Russia begins to restore production of 'White Swan' Tu-160

On November 13, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that the Gorbunov aircraft manufacturing plant in Kazan has begun restoring the production line of key equipment used on the Tu-160 strategic long-range bomber, commonly known by the nickname "White Swan".

Accordingly, the Gorbunov plant is manufacturing important titanium structures for the Tu-160 aircraft. Previously, this aviation manufacturing facility ordered special vacuum processing equipment for manufacturing titanium structures called ELU-24 and UVN-45.

Russian media reported in March 2016 about the possibility of restoring the Tu-160 bomber assembly line. Specifically, the Gorbunov plant spent 950 million rubles on ordering UVN-45 manufacturing machines and 710 million rubles on ELU-24 machines. The complete restoration of the Tu-160 assembly line could be completed by March 2017 and new Tu-160 aircraft could be manufactured from 2023.

Tu-160 bomber in service with the Russian Air Force.

Most likely, the newly built “White Swan” bombers will be the Tu-160M2 version equipped with 5th generation onboard electronics, including completely new electronic countermeasures and weapons control systems. Meanwhile, the Tu-160M2 version still uses the airframe of the original Tu-160.

According to the long-term strategy, the Russian Strategic Air Force plans to use two main bomber lines: the Tu-160M2 and the new generation bomber of the PAK DA project under development.

The Russian Air Force plans to purchase at least 50 Tu-160M2 aircraft in the future.

The Russian Air Force began equipping the Tu-160 supersonic bomber in 1987. With a take-off weight of 275 tons, the Tu-160 can carry up to 40 tons of weapons and reach a maximum flight speed of about 2,000 km/h. The Russian long-range bomber line is designed to carry conventional bombs and precision-guided missiles (capable of carrying nuclear weapons). When carrying the X-55 cruise missile or the Kh-15 mixed ballistic missile, the Tu-160's range can cover any location on earth.

According to qdnd.vn