Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack Supersonic Heavy Strategic Bomber

Efran Syah       Bomber Aircraft    1 comment   

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The Tupolev Tu-160 (NATO reporting name: Blackjack) is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber designed by the Tupolev Design Bureau in the Soviet Union in the 1970s.

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The Tu-160 is the largest and heaviest Mach 2+ supersonic military aircraft ever built and second only to the XB-70 Valkyrie in overall length.

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The Tu-160 is the largest and heaviest combat aircraft, the fastest bomber now in use and the largest and heaviest variable-sweep wing airplane ever flown.

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Entering service in 1987, the Tu-160 was the last strategic bomber designed for the Soviet Union. As of 2016, the Russian Air Force's Long Range Aviation branch has at least 16 aircraft in service.

The Tu-160 active fleet has been undergoing upgrades to electronics systems since the early 2000s. The Tu-160M modernization programme has begun with the first updated aircraft delivered in December 2014.

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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.

The Tu-160 has a crew of four (pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, and defensive systems operator) in K-36LM ejection seats.

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The Tu-160 is powered by four Kuznetsov NK-32 afterburning turbofan 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 capable of reaching Mach 2.05 speed at altitude.

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's internal fuel capacity of 130 tons gives the aircraft a roughly 15-hour flight endurance at a cruise speed of around 850 km/h (530 mph), Mach 0.77, at 9,100 m (30,000 ft).

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.

Tu-160 legacy cockpit. (via  worldwarwings.com)

The aircraft carries a TsNPO Leninets Obzor-K (Survey, NATO: Clam Pipe) radar for tracking ground and air targets, and a separate Sopka Terrain-following radar.

Although the Tu-160 was designed for reduced detectability to both radar and infrared signature, it is not a stealth aircraft. Nevertheless, Lt. Gen. Igor Khvorov claimed that Tu-160s managed to penetrate the US sector of the Arctic undetected on 25 April 2006, leading to a USAF investigation according to a Russian source.

(via  nationalinterest.org)

Weapons are carried in two internal bays, each capable of holding 20,000 kg (44,000 lb) of free-fall weapons or a rotary launcher for nuclear missiles; additional missiles may also be carried externally.

The aircraft's total weapons load capacity is 40,000 kg (88,000 lb). No defensive weapons are provided; the Tu-160 is the first post-World War II Soviet bomber to lack such defenses.

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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 attached underneath the fuselage.

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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).

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. Another significant difference is that the colour scheme on the B-1B Lancer 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".

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Variants

• Tu-160. Production version.
• Tu-160S. Designation used for serial Tu-160s when needed to separate them from all the pre-production and experimental aircraft.
• Tu-160V. Proposed liquid hydrogen fueled version.
• Tu-160 NK-74. Proposed upgraded (extended range) version with NK-74 engines.
• Tu-160M. Upgraded version that features new weaponry, improved electronics and avionics, which double its combat effectiveness.
• Tu-160P (Tu-161). Proposed very long-range escort fighter/interceptor version.
• Tu-160PP. Proposed electronic warfare version carrying stand-off jamming and ECM gear.
• Tu-160R. Proposed strategic reconnaissance version.
• Tu-160SK. Proposed commercial version, designed to launch satellites within the "Burlak" system.
• Tu-160M2. Highly upgraded version featuring low observable coatings, new more powerful and efficient engines giving it greater operational range, new avionics, electronics, glass cockpit, communications and control systems, and a number of weapons, as well as improved thrust and unrefueled range. It will also have a new defensive system protecting it from missiles.

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Specifications (Tu-160)

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°)

Height: 13.1 m (43 ft 0 in)

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

Empty weight: 110,000 kg (242,508 lb)

Gross weight: 267,600 kg (589,957 lb)

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

Maximum speed: Mach 2.05

Cruise speed: 960 km/h (600 mph, 520 kn) / Mach 0.9

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

Combat range: 7,300 km (4,536 mi)

Service ceiling: 16,000 m (52,000 ft)

Rate of climb: 70 m/s (14,000 ft/min)

Armament:

• Two internal weapon bays for 45,000 kg (99,208 lb) of ordnance.
• Two internal rotary launchers each holding 6× Raduga Kh-55SM/101/102/555 cruise missiles (primary armament) or 12× AS-16 Kickback short-range nuclear missiles.