Russia hands over two Tu-160M bombers to Aerospace Forces

Russia’s Aerospace Forces received two modernized Tu-160M Blackjack strategic missile-carrying bombers in late 2025, ending a multi-year delay in the program, according to a statement by Russia’s defense minister reported by Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi.

The delivery was disclosed during a year-end meeting of the Russian defense ministry, where Defense Minister Andrey Belousov confirmed the handover of the two aircraft to the Russian Aerospace Forces. Belousov did not clarify whether the bombers were newly built airframes or previously operated Tu-160 aircraft that had undergone overhaul and modernization before returning to service.

According to Militarnyi, the aircraft were delivered under a long-running modernization and production program for the Tu-160 fleet. Russia signed a contract on January 25, 2018, for the delivery of 10 Tu-160M aircraft at a reported cost of 160 billion rubles. Initial plans called for a much larger order of up to 50 aircraft, though that figure was later reduced.

The Tu-160M program has faced repeated schedule slippages. In January 2019, then-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the first modernized Tu-160M was expected to enter service in 2021. At the time, Russian officials also stated that all 16 Tu-160 strategic bombers in service would undergo deep modernization to the Tu-160M standard.

Russia’s effort to restart production of the Tu-160 family has moved slowly. The first newly built Tu-160M2 conducted its maiden flight in Kazan on January 12, 2022, marking the first new Tu-160 airframe produced since the 1990s. A second newly built Tu-160M2 was transferred to a flight test station in December 2022, according to Russian statements.

Delivery targets continued to shift. In 2023, Russian officials expected four aircraft to be handed over by the end of the year, including two modernized Tu-160M bombers and two newly built Tu-160M2 aircraft. That deadline was later moved to 2024, and in December 2024 Belousov said all four aircraft would instead be delivered during 2025.

The Tu-160M is a modernized version of Russia’s Tu-160 supersonic strategic bomber, known by NATO as “Blackjack.” The upgrade is understood to include new avionics, navigation systems, communications equipment, and compatibility with modern long-range cruise missiles, while retaining the aircraft’s variable-sweep wing design and intercontinental strike role. Russian officials have not released detailed technical specifications of the upgraded configuration.

The Tu-160 fleet plays a central role in Russia’s airborne leg of its nuclear triad and has also been used to launch long-range cruise missile strikes in conventional conflicts. The program to modernize and resume production has been presented by Moscow as a way to sustain strategic bomber capability amid delays to next-generation aircraft projects.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia has suffered documented losses among its long-range aviation fleet. According to the open-source intelligence group Oryx, Russia has lost 11 Tu-22M3 Backfire medium-range swing-wing missile-carrying bombers and 10 Tu-95MS Bear turboprop-powered strategic bombers, based on visually confirmed evidence.