A
strategic bomber is a medium to long range
penetration bomber designed to drop large amounts of
air-to-ground weaponry onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating the
enemy's capacity to wage
war. Unlike
tactical bombers,
penetrators,
fighter-bombers, and
attack aircraft, which are used in
air interdiction operations to attack
enemy combatants and
military equipment, strategic bombers are designed to fly into enemy territory to destroy
strategic targets (e.g.,
infrastructure,
logistics,
military installations,
factories, and
cities). In addition to
strategic bombing, strategic bombers can be used for
tactical missions. The
United States,
Russia, and
China maintain strategic bombers.