Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
Russian military aviation influencer Ilya Tumanov, who administers the widely followed Fighterbomber Telegram channel, has released the first photograph of Tu-160 serial number 8-04, named Deynekin, following its upgrade to the “M” standard.
Previous imagery had shown the Deynekin undergoing modernization at the Kazan Aircraft Production Association plant as far back as 2020, making the timeline from the start of its upgrade to the release of post-modernization photography a period of roughly five years.
The Tu-160, known to NATO as the Blackjack, is the world’s largest and heaviest supersonic combat aircraft and Russia’s most capable nuclear-capable strategic bomber. First flown in 1981 and entering Soviet service in 1987, the swing-wing aircraft can carry up to twelve Kh-55 or Kh-101/102 cruise missiles in two internal rotary launchers, giving it a conventional and nuclear strike capability at intercontinental ranges. The Tu-160M upgrade program, managed by the Kazan Aircraft Production Association, modernizes the original Tu-160 airframe with updated avionics, communications systems, and engine improvements while retaining the basic airframe and weapons architecture. The Tu-160M2 designation refers to newly built aircraft rather than converted legacy airframes, though the distinction between the two variants in terms of systems and capability has not been fully disclosed publicly.
Russian military aviation influencer Ilya Tumanov, who administers the widely followed Fighterbomber Telegram channel, has released the first photograph of Tu-160 serial number 8-04, named Deynekin, following its upgrade to the “M” standard.
Previous imagery had shown the Deynekin undergoing modernization at the Kazan Aircraft Production Association plant as far back as 2020, making the timeline from the start of its upgrade to the release of post-modernization photography a period of roughly five years.
The Tu-160, known to NATO as the Blackjack, is the world’s largest and heaviest supersonic combat aircraft and Russia’s most capable nuclear-capable strategic bomber. First flown in 1981 and entering Soviet service in 1987, the swing-wing aircraft can carry up to twelve Kh-55 or Kh-101/102 cruise missiles in two internal rotary launchers, giving it a conventional and nuclear strike capability at intercontinental ranges. The Tu-160M upgrade program, managed by the Kazan Aircraft Production Association, modernizes the original Tu-160 airframe with updated avionics, communications systems, and engine improvements while retaining the basic airframe and weapons architecture. The Tu-160M2 designation refers to newly built aircraft rather than converted legacy airframes, though the distinction between the two variants in terms of systems and capability has not been fully disclosed publicly.
