‘And from the innermost vales shall the bird of doom, whose voice is like the trumpet, soar
upward with boisterous beatings of his wings, above mountains and gods, and there with
his trumpet voice acclaim THE END.’

First flown in 1982, the Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-160 ‘Blackjack’ is an ominous form with terrible armament, staggering power, and menacing elegance. Looking like the mating of a Mig- 25 and the Concorde, the Tu-160 is a multi-mission heavy bomber designed for operations that range from subsonic, low altitude runs, to high altitude strategic missions exceeding speeds of Mach 1.

Blackjack is the largest jet-powered combat aircraft ever built, with the greatest total thrust, the heaviest takeoff weight, the highest top speed as well as one of the largest payloads of any current heavy bomber. It is capable to break things and hurt people from many miles away.

Concept and design began in the 1950’s under the Soviets, it’s speculated simultaneous with that of America’s B-1B program, leading to beg the question who’s spy spies best. Both variable-sweep wing birds look uncannily alike and share a similar configuration.

However here’s where the parallels end as the Tu-160 is significantly faster than its American cousin, and appreciatively larger by approximately 30%, making the swift giant the largest supersonic aircraft in the world. The Tu-160 can carry a wider compliment of weapons and has greater range than the B1.

The Blackjack is designed with low-mounted, swept-back, variable geometry wings protruding from a large fixed-center section. The variable geometry wings allow for flight at both supersonic and subsonic speeds.

The Tu-160 is dubbed ‘The Swan’ by Russian pilots due to its swift elegance and anti-flash white finish that help avoid detection.

The winged monster is powered by 4 NK-32 TRDDF turbojet bypass engines with afterburners producing 25,000 kilograms of thrust, mounted in pairs under the center section with exhausts extending behind the wings’ trailing edges.

The Tu-160 was built with conventional or nuclear free-fall bombing capability, but is more often armed with up to 12 Kh-55SM (NATO designation ‘Kent’) cruise missiles, its two armament bays otherwise loaded with short-range guided missiles, nuclear and conventional bombs, and mines. The aircraft will likely soon be equipped with high-precision conventional weapons to be used against mobile or tactical targets.

The Tu-160 is equipped with a combined navigation-and-weapon aiming system, RID; [radar] for detecting targets on the ground and sea at long distances, an optical-electronic bombsight, an automatic terrain-following system, and active and passive radio-electronic warfare systems as well as a probe-and-drogue airborne refueling system.

There is a rest area for napping, a toilet, and a small area set up for food storage and preparation.

Its development and initial production was the product of a powerfully influential Soviet war machine, and so had financial and political backing throughout development and initial deployment. However, as an extremely expensive bomber, Blackjack’s numbers are not likely to exceed the current 25 in the Russian arsenal due to changes in availability of funding since the Wall came down. Following the demise of the Soviet Union, significant program funding shortages have eventually resulted in maintenance issues with the Russian Air Force finding it difficult to stay current and upgrade. Meanwhile, the B-1 is overly busy and operating effectively in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters.

Part of the aviation aristocracy, the beautiful but deadly Blackjack is sure to be in the minds of all air-force enthusiasts on Russia’s forthcoming Victory Day, a time to remember the technical and patriotic might of the weaponry and bravery of the former Soviet Union.