Unlike the B-1, however, the Tu-160 was not developed as a low-level bomber. Despite its greater takeoff weight and faster top speed of Mach 2.0 (as compared to the B-1’s Mach-1.25 speed), the ...

Russia Bets on Tu-160M2 as PAK-DA Bomber Plans Stal In June 2015, officials in Moscow declared that Russia’s fleet of Tuplolev Tu-160 bombers was about to grow dramatically in both quality and size.

Operational since 1987, the Tu-160 is the largest and heaviest supersonic military aircraft, capable of carrying nearly 100,000 lbs of ordnance, including nuclear weapons.