Tupolev aircraft maker to develop Russia's new strategic bomber

[SukhoiLover]

ZHUKOVSKY (Moscow Region), August 19 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Defense Ministry and the Tupolev aircraft maker have signed a contract on the development of a new-generation strategic bomber, the company's general director said on Wednesday.

"We signed a contract this year on research and development of a future strategic bomber for the Russian strategic aviation. It will be a conceptually new plane based on the most advanced technologies," Igor Shevchuk said at the MAKS-2009 air show near Moscow.

Tu-95MC Bear and Tu-160 Blackjack bombers, Tu-22M3 Backfire long-range bombers and Il-78 Midas aerial tankers will form the backbone of the Russian strategic aviation in the next decade following extensive modernization.

However, by 2020 they will be obsolete, and the new strategic bomber will allow Russia to maintain the effectiveness of the air component of its nuclear triad in competition with similar foreign aircraft, the official said.

Russia's Air Force commander, Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin earlier said a fifth-generation strategic bomber could be used effectively in both conventional and nuclear conflicts.

"The new plane will use a wide selection of high-precision weapons, and will have a whole range of new combat capabilities, allowing it to apply new methods to carrying out deterrence tasks," he said.

This contract together with the one signed with Sukhoi just proves Russia really wants to modernize its army.

I´m quiet interested on this particular project, although i never nourished much interest on Tupolev, i´m quiet sure that, as a Russian company, they are going to come up with something quiet interesting.

[F-111 C/C]

Hey Sukhoi, how (why) did you get so interested in Sukhoi aircraft? Was it their designs, performance, heritage? I'm just curious since you live in Portugal (not exactly in the Warsaw Pact community). Also, we had a Tiger Meet excercise in June of '87 at Montijo AB. Are you familiar with that base? Beautiful country.

[Webmaster]

Good news for the RuAF Long Range Bomber Regiments.

Now, where's Aviator? About this one you should be worried.

I'm eager to see what they'll come up with. At the same time, I do not have a lot of trust in them being able to do this. I wonder if Tupolev still has the expertise to develop and prototype a new bomber within 10 years, unless they use an airliner or the Tu-160 as base. Considering how much effort it took Kazan to complete a nearly done Tu-160, I have my doubts about Russia being able to produce it by 2020, unless they concurrently engineer/invest in all the tooling and machinery and maybe it's better another factory produces it... In any way, then I'd expect another 5-10 years for production ramp up because funding and technical difficulties, then another 5+5 years for state acceptance and instructor training/doctrine development resp.

It takes Sukhoi and KnAAPO 10 years to develop a Su-27 derivative from concept to production standard, and I don't think I need to inform you guys of how time it take US/European companies to develop a new aircraft. I do not think they'll dust off old designs for this.

It's an program that has been long in the works, and it's good to see something finally official and restart of R&D by the great Tupolev OKB. But it also shows how Russian defense is even worse than the Soviet system. Tupolev has been selected before it has anything to show. No competitive evalution of alternatives, while I would think Sukhoi, Yakovlev or even Ilyushin should also be able to at least design a good concept. Then again, it's all the same under the UAC anyway, so I guess it's better they sort out who'll be developing it now.

[AVIATOR]

Niels quote: Good news for the RuAF Long Range Bomber Regiments.

Now, where's Aviator? About this one you should be worried.

Suk won't have to pay to visit Russia to see them. They will be in the skies over Portugal if they realise their full potential. All he has to do is look up. Could be a bonus as well. Hundreds of Sukhoi fighters accompanying them.

[SukhoiLover]

Hey Sukhoi, how (why) did you get so interested in Sukhoi aircraft? Was it their designs, performance, heritage? I'm just curious since you live in Portugal (not exactly in the Warsaw Pact community). Also, we had a Tiger Meet excercise in June of '87 at Montijo AB. Are you familiar with that base? Beautiful country.

Well, my favorite plane used to be the F-14 (which i still like a lot), but then i got to know the Russian planes and aviation industry in general and in how different their projects were.

Then i got a magazine with a Su-27 on it, at first it didn´t really catch my eye, but when i start to know it more i just fell in love over it. Obviously, i also started to search for other Sukhoi projects and now Sukhoi planes are my favorite in general.

Theres no big story.

Aviator, the only country who needs to worry is Sweden and Norway, etc.

Who would want to bomb a country near bankrupt and run by corrupt politicians?

And another thing, who really need to worry about this? Its Russia whos going to get the bombers, not the Iranians.

Do i have to remind everybody that this is no longer Cold War.

[SukhoiLover]

No i´m not familiar with Montijo.

I live in the Azores and only when to the mainland 3 times.

[AVIATOR]

Let's leave it at that Suk. It isn't my intention to dampen your enthusiasm for your planes. It's just an innocent hobby after all. I've made my points.
I guess you could say I'm a political hardliner, patriot to the West and one who cheers for our side.