Russia showcases modernized Tu-160M after five years of work
Kyiv • UNN
It took five years to modernize a single Tu-160M bomber in Kazan. Out of the eighteen existing aircraft, only seven are actually carrying out attacks on Ukraine.
In Russia, the Tu-160 strategic bomber with tail number 8-04 "Deynekin" was shown for the first time after modernization to the Tu-160M version. The photo was published by the Russian Telegram channel Fighterbomber, as reported by Defense Blog, according to UNN.
Details
The aircraft had been undergoing modernization at the Kazan Aviation Plant since at least 2020. Thus, the upgrade of a single bomber took about five years, indicating the slow pace of the Russian strategic aviation modernization program.
Only part of the fleet is participating in the war against Ukraine
According to AviVector analysts, Russia has about 18 Tu-160M aircraft, but only seven of them are actually used for strikes against Ukraine. The rest are under repair, modernization, testing, or are still under construction.
Analysts also note that between seven and nine Tu-160 aircraft of various modifications can be at the Kazan plant at the same time. This indicates a significant load on production capacities and a slower restoration of the strategic fleet than the Kremlin claims.
The Tu-160 remains the largest supersonic strategic bomber in the world and can carry Kh-101 cruise missiles and nuclear weapons. At the same time, according to expert estimates, Russia is currently unable to quickly increase the number of modernized aircraft of this type.