A bomber this big should not accelerate like this.
The Tu-160 “White Swan” is powered by four Kuznetsov NK-32 engines, each capable of roughly 25,000 kgf of afterburning thrust. Together, that is about 100,000 kgf of thrust driving a bomber weighing hundreds of tonnes down the runway.
That power is what gives the Tu-160 its unusual combination of enormous size, long-range strike capability and supersonic performance. Russia operates it as a strategic missile carrier within its Long-Range Aviation force, designed to launch long-range cruise missiles from well outside the target area.
And this takeoff shows exactly why the NK-32 is such a defining part of the aircraft: when all four afterburners light, the heat distortion alone makes the air behind the bomber visibly ripple.
What stands out more: the sheer engine power or the size of the Tu-160? ✈️