Tupolev Tu-160 "White Swan" Vs. Rockwell B-1 Lancer (Videos) [HD]
The
Tupolev Tu-160 (
Russian: Туполев Ту-160,
NATO reporting name:
Blackjack) is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber designed by the
Tupolev Design Bureau in the
Soviet Union. Although several civil and military transport aircraft are larger in overall dimensions, the
Tu-160 is the world's largest combat aircraft, largest supersonic aircraft and largest variable-sweep aircraft built. Only the
North American XB-70 Valkyrie had higher empty weight and maximum speed. The Tu-160 has the heaviest take off weight of any military aircraft besides transports.
Entering service in
1987, the Tu-160 was the last strategic bomber designed for the Soviet Union. The
Long Range Aviation branch of the
Russian Air Force has 16 aircraft with fewer in active use. The Tu-160 active fleet has been undergoing upgrades to electronics systems since the early
2000s. The Tu-160M modernisation programme has begun with the first new updated aircraft delivered in
December 2014.
The Rockwell (now part of
Boeing) B-1 Lancer is a four-engine supersonic variable-sweep wing, jet-powered heavy strategic bomber used by the
United States Air Force (
USAF). It was first envisioned in the
1960s as a supersonic bomber with
Mach 2 speed, and sufficient range and payload to replace the
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. It was developed into the
B-1B, primarily a low-level penetrator with long range and
Mach 1.25 speed capability at high altitude.
Designed by
Rockwell International, development was delayed multiple times over its history due to changes in the perceived need for manned bombers. The initial
B-1A version was developed in the early
1970s, but its production was canceled, and only four prototypes were built. The need for a new platform once again surfaced in the early
1980s, and the aircraft resurfaced as the B-1B version with the focus on low-level penetration bombing. However, by this
point, development of stealth technology was promising an aircraft of dramatically improved capability.
Production went ahead as the B version would be operational before the "
Advanced Technology Bomber" (which became the
B-2 Spirit), during a period when the
B-52 would be increasingly vulnerable. The B-1B entered service in
1986 with the USAF
Strategic Air Command (
SAC) as a nuclear bomber
.
In the early
1990s, following the Gulf War and concurrent with the disestablishment of SAC and its reassignment to the newly formed
Air Combat Command (
ACC), the B-1B was converted to conventional bombing use. It first served in combat during
Operation Desert Fox in
1998 and again during the
NATO action in
Kosovo the following year. The B-1B has supported
U.S. and NATO military forces in
Afghanistan and
Iraq.
The Lancer is the supersonic component of the USAF's long-range bomber force, along with the subsonic B-52 and
B-2. The bomber is commonly called the "
Bone" (originally from "B-One"). With the retirement of the
General Dynamics/Grumman
EF-111A Raven in 1998 and the
Grumman F-14 Tomcat in
2006, the B-1B is the
U.S. military's only active variable-sweep wing aircraft. The B-1B is expected to continue to serve into the 2030s, with the
Long Range Strike Bomber to start supplementing the B-1B in
2030.
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