Thus, Putin is in control of the updated and modernized Tu-160M.
This is of course a good thing, because if the plane is shown to the commander-in-chief, it means that everything has been perfected. I doubt anyone would risk "hanging noodles";It can be very expensive.
Well, it is not for nothing that some in the West are still outraged by the ** fragment of Putin's deigning flight. Probably out of jealousy, because not everyone gets this. I would say - the chosen one. There aren't many of these planes, so if someone from abroad flies on a white swan, you know, they have to be worth it.
But let's look from the past to the future.
Everything is clear from the past: they began producing the Tu-160 in 1984, but it was stopped in 1992 due to the collapse of the USSR. In Kazan, thank God and the plant, they did not lose control and documentation, and did not sell them to those who wanted them (like the Yak-141 of the Yakovlev Design Bureau), but kept the vehicles in a combat-ready state that they managed to produce. Low bows and warm thanks.
Now, a different era has come, and despite the fact that they will tinker with the hypothetical PAK DA for another 10 years, and in fact they will not produce something decent, ** ordered the resumption of production of the Tu-160.
The factory coped with the task, but with a small "but": an aircraft built in 1984 and an aircraft built in 2024, two different aircraft, so to speak!Forty years aviation evolution is not just a lot, it's a lot. It's like two generations.
Much more has changed in these forty years. In addition to the replacement of electric lights with transistors and the giving way to microcircuits, the network of production chains across many of the former Soviet republics was also broken.
Modernization is coming.
Overall, we did a lot more than thanks. This also happened this time, when the Kazan aircraft manufacturer was able to accomplish another labor feat: to create a new aircraft.
Certainly not external. Interior. Outwardly, the Tu-160 is indistinguishable from the Tu-160M, but internally, they are two completely different aircraft. A modernized aircraft is an aircraft of the 21st century, the implications of which include: the automatic on-board control system, the fuel management system, the air defense system, and the **control system have all been replaced. Of course, in the new aircraft control system, there is no room for analog instruments;It is completely digital.
Experts believe that the digital system not only simplifies and facilitates the work of the crew, but also improves a number of flight and operational characteristics. There is no reason not to believe them;Digital systems are naturally more accurate and are not subject to external influences in the same way as analog systems.
So the task of 2018 is complete. Then it is just a matter of building a new aircraft from scratch.
Here, assessing the work of all KAZ employees, it is necessary to note that new technologies are also needed to create new aircraft. Some aspects must be changed because they are outdated, and some must be replaced because they are still outside Russia. To rebuild the Tu-160, part of the plant needs to be modernized, and for the appearance of the Tu-160M, almost all production areas need to be modernized. And missed a lot. The main task of the resumption of production of the Tu-160 was the restoration of the welding of the center beam of the aircraft. But they did an excellent job.
In January 2022, XNUMX took place historical events. The newly built Tu-160, more precisely Tu-160M, immediately made its first flight from the Kazan airfield. A new countdown has begun.
Now let's talk about what these aircraft have in terms of **.
X-55 The X-555 is a rather old and not very easy to maintain Doomsday missile.
The KH-15P S non-nuclear version is an option for conducting SVO type conflicts. The missile is older than the X-55, but it is not without charm in terms of Mach 4-5 speed at the end of its air trajectory.
X-101 X-102 is more modern **The distance is very long, so it is slow. The cruising speed is about 1 km hour, but the flight range is up to 000 km.
x-bd。This is a modernized version of the X-101 designed to increase the flight range, and according to the Minister of Defense, the new missile has a range of up to 6 kilometers and a subsonic flight speed of up to 500 kilometers per hour.
Total: The Tu-160M is primarily a strategic missile carrier designed to deliver missiles as close as possible to enemy territory for the subsequent launch of cruise missiles or air-ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads at targets on enemy territory.
Well, secondly, the Tu-160 can be (but not must) be used to strike targets on the territory of the same Ukraine using cruise missiles with non-nuclear warheads.
Why not? First of all, the cost of such a strike exceeds all reasonable limits. Expensive rockets, expensive planes. The Tu-95 and Tu-22M are now well coping with such tasks. By the way, that's why the answer to the question that our strategic bombers can't fly.
In general, strategic missile carriers are in themselves a deterrent **, or a tool for delivering the first and last nuclear strikes. Using it as a regular long-range bomber or missile carrier is like driving a Lamborghini to the grocery market. There are a lot of places to show off, but the exhaust is so-so in terms of cost performance.
As the practice of the Northern Military District has shown, there really is no need for the Tu-160 there; All objects on the territory of the country are within the range of missiles launched from cheap aircraft carriers. Taking into account the operation of our air defense systems in the North-Western Defense Zone (we will not clarify further, everything is clear), the moral and reputational damage caused by the loss of aircraft like the Tu-160 will be enormous. Despite the fact that after the loss of two rare A-50 vehicles by the VKS, people did not raise their heads, I emphasize that people will not understand and will not appreciate the reasons for the destruction of vehicles like the Tu-160 for insignificant bombardment of targets on the territory of Ukraine.
In total, the Tu-160 can now confuse a third of the world in the airspace over the main base of Engels.
Here, by the way, it makes sense to understand in general how this aircraft is used in principle, because based on these points of view we can understand how much it will cost to build a Tu-160M.
Thus, the aircraft is a supersonic bomber with a speed of up to 2 km h, a flight altitude of up to 200 m and a maximum operating altitude of up to 12 m.
The height is not the best, but we can reach it. In terms of speed, the Tu-160 is a much more difficult opponent, since it will be a big problem for any modern aircraft to catch up with it. Only the magic machine MiG-31 can really catch up, and the rest will compete for speed, and there will be no time to catch up with the Tu-160, because it is a little difficult.
But since this activity was in vain, no one was going to really catch up with the plane. The interception will be carried out from the front hemisphere, so the chances are much greater. Will the defense system of the Tu-160 be able to deflect all the attacks that the F A-18 aircraft fire at it? Of course not. In a collision with enemy fighters, that is, NATO, the Tu-160 was doomed. Traps, jammings - everything is certainly fine, but not so long ago I saw a section **, in which one of the planes, not as big and not as fast as the Tu-160, tried to use its defense system. But without success, one missile "missed", and the second shot down the plane.
Taking into account that no one will skimp on the Tu-160, several aircraft will be sent to intercept it. Many aircraft - many missiles. Then everything will be clear.
This means that there are only two options for using these machines.
Option 1: North.
On the one hand, you can forget about the base in Olenegorsk. The take-off and activity of aircraft such as the Tu-160 and Tu-95 are under constant attention from the NATO satellite constellation, and if the missile carriers fly to the Murmansk region, the Russian Air Force will be notified immediately - NATO countries on Scandinavia. By the way, American aircraft will be stationed in **.
In this case, it is better to get a "jump" airfield on the Vorkuta-Salekhard-Novoulengoy line. Where logistics are developed, it can be built there. From there you can easily reach the Svalbard-Franz Josef Land archipelago line, from which you can easily destroy Canada and at least half of the United States.
Well, close to Spitsbergen, you'll usually feel mentally confused; Again, intercepting a Tu-160 flying from Finland to Spitsbergen by any NATO aircraft is not an easy task due to the range.
But in any case, the situation is much safer than taking off next to the Finns and Swedes.
Option two. Orient.
There is no need to invent anything here, everything was invented by our great ancestors. For example, the base of Beraya, located in the Irkutsk region. From there departed to Kamchatka in the area of the Comand Islands (which had to be removed from fleet, which is sad) and work began from there. At the same time, destroy Hawaii so that the people there do not have time to twitch.
That's it, no more options.
The West (Europe) is a continuous enemy territory, and it is quite dangerous to fly over from the south, because the distance is too far.
It turns out that our strategic bombers have recently flown so beautifully over the whole world that today they are actually locking on Russian territory. Of course, it's not easy to understand, but in fact it doesn't matter, because you yourself understand the extent of our territory. It allows the most important thing - to get close to the enemy, and at the same time to be relatively protected by our air defense systems.
Obviously, when the final battle begins, everyone will forget about the gentleman's rules of war. The last war will follow the rule of "the barn is burned down, and the hut is burned", so everyone will go into battle. Therefore, the parties will make every effort to minimize damage to their territory.
It sounds stupid, but it happens.
In this regard, the role of aircraft is not very significant. They are not as vulnerable as ground complexes, especially mine complexes, the coordinates of which are known and will be the first attack from all sides.
The planes, if they successfully take off, will become an additional opportunity, since they are actually able to reach the battle line and launch missiles at the target. And the enemy is already having a headache about how to suppress these missiles.
If we have 30 missile carriers, then their total salvo may include 360 Kh-BD or Kh-102 missiles. This is enough to completely confuse the enemy's air defense missile defense system.
If we add to this the short strike of submarines, then the day of judgment for the United States will really come.
Here, the vast territory of Russia will be an advantage, since it will be somewhat easier to hit a square of the territory of the United States than to hit 110,000 kilometers of Russian space.
But the theory does.
The Tu-160M has proven to be both our deterrent ** and a tool for the destruction of the world. Do we need a fleet of a hundred such aircraft? Probably not. This is expensive and not entirely practical. But having 30-40 aircraft is enough to calm down impatient people all over the world. On the one hand, such a number of missile carriers will provide a decent power sword (in the case of the X-102) with 360 megatons at best and 90 megatons at worst (the X-102 is equipped with a warhead with a capacity of 250 ktn or 1 mtn).
In any case, this is a very good sword with a long blade of at least 5,5 km and a maximum of 6,5 km.
In general, it's just a trifle: build another 20-30 aircraft. I think Kazan they will eventually pick up the pace and do it in 10-15 years. No matter what you think, this tool of containment or destruction is necessary in the arsenal. Even if it will never be used for its intended purpose.