Russia To Resume Tu-60 Bomber Production By 2023

Russia is planning to resume production of Tu-60 strategic bombers by 2023.

Preparation for the reproduction of strategic bombers Tu-160 goes according to plan as outlined earlier, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov during a visit to Samara Company "Kuznetsov" (part of United Engine Corporation - JDC) said in an interview with reporters Tuesday.

Nevertheless, the claim to the industry, according to the deputy minister, is still there."Cooperation is not working properly. We, as customers, have entered into contracts with all the leading executor - JSC "Tupolev", but they have not yet deployed all the necessary work. Now we just will check their progress, "- said Yuri Borisov.

As previously reported, the reproduction of the Tu-160 will begin no later than 2023.

According to Yuri Borisov, an updated strategic bomber Tu-160 after the resumption of production will differ from the currently operated aircraft of this series in almost all parameters.

"This is a fundamentally new plane, which differs in all respects from the Tu-160, which is now in service,” Borisov said.

Yuri Borisov recalled that in May 2015 President of Russia Vladimir Putin on the proposal of the Ministry of Defense has decided to restore the production of missile carriers Tu-160.

"The purpose of our trip today is to see how the repair services, maintenance of a given level of combat readiness of our strategic aviation and to evaluate on how to implement measures to reproduce a new image of the Tu-160, " Borisov added.

"At the next council, we will hear, how the digitization of the aircraft, the work of cooperation by constituent assemblies and units. We have taken up the practice to visit the main subcontractors. The last meeting we held in St. Petersburg, Samara, today we look at the state of work on the engine,” he said.

In this regard, he said that Samara engine building company "Kuznetsov" in 2016 produced the first 5 new engines NK-32 missile carriers Tu-160.

"The plant will soon begin qualification tests of the first engine of the new series, and according to the plans this year named Samara Kuznetsov factory should we make one qualification, and four serial engine", - said the deputy minister.