... tested in 1981, and barely in service when the USSR collapsed, the "White Swan" is clearly competitive with the US B1 "Lancer". But this bomber is huge- half again as big as the B-1 !
... finally learned that the huge lettering on the side are the names of various VIPs in the development of the 'Blackjack'
all images- Right click- open in New Window or Tab = super colossal size!
... finally learned that the huge lettering on the side are the names of various VIPs in the development of the 'Blackjack'
ReplyDeleteActually, it isn't right. White Swans were named after WWII pilots and airforce commanders with "Hero Of The Soviet Union" medals.
And one more correction: several (8 of 19) planes weren't named after war heroes.
ReplyDelete3 was named after the creators of the plane, 1 named after test pilot of TU160, 1 named after the famous soviet athlete, 1 named after XIX century general, 1 named after Sikorsky (well known in the USA) and 1 named after a folk hero.
Love the Soviet bombers…interesting to see how the Soviets approached design, weapons systems and other capabilities versus the US.
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