One of the only three supersonic bombers in the world, the Russian Tu-160 "Black Jack" has 80% system upgrade

Russian Tu-160M ​​bomber. (European News Agency file photo)

[Reporter Tu Jumin/Comprehensive Report] Russia continues to strengthen its strategic bomber capabilities, extending the service life of the Tu-160 "Blackjack" supersonic strategic bomber developed in the Soviet era and with a top speed of Mach 2 through modernization projects. Russia's Tupolev Company recently stated that although the latest Tu-160M ​​bomber retains its original appearance, 80% of its internal systems and equipment have been upgraded, including avionics, navigation and engines, etc., and a modular architecture has been introduced to enable the sustainable replacement of new equipment in the future.

There are three types of supersonic strategic bombers currently in service in the world, namely the Russian Tu-160 "Blackjack", the Tu-22M3 "Backfire", and the American B-1B "Lancer". Among them, the Tu-160 has a maximum speed of about Mach 2.05, and its flight speed and size are the highest among the three.

Foreign military news website "Defence Blog" reported that Tupolev General Manager Yuri Abrosimov said that the Tu-160M ​​continues the classic appearance of the Soviet-era Tu-160, but the interior has been built on new technologies and extensively uses digital technology. About 80% of the systems and equipment have been modernized.

He pointed out that the Tu-160M's new avionics system adopts a modular design, which can replace outdated equipment as technology advances without having to redesign the entire system, allowing this strategic bomber to meet future combat needs.

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The Tu-160 can carry up to 12 long-range cruise missiles on the rotating launcher in the belly bomb bay, making it an important part of Russia's nuclear triad. In addition to the NK-32-02 engine, the Tu-160M has also been upgraded with radar, digital cockpit, and communication and navigation equipment.

Russia signed a contract to purchase 10 newly manufactured Tu-160M ​​bombers in 2018. The contract value was reported to be 160 billion rubles (approximately NT$61.8 billion). The first newly built aircraft will make its first flight in January 2022. However, the delivery schedule of this project has been delayed many times, and the Russian army did not receive two aircraft until the end of 2025.

Tu-160 series bombers once launched cruise missiles towards Ukraine. According to an analysis by Ukrainian aviation monitoring channel AviVector in May this year, only 7 of Russia's 18 Tu-160 series bombers have been put into combat missions, while the rest of the aircraft have been upgraded, repaired or constructed, highlighting the challenges faced by the Russian military in continuing to maintain strategic bomber combat capabilities.