'White Swan'... Vinit Vartak ©
India has faced the threat of what is called a two-front war in the past. Pakistan on one side and China on the other, but due to the plight of Pakistan in the past few years and India's technological progress, India and Pakistan are aware that Pakistan cannot even come close to being equal to India. Due to this, in the last few years, India has started planning its defense capabilities in front of China. In the wake of the Doklam standoff and subsequent border disputes with India, China has taken some moves to provoke India. One of them is the deployment of the H6 strategic bomber over Tibet. Basically what is a strategic bomber? What is its threat to India? There is only one answer to all the questions of how India will answer it. That is 'white swan'.
To understand what a strategic bomber is, we have to go back to the Cold War era. America and Russia invented many destructive combat technologies to outwit each other. A part of it is 'Strategic Bomber'. During the First World War, Russia developed a fighter plane for the first time by dropping bombs to blow up the enemy's terrine, Eliminate them and get back to our country before anyone can guess where these bombs fell from the sky. In World War II, British and American strategic bombers tried to stop Japan by bombing Japanese cities, but when Japan did not listen, American Boeing B-29 Super fortress strategic bombers dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What happened after that is history. After this, the strategic bomber rivalry between America and Russia continued during the Cold War. That is why history tells us that having a strategic bomber is a step forward in the war of any country.
In the past few months, China has deployed its H6 strategic bomber in Tibet near the Indian border.As mentioned above, a strategic bomber can carry a huge number of bombs, missiles, nuclear missiles with it and go deep into the enemy country. This strategic bomber of China has a range of 3500 km. Which includes the whole of India. All the important cities, establishments, military and secret institutions of India fall under this phase. That is why China has tried to create psychological pressure on India. India's headache is not the H6 but the H20 strategic bomber coming in 2025. It is going to be a strategic bomber stealth. This means it is almost impossible to detect with radar. It will have a capacity of 45 tons of bombs and a distance of up to 8500 km. That is why India needs to find a solution to its problems. If India wants to compete with China, it is the need of the hour to have an equally powerful strategic bomber. The same answer is 'white swan'.
The White Swan, or Russian Tupolev Tu 160, is the world's most reliable, powerful and destructive strategic bomber currently in service. This bomber took off for the first time on December 16, 1981. With a wingspan of 56 meters, the aircraft can reach a height of more than 40,000 feet (maximum altitude of 52,000 feet), carrying 1,10,000 kilograms on its own and carrying as many as 45,000 kilograms of bombs, missiles, nuclear missiles. White swan is capable of flying at high speeds of up to (Mach 2) 2220 km/h from high altitudes. Its 4 Samara NK 31 turbofan engines generate thrust that no other aircraft has ever managed. It has the capability to cover a distance of more than 12000 km in a single flight. (with air to air refueling. without refueling approx. 8500 kms). Tupolev Tu 160 is the most powerful strategic bomber in the world. Even America's B2 Spirit seems like a little puppy in front of him. That is why even America is afraid of this white swan. Russia currently has only 17 Tupolev Tu 160 strategic bombers. In the Russia-Ukraine war, these planes have successfully carried out the responsibility of attacking the cities of Ukraine. Russia has never sold its biggest asset to any country. But Russia is said to have given its approval for the Tupolev Tu 160, keeping all rules aside for India.
The US alone has spent over 100 billion US dollars to build a strategic bomber. From this we can understand how much a country's defense capability and mental toughness will increase if it has a strategic bomber that even the US fears. A Tupolev Tu 160 of Russia costs around $270 million. Discussions are currently going on in the international arena that India is negotiating through the back door to support China's growing dominance. If India signs a deal to acquire this strategic bomber from Russia, it will be a boon for China and a shock for America. With the arrival of Tupolev Tu 160 strategic bombers, India's dominance over the Indian Ocean will increase several folds. Without violating international borders, India will be able to strike deep inside the enemy at very important places like the entire Malacca Strait, Indian Ocean.
Why should we pay so much for a strategic bomber when India has fighter jets like Sukhoi, Rafale, Tejas.No matter how capable these fighter jets are, there is a limit to how many missiles they can carry. An aircraft like Rafale has 14 hard points. But considering the weight of a missile, it can take off with one missile like Brahmos or 10-12 missiles like Astra. Note that the weight of BrahMos missile is 3 tons. The strategic bomber will have the capability to carry around 15 Brahmos simultaneously or carry more than 290 Astra missiles. Now the difference is clear that where Rafale can fire one BrahMos or nuclear missile at a time, Tupolev Tu 160 strategic bomber can literally rain bombs on the enemy country. When 10 Brahmos attack the enemy at the same time, They will not have time to react. It is obvious that when India has this capability in the Indian Ocean, a power-hungry country like China will be far away from it.
The Tupolev Tu 160 strategic bomber is a mobile messenger of the skies. It is shaped like a swan flying in the air. Its wings are made with a blended wing profile. This means there is no difference between the wings and the body of the aircraft they are one. Its color is also white. That is why it is called White Swan or Safed Hans.This aircraft is very modern and flies with fly by wire system. It takes as many as 4 pilots to fly this plane. The flight takes 130 tonnes of fuel with it. When this is in the air, the enemy also keeps all his weapons in the closet. Because there is no tracking of How, when and from where this plane will drop the bomb. By the time you know it, it is long gone. It is now clear that India is considering acquiring the aircraft. If this agreement is reached between India and Russia, it will be very important for India.At the time of S-400, it is almost certain that the US exempted India from the CATSA agreement. But after the Tupolev Tu 160 strategic bomber deal, it is clear that the US will not back down from CATSA. So it will be exciting to see what moves India plays for the purchase of white swan.
Jai Hind!!!
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