Today the first newly manufactured strategic missile carrier Tu-160M made its maiden flight from the airfield of the Kazan Aviation Plant, a Tupolev branch of the PJSC “United Aircraft Corporation”.
The flight took place at an altitude of 600 meters and lasted about 30 minutes. The crew of test pilots of PJSC “Tupolev” performed maneuvers to check the stability and controllability of the aircraft in the air.
The program of reproduction of Tu-160 aircraft in the modernised form of Tu-160M was launched by the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
As part of the implementation of the program under the state contract between the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia and Tupolev, the design documentation for the Tu-160M aircraft was fully digitized in a short time, the vacuum welding technology for titanium products was restored, the production of aircraft airframe units was resumed, a new cooperation was formed from leading industrial enterprises in the field of metallurgy , aircraft construction, mechanical engineering and instrument making, the main part of which is part of the State Corporation Rostec.
The aircraft retains its appearance, but is created on a completely new technological base using digital technologies.
The implementation of the program for the modernization and reproduction of the Tu-160 strategic missile carriers required a significant renovation of the production base.
Tu-160 is the largest and most powerful supersonic aircraft with variable wing geometry in the history of military aviation.
