Russia built the first Tu-160M from a Soviet glider
The strategic missile carrier Tu-160M, first built in Russia from scratch, and flew in January, turned out to be not entirely new. This circumstance follows from the comment of the bmpd blog in LiveJournal.
"From the bmpd side, we indicate that the first sample of the upgraded Tu-160M (Tu-160M2) bomber of a new construction, with serial number 8-05, made its first flight. In fact, the aircraft was completed from the groundwork of the airframe laid back in the Soviet period as the 36th flight bomber Tu-160," the blog noted.
According to Rostec, the aircraft that flew is "the first newly manufactured Tu-160M strategic missile carrier." As explained by the General director of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Yuri Slyusar, systems and equipment were upgraded by 80 percent in the new missile carrier.
In July 2021, the Business Online edition, citing a source in the aviation industry, reported that the Kazan Aviation Plant (KAZ) named after Sergei Gorbunov planned to complete the assembly of the Tu-22M3 strategic missile bombers that were unfinished almost 30 years ago.
