The importance of air supremacy in modern warfare is self-evident, and the key to ensuring air supremacy is to have a powerful air defense system and excellent fighter jets. The Russian Tu-160 bomber has excellent endurance, however, there was once a Russian bomber that used nuclear power, and it was the Tu-119 nuclear-powered bomber, which has a range of up to 80 circles around the earth, which is the longest range bomber in the world. However, why did Russia not develop it later?
First of all, the use of nuclear-powered fighters is quite dangerous, because the energy generated by nuclear reactors is huge, and at the same time, a large amount of nuclear radiation is generated, which poses a great threat to both the pilot and the surrounding environment. In addition, despite the fact that the nuclear-powered bomber itself is a huge nuclear **, it has no way to carry other ** ammunition, which means that it does not have the ability to strike in real combat. After all, a powerful bomber cannot gain a foothold on the battlefield if it does not even have the ability to defend itself.
In addition, the cost of developing and producing a nuclear-powered bomber was a challenge, and Russia may not have had the financial strength to mass-produce such fighters at the time. The United States also tried to develop a nuclear-powered fighter, but eventually abandoned this plan after repeated defeats. During the Cold War, there was an arms race between the Soviet Union and the United States, so the determination of the Soviet Union to develop a nuclear-powered bomber can be seen. However, despite the success of the Soviet Union in developing the Tu-119 nuclear-powered bomber, it was ultimately unable to solve the problems of nuclear radiation and cost, so it had to choose to abandon its service.
Although the Tu-119 nuclear-powered bomber is still not in service, it still makes a deep impression. If one day, Russia can solve the problem of security risks and real combat capabilities of nuclear-powered fighters, then it will undoubtedly significantly increase the strength of the Russian Air Force. However, for now, this possibility still seems far away. In modern warfare, the progress of science and technology and the competition of military strength are still the focus of attention of all countries in the world.
The struggle for air supremacy will continue to be the core issue of future wars, and the development of bombers, as an important combat platform, will continue to receive the attention of all countries. While the future of nuclear-powered bombers seems uncertain at the moment, as technology continues to advance, perhaps one day people will see a new, more advanced fighter jet appear in the blue sky.