Boeing B-52 Stratofortress vs Tupolev Tu-160
Side-by-side spec comparison with neutral percentage deltas.
Spec table
| Spec | Boeing B-52 Stratofortress | Tupolev Tu-160 |
|---|---|---|
| Max speed (mph) (mph) | 650 | 1,380 |
| Max speed (Mach) (Mach) | 0.86 | 2.05 |
| Combat radius / range (mi) | 8,800 | 7,643 |
| Service ceiling (ft) | 50,000 | 52,493 |
| MTOW (lb) | 488,000 | 606,271 |
| Empty weight (lb) | 185,000 | 267,727 |
| Payload (lb) | 70,000 | 88,185 |
| Endurance (hr) | 16 | 10 |
| Length (ft) | 159.4 | 177.5 |
| Wingspan (ft) | 185 | 182.7 |
| Thrust-to-weight ratio (MTOW) | 0.03 | 0.09 |
Green = leader on that dimension. Higher is treated as better for all rows shown.
On-paper verdict
- Max speed (mph): Tupolev Tu-160 (+112%)
- Max speed (Mach): Tupolev Tu-160 (+138%)
- Combat radius / range: Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (+15%)
- Service ceiling: Tupolev Tu-160 (+5%)
- MTOW: Tupolev Tu-160 (+24%)
- Empty weight: Tupolev Tu-160 (+45%)
- Payload: Tupolev Tu-160 (+26%)
- Endurance: Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (+60%)
- Length: Tupolev Tu-160 (+11%)
- Wingspan: Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (+1%)
- Thrust-to-weight ratio (MTOW): Tupolev Tu-160 (+161%)
Performance
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress tops out at 650 mph and a service ceiling of 50000 ft. Tupolev Tu-160 is rated at 1380 mph with a service ceiling of 52493 ft.
Range & payload
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress carries up to 70000 lb over 8800 mi. Tupolev Tu-160 carries 88185 lb over 7643 mi. Numbers above are the headline manufacturer figures — real-world performance trades payload against range against fuel reserves.
Engines
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress: 8x Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-103 turbofans (17,000 lbf each).
Tupolev Tu-160: 4x Kuznetsov NK-321 turbofans with afterburner (55,115 lbf each).
Frequently asked questions
Which is faster, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress or Tupolev Tu-160?
650 mph (Boeing B-52 Stratofortress) vs 1380 mph (Tupolev Tu-160).
Which has the longer range?
8800 mi (Boeing B-52 Stratofortress) vs 7643 mi (Tupolev Tu-160).
What's the payload difference?
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress: 70000 lb · Tupolev Tu-160: 88185 lb.
Are these specs current?
Specs come from each aircraft's manufacturer-published or Wikipedia-aggregated figures, current as of the page's last regeneration. Variants and block upgrades may carry different numbers — check the linked reference pages for the latest.
Which one was built first?
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress: service entry 1955. Tupolev Tu-160: service entry 1987.
Sources
Spec values pulled from each aircraft's reference page in the gallery, which aggregates manufacturer-published figures with Wikipedia-cited sources:
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