Tu-160 Bombers Over Johannesburg: Russian Nuclear Capable Jets Land in South Africa

On October 23rd two of the Russian Air Force’s Tu-160 strategic bombers hve landed at South Africa’s Waterkloof Airbase in Tshwane, accompanied by Il-62 and An-124 military transports. The visit represented part of a broader initiative to improve defence ties between the two emerging partners, and coincides with the Russia-Africa summit which began on the same day in Sochi. The Tu-160 is one of the most prominent symbols of Russian military power and is widely considered the most capable strategic bomber yet to be developed. The bomber enjoys a high endurance for intercontinental range and a capacity to carry highly precise cruise missiles such as the Kh-101 and Kh-102 - the latter nuclear armed and with an estimated range of up to 5,500km. A new generation of armaments were first tested in combat in the Syrian theatre from 2015, and a upgrade and expansion of the Russian Tu-160 fleet is currently underway.

A pair of Tu-160 bombers deployed to Venezuela in December 2018, and demonstrated Russia’s ability to redeploy nuclear assets on short notice to theatres far from its own territory. The bombers flew over 11,000km to reach South Africa, and their previous deployment to Caracas was sharply criticised throughout the Western Bloc. While the circumstances of this new overseas deployment of the Tu-160 are markedly different from that a year prior, it is notable that it has taken place amid a wider effort by Russia to improve both economic and defence ties with African states and at a time of growing competition for influence on the continent.