Russian Long range aviation news

The Swan’s Wedge

The country is becoming a world power, possessing strategic bombers and missile carriers. Russia can be proud in this regard. True, in the last decade and a half, Long-range Aviation underwent reform purgatory five times (!) and at the same time managed to survive. Just what are the prospects of its development, will the “long-rangers” have clear skies, as the aviators say, a million by a million? Our special correspondent has tried to answer these questions.

((History snipped.)) After the change of the political leadership, development of the next strategic missile carrier began. On 19 December 1981, the Tu-160 – the “White Swan,” as the “long-rangers” lovingly call it – lifted into the heavens. As of today it is the most powerful aviation complex in the world. Russia has a “swan wedge” – these are 15 airplanes and, as is said, God forbid that they “sing” a farewell song to the world…

5 more aircraft on the way:
(2 of the four airworthy Zhukovksy test examples earmarked for upgrade to operational status)
(3 on the construction line at Kazan, one to be delivered this year)

The “long-rangers” have diverse armament from which to choose. For example, the sub-sonic, small strategic Kh-55 cruise missiles fly using terrain following at low altitude and are intended for use against strategic objects with coordinates which have been ascertained earlier. With a launch weight of nearly 1,700 kilograms, the weight of the warhead is 410 kilograms. The launch altitude is from 200 to 12,000 meters, maximum range is up to 3,000 kilometers and speed is nearly 840 kilometers per hour.

For destruction of stationary ground targets the Kh-15 aeroballistic missile was developed at NPO Raduga which can reach the limits of the stratosphere (up to 40 kilometers.) Its launch weight is 1,200 kilograms, explosive power is up to 350 kilotonnes (do not confuse it with “kilograms.”) Launch altitude is from 300 to 12.000 meters. The maximum speed is up to Mach 5!

Recent conflicts in the Balkans and the Middle East have shown the need for further development of Russian Long-Range Aviation. Here is what air force commander-in-chief, General of the Army Vladimir Mikhaylov, says in this regard: “At the present time a great deal of work is taking place on upgrade of the Tu-95MS and Tu-160 missile-carrying airplanes which envisions a broadening of their capabilities for the combat use of precision aviation bombs and cruise missiles with a multifunctional conventional warhead. The upgrade in the near future also is planned of Tu-22M3 airplanes, the purpose of which is an improvement of the capabilities of the missile and bombing armament.”

Foreign specialists are commenting on the upgrade work that is starting in more detail. According to a report of the British magazine, Jane’s Missiles and Rockets,” the Tu-95MS program, which is taking place at the 360th aviation repair plant in Ryazan, is enjoying the highest priority. The improved airplanes will be armed with NPO Raduga strategic non-nuclear missiles and also with the Kh-102 nuclear variant. The Tu-95MS can carry up to eight guided missiles and the Tu-160, which is being upgraded at the Kazan Gorbunov Aviation Production Association, up to 24 missiles.

24 Kh-101/102 missiles?! I think it means 12.

Upgrade of the long-range Tu-22M3 bomber will be carried out at the 360th repair plant in Ryazan. The new variant of the airplane will receive the designation Tu-22M5.

The Kh-22 also is being improved, various modifications of which have been in the inventory since the start of the ’60s. It will be equipped with improved engines and seeker. Work also is underway on other such missiles.

That Kh-22 improvement would be the Kh-32. With new engines, seeker, and propelllant, it could be even scarier than it already is.

Specialists are declaring that a new variant of the KAB-1500 guided bomb (weight of 1,500 kilograms) is being created for the Russian long-range bombers. All missile carriers will be able to carry different bomb payloads. As a final result, for example, the Tu-160 will be able to take on board for bombing up to 90 OFAB-500 or 160 OFAB-250-270.

Woah. That’s a lot of bombs.

The refueling airplanes also have not been left out which help strategic aviation reach any corner of our planet. As the general director of OAO S.V. Il’yushin Aviation Complex (Il’yushin AK), Viktor Livanov, reported the other day to Interfax-AVN, air force command has adopted a decision in principle about upgrade of part of the Il-76MD military transport airplanes being used with a significant residual service life into refueling airplanes with the conditional designation of Il-76MDK.

There are nearly 250 combat airplanes today in the “long-rangers'” arsenal. These are the Tu-160, Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3 and the Il-78M. The order of the day is the upgrade of the avionics, the installation of more modern electronic warfare and jamming and satellite communications and navigation systems. Tomorrow’s mission is the creation of a future long-range aviation complex (PAK DA), on which work already is taking place even today. The scientific and technical reserve which has been created allows speaking about the technical realization of the project. We will find out rather soon how it will be embodied in metal.

However, not only are the upgrade and development of new equipment needed. No less important is who will take the pilots’ seats. The young airmen arriving from the schools need the experience of the “old timers” like they need air. It is impossible to get while sitting on the ground when funds allocated at the start of the year for fuel are ending because of an increase of prices as early as this summer. Time does not wait…

In the past 2 years, the Russian “Bears” and “White Swans” have begun to restore the former lost positions. Long-range aviation has participated in joint exercises with the navy in the Arabian Sea and the water areas of the Indian Ocean. The complexity consisted not in the launch of missiles, but in their use in equatorial latitudes. It must be noted that the “long-rangers” never had spread their wings in this region before. Our crews have used the weapons systems really for the first time at the equator. Long-range aviation once again is making the Pacific Ocean, Far East and Far North habitable. Its crews not only carry out cooperative missions with the navy and naval aviation and shore units, but also participate in research undertakings.

The NATO block has found itself right at Russia’s borders after its recent expansion, approaching right up to our “strategics” air bases. But we, soberly evaluating the existing military-political realities, do not intend to sit twiddling our thumbs. Which is why our “white swans” will soar willingly into the air space of the world’s ocean, causing in the West a gnashing of teeth of those who had hastened to bury our Long-Range Aviation.

Source: 16.08.04, Krasnaya Zvezda

Ignore the rhetoric 🙂 Pretty much a restatement of information available in the West (“Tupolev Bombers” by AirTime) but yeah.