Tu-160 "White Swan"

GarryB wrote:They could convert the Tu-23M3 into a long range interceptor, with reinstalled inflight refuelling, huge AESA, and conformal positions for R-37Ms all over its belly....

MOSCOW, June 29 - RIA Novosti. Russia's largest holding company in the electronic industry "Concern Radio-electronic technology" (KRET, is a "Rostec") developed for the Russian long-range aviation aircraft, including strategic bombers, Tu-160 missile, celestial navigation system which allows to determine the coordinates of the aircraft on the basis of data on the position of stars, said on Monday, RIA Novosti press-service KRET.

"KRET developed for the Russian Air Force long-range aviation, including Tu-160, celestial navigation system ANS-2009, allowing to accurately determine the coordinates of the aircraft on the basis of data on the position of the stars. Astronavigation system development group is to determine the velocity and position of the object with accuracy, independent of the duration of the flight, "- reported in KRET.

At the heart of the device is "calculating coordinates of an object, measured relative positions of the stars."
"On the basis of this information, the calculating unit, interface and control (BVSK) defines the geographical coordinates and the true course of the object", - said the press service.

According to the advisor of the Deputy Director General KRET Vladimir Mikheev, this method is "the most reliable in combat when navigation satellite systems can be disabled by the enemy."

"ANS-2009 can be installed on a plane with the strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS), do not require an external guidance or signals coming from outside," - said Mikheyev, whose words the press service.

According to Mikheev, "the integration of the various on-board navigation devices (SINS, ANS, SNA, etc.) to create a fully autonomous navigation system that is able to obtain precise coordinates due to correction."

"The technical and technological backlog, resulting in the progress of the system ANS-2009 will be used in the PAK DA" - the concern.

The Tu-160 - a supersonic strategic bomber-rocket carrier with variable sweep wing, designed by Tupolev in the 1970s - 1980s. It is in service since 1987. It is the largest and most powerful in the history of military aviation supersonic aircraft with variable geometry wing, as well as the heaviest combat aircraft in the world, with the highest among the bombers maximum takeoff weight. Among the pilots was nicknamed the "White Swan".

In April, Defense Minister, Army General Sergei Shoigu said that "today it is necessary to start solving problems not only for the maintenance of good order and modernization of the aircraft fleet of long-range aircraft, but also for the reproduction of the Tu-160 missile." According to Shoigu, the Tu-160 - "a unique machine ahead of time for a few decades and is still not fully utilized inherent in it structural opportunities."

"Concern Radio-electronic technology" (KRET) - Russia's largest holding company in the electronic industry, established in 2009, is part of the state corporation "Rostec." Main activities: development and production of complex systems and avionics for civil and military aircraft, radar airborne, the state identification, electronic warfare systems, instrumentation for various applications, electrical connectors, connectors and cable assemblies.

George1 wrote:KRET: Tu-160 and Tu-95 will be able to build a route without satellite signals

Defense Ministry: it is planned to restore the production of "strategy" of the Tu-160, but the other "stuffing" and weapons systems

*** Tu-160m2 is virtually new aircraft, 2.5 times superior to the efficiency of its predecessor Novgorod. July 1. Interfax - The Russian Defense Ministry is planning to resume production of the strategic missile-carrying bomber Tu-160 in the version of the Tu-160m2, he told journalists on Wednesday, Deputy Defense Minister of Russia Yuri Borisov. "The plans of the Ministry of Defence is to restore production of strategic bombers Tu-160. It is not restoration of one to one, because of the Tu-160, which we have today in service, this airplane design 80s, which, fortunately, in its flight characteristics overstepped the time. He's now has the best characteristics. The aircraft, about which we are talking about, he probably will be called Tu-160m2, will be virtually new aircraft, "- said Yu.Borisov. According to Deputy Minister of Defense, the fuselage and performance characteristics remain, but the "stuffing" and the system will change dramatically weapons . "On the composition of avionics, the composition of weapons that he will be, it will be a brand new airplane, and it will increase the combat effectiveness of not less than 2.5 times compared to the current", - said Yu.Borisov. Tu-160 (by Western classification - "Black Jack") - supersonic strategic missile-bomber with variable sweep wing, is designed Tupolev and is the largest in aviation history supersonic aircraft. Able to carry on board 12 cruise missiles, all weapons placed inside the fuselage. Bomber is designed to defeat nuclear and conventional weapons most important goals. Each aircraft is equipped with four engines NK-32. Among the Russian pilots was nicknamed the "White Swan". Since 1984, the serial production of the aircraft. The decision on the termination of serial production of Tu-160 was adopted in January 1992. By the time it was produced 35 aircraft. In the same year, Russia unilaterally stopped flights of strategic aviation in remote regions. By the beginning of 2001, according to the SALT-2 treaty, Russia was in battle formation 15 Tu-160, of which six were officially armed missile strategic cruise missiles. July 5, 2006 at the Air Force Russia adopted a modernized Tu-160. August 17, 2007 Russia resumed flights of strategic aviation in remote areas on a regular basis. April 28, 2008 transferred to the Air Force 16th "White Swan". The length of the aircraft is 54.1 meters, height - 13.1 meters, the wing area 232 square meters. meter. The crew of four. Practical flight range of 14 thousand. Km.

Russian warplanes were sited off the coast of Alaska and California on the 4th of July.
russia stealth fighter
Russian Stealth Fighter

The warplanes were probing US defenses twice. US F15s and F20s were forced to scramble as a result of the incidents.

This came the same day Russian President Vladimir Putin called Barack Obama to wish him a happy Independence Day.

Odin of Ossetia wrote:

In the last few weeks seven Russian military planes have crashed, including two Tupolev heavy bombers, which are part of Russia's air fleet of the nuclear bomb carriers.

That many planes in such a short period of time? What is going on?

mack8 wrote:Regarding Tu-160M2, that si still 8 years away, which is almost similar to the initial PAK-DA timeline. I wonder what is happening here, did the intelligence perhaps found out that the US LRS-B will be supersonic (there are rumours to that effect around apparently), so Tu-160M2 would be a stopgap until a radically new supersonic PAK-DA project will be designed and enter service closer to 2030?

Odin of Ossetia wrote:
Seven crashes as opposed to one, and you say there is no difference?

PapaDragon wrote:''Serial production of Russia's Tupolev Tu-160M2 bomber to begin in 2023 — Defense Ministry
The implementation of the next-generation strategic bomber design project may be postponed''

http://tass.ru/en/russia/809303

GarryB wrote:15-16 of any large aircraft is a small fleet which limits its potential and increases costs.

Having 100-150 Tu-160s and they probably could have retired the Tu-95MS completely, but building that many would be rather too expensive too.

The Bears are good for another 10-15 years at least and are perfectly fine for the role they are intended for.

A larger fleet of Blackjacks will make them rather more effective and new engines will likely improve performance significantly and reduce the urgency for PAK DA.

Originally the early claims regarding PAK DA was a hypersonic super bomber... which would have been enormously expensive to make and operate... hopefully putting the Blackjack back into production means the introduction of the PAK DA can be delayed and its design parameters could be made a little more ambitious.

rather than a subsonic flying wing... I would like to see a supersonic super cruising flying wing with horizontal tail and no vertical tail surface to reduce drag and RCS.

Using new generation engines with thrust vectoring to negate the need for vertical fins and perhaps allow supersonic flight without AB would greatly increase range performance and vastly improve the time to flight distance.

As an example the Blackjack would fly most of the first part of its flight at subsonic speeds and only fly supersonically for perhaps a 2,000km portion near the target to evade interception... so the entire 12,000km odd range flight would still take 6-8 hours.... whereas a flying wing moving at mach 1.6 all the way could dramatically reduce that flight time without burning an enormous amount of fuel.

More importantly if the engines are based on the Blackjacks engines then any improvements can be retrofitted to the Blackjack to perhaps allow supercruising performance too... which should increase supersonic flight range.

Delaying production of the Blackjacks to 2023 is interesting... I am wondering if they are planning to revise the aircrafts design and make it a fixed wing aircraft with a more modern and sophisticated wing shape... it would reduce weight and complication...