Strategic bomber fleets, 2026

Active aircraft.

CountryTotalComposition
China150H-6 variants: 120 with the air force, 30 with naval aviation
United States13272 B-52H, 40 B-1B, 20 B-2. B-21 Raider: none active yet, 100 on order
Russia11556 Tu-22M, 44 Tu-95, 15 Tu-160

FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2026. China now fields the largest bomber force by headcount, though the H-6 is a derivative of the 1950s Tu-16 and is not comparable to a B-2. FlightGlobal cautions that its Russian figures are likely higher than reality because airframe losses inside a conflict zone cannot be verified.

Afterburner — MiGFlug’s Magazine · migflug.com