The General Director of the Tupolev company talks about the Tu-160M program
The United Aircraft Corporation is opening another genre within the framework of the #wings of the country category, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the UAC. The series of articles will tell about the most important results of the UAC's work over the past 20 years — new and upgraded aircraft.
These machines became the flagships in their segments and allowed Russia to confirm its status as an aviation power capable of producing all key types of aircraft, from fifth—generation fighters to modern civilian airliners. In today's issue, Tupolev CEO Yuri Abrosimov talks about an upgraded version of our country's nuclear triad aircraft, the Tu-160M.
— In your opinion, what is the significance of the Tu-160M program for Russian aviation, for our country?
— The Tu-160 strategic missile carrier is still the best supersonic aircraft in the world, surpassing in its characteristics a similar aircraft complex available in the United States. 46 official world records have been set on the Tu-160, including the record for flight duration and range. The resumption of mass production of the legendary "White Swan" is the development of unique competencies and industrial and technological sovereignty of our country.
— Please name the key design solutions included in the Tu-160M. What problems and difficulties did you have to overcome during the project development process?
— The Tu-160M aircraft has retained its former appearance, but it is being created on a completely new technological base using digital technologies. 80% of the systems and equipment have been upgraded. The aircraft's on-board electronic equipment has been completely updated, including aircraft and weapons control systems, navigation systems, and engines have been upgraded.
One of the main difficulties we are facing is the restoration of production cooperation, starting with suppliers of materials and semi—finished products. We have actually rebuilt the technological chains for a number of units, taking into account the use of modern technologies. The equipment of the workshops, the flight test base have been updated, and unique installations for electron beam welding and vacuum annealing of titanium aggregates have been put into operation.
— How was the production cooperation built within the framework of the UAC under the Tu-160M production program? What opportunities did it provide?
— The implementation of the Tu-160 reproduction program required the creation of a fundamentally new unified digital environment for working on the project. The design bureaus of Sukhoi, Mikoyan, and Ilyushin participated in the preparation of digital documentation. The new production cooperation is also based on the advanced enterprises of the UAC contour — all enterprises operate in a single digital information circuit, which allows them to quickly monitor and implement the necessary changes in production.
— What are the unique characteristics of the Tu-160M and what technologies were used to create it?
— The uniqueness of the aircraft lies in the combination of speed, range and flight duration parameters combined with the payload mass, which no other combat aircraft in the world has, due to the integrated airframe layout with a variable geometry wing and a power plant. When upgrading on-board systems, modern approaches have been applied, which make it possible, if necessary, to further increase the functionality of the systems and the aircraft as a whole, as an aviation complex, without significant improvements.
— What opportunities do the Tu-160M have for further development and modernization?
— As already mentioned, the approaches used in building the architecture of the avionics complex will allow installing new systems to replace those that become obsolete over time, without modernizing the entire complex. This makes it possible to constantly provide a response to the emerging demands of time and expand the list of tasks solved by the aviation complex.
— What are the most memorable moments of the Tu-160M program for you?
— The most memorable moment for me was the first flight of the all—new Tu-160M in January 2022, when most of our factory, without any agreement, went outside to see the new aircraft take off into the sky. At the beginning of the project, many veterans and experts in our industry expressed doubts about the possibility of a modern production complex to create such a machine, because the Tu-160 was built by "the entire Soviet Union." Our first stage of a difficult, exhausting production journey ended with a shared victory.
— What has this plane become for you personally?
— This is a test of the strength of our entire engineering and manufacturing school, which we have successfully completed. This is an entry into a new level of design and mass production capabilities for the most complex and advanced aviation systems. This project was implemented by young specialists and workers aged 30-35 years in a single impulse, under the experienced guidance of our veterans, who were specially invited to the enterprise to share their experience during the Soviet period of the construction of this aircraft.
