans for its mass manufacturing.
But, the critics argue that ought to the U.S. go forward to revamp its strategic air fleet, the Russian counter may probably turn into outdated. Nonetheless, Russian long-range aviation is at the moment navigating uncharted waters. This yr marks a new period as Moscow is about to welcome 4 absolutely overhauled “White Swans” [the moniker for the Tu-160 bomber]. This prevalence hasn’t been seen for an prolonged interval, including a appreciable enhance to their current fleet. Whereas that is a formidable replace, it’s value delving deeper into the small print.
Two by two
The state-of-the-art Tu-160M2s, which had been absolutely developed roughly half a decade in the past, are the primary pair of the bombers this piece focuses on. Notably, the Kazan Aviation Plant has spent these years tirelessly working to interchange tools, safe specialised employees, and revive misplaced applied sciences, virtually ranging from zero. Moreover, it’s value highlighting that this mission was efficiently concluded a lot earlier than initially projected.
Flashback to 2015, the Russian Ministry of Protection made a declaration, initiating manufacturing of those bombers not earlier than 2023. This announcement sparked shock and even shock amongst some observers. But, fast-forwarding to 2023, Russia welcomed its inaugural pair of latest Tu-160M2s—a growth that was lately shared by high-ranking officers from the Kremlin.
The second pair are extremely superior ‘White Swans’, upgraded utilizing the prevailing bomber fleet. To place it merely, the Tu-160s had been elevated to compete with the Tu-160M through vital enhancements, not creation from the bottom up. Which means, that each variants are basically an identical, with solely their housing newness because the distinguishable aspect.
The weapons of the Tu-160M/M2
Let’s delve into the first focus – weaponry. We should perceive that drastic alterations shouldn’t be anticipated – we nonetheless have two compartments, every housing 6 forms of ammunition. Predominantly, the Kh-101 and its nuclear counterpart, the Kh-102, may show to be the favored decisions, attributed to their spectacular missile attributes and large-scale manufacturing.
These weapons amalgamate stealth expertise together with a system designed to puncture air and missile defenses with using an RAB station. In addition they have a toolkit for distracting enemy missiles away from their foremost goal. Total, these weapons function a complete arsenal.
Kh-50 within the stomach of the Tu-160M2
We’re already considerably acquainted with the phenomena at the moment beneath dialogue, despite the fact that particulars in regards to the new improvements should not but absolutely identified. Significantly noteworthy, nevertheless, is the Kh-50—additionally known as Kh-MD—which, regardless of the dearth of absolute certainty, has doubtless already seen motion. Absolutely, it’s a piece of arsenal that holds a vital quantity of intrigue.
Initially, the Kh-50 is smaller than its cousin, the Kh-101. Whereas this interprets to a extra restricted flight vary [somewhere between 1500 to 3000 km], it additionally means it stands a higher likelihood of evading detection by enemy radars. Much more considerably, it’s cost-effective. It may be deployed in bulk, in dozens, and probably even in a whole lot, in native disputes of various intensities.
Tu-160MM2 is for hypersonic missiles
An fascinating attribute broadly famous by specialists is the deal with hypersonic missile utilization within the Tu-160MM2 modernization program. This program integrates these missiles into the armaments of the famend “White Swans”.
The Kinzhal [a Dagger] missile stands out amongst these, acknowledged for its spectacular success charge. However why is the Tu-160 chosen over different plane platforms? Take the MiG-31K for instance; it carries solely a single missile, whereas the upgraded Lebed can maintain as much as 8. That’s a fairly substantial distinction certainly. Now, think about the capabilities of 4 of those “daggers”, launching a whole of 32 missiles.
Frankly talking, gathering a fleet of MiG-31 fighters modified for hypersonic operation to match this quantity appears uncertain. Nevertheless, there are plans to construct as much as 50 “swans”; theoretically, this might translate to a formidable 500-600 missiles.
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