is RU planning to restart production of the Tu-160 Blackjack ? luv its range, speed, payload and those long legs..er wings.

I have one potential customer all lined up and ready

Yes they are planning to acquire about two bombers each year in a few days time a new Tu-160 is set to join the Strategic AF.

The Russians it seems have decided on 10 SSBNs with 12 missiles each with 6 warheads, which works out at 720 warheads… for the US to increase numbers at sea they need new Ohios… for all we know the new Boreys might be designed to allow extra missile sections to be added… certainly improvements in miniaturisation and improvements in rocket propellent should allow some grown potential.

…needless to say it would be much easier to simply build a few extra Blackjacks or land based TOPOL-Ms than put an extra sub to sea.

Interesting but isn’t 10 SSBNs too many ?wouldn’t 6 SSBNs with 20 missiles carry the same potential and save lots of ressources,10 subs are gonna cost a few extra billion bucks to build plus the logistic ect.And you are speaking about increasing the capacity by adding extra missile sections,all of this seems illogical why add later when you shoud have given it the right capacity at the beginning?Simply look 6 ultra quiet SSBNs with (20M x 6W:720 warheads)would be much more rational.And again your model doesn’t fit in the Russian strategic vision because the Russians said they plan to have at least 1700 warheads on strategic vectors (SLBMs and ICBMs) AFAIK they plan to build 250 Topol-Ms which are going to be converted to carry three warheads each,so it gives us 750 warheads on land and 720(10x12x6) on sea and a grand total of only 1470 far from the 1700 or even 2000 excpected.IMHO either the Borey carries more missiles or the Topols are gonna carry six as well,in the latter case it gives us a total of 1932 warheads much closer to the Russian objective.

And we know that Russia is going to start to develop a new “heavy” ICBM in a few years.

There hasn’t been any independent confirmation of this and it would be very surprising given the fact that the strategic missile force boss said Russia only plans to have Topol-Ms in its arsenal after all missiles are retired (Voivoda heavy ICBM and Stiletto ect..)

Does anybody know how many Bulavas are they Boreis going to carry finally ?12 would be a huge waste of money,16 at least should be the minimum and 20 or even 24 would be rational and looking at the pictures of the model the submarine seems really huge,12 missiles would be illogical in my view.

Read here Rokossowski it’s really good info http://www.rian.ru/defense_safety/army_navy/20060319/44518269.html
they plan to build not THREE but at least SIX Boreis and look at these pics,I doubt it carries only twelve Bulavas,simply look at the pics.
http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=48279&page=11&pp=30
courtesy Gradient.

Good !Next Borei is scheduled for 2007!And they plan to build at least six of them and possibly more.It’s really good.
http://www.rian.ru/defense_safety/army_navy/20060319/44518269.html
(in Russian)

You’re right Soyuz but still they should acquire TEN Topol-Ms a year and 12 Bulavas (one sub each year).But I have some new info:actually the Russians acquired 13 Topol-Ms last year because of problems in the procurement of new Sukhoi jets.
(If they could maintain 13 a year it would be ok)