The Tupolev Tu160 White Swan, or Blackjack, was entirely a product of Cold War paranoia. First flown in 1981, the aircraft quickly became one of Russia's most effective aircraft ever produced.

Because of its impressive and state-of-the-art configuration, the colossal variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber and missile platform remains the fastest, largest, and heaviest Mach 2 aircraft ever produced alongside the American XB70 Valkyrie. In addition, it has such a massive airframe that it can store over 45,000 kilograms worth of ordnance.

Over 30 Tu160s have been produced throughout the decades, with some of them receiving significant modifications to specialize in different roles.

Still, Russia recently embarked on a new project to modernize the program and revamp the aircraft, hoping to take the Blackjacks into the future by making them even more powerful and lethal…

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Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.

As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.

All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.

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