Expert: Putin flew the most modern strategic bomber in the world
MOSCOW, Feb 22 – RIA Novosti. The upgraded Tu-160M strategic bomber, on which Russian President Vladimir Putin flew, surpasses any most modern equipment in its parameters, including the newest American B-21 bomber, whose production has not yet begun, Russian military expert Alexei Leonkov told RIA Novosti.
On Thursday, Putin flew as part of the crew on the upgraded Tu-160M supersonic strategic missile carrier. The head of state stayed in the air for 30 minutes. Pre-flight preparation took about 45 minutes more.
A formidable component of the nuclear triad
"It turned out to be a completely modern aircraft, which in terms of its characteristics is ahead of the American development - the B-21 aircraft. The Americans still rely on the invisibility of the aircraft to the detriment of its aerobatic properties. But, made according to the flying wing scheme, it cannot perform maneuvers at subsonic speed," Leonkov said.
"Our aircraft can maneuver, and together with modern aircraft that will accompany it, it is either the Su-35 generation 4++ or the Su-57, it becomes a formidable component of the nuclear triad to work on the objects of the aggressor state or opponents who encroach on our sovereignty," he added.
The expert called the development of the aircraft, which was carried out back in the Soviet Union, unique. According to him, the Tu-160 has high aerobatic qualities and is capable of maintaining supersonic speeds of more than two Mach for 45 minutes.
However, after the collapse of the USSR, fewer than 20 such aircraft remained. They are currently being upgraded to the Tu-160M level. However, this amount would not be enough to replace all Tu-95s, which sooner or later will have to be decommissioned. In this regard, it was decided to resume production of the Tu-160, Leonkov explained.
The new aircraft is not a complete copy of the Soviet machine, it uses much more electronics, it received modified engines and modern components, due to which it was possible to "play with its mass" to increase both fuel reserves and bomb load, the expert said.
In addition, the new version of the bomber received an on-board defense system that protects against all types of anti-aircraft weapons - for example, surface-to-air or air-to-air missiles.
"Due to such innovations, it turned out that the radius of its combat use has increased, as well as aerobatic and other qualities. The time spent in supersonic flight has increased, and, let's just say, there is a lot of electronics that facilitates the actions of the crew in the air. That is, in appearance, it remained the same, in the same dimensions of the fuselage, wings. The aircraft has become more secure, its aerobatic and flight characteristics have grown for the better," Leonkov said.
A real challenge
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the upcoming resumption of production of the Tu-160 in the spring of 2015. The program for the resumption of production of aircraft in the modernized appearance of the Tu-160M was launched by Putin's decision.
As Rostec reported, within the framework of the state contract with Tupolev, the design documentation for the Tu-160M was fully digitized in a short time, the technology of vacuum welding of titanium products was restored, production of airframe units was resumed, and a new cooperation was formed. According to the head of the state corporation Sergey Chemezov, this was a real challenge that the cooperative enterprises coped with.
He made his debut 30-minute flight on January 12, 2022. In July 2023, Rostec announced that the first Tu-160M had begun state joint tests, which are carried out by crews of the Ministry of Defense and the developer.
The new Tu-160M received upgraded engines, updated avionics and avionics, as well as new weapons control systems, modern weapons and an electronic warfare complex.