Russian Tu‑22M3 Bombers Armed with Kh‑32 Missiles Conduct High‑Profile Baltic Sea Flight
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Russian Tu-22M3 long-range missile-carrying bombers, escorted by Su-35S and Su-27 fighters, flew a more than five-hour patrol over neutral Baltic Sea waters on November 27, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry. The choice of bomber and anti-ship missile profile highlights Moscow’s effort to signal it can threaten NATO surface forces and sea lanes from stand-off range in one of Europe’s most crowded maritime theaters.
On November 27, 2025, Russian Tu-22M3 long-range supersonic missile-carrying bombers, escorted by Su-35S and Su-27 fighters, conducted a scheduled flight over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, lasting more than five hours, as reported by Russia’s Ministry of Defense and the TASS news agency. According to the Russian authorities, foreign fighter aircraft shadowed the formation on segments of its route, in a pattern now familiar from NATO air policing missions along the Alliance’s northeastern flank. Beyond the routine language used by Moscow to describe such sorties, the choice of platform and theatre, Tu-22M3 bombers configured to employ Kh-22/32 anti-ship missiles over one of Europe’s most militarised maritime zones, underscores the enduring role of long-range aviation in signalling and deterrence in the Baltic region.
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The Tu-22M3 is a long-range supersonic bomber designed to carry heavy payloads at high speed, combining variable-geometry wings with strike capabilities suited for maritime and land-attack missions (Russian MoD)
The defence package involved in this mission brings together several complementary capabilities. The Tu-22M3 “Backfire-C” is a variable-geometry, long-range supersonic bomber originally developed in the Soviet Union for maritime strike and strategic roles, capable of speeds above Mach 2 and designed to carry heavy stand-off missiles such as the Kh-22 and its modernised successor, the Kh-32. The Kh-22 family is a large liquid-fuel cruise missile conceived to attack carrier groups and critical infrastructure from ranges of several hundred kilometres at very high speed and altitude, while the Kh-32 variant reportedly combines upgraded guidance and electronic resilience with an extended engagement envelope that open sources estimate at up to roughly 800–1,000 kilometres. Fighter escort was provided by Su-35S and Su-27 aircraft, multirole and air-superiority fighters whose long-range N035 Irbis-E radar and infrared search-and-track systems allow simultaneous tracking and engagement of multiple targets, providing both close protection for the bombers and situational awareness over a broad airspace sector. In combination, this package rehearses a strike profile in which long-range anti-ship or land-attack missiles could be launched from well outside most naval air-defence envelopes while remaining under fighter cover.
The aircraft and missile systems involved possess a long and evolving operational history, underscoring the significance of the latest Baltic sortie. The Tu-22M series, introduced in the 1970s to counter Western carrier battle groups, has undergone continuous modernization. The M3 variant brought stronger engines, improved low-altitude performance, and more advanced navigation and attack systems. Current upgrade programmes, such as the Tu-22M3M, incorporate digital avionics, satellite navigation, and compatibility with modern precision weapons, reflecting Russia’s intent to maintain a viable bomber force well into the mid-21st century. The Kh-22 missile, in service since the late 1960s, was originally engineered for high-speed attacks and steep dive profiles against naval targets. Its successor, the Kh-32, introduced in the 2010s, addresses contemporary air defence challenges by enhancing electronic countermeasure resistance and enabling higher operational altitudes.
In recent years, Tu-22M3 bombers paired with Kh-22 and Kh-32 missiles have played a major role in the war against Ukraine, conducting strikes on infrastructure and urban targets. The bomber fleet has simultaneously suffered considerable losses from combat and sabotage, including Ukrainian drone attacks on bases such as Soltsy and Shaykovka and the reported April 2024 downing of a Tu-22M3 by a modified S-200 surface-to-air missile. Within this context, the continuation of long-range patrol and training sorties over the Baltic signals Russia’s determination to project resilience and sustain its strategic bomber presence despite attrition and mounting international scrutiny.
From a tactical perspective, the November 27 mission rehearses a classic long-range maritime strike scenario adapted to the geography of the Baltic Sea. Operating over international waters while remaining within reach of Russian territory, a Tu-22M3 equipped to launch Kh-22/32 missiles can threaten naval forces, critical coastal infrastructure and rear-area military hubs across a wide arc that includes much of the Baltic basin and parts of northern Europe, without ever approaching the defended airspace of a specific NATO member. The missile’s high speed and potential quasi-ballistic terminal profile reduce the reaction time available to shipborne air-defence systems, forcing adversaries to rely on layered early warning and pre-planned dispersal rather than last-minute interception. Meanwhile, Su-35S and Su-27 escorts extend the formation’s air picture, deter close approaches by foreign fighters and provide rehearsed procedures for deconfliction when intercepts occur. Russian statements emphasising that all such flights are conducted “in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace” reflect a desire to present these operations as routine and legally compliant, even as they intersect with NATO air policing and trigger responses from Alliance aircraft tasked with visual identification and shadowing.
Strategically, the flight reflects a broader pattern of recurring Tu‑22M3 patrols over the Baltic, reported between 2023 and 2025 by both Russian and international media, often coinciding with periods of heightened regional tension or significant developments in the war in Ukraine. For Moscow, these missions serve multiple purposes: sustaining crew proficiency in complex long‑range operations, demonstrating the resilience and continued availability of bomber assets despite repeated Ukrainian drone attacks, and signaling the dual conventional and nuclear capabilities of Russia’s long‑range aviation to NATO capitals. For Baltic and Nordic states, now including Finland and Sweden within NATO’s perimeter, such flights underscore that their ports, sea lines of communication, and critical infrastructure remain within reach of Russian stand‑off weapons launched from outside their immediate airspace. The regular presence of bomber formations in the Baltic further complicates Alliance planning, requiring continuous allocation of fighters and surveillance assets to monitoring duties at a time when European air forces are already balancing national air defense, support to Ukraine, and out‑of‑area commitments.
This latest Tu-22M3 mission over the Baltic Sea therefore, goes beyond a simple training sortie. It demonstrates that Russia continues to pair long-range missile-carrying bombers with capable fighter escorts in a theatre where the distance from international airspace to NATO territory is often measured in minutes of flight time. It reinforces a pattern of signalling that has seen similar missions over the Baltic publicised by both Russian authorities and international agencies throughout 2025, even as Ukrainian strikes and Western sanctions place increasing pressure on Russia’s air assets and defence industry. And it highlights how, in the current European security environment, each “scheduled flight” of a missile-carrying bomber formation doubles as a strategic message directed at neighbouring states and alliances, making the skies over the Baltic a barometer of the evolving balance of power between Moscow and the Euro-Atlantic community.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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Russian Tu-22M3 long-range missile-carrying bombers, escorted by Su-35S and Su-27 fighters, flew a more than five-hour patrol over neutral Baltic Sea waters on November 27, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry. The choice of bomber and anti-ship missile profile highlights Moscow’s effort to signal it can threaten NATO surface forces and sea lanes from stand-off range in one of Europe’s most crowded maritime theaters.
On November 27, 2025, Russian Tu-22M3 long-range supersonic missile-carrying bombers, escorted by Su-35S and Su-27 fighters, conducted a scheduled flight over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, lasting more than five hours, as reported by Russia’s Ministry of Defense and the TASS news agency. According to the Russian authorities, foreign fighter aircraft shadowed the formation on segments of its route, in a pattern now familiar from NATO air policing missions along the Alliance’s northeastern flank. Beyond the routine language used by Moscow to describe such sorties, the choice of platform and theatre, Tu-22M3 bombers configured to employ Kh-22/32 anti-ship missiles over one of Europe’s most militarised maritime zones, underscores the enduring role of long-range aviation in signalling and deterrence in the Baltic region.
The Tu-22M3 is a long-range supersonic bomber designed to carry heavy payloads at high speed, combining variable-geometry wings with strike capabilities suited for maritime and land-attack missions (Russian MoD)
The defence package involved in this mission brings together several complementary capabilities. The Tu-22M3 “Backfire-C” is a variable-geometry, long-range supersonic bomber originally developed in the Soviet Union for maritime strike and strategic roles, capable of speeds above Mach 2 and designed to carry heavy stand-off missiles such as the Kh-22 and its modernised successor, the Kh-32. The Kh-22 family is a large liquid-fuel cruise missile conceived to attack carrier groups and critical infrastructure from ranges of several hundred kilometres at very high speed and altitude, while the Kh-32 variant reportedly combines upgraded guidance and electronic resilience with an extended engagement envelope that open sources estimate at up to roughly 800–1,000 kilometres. Fighter escort was provided by Su-35S and Su-27 aircraft, multirole and air-superiority fighters whose long-range N035 Irbis-E radar and infrared search-and-track systems allow simultaneous tracking and engagement of multiple targets, providing both close protection for the bombers and situational awareness over a broad airspace sector. In combination, this package rehearses a strike profile in which long-range anti-ship or land-attack missiles could be launched from well outside most naval air-defence envelopes while remaining under fighter cover.
The aircraft and missile systems involved possess a long and evolving operational history, underscoring the significance of the latest Baltic sortie. The Tu-22M series, introduced in the 1970s to counter Western carrier battle groups, has undergone continuous modernization. The M3 variant brought stronger engines, improved low-altitude performance, and more advanced navigation and attack systems. Current upgrade programmes, such as the Tu-22M3M, incorporate digital avionics, satellite navigation, and compatibility with modern precision weapons, reflecting Russia’s intent to maintain a viable bomber force well into the mid-21st century. The Kh-22 missile, in service since the late 1960s, was originally engineered for high-speed attacks and steep dive profiles against naval targets. Its successor, the Kh-32, introduced in the 2010s, addresses contemporary air defence challenges by enhancing electronic countermeasure resistance and enabling higher operational altitudes.
In recent years, Tu-22M3 bombers paired with Kh-22 and Kh-32 missiles have played a major role in the war against Ukraine, conducting strikes on infrastructure and urban targets. The bomber fleet has simultaneously suffered considerable losses from combat and sabotage, including Ukrainian drone attacks on bases such as Soltsy and Shaykovka and the reported April 2024 downing of a Tu-22M3 by a modified S-200 surface-to-air missile. Within this context, the continuation of long-range patrol and training sorties over the Baltic signals Russia’s determination to project resilience and sustain its strategic bomber presence despite attrition and mounting international scrutiny.
From a tactical perspective, the November 27 mission rehearses a classic long-range maritime strike scenario adapted to the geography of the Baltic Sea. Operating over international waters while remaining within reach of Russian territory, a Tu-22M3 equipped to launch Kh-22/32 missiles can threaten naval forces, critical coastal infrastructure and rear-area military hubs across a wide arc that includes much of the Baltic basin and parts of northern Europe, without ever approaching the defended airspace of a specific NATO member. The missile’s high speed and potential quasi-ballistic terminal profile reduce the reaction time available to shipborne air-defence systems, forcing adversaries to rely on layered early warning and pre-planned dispersal rather than last-minute interception. Meanwhile, Su-35S and Su-27 escorts extend the formation’s air picture, deter close approaches by foreign fighters and provide rehearsed procedures for deconfliction when intercepts occur. Russian statements emphasising that all such flights are conducted “in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace” reflect a desire to present these operations as routine and legally compliant, even as they intersect with NATO air policing and trigger responses from Alliance aircraft tasked with visual identification and shadowing.
Strategically, the flight reflects a broader pattern of recurring Tu‑22M3 patrols over the Baltic, reported between 2023 and 2025 by both Russian and international media, often coinciding with periods of heightened regional tension or significant developments in the war in Ukraine. For Moscow, these missions serve multiple purposes: sustaining crew proficiency in complex long‑range operations, demonstrating the resilience and continued availability of bomber assets despite repeated Ukrainian drone attacks, and signaling the dual conventional and nuclear capabilities of Russia’s long‑range aviation to NATO capitals. For Baltic and Nordic states, now including Finland and Sweden within NATO’s perimeter, such flights underscore that their ports, sea lines of communication, and critical infrastructure remain within reach of Russian stand‑off weapons launched from outside their immediate airspace. The regular presence of bomber formations in the Baltic further complicates Alliance planning, requiring continuous allocation of fighters and surveillance assets to monitoring duties at a time when European air forces are already balancing national air defense, support to Ukraine, and out‑of‑area commitments.
This latest Tu-22M3 mission over the Baltic Sea therefore, goes beyond a simple training sortie. It demonstrates that Russia continues to pair long-range missile-carrying bombers with capable fighter escorts in a theatre where the distance from international airspace to NATO territory is often measured in minutes of flight time. It reinforces a pattern of signalling that has seen similar missions over the Baltic publicised by both Russian authorities and international agencies throughout 2025, even as Ukrainian strikes and Western sanctions place increasing pressure on Russia’s air assets and defence industry. And it highlights how, in the current European security environment, each “scheduled flight” of a missile-carrying bomber formation doubles as a strategic message directed at neighbouring states and alliances, making the skies over the Baltic a barometer of the evolving balance of power between Moscow and the Euro-Atlantic community.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
