It carried nuclearcapable missiles . 127 tons of cargo , immune to mines and torpedoes , 300 knot cruising speed . Think of it as a naval vessel instead of an airplane and it makes sense . It wouldn ' t have been used like a solo bomber , more like a missile cruiser with escorts that also had enough troops and equipment onboard to capture targets after attacking . An aircraft carrier would be a pretty meaty target , but something like this could roll over an airstrip or port just as easily . Flying singledigit meters of altitude makes it hard to track with contemporary radar . Definitely still vulnerable to guided missiles , which is probably why it was intended to be used as a troop transport rather than a carrier killer .