Tu-160 "White Swan"

GarryB wrote:Over time lasers are becoming more powerful and more capable and cheaper, but of course it will be a while before they are actually anything close to being called cheap.

miketheterrible wrote:Wasn't Tu-22M supposed to fill that position as ASAT? It meets I think all the parameters.

Mig-25D, and the F-15 / ASM-135 combo on the US side, were expected to climb almost vertically before launching their interceptors.

Maybe todays rocket propulsion technology could make a shallow climb launch feasible, otherwise no bombers could ever deploy those kind of interceptors, just because it lacks the ability to climb very steeply at high altitudes.

Anyway, I would be very skeptical of any bomber deployed for such kind of missions.

Russia to renew Tu-160 strategic bomber fleet by 2030

The new Tu-160 will be less visible than its predecessor

SAMARA, March 21. /TASS/. The entire fleet of Tupolev Tu-160 supersonic strategic missile-carrying bombers with new weapons is expected to be renewed by 2030, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said on Wednesday.

"We are going to purchase the entire fleet of our strategic Tu-160 bombers in their new version and carry out heavy upgrade of operational aircraft where only the fuselage will remain while all the onboard radio-electronic equipment and engines will be replaced. That is why, we will get the renewed fleet of strategic aircraft somewhere by 2030," Borisov said during his visit to the Samara-based Kuznetsov Enterprise, which produces engines for long-range aviation.

According to the deputy defense minister, the new Tu-160 will be less visible than its predecessor "due to special coatings."

"Alongside, we are developing new airborne weapons, and you can’t compare the Tu-160 plane with the Kh-55, Kh-550 and even Kh-101 missiles and the plane, which we hope to get serial-produced by the 2030s with new airborne weapons that will have quite different ranges," Borisov said.

The Tu-160 is the biggest plane with a variable-sweep wing and one of the most powerful combat aircraft in the world. In 2015, a decision was announced to restart the production of the strategic bomber at the Kazan Aviation Enterprise. On November 16, 2017, the new plane was delivered from the final assembly workshop to the flight testing station. Thanks to its upgrade, the efficiency of the Tu-160 bomber is expected to increase by 60%

Russia to increase flight range of upgraded Tu-160 bomber

The efficiency of the Tu-160 bomber is thus expected to increase by 60%

SAMARA, March 21. /TASS/. The efficiency of the new engine for the upgraded Tupolev Tu-160 missile-carrying bomber will be increased by about 10%, which will allow the aircraft to fly a thousand kilometers farther, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said on Wednesday.

As part of a check of state defense plan fulfillment, Borisov visited the Samara-based Kuznetsov Company, which is a leading Russian enterprise for developing, producing, providing maintenance for and repairing gas turbine aviation and liquid-propellant rocket engines, and also gas turbine installations for use in the gas sector and power engineering.

The enterprise repairs engines for long-range aircraft - the Tu-160 (NK-32), the Tu-95 (NK-25) and the Tu-22M3 (NK-12) and is creating a new version of the NK-32 engine for the upgraded Tu-160M2 supersonic strategic missile-carrying bomber.

"In its upgraded version, it [the engine] will be 10% more efficient, which will make it possible to increase the flight range of the strategic bomber by about 1,000 km," Borisov said during his visit to the Kuznetsov Enterprise.

As the defense official noted, in 2014 the Samara-based Kuznetsov Enterprise was set the task to reproduce the engine and improve its characteristics.

"We are holding jointly with the Industry and Trade Ministry a regular meeting of the inter-departmental commission, which oversees the pace of work on the upgrade of the Tu-160. The work is proceeding, by and large, according to schedule so far. As for the engine, this is the basic unit, which will determine the performance characteristics of the new plane," the deputy defense minister said.

The Tu-160 is the biggest plane with a variable-sweep wing and one of the most powerful combat aircraft in the world. In 2015, a decision was announced to restart the production of the strategic bomber at the Kazan Aviation Enterprise. On November 16, 2017, the new plane was delivered from the final assembly workshop to the flight testing station. Thanks to its upgrade, the efficiency of the Tu-160 bomber is expected to increase by 60%

The first deliveries of HK-32-02 engines for the Tu-160M2 rocket carrier are expected until the end of the year
@AviaRu | 679 is published 6/3/2018 |

The United Engine Corporation will deliver to the Ministry of Defence the first batch of new NK-32 engines of the second series this year, Interfax-AVN with reference to the source in UEC reports. Thus, the prototype of the strategic Tu-160 rocket carrier of new generation can appear already in the nearest future.

According to the representative of UEC, now at machine-building enterprise of "Smiths" bench tests of prototypes of HK-32-02 are carried out. These tests besides development of the engine for the strategic Tu-160M2 bomber are necessary also for definition of readiness of the company for start of mass production. The plant's management plans to increase gradually capacities that by 2020th year the new engine became the basic in the production nomenclature of Kuznetsov.

The interlocutor of the agency has also noted that the modernized gas generator of NK-32 will serve as the basic unit for development of the whole family of new power plants. It, most likely, is connected with the project of a supersonic passenger airliner which will be created on the basis of Tu-160.

Construction of the first rocket carrier from the Tu-160M2 series has already begun, it in April was declared by the CEO of Tupolev Alexander Konyukhov. Then the head of aviacomplex has noted that it is not about simple modernization, and about creation of absolutely new plane with "a fresh glider" and advanced engines which will be able to provide big flying range. Besides, on a new "White swan" the special covering which is designed to reduce radar visibility of the strategic rocket carrier will be used. And, naturally, on Tu-160M2 new onboard electronics will appear.

According to the Deputy Minister of Defence Yury Borisov, especially for Tu-160M2 new aviation weapons of destruction which will surpass such rockets as H-55, H-555 and H-101 in the power and range are developed.

Tu-95MSM will receive modern on-board equipment, engines and impact weapons. The Arsenal of the Bear will be supplemented by ultra-long cruise missiles X-101 / X-102 and medium-range missiles Kh-50. The purpose of modernization is to extend the life of the machine and increase its combat effectiveness. General Director of PJSC "Tupolev" Alexander Konyukhov told Interfax that the Taganrog Aircraft Plant is carrying out a profound modernization of the strategic bomber-missile carrier Tu-95MS. As he noted, the contract with the Ministry of Defense of Russia was concluded 1.5 months ago.
The first flight of an experimental plane is planned for the end of 2019. According to the test results, the military department will decide to update the "Bears" park. The composition of the VKS is about 30 Tu-95MS. ..
According to PJSC "Tupolev", "Bears" will receive modern flight-navigation equipment. In February 2018, the head of the State Duma Defense Committee, Vladimir Shamanov, said that Tu-95MS would be upgraded to use long-range cruise missiles.
As reported by the media, for the operation of the X-101 / X-102 missile systems of the Raduga ICB, the Tu-95MSM will receive a more voluminous bomb compartment. The new ammunition is longer (by 1.4 m) and heavier (by 1 t) family of strategic cruise missiles X-55. However, the range of X-101 / X-102 ranges from 3 to 9 thousand km (against 2,5 thousand km in X-55).
In December 2017, the American magazine Jane's Missiles & Rockets informed that the state program of armaments for 2018-2027 envisages the supply of operational and tactical missiles X-50  (X-SD, "product 715") for long-range aircraft. The dimensions of the newest ammunition will be more modest than the X-101 / X-102, so the Tu-95MSM will be able to fly into the air with 14 such missiles.
Range X-50 will be 1,5 thousand km, weight - 1,6 tons. The missile will be equipped with a turbofan engine ("product 37-04"). The flight will be carried out at subsonic speed (up to 700-950 km / h). However, a high-precision ammunition will be hardly noticeable for ABM systems.
Tu-95MSM will fly on the upgraded power unit NK-12MPM with AB-60T air screws, which is currently being tested. New engines have more traction. The brainchild of PJSC "Kuznetsov" will increase the payload of "Bear" and improve its take-off characteristics.
Dmitry Drozdenko believes that upgrading the Tu-95MSM is a significant contribution to ensuring US nuclear deterrence. New on-board equipment, missile armament and engines will increase the combat radius of the turboprop "strategist".
"The rate for the modernization of the Tu-95MS looks like a justified step both from the military and from the economic point of view. This is particularly noticeable in the example of the ultra-expensive "invisible" B-2 Spirit. The American airplane was unable to use missiles with a nuclear warhead. Our "Bear" will remain a universal airplane and will receive a more formidable missile weapon, "the expert concluded. https://russian.rt.com/russia/article/544800-tu-95-medved-modernizaciya

Not sure when this was released but its now in a thread at ZH.

hoom wrote:
X-101 with 5500km will allow launch from less distance but with a decent supersonic sprint & a complex missile path.
I guess this shouldn't be a great surprise but I've never looked at those ranges on Google Earth before, kinda always assumed they'd have to launch from North or far East Russia not from South West.

George1 wrote:The resumption of the NK-32 production opens up broad prospects for maintaining the fleet of Tu-160 combatant aircraft at a high level of serviceability. The engine life is estimated at dozens of years.

GarryB wrote: They have said its first flight has been delayed but no mention of how long the delay will be...

Tsavo Lion wrote:

Well you claim the Tu-22 and Tu-22M are the same because they both have wings and a single vertical fin and two engines and crew in the front...

I never did, only that the 1st influenced the 2nd & it was derived (evolved) from the 1st. They learned from their mistakes to design & produce it.
Later, 12 years after the B-1 appeared in the USA, they produced the TU-160. I have no doubt that they borrowed many ideas from it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockwell_B-1_Lancer