Russia’s PAK DA Stealth Bomber Will Fire “Nuclear-Tipped” Cruise Missiles & Hypersonics

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

Russia’s New PAK DA Stealth Bomber Will Fire “Nuclear-Tipped Stealthy Cruise Missiles & Hypersonics as part of a massive flying arsenal of 30-tons of ordnance, a substantial development surging the bomber into a new category of stealth attack volume and mission duration. 

Russia’s sleek looking next-generation stealth bomber clearly appears stealthy, yet the emerging platform is also slated to receive paradigm-changing levels of lethality in the form of nuclear and hypersonic weapons. 

Amid numerous reports of potential delays until 2030 and the successful performance of Russia’s upgraded Tu-160M conventional bomber in Ukraine, some might be inclined to question the future of the new stealth platform, a bomber apparently positioned to rival the US B-21 and Chinese H-20. Although there are reports of delays until 2030, an interesting essay in bulgarianmilitary.com says the Russian PAK DA is more advanced and closer to completion when compared with China’s H-20. 

Little is known for sure about the aircraft, but its potential attributes are impressive. The bomber might have the ability to fire nuclear-tipped, air-launched cruise missiles, take off fully loaded at 30 tons, fire hypersonic weapons, and introduce definitive new stealth technologies.

PAK DA Bomber

The platform seems specifically intended to match the U.S.’ B-21, which is airborne. The PAK DA is slated to emerge in prototype form as early as this year. Full production is slated for as soon as 2027, although the particular configuration, technological composition, and planned fleet size remain somewhat unknown. The fact that Russia will arm its PAK DA with a nuclear capable cruise missile seems quite significant, as it could be seen as a deliberate effort to match or rival US Air Force plans to arm the B-21 with the nuclear-capable Long-Range-Standoff (LRSO) weapon. 

Many of the details about the PAK DA are likely unavailable, undecided, or simply too difficult to discern, although Russia’s TASS news agency has made several key statements regarding the new bomber. Specifically, the Russian media made clear claims that the PAK DA would be nuclear capable and hypersonic as far back as 2021. 

“The PAK DA is expected to deploy Kh-102 nuclear-tipped stealthy cruise missiles, and a number of newer hypersonic designs including derivatives of the Kh-47M2.” a TASS report from 2021 says.