When it comes to strategic bombers, the vast majority of people immediately think of the 4 musketeers of the superpower in the air: that is, B52, B1B, B2, all the way to the latest B21. Then there are the Tu-95, Tu-160, which existed in Soviet times. If you barely squeeze in one more, it is Figure 22M. In fact, the Tu-22M cannot fly to a range of 10,000 kilometers with internal fuel in any case, not even 8,000 kilometers. Therefore, there is no minimum threshold for crossing a strategic bomber. The so-called latest B21 has not only not been mass-produced so far, but even its internal fuel range is on the threshold of 10,000 kilometers; It's a marginal character who will be kicked out if you're not careful. In addition to the basic qualifications, the other biggest trouble faced by the five globally recognized strategic bombers is actually the increasing number of sorties that can be dropped. In this Tu-160, as the absolute first brother of full tonnage and maximum range, there are only 17 planes on paper, and there are never more than 6 planes that can really fly; And only 4 of them have participated in actual intercontinental flights!
The number of 4 to 6 is simply too small. Even if each one carries a nuclear warhead, it is not enough to see in a large-scale actual battle. It is precisely because of the insufficient available quantity that there is a fear of obvious losses after the sortie, which has led to the fact that in the past 30 years or so, the regular strategic deterrence flights on the western coast of the North American continent have actually been dispatched in the turboprop mode of the Tu-95, and not a single one has actually dispatched a huge white swan. And on paper, there are still 150 of them, and the three major continental masters of the superpower air force, the actual situation is not much better! There are still more than 60 aircraft in the B1B fleet in name, but no more than 44 are allowed to take to the skies. It is that among these 44 aircraft, basically every time a long-range mission is performed, it will be accompanied by a sudden danger! Either the landing gear won't be put down, or the ejection seats are all out of order. This leads to the fact that this kind of large bomber, which can nominally penetrate at low-altitude supersonic speeds, is absolutely forbidden to conduct any more low-altitude supersonic flights, even long-term high-subsonic flights in excess of 950 kilometers per hour;
are strictly restricted. The air force of the superpower does not have a large aircraft that can fly at supersonic speeds. And the Pentagon was already determined to retire all the B1B fleet, but a group of big men in the relevant congressional committees did not agree. In addition to face and feelings, once all B1Bs are decommissioned, the number of sorties available for B2 and B21 is even more unbearable. At that time, there will really be less than 30 aircraft left, and the age of the aircraft is generally over 60 years old, and the B52H, which is about to be seventy or eighty, will appear back and forth in the Asia-Pacific region. The radar reflection index of the B52H is as high as more than 1500 square meters, which is completely visible from Hawaii when it takes off from Hawaii. If it is put into actual combat, it is really called a super big target in the air. Originally, we were counting on a one-to-one comprehensive replacement of B21, but it seems that it will not be able to be replaced by 2060. Completely contrary to the "impression of the two powers" of the world bombers. However, a certain large country is quietly increasing the total number of bombers with a range of more than 10,000 kilometers. And by virtue of;
The old design of the 1950s did not cause any waves in the world. As a result, only this "backward" model will be equipped with more than 400 aircraft. In a few years, with the addition of various flying wings, the total amount of equipment will soon exceed 700 aircraft, and continue to keep up with the scale of 800 aircraft. Soon it will be 10 times the total number of available bombers of the United States and E! If on average, each "low-grade" bomber can carry 6 large missiles, and all 800 of them are dispatched, 4,800 bombs will be dropped. This is obviously the rhythm of preparing to destroy the opponent with the first punch, and even the second wave of air assault is saved!