"However, it is high time for the IAF to think about acquiring heavy bombers given that they enhance its ability to target the enemy at very long ranges. Also, since strategic bombers don't require mid-air refuellers to carry out missions beyond 10,000 kilometers, they are less vulnerable to being short on fuel for operations that have to be conducted well outside India's area of influence," the retired IAF pilot underlined.
"The Tu-160M could emerge as a potential game-changer for India with its ability to carry nuclear warheads, as it would boost New Delhi's nuclear triad. For the unversed, India already has land, underwater, and air-based nuclear forces, but none of its fighter jets offer the range that the Tu-160M bomber provides," he explained.
"Perhaps India is simply considering bombers and could look at the Tu-22M3. But if we're talking about the Tu-160 itself, which we recently resumed production of, our nearest comparable model would be the B-1A1 bomber," Leonkov observed.
"The Tu-160 is unique in maintaining supersonic speed over long periods, reaching up to 2,250 km/h for 45 minutes. This capability was designed because its main threat to maritime theaters is the United States F/A-18 fighter, which can maintain supersonic speeds for only 10 minutes," the analyst observed.
"The Tu-160M has been used in the Special Military Operation (SMO) to strike strategic military and civilian infrastructure targets, including those under the control of Volodymyr Zelensky's government following the coup. It has used Kh-55 missiles and occasionally Kh-101 missiles. This is likely the first major deployment since its inception, aside from initial use in Syria in 2015 with the non-nuclear Kh-555 missile. During the SMO, it also launched Kh-22 supersonic cruise missiles. These strikes focused on stationary strategic targets," Leonkov summed up.