Zephyr Net

- 30 Tu-22M3M Bombers by 2020 -

About 30 Tu-22M3 strategic bombers from Russia's Long Range Aviation fleet will be modernized by 2020, Russian Air Force spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik said.



"We plan to upgrade about 30 strategic bombers to the M3M standard,” Drik said.



Tu-22M3 (NATO reporting name Backfire-C) is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic bomber that Russia uses mainly to patrol the skies over its southern borders, Central Asia and the Black Sea region.



The Tu-22M3 has a flight range of 6,800 km (4,300 miles) and can carry a 24,000 kg (52,910 lb) payload, including nuclear bombs and cruise missiles fitted with nuclear or conventional warheads. Aircraft of the M3M standard can be equipped with a wider range of weapons.



As of 2008, the Russian Air Force had at least 141 Tu-22M3 bombers in service.



Maj. Gen. Anatoly Zhikharev, commander of Long Range Aviation, earlier said that Russia's strategic aviation fleet will undergo extensive modernization while Russia’s next generation strategic bomber, the PAK DA, is being developed by the Tupolev Design Bureau.



He said the modernized aircraft will be equipped with new equipment, communications systems, cockpits and avionics.

The Russian Air Force has adopted the new upgraded Tu-22M3M bomber featuring a new high-accuracy weapons system. This RIA Novosti video shows a training flight:

http://en.rian.ru/video/20120203/171118298.html

- 10 Tu-160M Bombers by 2020 -



The Russian Air Force will receive more than 10 modernized Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers by 2020, the Defense Ministry said.

According to official data, Russia has at least 16 Tu-160 aircraft in service. There are plans to increase their number to 30.

“The Tu-160 in service with the Air Force are already undergoing modernization,” Air Force spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik said. “We are planning to receive more than 10 aircraft of this type.”

The Tu-160 is a supersonic, variable-geometry heavy bomber, designed to strike strategic targets with nuclear and conventional weapons deep in continental theaters of operation.

The modernized version, Tu-160M, features new weaponry, improved electronics and avionics, which double its combat effectivness.

The upgraded aircraft will remain in service until a fifth-generation strategic bomber is developed, the Air Force officials earlier said.

- New Russian strategic Bomber? -

A long-running dispute between the Russian military and defense industry over procurement of new weaponry may enter a new phase as Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has questioned the need to develop a new strategic bomber, the Izvestia daily said.

Russia announced plans in 2009 to develop a fifth-generation strategic bomber, which will feature new airframe and elements of stealth technology, by 2025.

The new bomber is expected to replace the Tu-95MC Bear and Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers, and Tu-22M3 Backfire long-range bombers currently in service with Russia’s strategic aviation.

“Look at the current level of air defense and anti-missile defense – these aircraft will not get anywhere. Not ours, not theirs,” Rogozin, who oversees defense industry and will soon assume full control over financing of R&D for military purposes, said in an interview with Izvestia.

He added that strategic bombers could not be viewed as means of delivering nuclear strikes on enemy territory anymore.

Meanwhile, Chief of the Russian General Staff Gen. Nikolai Makarov told Izvestia that the new bomber project was underway as planned.

“We have made some progress in the development of the new bomber,” Makarov said. “If we reach production phase, this plane will outperform any modern aircraft of the same class, including those built by the Americans.”

It is not the first time Rogozin and Makarov have clashed over arms procurement issues.

In the beginning of this year, Makarov sharply criticized the quality of Russian-made weaponry for the Ground Forces and said the Defense Ministry would stop purchasing domestic-made armored vehicles for the next five years because they are outdated.

Rogozin, clearly angered by Makarov’s blunt statement, responded that the chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces “is not the only one who makes decisions on the purchase of arms and military hardware.”

He said Russia’s Armed Forces would be modernized as scheduled in accordance with the state armament procurement program and the defense budget.

15:56 09/06/2012 KAZAN, June 9 (RIA Novosti)

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday reiterated plans to develop a new, fifth-generation strategic bomber.

“Alongside a fifth-generation fighter there are also plans to develop an advanced long-range aviation complex. I am talking about a new strategic bomber,” he said.

Maintenance and modernization of the existing strategic bombers is not enough, he added.

His remarks come days after a senior cabinet member questioned the need for a new bomber.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin suggested on Monday that with the current and future air and missile defense systems in place, strategic bombers were no longer relevant and could no longer be relied on to deliver strikes on enemy territory.

Russia announced plans in 2009 to develop a new strategic bomber featuring stealth technology by 2025. The new bomber is expected to replace the Tu-95MC Bear and Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers, and Tu-22M3 Backfire long-range bombers currently in service with Russia’s strategic aviation.

- Putin Calls for New Long-Range Bomber and UAVs -

18:48 14/06/2012 KOREVENSK, June 14 (RIA Novosti)

Russia must start development of a long-range bomber aircraft, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday at a meeting on defense orders.

"We have to develop work on the new PAK-DA long-range bomber aircraft for Long-Range Aviation. I know how expensive and complex this is. We have talked about this many times with ministers, and with the head of the General Staff. The task is not easy from a scientific-technical standpoint, but we need to start work," Putin said.

If bomber development work is not started soon, Russia might miss the boat, Putin said.

A new long-range cruise missile has already been adopted for these aircraft, he said, adding that the “tactical level” is in need of deep modernization.

The president also said the A-100 airborne warning and control system (AWACS) project should be implemented within the next five years.

The new AWACS plane will have the capability to detect and track long-range airborne and ground-based targets.

Russia operates a mixed fleet of 63 aging Tu-95MS turboprop missile carriers, and just 13 Tu-160 bombers.

Russia must also develop a range of military unmanned air vehicles (UAV) including strike and reconnaissance types, Putin said.

"We need a program for unmanned aircraft. Experts say this is a most important area of development in aviation," he said. "We need a range of all types, including automated strike aircraft, reconnaissance and other types," Putin added.
Russia plans to spend around 400 billion rubles ($13 billion) on UAV development in the next eight years.

Putin’s call for a new bomber comes just a week after Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who has responsibility for the military-industrial complex, appeared to pour cold water on the need for a new bomber, in remarks carried in Izvestia newspaper.