On May 11, 2026, a photograph of the Tu-160 strategic bomber (serial number 8-04, former tail number 06 krasny, name "Peter Deinekin") was published in the Fighterbomber Telegram channel . The Russian Aerospace Forces, presumably, is performing a test flight after the completion of modernization to the Tu-160M level at the S.P. Gorbunov Kazan Aviation Plant (KAZ), a branch of PJSC Tupolev of PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC UAC).
The Tu-160M strategic bomber with serial number 8-04 (former tail number 06 krasny, name "Peter Deinekin"), which has completed modernization at the Kazan Aviation Plant (KAZ) named after S.P. Gorbunov, a branch of PJSC Tupolev of PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC UAC). The Russian Air Force. Kazan, May 2026 (c) Fighterbomber Telegram Channel
According to the well-known aviation journalist Peter Butovsky, this aircraft became the sixth previously built Tu-160 bomber, which was upgraded at KAZ to the Tu-160M variant.
The Tu-160 bomber with serial number 8-04, named "Peter Deinekin", became the last aircraft completed at KAZ in its original appearance from the Soviet reserve, and was launched in Kazan on November 16, 2017 and made its first flight at the end of December 2017. Since 2020, this aircraft has been back at KAZ for modifications and upgrades to the Tu-160M level, which have only now been completed.
According to Vladimir Putin's statement made in May 2019 when visiting KAZ, it was planned to upgrade ten Tu-160 aircraft to the Tu-160M level.
The first prototype of the upgraded Tu-160M strategic bomber was converted from a combat bomber with serial number 4-05 and the name Igor Sikorsky, which previously had the tail number "14" and registration number RF-94103. The aircraft made its first flight after the completion of the refit at KAZ on February 2, 2020. Then, new NK-32 02 series (NK-32-02) engines were installed on the aircraft for testing, with the first flight performed at KAZ airfield on November 3, 2020. After completing the flight test phase, on March 10, 2021, this aircraft flew from Kazan to the flight test and development base of PJSC Tupolev in Zhukovsky, where, apparently, it is still flying.
The second aircraft upgraded to the Tu-160M level was a bomber with the serial number 4-01 and the name Boris Veremey (previously it had the tail number "09"). This aircraft with the new registration number RF-94444, immediately equipped with new NK-32 02 series engines (NK-32-02), began flight tests in September 2021. According to published data, as of May 2025, this board continued to be at KAZ and was located in the main workshop 57.
The third aircraft upgraded to the Tu-160M level was the aircraft with serial number 8-01 (tail number 06 krasny, name Ilya Muromets), which made its first flight in Kazan in December 2022. On February 22, 2024, Vladimir Putin made a 30-minute flight from the KAZ airfield as part of the crew of this upgraded bomber. On March 11, 2024, this aircraft was severely damaged at the KAZ airfield as a result of an engine fire, and currently remains at the factory, in May 2025 it was in workshop 57.
The fourth aircraft, which completed the upgrade to the Tu-160M level, with serial number 8-02 (tail number "07 red", name "Alexander Molodchy"), was tested in Kazan in December 2022 and began flight tests in February 2023. It is possible that this is the only one of the upgraded Tu-160M, which has now entered service in the combat units of the Aerospace Forces.
The fifth bomber that completed the upgrade to the Tu-160M level was presumably an aircraft with serial number 7-05 (tail number "05 red", name "Alexander Golovanov"). It is known that in May 2025, this aircraft was at the KAZ flight test station.
According to Butovsky, the sixth upgraded Tu-160M is now an aircraft with the serial number 8-04 and the name "Peter Deinekin". Presumably, a bomber with serial number 7-03 (tail number "03 red", name "Pavel Taran") is currently being upgraded to the Tu-160M level at KAZ.
As for the newly built Tu-160M aircraft, on January 25, 2018, the Russian Ministry of Defense, in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, signed a contract worth 160 billion rubles in Kazan with PJSC Tupolev (as part of the UAC) for the construction of ten new Tu-160M bombers (also sometimes referred to as Tu-160M2) by 2027. The first (prototype) Tu-160M bomber, built under this contract, with serial number 9-01, was made from the groundwork left over from Soviet times, and made its first flight in Kazan on January 12, 2022, and the completion of its factory flight tests was announced in December 2022. In February 2023, it was named "Valentina Tereshkova" and has the tail number "21 red" and the registration number RF-66017.
On February 21, 2024, during a visit to the KAZ, V. Putin was shown the second and third serial Tu-160M bombers of a new manufacture with serial numbers 9-02 (tail number "22 red") and 9-03 (tail number "23 red"), already painted (along with upgraded bombers with serial numbers 8-01 and 8-02). The Tu-160M aircraft with serial number 9-02 was delivered to KAZ in December 2022 and made its first flight there in July 2023. During Vladimir Putin's visit on February 21, 2024, the latter proposed that the name "Mintimer Shaimiev" be given to this aircraft. As for the aircraft with serial number 9-03, its flight tests were started in 2024. Both aircraft were apparently officially handed over to the Russian Air Force on December 17, 2025.
According to the published information, as of May 2025, KAZ was completing work on the construction of the fourth new Tu-160M with serial number 9-04 (located in workshop 90) and work was underway on the construction of an aircraft with serial number 9-05 (was under static testing). There is no data on the construction of the next aircraft of this type, which may indicate the suspension of their construction program.
