May 2,
2008: Russia has received its first new
Tu-160 heavy bomber, since it revived production two years ago. It plans to
produce one new Tu-160 every 18 months, until another 14 are build. Currently,
there are 16 Tu-160s in service.
Production
of the Tu-160 had ceased in 1994, with several of them partially completed.
Apparently, this new aircraft is one of those left uncompleted in the 1990s.
Lots of Russian weapons factories were shut down after the Soviet Union
collapsed in 1991. That occurred, in part, because the Soviet Union was,
literally, bankrupt. The defense budget was cut by more than two-thirds, and
weapons production got hurt the most. The only plants that kept operating were
those producing items for export. But many of the shuttered factories were
preserved, and now many of them are in operation again, picking up where they
left off.
The Tu-160
"Blackjack" is very similar to the U.S. B-1, but never really lived up to its
potential. Still, it is the most modern heavy bomber the Russians have. It's a
267 ton aircraft, that can carry up to 40 tons of bombs and missiles, for up to
12,000 kilometers. The aircraft can refuel in the air. It originally entered
service in 1987, and was built mainly to deliver cruise missiles. Noting the
success of the B-1 in Afghanistan and Iraq with smart bombs, the Tu-160s were
modified to do the same, in addition to retaining their cruise missile carrying
capability.
