“Right now, we need to address not only keeping our long-range aviation assets intact through repair and upgrade, but also resuming production of the Tu-160,” said Russian defense minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu. He spoke to the factory management and their superiors from the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), who accompanied him on an inspection of Kazan’s Aircraft Production Organization (KAPO) on April 29. Shoigu was referring to the Tupolev Tu-160 swing-wing supersonic bomber–the world’s largest combat jet ever, NATO codename Blackjack. “The Tu-160 is a unique machine, which when it first appeared was decades ahead of its time. Even now, the capabilities embedded in her design are not yet fully exploited. Nobody else has invented a better supersonic bomber design,” he said.

In Shoigu’s view, production restart–even though “a major challenge” for UAC– looks feasible, provided the corporation manages “to consolidate [its resources] on reconstruction and renovation of manufacturing facilities.” The minister believes this is manageable for KAPO, which since his last inspection a year ago “has demonstrated positive dynamics in materialization of [earlier fielded MoD] contracts on repair and modernization” of the Russian air force’s strategic bombers.

Under earlier MoD contracts, KAPO is tasked with completing repair and upgrade work on 12 Tu-22M3s and two Tu-160s. According to the UAC’s press service, “the minister has drawn up a list of immediate tasks to be solved first,” including an increase in the volume of work on the bombers’ repair and upgrade, an improvement in the quality of services being rendered to the military and a reduction in time the long-range aviation assets spend at KAPO.

The maiden flight of the Tu-160 prototype occurred in December 1981, followed by first deliveries in April 1987. The type remained in production at KAPO from 1984 until the early 1990s, when funds dried up following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since 2000, using parts manufactured earlier, the factory has been able to complete two new aircraft. Both were accorded honorary names memorializing distinguished pilots: The aircraft named for Alexander Molodchiy entered service in 2000; the Vitaly Kopylov followed in 2008. At the latter’s hand-over ceremony, then-UAC-president Alexei Fedorov said, “From now on, KAPO will perform only repair and modernization on Tu-160s and Tu-22M3s built earlier” (despite the fact that the plant did have parts for both designs in stock).

Out of 36 Tu-160s built, 16 remain active with the Russian air force. Others were lost in crashes, cannibalized for parts or cut up under disarmament treaties with the U.S., including a number of aircraft that were based in Ukraine when the USSR collapsed.

Modernization and Upgrade Programs

The Russian air force has been running various modernization and upgrade programs for quite some time, with the most recently reworked bombers often referred to as Tu-160Ms. Among freshly added features is the ability to launch, from Raduga, improved cruise missiles (the Kh-101 and Kh-102) with interchangeable conventional/nuclear warheads rather than nuclear-only weapons on the earlier Kh-55 series. Reportedly, the maximum range to target increased to 5,500 km (2,970 nm), and ordnance delivery accuracy improved to within 10 meters. The Tu-160 can carry up to 12 cruise missiles.

The call for Tu-160 production restart may well be a mandated decision based on funding shortages hampering plans to complete development of the Perspective Complex of a new long-range aircraft [Russian acronym PAKDA] in 2020. Russia is struggling with the combination of economic decline and U.S./EU sanctions imposed last year over the events in Ukraine. The PAKDA is, reportedly, a subsonic aircraft intended to replace the aging Tu-95MS, currently the most numerous type in that role. The design was once also considered as a suitable replacement for the supersonic Tu-22M3 and Tu-160, but Shoigu’s recent comments may suggest a change in plans.

The decision to revitalize the Tu-160 may also have been prompted by the recent success with tests on a reworked version of its Kuznetsov NK-32. Improvements include a much better gas-generator (core engine). Kuznetsov and its industrial partners in the Samara region signaled their readiness to start making improved NK-32s a couple of years ago, following completion of bench trials.