The Tupolev Tu-160 is a supersonic, variable-geometry heavy bomber designed by the Soviet Union. Tupolev Tu-160 Russian Military aircraft bomber is similar in configuration to the B-1 Lancer but is significantly larger and faster than the B-1B with a greater combat range and payload capacity. It is the largest variable-wing aircraft ever built.
Although several civil and military transport aircraft are bigger, the Tupolev Tu-160 Russian Military aircraft bomber has the greatest total thrust, and the heaviest takeoff weight of any combat aircraft, and the highest top speed as well as one of the largest payloads of any current heavy bomber. Pilots of the Tu-160 call it the “White Swan”, due to its maneuverability and anti-flash white finish.
Entering service in 1987 with the 184 Guards Bomber Regiment, based at Priluki, Soviet Union, the Tu-160 was the last strategic bomber designed by the Soviet Union but remains in production, with at least 16 currently in service with the Russian Air Force.
Tupolev Tu-160 Specifications (Tu-160)
Tupoleve Tu-160 General characteristics
- Crew: 4 (pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, defensive systems operator)
- Length: 54.1 m (177 ft 6 in)
- Wingspan:
- Spread (20° sweep): 55.70 m (189 ft 9 in)
- Swept (65° sweep): 35.60 m (116 ft 10 in)
- Height: 13.10 m (43 ft 0 in)
- Wing area:
- Spread: 400 m² (4,310 ft²)
- Swept: 360 m² (3,875 ft²)
- Empty weight: 110 t (242,000 lb)
- Loaded weight: 267 tonnes (590,000 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 275 tonnes (606,000 lb)
- Powerplant: 4× Kuznetsov NK-321 turbofans
- Dry thrust: 137 kN (30,900 lbf) each
- Thrust with afterburner: 245 kN (55,100 lbf) each
Tupoleve Tu-160 Performance
- Maximum speed: Mach 2.05 (2,220 km/h, 1,380 mph) at high altitude
- Range: 17,400 km[citation needed] (10,800 mi) unrefueled
- Combat radius: 7,300 km (4,536 mi)
- Service ceiling: 15,000 m (49,200 ft)
- Rate of climb: 70 m/s (13,860 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 743 kg/m² with wings fully swept (152 lb/ft²)
- Thrust/weight: 0.37
Tupoleve Tu-160 Armament
- 2 internal bays for 40,000 kg (88,185 lb) of ordnance, options include:
- 2 internal rotary launchers each holding 6 × Raduga Kh-55 cruise missiles (primary armament) or 12× Raduga Kh-15 short-range nuclear missiles
The Blackjack is a variable-geometry wing aircraft, with sweep selectable from 20° to 65°. The aircraft employs a blended wing profile and full-span slats are used on the leading edges, with double-slotted flaps on the trailing edges. The Tupolev Tu-160 Russian Military aircraft bomber has a fly-by-wire control system.
It is powered by four Kuznetsov NK-321 afterburning turbofan engines, the most powerful ever fitted to a combat aircraft. Unlike the B-1B Lancer, which abandoned the Mach 2+ requirement of the original B-1A, it retains variable intakes, and is capable of reaching speeds slightly higher than Mach 2 at altitude.
The Tupolev Tu-160 Russian Military aircraft bomber is equipped with a probe and drogue in-flight refueling system for extended-range missions, although it is rarely used. The Tu-160's massive internal fuel capacity of 130 tons gives the aircraft a roughly 15-hour flight endurance at a cruise speed of around 850 km/h (Mach 0.77, 530 mph) at 9,145 m (30,003 ft).
The Tu-160 bears significant resemblance to the North American Rockwell B-1, although it is larger and has greater speed and range.
Although the Tu-160 was designed for reduced detectability to both radar and infrared, it is not a stealth aircraft. Nevertheless, on 25 April 2006 Lt. Gen. Igor Khvorov claimed that Tu-160s had managed to penetrate the US sector of the Arctic undetected, leading to a USAF investigation.
The Tupolev Tu-160 Russian Military aircraft bomber has an Obzor-K attack radar in a slightly upturned dielectric radome, and a separate "Sopka" terrain-following radar, which provides fully automatic terrain-following flight at low altitude. The Tu-160 has an electro-optical bombsight. Its electronic warfare suite includes comprehensive active and passive ECM systems.
The Tu-160 has a crew of four (pilot, co-pilot, weapons systems officer and defensive systems operator) in K-36DM ejection seats. The pilot has a fighter-style control stick, but the flight instruments are traditional "steam gauge" dials. A crew rest area, a toilet, and a galley are provided for long flights. There is no HUD, nor are CRT multi-function displays provided in the original aircraft; however, plans for modernization of all Tu-160s were announced in 2003. They include a new digital flight control system, and the ability to carry new weapon types, such as new non-nuclear long-range cruise missiles.
Tupolev Tu-160 weapons are carried in two internal bays, each capable of holding 20,000 kg (44,400 lb) of free-fall weapons or a rotary launcher for nuclear missiles; additional missiles may also be carried externally. The aircraft's payload capacity is 45,000 kg (99,208 lb), making it the heaviest bomber ever built. However, no defensive weapons are provided; the Tu-160 is the first unarmed post-World War II Soviet bomber.
