Strategic bomber

Strategic bombers are heavy (mostly long-range) bombers that are designed, among other things, for the transport and use of nuclear weapons . But you can also use conventional bombs and cruise missiles .

The central ability of current strategic bombers is their intercontinental range (over 6,000 km), which enables take-offs directly from their own area without having to relocate the aircraft beforehand. Range and duration of use can be increased by refueling in the air . The aim of the bombers is not to support the battlefield by attacking the opposing armed forces, but to destroy the enemy's hinterland, in particular the production resources, the infrastructure and the military structure. Just a few years after the end of World War II , strategic bombers were the weapon of choice in a future nuclear war . To the second strike capacity even after oneTo maintain the first strike of the enemy, the two superpowers of the Cold War set up strategic bomber units, whereby the bomber units of the USA (at times plus the British ) were always significantly stronger than those of the Soviet Union . At times, US long-range bombers were constantly in the air (see: Chrome Dome ). With the development of ICBMs , the importance of strategic bombers declined more and more. At the same time, their ability to penetrate unhindered into enemy airspace was severely restricted by radar-guided anti - aircraft missiles and interceptors with look-down / shoot-down capabilities.

List of bomber types

Historical types

Aircraft type	Production time	Length in m (from – to)	Span in m (from – to)	Number of items in production (until mid-2008)	country	picture
Myasishchev M-4 "Bison"	1951–1963 (approx.)	48 m	50 m	93	Soviet Union
Tupolew Tu-16 "Badger" or "Type 39"	1953 – mid 1970s	26 m	33 m	1,059	Russia (former Soviet Union )
Tupolev Tu-22 "Blinder" (before "Beauty")	1962 – late 1970s	42 m	23 m	311	Soviet Union
Convair B-36D - B-36J Peacemaker	1947-1954	49 m	70 m	300 (approx.)	United States
Boeing B-47 Stratojet	1945–1965 (approx.)	32 m	35 m	2,032	United States
Convair B-58 Hustler	1955-1964	29 m	17 m	116	United States
Handley Page HP80 Victor	1952-1963	36 m	34 m	86	United Kingdom
Vickers 667 Valiant	1952-1957	33 m	35 m	107	United Kingdom
Avro 698 Vulcan	1956-1965	30 m	34 m	136	United Kingdom
Dassault Mirage IV	1963-1968	24 m	12 m	62	France

Current types

Surname	Production time	Length in meters	Span in meters	Number of pieces up to 2008	Number of pieces at the end of 2020	country	picture
Tupolev Tu-22M "Backfire"	1972–1987 (approx.)	42 m	34/23 m	497	66	Russia (former Soviet Union )
Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear"	1956-1993	47 m	50 m	500+	42	Russia (former Soviet Union )
Tupolev Tu-160 "Blackjack"	1980s–	54 m	55/35 m	35	16 (another 50 planned)	Russia (former Soviet Union )
Xian H-6 / Hong-6 (variant of Tu-16)	1968–	35 m	33 m	150+	150	People's Republic of China
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress	1952-1962	46-47 m	56 m	744	74	United States
Boeing Rockwell B-1B Lancer	1970–1988 (approx.)	44 m	41/23 m	104	59	United States
Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit "Stealth Bomber" ( stealth bomber )	1988-1997	21 m	52 m	21	19th	United States

In planning

Surname	Type	Commissioning	planned number of pieces	country	picture
Tupolev PAK-DA	Stealth bombers	2025-2030	-	Russia
Xian H-20	Stealth bombers	2025	-	People's Republic of China
Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider	Stealth bombers	2025	100	United States

Media reception

In the film Dr. Strange or: How I learned to love the bomb , it's about the looming world war that threatens to break out after a mad general orders several US strategic bombers to attack the Soviet Union.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} The length and span dimensions are rounded to the nearest meter in order to keep the table clear. Different sizes for variants of one type: xy m, for swing-wing aircraft : maximum / minimum size.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Overview in: Flight International : World Airliners, Oct. 21-27, 2008, pp. 31–43 and Oct. 28 - Nov. 3, 2008, pp. 51–63. (All aircraft produced up to mid-2008 and all aircraft still in service, including temporarily decommissioned examples.)
3. ↑ Overview in: Flight International : World Air Forces, November 11th - 17th, 2008, pp. 48–76 ( introduction and list as PDF with an English-language overview of all types of aircraft used in the air force)
4. ↑ ^{a b} World Air Force 2021. flightglobal.com, accessed March 17, 2021 . 
5. ↑ Gernot Kramper: PAK-DA - Putin's stealth bomber is supposed to break through the air defenses of the West. Stern, February 21, 2020, accessed March 17, 2021 . 
6. ↑ Beijing's B-2? China's Xian H-20 Stealth Bomber Is Coming. The National Interest, November 14, 2020, accessed March 17, 2021 .