The first newly manufactured Tu-12M strategic bomber flew for the first time this Wednesday (160). The aircraft, the first of 10 new ones ordered by Russia, made a quick flight through the Kazan aviation plant, an arm of Tupolev.
According to Rostec, the state-owned company that owns UAC, a corporation of which Tupolev is a part, the new bomber made a quick 30-minute flight at an altitude of 600 meters. The manufacturer's test pilots made the necessary maneuvers to check the Tu-160M's controls and stability.
Vadim Korolev, managing director of Tupolev, says that the return of production of the Tu-160 in its updated version is a big project. “It means not only updating the material and technical base and restoring core competencies, but also reaching a new level of possibilities for the design and series production of the most complex and advanced aircraft”, he said.
As part of the government contract between the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Russia and Tupolev, the design documentation of the Tu-160M aircraft was fully digitized in a short time, the titanium vacuum welding process was restored, the manufacture of structure components was resumed and a new cooperation organized, uniting industry leaders in metallurgy, aviation, mechanical engineering and instrument manufacturing, as most of them belong to Rostec State Corporation. According to the UAC, 80% of the bomber's systems were replaced with new or updated equipment.
In addition to producing the 10 new aircraft already ordered, Tupolev is modernizing the Tu-160s present in the Long Range Aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Moscow has also signaled its intention to order the production of another 40 Tu-160s.
“We see significant prospects for the Tu-160 platform: further development will make it possible to use it for new types of weapons, including promising ones,” says Russian Minister of Trade and Industry Denis Manturov. Though not clear, Manturov may be hinting at integrating hypersonic weapons into the jet. Currently, Russia already employs the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles with the MiG-31 Foxhound fighter.
“The refurbishment of the Kazan Aviation Plant has helped a lot in restoring the manufacturing processes of the unique model – the machines and testing infrastructure have been upgraded and the world's largest factory for titanium electron beam welding and vacuum annealing has been put in place. in operation", highlights the Minister.
