At first glance, the Tu-160 (Blackjack) and the B-1B show up to be very similar. Even though they have some mission overlap, the two aircraft are very different. The B-1B was actually designed to be a high-altitude supersonic penetrator, but it was shelved by the Carter administration in 1977 after it became clear that the new bomber would not be able to survive new Soviet air defenses.
The Soviets, on the other hand, designed the plane primarily to deliver nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, though it retained the ability to do low-level penetration. As a side effect, the Tu-160 is significantly larger and faster than the B-1B, with a maximum takeoff weight of more than 606,000 pounds and a top speed of Mach 2.05. The B-1B, on the other hand, weighs 477,000 pounds.
