At least two Russian strategic bombers malfunctioned during a missile and drone attack on Ukraine on the night of September 2–3, according to Telegram channel Dossier Spy.
According to the post, the Tu-160 “Ivan Yarygin,” with tail number 04, failed to launch its missiles “due to a malfunction in the launcher mechanism.”
Meanwhile, the Tu-160 “Aleksei Plokhov,” with tail number 16, was hit by lightning. The impact reportedly damaged the cockpit windows and forced the crew to abort the flight and return to base.
A third aircraft, believed to be another Tu-160 scheduled for the operation, was unable to take off from Engels Air Base. Reasons were unknown, according to Dossier Spy.
The incident could not be independently verified, and neither Ukraine nor Russia has commented on the damage.
The Tu-160, known by NATO as the Blackjack, is Russia’s largest nuclear-capable bomber and a central element of its long-range strike force.
Militarnyi said the failure of two aircraft may point to the Russian military-industrial complex’s inability to properly maintain strategic bombers.
“The problems may also be the result of intensive use and exhaustion of the life of individual components and assemblies,” the news outlet notes. “An additional factor may be Operation Spiderweb, in which the Security Service of Ukraine destroyed and damaged a significant portion of Russian strategic aircraft.”
Over 40 aircraft, including Tu-95 “Bear” nuclear bombers, Tu-22M3 “Backfire” bombers, and A-50 “Mainstay” airborne early warning aircraft, were damaged in the strike, according to the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff.
