ANALYSIS – Even Putin's most modernized long-range bombers aren't safe near Ukraine. Last week, Ukraine said that, for the first time, it had downed a Russian strategic bomber used to fire cruise missiles at Ukrainian cities.
“For the first time, anti-aircraft missile units of the air force in cooperation with the defense intelligence of Ukraine destroyed a Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bomber,” Ukraine's military said in a statement on social media.
Unconfirmed social media footage showed a warplane with its tail on fire spiraling towards the ground. The Russian defense ministry said the bomber had already delivered its weapons.
As always, Moscow denied it was shot down, saying the bomber crashed “in a deserted area” in Russia's southern region of Stavropol following a malfunction.”
The Ukrainian military intelligence agency said the warplane had been taking part in a major long-range missile strike on Ukraine's central region of Dnipropetrovsk earlier on Friday.
It claimed that military intelligence cooperated with the air force to bring down the Tu-22M3 bomber with anti-aircraft missiles. Even though the damaged aircraft managed to limp back 187 miles from Ukraine on its way to its base before crashing.
The Russian regional governor said the pilots had ejected but that one of them had died. A rescue operation was underway for the fourth, he said.
The first prototype of the bomber was launched in 1977 but a completely modernized Tu-22M3M with increased tactical effectiveness and larger operational radius was flown for the first time in December 2018.
The plane is made of aluminum alloys and high-strength, heat-resistant steel and alloys of titanium and magnesium. It has variable-swept low wings that consist of a fixed part and moveable panels that can sweep through angles from 20 to 65 degrees.
The Russian Aerospace Force reportedly has 57 Tu-22M3s, according to the 2024 Military Balance report by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
Ukraine and its Western allies say Russia has frequently used Tu-22M3s, NATO code name Backfire, which are capable of launching nuclear weapons, to bomb Ukraine.
The head of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) told BBC Ukraine that Ukraine's soldiers “waited for a long time” tracking the supersonic warplane,” saying it was an “ambush.”
Newsweek added that the HUR chief also said Kyiv's air force used:
…the same techniques and the same means” that it did to take out Russia's A-50 military spy plane. He also said that the Tu-22M3 bombers—which are designed to hit sea and ground-based targets—have created some of the “most destruction” in Odessa, a port city on the Black Sea in Ukraine that has been repeatedly targeted by Moscow.
But it's not just the aircraft that has been causing Ukraine serious damage. The plane that Ukraine said it shot down was used to carry Kh-22 and other cruise missiles.
In addition to the Kh-22, the Russians also have a modernized version of this missile – the Kh-32. And then there is the highly advanced Kh-101 missile.
Paired with the upgraded Tu-160 Blackjacks – which have a range of 7,540 miles before needing in-flight refueling – the Kh-101 missile boasts an additional range of 3,100 miles and can deliver a 4.4 ton high-explosive (HE) or 450 kiloton-nuclear warhead (102-version).
This missile now gives the Kremlin a global – and stealthy – aerial strike capability.
But only if they don't get shot down first.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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