In 1999, Ukraine handed over eight Tu-160 bombers, three Tu-95MS bombers and 575 Kh-55 cruise missiles to Russia as partial payment of a gas debt that amounted to 275 million dollars, 10% of the estimated value of the assets.
Now, 25 years later, due to the conflict between both countries, Putin has given orders to deploy at least six of the Tu-160 aircraft, which are already carrying out attacks on the front, as revealed by an investigation by Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
The research has been carried out by the project Schemes from RFE/RL and was published last Tuesday, November 26. Thanks to it, researchers have discovered that supersonic bombers They are being used in missile attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure.
The aircraft have been detected through cross references of its old serial numbers with archival records and aviation records, as advanced The Kyiv Independent. The weapons, from the Soviet era, were intended to transport conventional and nuclear charges.
In fact, the research He has also even identified the names of several of the pilots who have handled these planes in the conflict with Ukraine. Its last deployment, reports have stated, occurred on November 17, in one of the largest air attacks against Ukraine in 2024.
Tu-160 bombers
Known as the “white swan” Due to its color and lines, it is a supersonic heavy bomber developed by the Tupolev arms company in the Soviet Union and designed for long-range missions. It was the last Soviet model of strategic bomber, being the heaviest and largest supersonic aircraft ever built. It began operating in 1987 and currently continues in the Russian Air Force.
It is capable of flying at more than 2,000 kilometers per hour, measures 54 meters in length and its wingspan is greater than 55 meters. Besides, He holds several world records, such as having flown 1000 kilometers with 30 tons of payload at a speed of 1720 km/h.
One of its variants is the civil and commercial version Tu-160 Kexhibited in Singapore in 1994. It also has other variants that have been proposed, but have not been built, such as the Tu-160S (in series) or the Tu-160V (uses liquid hydrogen as fuel).
