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George1 wrote:And "a little bit" about Tu-160M2 bombers
The magazine "Air & Cosmos" published an article "La Russie va augmenter sa flotte de bombradiers lourds". A number of its provisions are of unconditional interest to the domestic reader. Our blog provides a number of its provisions.
So, it is noted that on January 25, 2018 in Kazan, in the presence of President Vladimir Putin, a new strategic bomber Tu-160 flew. The plane was rolled out on November 16, 2017, and in December it made its first flight. And the flight was demonstrative in front of the president. The aircraft was named "Peter Deinekin" in honor of the former commander of Long-Range Aviation and commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force in 1992-1998. He died on August 19, 2017.
Vladimir Putin met with the workers of the Kazan Aviation Plant (KAZ). On the same day, January 25, Ilyushin's KB reported that a prototype Il-78M-90A refueling aircraft took off in Ulyanovsk. According to the KB, in the long term it will become the main aircraft-refueler of the Russian Air Force. Similarly Tu-160, its first real flight took place on 19 January.
weather conditions, but also in the absence of an aerodrome network. "
The new Tu-160 has a serial number 8-04 (so in the text - bmpd). This is the fourth aircraft of the eighth series and the 35th produced aircraft, without taking into account prototypes for ground tests. Production of the Tu-160 was carried out in Kazan in 1988-1994, after which four unfinished fuselage remained at the plant. The first of them, 8-02, was handed over to the military in 1999, followed by 8-03 in 2007, and 8-05 still remains at the enterprise. There are 16 Tu-160 aircraft (not including 8-04) in the Russian Air Force, all of them are part of the 121st heavy bomber regiment in Engels.
To fulfill its main task - intercontinental flights as a carrier of strategic weapons, the Tu-160 speed at an altitude of 11-12 km is 0.77M, which allows to have a flight range of 12,300 km without refueling with six cruise missiles X-55. At the theater of military operations, the aircraft overcomes enemy air defense at a speed of 2000 km / h at high altitude. The range of flight at a speed of 1.5 M is 2000 km. A flight at a low altitude with a speed of 1030 km / h using the system of circumference is not applied. For the first time, the Tu-160 was used in combat conditions on November 17, 2015, when it launched X-101 missiles against targets in Syria.
The new Tu-160M2 was built not only to increase the number of strategic bombers. The main goal is to prepare production at KAPO for the production of 50 aircraft at a rate of three aircraft per year. Aircraft of the new Tu-160M2 ("product 70M2") retain the old glider, but will be equipped with modernized engines, new airborne equipment and weapons. The first new Tu-160M2 is planned to be launched in the air in 2021. The resumption of production of new Tu-160M2 will preserve the serviceability of the existing Tu-160 fleet, which lacks spare parts for planned repairs.
The idea of resuming production of the Tu-160 was announced in April 2015. The decision apparently was made some time before. Tu-160M2 is very important for Russians, and in the current situation, while other programs suffer from a lack of funding, this project seems to receive additional funding. Thus, of the 178 programs that were funded in the aviation industry in 2015, 54 were cut, and 16 new ones were opened. All of them were related to the project of resuming production of Tu-160M2.
Maintaining the airworthiness of the Tu-160 fleet and the production of the Tu-160M2 require new engines. JSC "ODK-Kuznetsov" from Samara in August 2014 signed a contract for the production of NK-32 series 2 engines, recommencing it after a pause of 25 years. The engine NK-32-02 was developed in 1987, but its production was not carried out because of problems with financing. Modernization of NK-32-02 touched the compressor and turbine blades, internal aerodynamics, and also improved internal cooling. As a result, the consumption of kerosene decreased, and the take-off thrust of 25 tons remained unchanged. The Tupolev design bureau says that in tests with new engines and basic load (six cruise missiles, that is, a mass of nine tons), the Tu-160 can overcome 13950 km, that is, 1650 km more than the standard version. Now the engine for the Tu-160M2 is designated as NK-32-02M2.
On October 23, 2014, the project of modernization of the control system and on-board equipment of Tu-160 combat units in the version of Tu-160M (product of 70M) was approved. The new Tu-160M2 is very likely equipped with the same equipment. This new equipment for M / M2 options should be ready by 2020-2021.
The existing on-board radar "Obzor-K" will be replaced by a new radar of Novella's family HB1.70, which JSC "Zaslon" is engaged in. Ulyanovsk KBP is developing a new cockpit with LCD monitors for the Tu-160M. The navigation system NO-70M with the inertial BINS-SP-1 system, the ANS-2009M astronavigation system, and the navigation computer will also be installed on the plane. Among other systems, the navigation radar DISS-021-70, the receiver of space navigation A737DP, the autopilot ABSU-200MT and the communication system C-505-70 are on display. The on-board defense complex "Redut-70M" is a completely new development, created specifically for the Tu-160M / M2. Research Institute "Kulon" is developing for this aircraft a system of state recognition of BKR-70M.
Tu-160 "Valentin Bliznyuk" is a prototype of the Tu-160M. In 2006, this aircraft became the prototype of the modification of the Tu-160M1 "the first stage of modernization", in which there were elements requiring deep modernization, such as a "glass cabin" and a new radar. Earlier equipment was removed. For example, the modernized aircraft has wired portholes, which previously served as an optical sighting bomber sight in the nose fairing. Apparently, it was removed. Modernization of the first stage and other works are being carried out in Kazan. Since November 2014, five aircrafts have been upgraded to version M1, which were transferred to the VKS.
Regardless of the modernization of equipment, Russian bombers receive new weapons. Since 2003, Tu-160 (and Tu-95MS) have been modified for the use of Kh-555 missiles, which are a non-nuclear version of the Kh-55 missile. Approximately since 2011, the aircraft can use up to 12 new missiles from the new generation nuclear weapon X-102 and its non-nuclear version X-101. The X-101/102 family rockets are about 1.4 m longer and 1 ton heavier than the X-55SM and X-555 missiles. It is also necessary to develop a new multi-position launcher (drum), which can take these new missiles in the bomb compartments. Initial problems with insufficient strength with a turn and drum mechanism were resolved during 2015. The Tu-95MS has a less bulky bomb compartment, so the X-101/102 missiles can only be used on them from external pylons. The maximum range of the X-101 is estimated at 3000-4000 km. The nuclear option is even greater.
Specially for the Tu-160M / M2 and PAK DA, the company "Raduga" is developing an X-BD cruise missile, which is an X-101/102 version with increased range. Since the Tu-160 project is rooted in 1972, it then provided for the deployment of X-45 missiles with a length of 10.8 meters, and the size of the bomb compartment was subject to this. Armament was changed with the advent of X-55 missiles 6 meters in length, but the dimensions of the compartment did not change. The length of the X-101 is 7.4 meters, which means that there is still little room left in the compartment.
Two other missiles are being developed for the Tu-160 and the PAK YES are X-SD and GZUR. X-SD is developed by Raduga, a subsonic cruise missile using the X-101 guidance system, but its hull is more modest in size, similar to the American JASSM AGM-158. The guidance system includes a combination of an inertial navigation system with correction for GPS / GLONASS in the march area and an electronic optical digital correlation system "Otblesk" (analogous to DSMAC) for the final section. R & D on X-SD began in the 1990s, but was stopped for several years. X-SD (or "product 715") has a length of approximately 6 meters and can be placed in the bomb compartments of Tu-22M3 and Tu-95MS bombers. Its mass is about 1600 kg. It is equipped with a low-resource engine product 37-04 of the Omsk Engine-Building Design Bureau with a thrust of 350 kg and has a range of 1500 km at a cruising speed of 700 km / h. The rocket body consists of inclined planes, which simultaneously reduces the radar visibility and allows it to be placed in a "drum" for six missiles.
Tu-160M / M2 will be able to raise up to 12 X-SD missiles on two drum launchers. The purchase of X-SD missiles is provided for by the State Arms Program for 2018-2027. For cruise missiles, there are two possibilities to survive in the presence of a powerful air defense system - due to the low visibility of X-SD ("product 715") or high speed ("product 75"). The last missile is being developed jointly by the head enterprise of the Corporation "Tactical Missile Armament" in Korolev and the "Rainbow" from Dubna as part of the GZUR program (hypersonic guided missile). GZUR is a missile that achieves a speed of 6M and a range of 1500 km for a flight at high altitude, capable of hitting various ground targets. It is very likely that its main task is to combat surface targets. Its dimensions are estimated to be 6 meters long at a mass around 1500 kg. This missile will be equipped with the engine "product 70" developed by TMKB "Soyuz". In the series the rocket should go in 2020.
https://bmpd.livejournal.com/3088196.html
Interesting article.
While the production of the new big airliners and transport aircrafts begin, I would not be surprised if a second factory begins to produce Tu-160 for a limited period.
Last edited by eehnie on Sat Feb 10, 2018 3:39 pm; edited 1 time in total
Time of travelling to Cuba, Venezuela or Nicaragua will be dramatically reduced especially with "special cargo". This would be still Russian govts jet thus nobody has right to make any check what's in cargo bay right? 
