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).
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Kamil Kusier
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