Is Russia Turning Its Strategic Bomber Into A Supersonic Passenger Jet?

Numerous media report suggests that Russia is planning to turn its long-range strategic bomber Tupolev-160 (NATO codename Blackjack) into a new supersonic passenger jet. Russia’s Concorde!

The Tupolev Tu-160 is a Mach 2+ heavy bomber with a range of about 12,300 km. It is designed to strike targets by launching long-range nuclear and conventional weapon tipped Kh-55 cruise missile.

About sixteen are currently in service – 11 regular Tu-160s and five upgraded Tu-160s.

Supersonic aircrafts are designed to transport passengers at speeds greater than the speed of sound by using a less amount of fuel, thus saving fuel costs.

The Tupolev Tu-144 (NATO codename Charger), nicknamed Concordski, became a laughing stock in the Soviet era, and never rivaled the British-French turbojet-powered “Concorde” which had a successful lifespan of almost a quart of a century. It operated for about a year and was ruled economically unfeasible and potentially unsafe.

and its competitors:

Aerion AS2
Designed by: Aerion Corporation in collaboration with Lockheed Martin
Capacity: 8–12 passengers
Cruise speed: Mach 1.4
Range: 10,000 km

Spike S-512
Designed by: Spike Aerospace
Capacity: 18 passengers
Cruise speed: Mach 1.8
Range: 11,482 km

XB-1 Baby Boom
Designed by: Boom Technology
Capacity: 55-passenger
Cruise speed: Mach 2.2
Range: 8,300 km