A Real Threat: Why Russia's Air Force Should Be Taken Seriously

October 13, 2019 Topic: Security Region: Europe Blog Brand: The Buzz Tags: RussiaMilitaryTechnologyWorldAircraft

A Real Threat: Why Russia's Air Force Should Be Taken Seriously

And why countries love to buy them.

As of 2015, Russia is the only country to fly Tupolev’s Blackjack. Russia is expected to build fifty additional Tu-160s under the new plans. The newly built strategic bombers will be upgraded models, dubbed the Tu-160M2. Production is expected to commence after 2023. Moscow intends to simultaneously initiate production of the PAK DA stealth bomber, also a Tupolev design.

Evan Gottesman is a former editorial assistant at The National Interest. This article first appeared several years ago and is being republished due to reader interest.

Image: Reuters.