Russian Tu-160M2 bombers Range to Increase by 1000 Km, Get New Missiles

Russia's modernized of Tu-160 strategic bomber, dubbed  Tu-160M2, will be equipped with new Missiles and Kuznetsov NK-32 engine which will increase its range by 1000 kms.

The country's Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov told RIA Novosti today "There will be a spate of such missiles in terms of range and characteristics,".

As for the Tu-160M2's flight range, it will be at least a thousand kilometers wider (could mean radius) than that of its predecessor, thanks to the updated version of the NK-32 engine, which will be installed in the new bomber, Borisov added.

NK-32 engine has been modernized and its main blocks and components have become more efficient. On the whole, it has better endurance characteristics, which adds to the new bomber's range, increasing it by one thousands kilometers as compared with the existing version.

The production of the Tu-160M2 will begin in 2023.

The Tu-160 is a supersonic strategic bomber with variable-sweep wings, designed to engage targets around the globe with nuclear and conventional weapons.

The revival of the production of this bomber was announced by the Russian Defense Minister in April 2015. The Tu-160M2's advanced equipment is claimed to increase its effectiveness by more than two-fold as compared to the old version.