"Invisible and almost invulnerable": how is the modernization of the Russian Tu-160M2 bomber going

The range of the modernized Tu-160M2 strategic bomber will increase by more than 1,000 km after the installation of a new engine.

This was announced by Alexey Volkov, head of the military representative office of the Russian Ministry of Defense at the Samara enterprise of PJSC UEC-Kuznetsov (United Engine Corporation (UEC), part of the state corporation Rostec. -

).

“Over a thousand kilometers, and even more in special regimes,” Volkov said in an interview with the Zvezda TV channel.

The defense functionary also noted that the engine has become more economical.

“There are a lot of design changes inside the gas-air duct, in particular, the geometry of the blades of the profiles, the material from which is made, the amount of it at different stages, has changed,” Volkov said.

The first installation batch of NK-32 engines of the second series for aircraft for the modernized Tu-160M ​​was delivered to UEC at the end of August this year.

The press service of the enterprise noted that in the coming years this engine will become the main one in the range of new products of UEC-Kuznetsov.

Earlier, in February, Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko, during a visit to the enterprise, noted that the production of engines is proceeding according to schedule, and the units themselves have significantly improved characteristics compared to the first model.

"These unique engines will be installed on the modernized Tu-160M ​​aircraft, as well as on the new Tu-160, reproduced in a new look," said Krivoruchko.

At the same time, the deputy head of the defense department announced that the first Tu-160M2 strategic bomber built from scratch would be handed over to the military in 2023.

“The construction of the Tu-160M2 strategic missile carrier is underway.

Its first flight is scheduled for 2021, and deliveries to formations and units of long-range aviation should begin in 2023.

Ten such missile carriers will be purchased by 2027, ”Krivoruchko said.

Classic "strategist"

The development of the Tu-160, a supersonic strategic missile carrier-bomber with variable wing geometry, began at the Tupolev Design Bureau in 1975 in response to the appearance of the Rockwell B-1 Lancer intercontinental supersonic aircraft with variable wing sweep in the United States.

The first flight of the Soviet car took place in 1981, and in 1987 the Tu-160 began to enter the troops.

The aircraft is mainly designed to engage especially important targets deep in the rear of a potential enemy or in remote areas of hostilities, including with the help of nuclear weapons.

In 2018, the Russian Ministry of Defense and Tupolev signed a contract for the supply of 10 aircraft to the troops, marking the resumption of production of the Tu-160 after a ten-year hiatus.

The media and open sources use the Tu-160M ​​nomenclature to designate aircraft that have undergone factory modernization, and Tu-160M2 for new aircraft built from scratch.

• Strategic bomber Tu-160M

• RIA News

• © Victor Tolochko

Designed using the technical solutions used in the Tu-22M bomber and the Tu-144 passenger plane, the Tu-160 is a heavy monoplane with a high aspect ratio wing and four jet engines.

Revolving launchers allow the aircraft to carry up to 12 air-launched cruise missiles, including those with nuclear weapons.

The wingspan in different sweep positions ranges from 35.6 to 55.7 m. Thanks to the unique wing design, the aircraft can overcome enemy air defense lines at speeds up to 2.2 thousand km / h.

The aircraft is capable of reaching supersonic speed in afterburner mode and holding it for 45 minutes.

The crew of the Tu-160 is four people, the combat load is 40-45 tons, the flight range is 13.5 thousand km.

As military expert Yuri Knutov recalled in a conversation with RT, now the Tu-160 is undergoing a radical modernization, so only the body will remain the same in the new version of the aircraft.

“Engines, electronics, weapons will change completely.

After modernization, the car will meet all the requirements of not only today, but also tomorrow, ”the expert says.

According to him, since the new engines will increase the flight range, this, in turn, will ensure the survivability of the strategic bomber and the effective destruction of targets in the deep rear.

“The fact that the plane will be able to fly more than 1,000 km means that it will be able to fly up to a potential enemy, launch a rocket and return safe and sound to the base.

Taking into account the fact that Russia is following the path of creating means of destruction that can cause unacceptable damage even with a small number of striking means used, this machine will become a colossal deterrent factor for a potential enemy, "Knutov says.

Dangerous Blackjack

Despite the fact that the Tu-160 was developed more than 40 years ago, it still outperforms many foreign analogues in terms of its characteristics.

So, in March 2020, the American military-political publication The National Interest published an article about these machines called "Russian Tu-160: the largest, fastest and heaviest bomber in history."

• © National Interest

“The fastest bomber ever built.

The largest bomber ever built.

The heaviest bomber ever built.

All these characteristics relate to the Tu-160 of the Tupolev Design Bureau, also known as the "White Swan" (NATO codification: Blackjack - "Blackjack"), a long-standing Soviet aircraft design development, which has recently been experiencing a rebirth, "- said in the material.

In turn, the specialized American publication Aviation Week called the Tu-160 "the most dangerous Russian military aircraft."

In addition, last year, when compiling a rating of the best Soviet and Russian aircraft, the National Interest described it as "a real monster of the aircraft industry, on account of which several world records."

“He has a top speed of Mach 2.05.

Unlike the B-1 Lancer, the Tu-160 is more likely to be used outside the range of enemy weapons than used as a traditional bomber, although its huge cargo compartments allow it to carry up to 40 tons of payload and deliver conventional, precision-guided and nuclear weapons ", - noted American experts.

The West appreciates the Russian aircraft and at the same time treats it with apprehension, since the bomber has a high technical potential, Yuri Knutov believes.

“Russian builders have developed a powerful complex of electronic jamming, thanks to which the Russian bomber is invisible and almost invulnerable to the means of destruction of aircraft and NATO air defense systems.

Undoubtedly, after modernization, these aircraft will strengthen the defense capability and security of Russia, ”says Knutov.

The appearance of a new powerful engine will significantly increase the range of combat impact on a potential enemy, noted military observer, retired colonel Viktor Baranets in a conversation with RT.

"The modernized bomber will be able to hit the enemy, which will be at a decent distance, and return unharmed," he stressed.

The expert is sure that the new engines and onboard equipment will realize the modernization potential of the Tu-160 and ensure its continued use by the Russian Aerospace Forces.

“All countries know what this machine is capable of, which in the current difficult international situation plays not only a military role, but also a political one.

Such aircraft demonstrate that Russia has a rather serious aviation "sword", concluded Baranets.