Only one-third of Russia’s Tu-160M strategic bombers are currently used for strikes against Ukraine.
According to analysts at AviVector, the remaining two-thirds are occupied with testing, training, maintenance, modernization, or are still being built.
Registry data shows that the Russian Aerospace Forces operate a total of 18 Tu-160M aircraft.
However, only seven of them are used for combat missions, operating from Ukrainka Air Base and occasionally from Engels-2 Air Base.
They are typically armed with cruise missiles at Engels-2 Air Base before missions, after which the aircraft either return to Ukrainka Air Base or remain at Engels-2.
These Tu-160Ms began operating from Ukrainka Air Base after the Security Service of Ukraine carried out a strike on Belaya Air Base in June 2025 – due to its greater distance from populated areas and highways.
In addition, two Tu-160s are in storage, one of which has likely already been decommissioned, analysts note.
There are also five newly built Tu-160M2 aircraft, whose operational status remains unclear. Around seven to nine Tu-160M and Tu-160M2 aircraft are located in the workshops of the Kazan Aircraft Production Association.
On March 18, 2026, two Tu-160M aircraft were moved to a new production workshop, the construction of which began in 2020, as seen in satellite imagery. Two more Tu-160M aircraft were located outdoors.
On April 15, 2026, satellite imagery showed two Tu-160M aircraft out in the open, and as of April 16, they remain there.
The number of Tu-160M aircraft at various locations based on the latest satellite data as of April 16:
- Engels-2 Air Base – 2 Tu-160M
- Ukrainka Air Base – 6 Tu-160M
- Yelizovo Airport – 1 Tu-160M
- Ramenskoye Airport – 3 Tu-160M
- Borisoglebskoye Airfield – 2 Tu-160M
In March, Tu-22M3, Tu-95, and Tu-160 aircraft were spotted at Ramenskoye airfield near Moscow. Construction of new hangars is also ongoing there.
