Putin Flaunts Nuclear Arsenal with Supersonic Bomber Flight

Russian President Vladimir Putin showcased Russia’s nuclear forces by flying in a Tupolev Tu-160M, a supersonic long-range strategic bomber capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Putin was caught in the cockpit the day before and was seen flying in the strategic bomber the next day.

According to TASS and Reuters on the 22nd (local time), President Putin flew for about 30 minutes in the Tu-160M as a crew member from the runway of an aircraft factory in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.

Including Russian state television, local media reported in detail on President Putin’s process of getting on the Tu-160M and landing.

President Putin revealed himself flying the aircraft the day after he sat in the cockpit of the Tu-160M for about 10 minutes.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that President Putin’s flight was decided the day before and that Putin’s flight path was a military secret.

After the flight, President Putin highly praised the Tu-160M as “a new generation of aircraft” and “powerful military strength.”

President Putin also revealed that Russia is ready to introduce this strategic bomber to the military. The Russian Air Force is set to receive ten modernized Tu-160M (totaling 150 billion rubles, about $2 billion) by 2027.

The flight gathered the attention of the West due to his flight progressing amidst escalating conflict with Western society as the presidential election held next month, the war proceeds in Ukraine, and the death of opposition activist Alexei Navalny in prison.

Reuters analyzed it as “a behavior showing Russia’s nuclear forces to Western society.”

This strategic bomber, called ‘Blackjack’ by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), is also called ‘Swan’ because the entire aircraft is painted white.

The Tu-160, developed during the Soviet era, has been upgraded by more than 80% and modernized, adopting a variable wing (a wing that can change its state depending on the situation), and the maximum speed is Mach 2.

North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un observed this bomber closely when he inspected Russian military facilities after a summit with President Putin in Russia last September.

President Putin visited Kazan to attend the opening ceremony of the international comprehensive sports event ‘Future Games’. He also awarded the national award to the Russian Aerospace Forces at Chkalovsky Airport on the morning of that day.