If you check it, the internal bay of the Tu-22M3 is quite small actually.
It was specifically designed for the Kh-15 because the Kh-15 is their short range (nuclear) attack missile used by bombers to penetrate heavily defended airspace.
The Kh-15 is a 1.5 ton solid rocket missile and it fits on a 6 round rotary launcher inside the Tu-22M3 which means a rotary launcher for 1,500kg bombs should also be possible... and 9 tons of bombs internally (6 x 1.5 tons) is generally the accepted bomb weight inside the bomb bay when calculating the max bomb weight of the aircraft at 24 tons.
The only convincing argument for getting to 24 tons in iron bombs would be if they could get 8 x 1,500kg bombs into the bomb bay, which would be 12 tons of bombs, because externally each of the four weapon locations equipped with multiple ejector racks could carry three tons of bombs each.... 4 x 3 - 12 tons of 500kg bombs, so 24 x 500kg bombs externally and 8 x 1,500kg bombs internally would reach the magic 24 tons of bombs.
Of course the main wing positions simply each could carry one 3,000kg bomb, or perhaps a 5 ton FAB-5000 bomb each on the wing pylons might mean the internal bomb bay only carries 6 x 1,500kg bombs... that would be 2 x 5,000kg plus 6 x 1,500kg plus 2 x (6 x 500kg), which equals... 25 tons...
The Max payload is given as 24 tons, so it must be able to carry 8 x 1,500kg bombs internally... which is a pretty good load.
Apart form the controllability issue, the kind of shapes and profiles supersonic flight demands detracts from the payload and also materials need to be different. It would somehow defeat the purpose of having a practical conventional bomber that can be used on the daily work of the VKS
Agree, the cost in making it slimmer for lower drag to achieve super cruising would reduce the volume for fuel and internal weapons... but te Tu-160 is already low drag to achieve supersonic speeds, so achieving supercruising performance should be very achievable for that platform and very desirable too... allowing it to fly its 10,000km flight range with supersonic dash much faster and more efficiently... making it difficult for subsonic fighters to intercept along its entire flight profile.
Yes it is too big, too expensive to operate and too valuable. Even considering they need to have enough to still be operational after a first strike on their bases, I doubt we will see more than 30-40 of them.
They committed to 50 at least, and with the PAK DA they are replacing two aircraft in about three different roles... the PAK DA seeming to take over the bombing role completely for itself...
Remember the air launched Tsirkon was planed from the very beginning
For strategic aircraft they were developing an interesting range of new hypersonic and long range weapons, including perhaps that new long range ballistic ground launched weapon...
I mean, Russia does not foresee strategic bombers but missile carriers, with increasingly longer ranges. AD will be left to the missile due to either low flight and long range to avoid AD sites or hypersonic flight speed.
Yes, from three aircraft to two, where both will be used for strategic nuclear roles with long range standoff missiles... hypersonic and subsonic stealthy... their bomber version of the PAK DA is just a bigger stealthier Su-34 with more than double the potential payload when needed.
The goal is to reach points that allow the missile to avoid enemy AD en route to the targets of interest. The fastest the aircraft carries the missiles in that direction, the better. With the new missiles having longer ranges, the carrier may well be demanded to flight all the time in supersonic regime, that is probably the idea. If you fly 1.6 M instead of 0.8, you will be able to release roughly double the number of missiles in the same time...
In theory... in actual practise you wont be able to go home and reload and repeat in the faster platform and the high speed shape likely means you are carrying less weapons so you can carry sufficient fuel to get there... so the slower plane would certainly be carrying more weapons... as shown by the Bear a subsonic plane can carry weapons externally without an enormous effect on flight range... perhaps droppable external pylons or semi conformal weapons that are attack missiles to penetrate enemy air and ground air defences or hit targets of opportunity on the way like enemy carrier groups, or just large external fuel pods to maximise range.
Over time the basing situation for these aircraft might change for all we know...
PAK DAs based in Vladivostok might head south over the Pacific and attack any US carrier groups in the north pacific with externally mounted anti ship missiles like Zircon II and then as they approach Hawaii maybe hang a left and launch a dozen long range cruise missiles against Americas flank and land at a friendly airbase on the peoples free republic of Hawaii... where they can refuel and fly home...