Russian President Vladimir Putin led a excessive degree delegation to the Kazan Plane Plant on February 21 to examine 4 new Tu-160M intercontinental vary strategic bombers. Though the primary newly constructed Tu-160M bomber was delivered to the Russian Air Drive in December 2022, the nation’s current fleet of baseline Soviet Tu-160Ms can also be being modernised to the identical commonplace on the Kazan plant. The primary Tu-160M made its first flight in January 2022. Enhancements have included the combination of fully new avionics, NK-32-02 engines for lowered upkeep, a superior flight efficiency and endurance, and a spread of recent armaments most notably Kh-101/102 cruise missiles. A number of courses of hypersonic missile are presently beneath growth for the plane. Bringing older Tu-160 airframes as much as this commonplace includes changing roughly three quarters of their techniques and mechanisms, with avionics being fully new. Russia has made three parallel investments to modernise its prime intercontinental vary strategic bomber models, together with modernisation of older Tu-160s, manufacturing of fifty new airframes starting in 2021, and growth of a subsequent era successor beneath the PAK DA program. In December it was revealed that the Defence Ministry had commissioned the creation of a brand new facility devoted particularly for the event and testing of the PAK DA.
Included within the excessive degree delegation accompanying the Russian president have been Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Commerce Denis Manturov, Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu, chief of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov, and the Normal Director of the United Plane Company Yury Slyusar, in addition to Managing Director of Tupolev Konstantin Timofeev. Throughout the go to President Putin boarded one of many planes and spent roughly ten minutes within the cockpit. The truth that such a big excessive degree delegation visited supplies a big indicator of the significance attributed to the strategic bomber program by the Russian civilian and management, and comes at a time of significantly excessive tensions between Moscow and the Western world. Because the Western backed Ukrainian struggle effort reveals rising indicators of faltering, Western officers have more and more broadly warned of the potential prevalence of a direct battle between Russia and NATO over Ukraine. Tensions within the Pacific, Arctic, Center East, and Africa, have additionally elevated significantly as each Russia and the Western Bloc speed up strikes to strengthen their army positions.
Replace: Shortly after 15:30 Moscow time on February 22 Russian state media reported that President Putin made a flight from the Kazan plane plant in a Tu-160M lasting over half-hour.
