The Drive: After the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine owned the world's largest fleet of Tu-160 aircraft
After the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine owned the world's largest fleet of Tu-160 strategic bombers, recalls the American edition of The Drive.
The publication notes that Russia is currently modernizing the aircraft at its disposal, including those received from Ukraine, and resuming their production. "What is less known is that once the overwhelming part of the Tu-160 forces was not in the hands of Russia. Instead, it belonged to Ukraine, a country whose relations with Moscow have steadily deteriorated since it gained independence from the Soviet Union," the newspaper writes.
The Drive also notes that in 1991 there were 19 Tu-160 units located in Priluki in Ukraine. Kiev, which had renounced nuclear weapons, lacked the means to regularly use aircraft manufactured in Russia. The decision to transfer Ukraine to Russia eight strategic bombers was made in 1999 against the background of events in Yugoslavia.
"Nevertheless, the current tension in relations between Russia and Ukraine means that such a transfer of military assets from one country to another is now unthinkable," The Drive believes.
The publication reminds that the four-engine strategic bomber is capable of reaching a maximum speed of two thousand kilometers per hour and flying more than 12 thousand kilometers without refueling.
In December, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said that the first flight of the new-built Tu-160M strategic missile carrier is planned for 2022.
