Tu-160 over the Barents Sea. Russian strategic bombers rehearse cruise missile strikes during Zapad-25
Russian long-range aviation has carried out live-fire training over the Barents Sea, launching cruise missiles as part of the Zapad-25 exercise series, which concluded on Tuesday.
aviation worldwide news16 september 2025 | 12:47 | Source: Gazeta Morska / PAP | Prepared by: Kamil Kusier | Print
fot. Sergey Lysenko / Wikimedia
According to Russia’s Ministry of Defence, the drills involved Tu-160 “Blackjack” strategic bombers, one of the two mainstays of Moscow’s long-range strike capability alongside the Tu-95. The Barents Sea sorties were integrated into a wider Zapad-25 scenario, which also covered operations in Kaliningrad, Belarus, the Baltic Sea, and other areas within Russian territory.
Approximately 30,000 Belarusian and Russian troops took part in the exercise, including 8,000 operating on training grounds in Belarus. The drills aimed to synchronize air, naval, and ground assets in joint operations near key maritime approaches, including the Arctic routes that are of growing strategic interest.
Each Tu-160 can carry up to 12 Kh-55 or Kh-101 cruise missiles, enabling it to strike maritime or land targets from standoff ranges. Russia operates around 20 of these bombers, many of which have been modernized, and since 2022 has been introducing the upgraded Tu-160M2 variant.
The Barents Sea launches underscore Moscow’s continued focus on projecting power across northern maritime domains and securing access to the Arctic, including potential influence over the Northern Sea Route (NSR).
Buy us a coffee, and we’ll invest in great maritime journalism! Support Gazeta Morska and help us sail forward – click here!
Kamil Kusier
redaktor naczelny
comments
Add the first comment
see also
"Let everyone know we will prevail". Poland’s armed forces set strategic course for 2026-2039
“Army 500” and strategic transformation: Poland sets the course for long-term deterrence and allied readiness
Medical evacuation from Danish-flagged vessel Skoven off Łeba. Joint SAR operation in the Baltic Sea
SAR medevac operation in the Baltic Sea: m/v Lone crew member airlifted to Słupsk hospital
Polish Navy conducts medical evacuation from Aura Seaways ferry in harsh Baltic conditions
Polish naval aviators conduct another medical evacuation operation in the Baltic Sea
NHV launches helicopter base in Gdańsk to support Baltic offshore wind sector
Medical evacuation from offshore installation in the Baltic Sea. First naval SAR mission of 2026
The capture of President Nicolás Maduro: how U.S. maritime operations triggered a geopolitical turning point
Kondor over the sea: Poland’s attempt to close the maritime situational awareness gap
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT