Latest news with #Tu-160M
India.com
07-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Why India's Tu-160M ‘White Swan' Bomber Deal With Russia Has Pakistan On Edge
New Delhi: A quiet airbase in Kazan. Massive steel wings under tarp. A shadow cast across two borders. India wanted those wings. Months ago, New Delhi reached out to Moscow with a specific ask – lease the Tu-160M. The 'White Swan'. A machine with speed that breaks clouds, range that crosses oceans and a payload heavier than a city bus. Twelve thousand kilometers. Forty tonnes. Two thousand two hundred kilometers per hour. Russia listened. The deal moved. Paperwork, plans and promises. Along with it, a bold idea. Equip the bomber with India's BrahMos – the world's fastest cruise missile. One aircraft and one missile. Together, a message. But the skies changed. Ukraine struck. Drones buzzed deep into Russian bases. Tu-160Ms, parked and vulnerable. Suddenly, these bombers were no longer export dreams. They were frontline shields. Moscow looked inward. Priorities flipped. In Kazan, the plant slowed. Sanctions hit. Electronics dried up. Production shrank. Russia started needing what India wanted. Now the 'White Swan' waits. India's security officials see the pattern. Pakistan rattles sabres on one end. China steps up pressure on the other. Long-range bombers could change posture. Current Indian squadrons – Su-30MKIs and Rafales – fly far, but not far enough. They strike hard, but within limits. A bomber like the Tu-160M flies without refuelling. It stays out of radar range. It carries missiles to targets deep inside enemy territory without crossing a line. Pakistan does not have one. Neither does China. India's version would have flown with BrahMos under its wing. That pairing had no match in Asia. One was muscle and the other was sting. Russia had agreed to integrate them. The package included training, tech and transfer. It fit into Delhi's new doctrine. Self-reliance. Reach without dependence. Strike without provocation. But the war complicated things. Russia fears gaps in its own defense. Even friends get pushed to the waiting list. A bomber promised is now a bomber paused. India watches closely. Behind the scenes, the calculus is changing. Western partners are watching too. Washington. Paris. Tel Aviv. Tokyo. All eyes on India's military purchases. A deal like Tu-160M could tip diplomatic scales, especially when Moscow faces global pressure. Still, the need does not vanish. Indian analysts flag it often – there is no true long-range bomber in the air force. A vacuum exists. One that rivals could exploit. BrahMos alone cannot fill it. Jets cannot replace it. The 'White Swan' was meant to do that. For now, the skies stay quieter. But they will not stay that way for long.
India.com
06-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
12000 KM range, 40 tonne payload, armed with BrahMos; India's deal with Russia for this bomber is bad news for Pakistan and China due to..., name is…
New Delhi: In view of the aggressive stance of Pakistan and China on the border, India is engaged in strengthening its defense system. For this, India had made a deal with Russia for the most dangerous Tu-160M bomber. However, their delivery is getting delayed. Why is Tu-160M bomber special? India had made a deal with Russia to lease the Tu-160M bomber 'White Swan'. Along with this, there was also an agreement to equip it with Indian BrahMos missile. However, due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, its delivery is getting delayed. As soon as this bomber joins the Indian fleet, the panic on the border of Pakistan and China will increase because this bomber is very dangerous and neither Pakistan nor China has a bomber to compete with it. What are the features of Tu-160M bomber? The speed of Tu-160M is 2,200 km/hour. Its range is 12,000 kilometers, that too without refueling. Its payload capacity is 40 tonnes and it is used by the Russian army. The most important thing about this deal was that it planned to unify India's BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with the Tu-160M. This would have given India the unique ability to launch the world's fastest cruise missile from a state-of-the-art supersonic aircraft. This deal would also strengthen technology transfer, mission readiness and strategic self-reliance. Why is the deal stuck now? Russia now needs Tu-160M aircraft itself to maintain its strategic capabilities. The Kazan Aviation Plant, where these aircraft are manufactured, are now under extreme pressure due to wartime demands and Western sanctions. Shortages of high-tech components and electronics have slowed production. Recent Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian airbases have shown that the Tu-160M has now become a core asset of Russian national security. Russia is now hesitant to supply these aircraft even to a close partner like India. Strategic balance and Indian Air Force India's global outlook today rests on strategic balance. India maintains decades-old defense ties with Russia, but is also deeply connected with countries like the US, France, Israel and Japan. In such a situation, acquiring a high-profile weapon like the Tu-160M from Russia could increase diplomatic tensions with Western countries. Especially at a time when Russia is struggling with Western pressure and sanctions. The Indian Air Force currently relies mainly on fighter aircraft which are suitable for medium-range strike missions. But, the lack of long-range aerial strike capability is a drawback in strategic balance. Aircraft like the TU-160M can strike deep into another country, without crossing its borders. Countries like the US, Russia and China already have long-term strategic bomber fleets.
India.com
06-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
This deadly beast can surpass 5th-generation jets, more powerful than Rafale and F-35, has 12000 km range; it costs Rs..., it is...
The current conflicts in the ongoing Israel-Hamas, Israel-Iran, and Russia-Ukraine situations have resulted in a seismic shift to the global strategic environment. The world is increasingly divided into two opposing blocs, making it crucial for countries like India to become self-reliant in the defense sector. Therefore, self-sufficiency in the defense sector has become critical. The need to upgrade weapons systems through technology cooperation with strategic partners is needed. India and Russia have had an enduring relationship for several decades, and the Russian Federation has consistently supported India throughout its challenging periods. In this context, it is critically necessary for India to strengthen and modernize its defense capabilities. On July 4, 2025, the Deputy Chief of the Army addressed critical perspectives on many issues, while talking about Operation Sindoor, and subsequently highlighted that the whole system must be enhanced with more technology. Although the Indian Air Force's role in Operation Sindoor was pivotal, it still suffers from a fighter jet shortage. India is looking to solve this through a two-pronged approach: importing fighter jets from partner nations and increasing indigenous production of combat aircraft, in sufficient quantities to stay competitive in the region. India is on the verge of acquiring Fifth-generation Fighters and has announced the AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft) project to produce an indigenous fifth-generation stealth aircraft. The Defence Ministry has issued a contract for developing the prototype design of this fighter, which is supported by an initial fund of ₹15,000 crore. In terms of shifting global attention, once again, the spotlight has turned to strategic bomber jets because of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, which was used to destroy nuclear facilities in Iran by the U.S. This has also highlighted the evolution of capability with modern warfare and determination of effective offensive strike capability. A few days ago, there were reports that India is developing a bunker-busting weapon system of its own – a missile based solution. Unlike the United States and Russia, India does not have modern strategic bombers capable of delivering real deep-strike ordnance. Therefore, India has turned to missile technology, and as such, India is working on adapting the Agni-5 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for bunkering-busting purposes. At the same time, India is possibly intending to get one of the best global bombers in the world, Russia's Tupolev Tu-160M. This is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing heavy bomber, capable of speed, range, and nuclear missiles; the Tu-160M would elevate India's strategic strike role even further, if this deal goes ahead. The Tu-160M, also known as the 'White Swan' in Russia and 'Blackjack' by NATO forces, is one of the world's most advanced strategic bombing jet aircraft, but the war in Ukraine has slowed production, as Russia is producing this state-of-the-art supersonic aircraft from its Kazan plant. Recently, a Ukrainian attack caused damage to some bombers at a Russian airbase, and this damage greatly diminished Russian capabilities for defense production. This damage also may have impeded India's work to acquire the Tu-160M, which could have been a significant strategic leap for the Indian Air Force. Some defense observers believe that if India can acquire the Tu-160M, the strategic balance in the region would move toward India. Currently, India has multirole fighter jets including Rafale and Su-30MKI. In parallel to adding bombers, India is also seeking to add fifth generation fighters, and, focusing on its AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft) project, which is intended to boost India's future capacities in air combat. Specifically, it is the Russian Tu-160M bomber that sets itself apart. The bomber has a combat range of 1,200 kilometers, meaning it can do this range without the need for refueling. If India manages to buy the jet, it could significantly reduce China's growing presence in the Asia-Pacific. China has its own bomber – the H-6 – but comparing China's bomber to the Tu-160M, China's H-6 is sitting down on specs and technology. The Tu-160M being in the Indian Air Force's fleet will provide India an unquestionable strategic advantage over Beijing.
