PAK YES

a promising long-range aviation complex.

The design of a subsonic bomber based on the “flying wing” design, based on the developments of the Tupolev Design Bureau in the nineties, is being considered as the main long-range aviation aircraft for the period after 2025.

The power plant is assembled from four modernized NK-32+ engines without an afterburner. Maximum thrust 14000 - 16000 kgf. The thrust-to-weight ratio of such an aircraft is around 0.25, which limits the maximum take-off weight of the PAK DA to 240,000 kg.

One compartment with dimensions of 8.75x2.5x2.5 meters allows you to place a standard multi-position ejection unit for six cruise missiles X-101/102 or six X-555.

Fuel weight 104000 kg, specific consumption fuel 0.535 kg/kgf*h, cruising thrust 4 x 2900 kgf = 11400 kgf, fuel consumption 6099 kg/h, flight time 17 hours, flight range 809 km/h * 17 h = 13750 km. Range of action - 7000 km. Thus, the range of action of the complex with X-101 missiles will be at least 12,500 km; perhaps due to the higher aerodynamic quality of the “flying wing” design (20-25 instead of 17), one can count on a ferry range of at least 16,500 km.

Characteristics of PAK DA

Maximum combat load weight
two MKU 2 x 16600 kg = 33200 kg, 12 KRBD X-101/102.
4 RVV-SD + 4 UVKU-50U, 4 x 190 kg + 4 x 117 kg = 1228 kg.
2 RVV-MD 2 x 110 kg = 220 kg.
Total 33200 kg + 1228 kg + 220 kg = 34648 kg.

Side view 67 sq.m
top view 564 sq.m
front view 80 sq.m
volume 290 cubic meters

fuel system
side view 27.15 cu.m
top view 263.8 sq.m
front view 41.56 sq.m
volume 133.5 cubic meters
fuel weight 104826 kg (785 kg/cub.m)

Compartment dimensions 2 m x 2 m x 8.9 m
stack volumes 71.2 cubic meters
relative volume 0.25

Airframe density 780 kg/cub.m

Maximum weight 226000 kg
normal weight 209400
empty weight 87000 kg (density 300 kg/cu.m.)
fuel weight 104000 kg
load weight max. 34648 kg
load weight is normal. 18048 kg
service weight 352 kg

Wing area 557 sq.m

Characteristics of PAK DA SAM

Maximum weight 226000 kg
empty weight 87000 kg
fuel weight 104000 kg
combat load weight 12772 kg

16 RVV-BD = 16 * 600 kg = 9600 kg
16 UVKU-50U = 16 * 117 kg = 1872 kg
4 RVV-SD = 4 * 190 kg = 760 kg
4 UVKU-50L = 4 * 80 kg = 320 kg
2 RVV-MD = 2 * 110 kg = 220 kg

Complex weight 20000 kg
service weight 2228 kg

4 antennas 4.0 x 0.8 meters (area 4 x 3.2 sq.m)

The engine for the PAK DA will be created on the basis of the Tu-160 engine

The engine for the promising long-range aviation complex (PAK DA) will be created on the basis of the gas generator of the second stage engine installed on the Russian Tu-160 strategic bomber, a representative of the United Engine Corporation (UEC) said.
“The Tu-160 has an NK-32 engine, it will have a number of technical changes and improvements, and this engine will go into the PAK DA. This will be a new engine based on the second stage unified gas generator NK-32,” UEC representatives explained at the Oboronexpo-2014 exhibition, RIA Novosti reports.
“8 billion rubles of budget money and plus our own resources should be allocated for its creation,” the UEC added.
As reported in the official publication international exhibition“Oboronexpo-2014” with reference to UEC General Director Vladislav Maslov, the contract for the engine for the PAK DA has not yet been signed, but there are already general parameters of the power plant and a preliminary work schedule, the terms and conditions of execution are being discussed.
Earlier, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Colonel General Viktor Bondarev, reported that the PAK DA would make its first factory flight in 2019, and its series production would be launched in 2021–2022.
In May, the Air Force Commander-in-Chief said that the PAK DA would begin entering service in 2023.
In December last year, the commander of long-range aviation of the Russian Air Force, Anatoly Zhikharev, stated that the PAK DA should go into testing in 2019, and from 2025 it should begin to enter service with the troops.
At the end of November last year, the head of the United Aircraft Corporation, Mikhail Pogosyan, reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the start of full-scale work on the PAK DA would be in 2014.

In August 2009, a contract was signed between the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Tupolev company to conduct R&D to create the PAK DA for a period of 3 years. According to the commander of long-range aviation of the Russian Air Force, Anatoly Zhikharev, the aircraft project will be approved in 2013.

According to the general designer of the Tupolev company, Igor Shevchuk, “the upcoming research work should be considered as the creation of some kind of scientific and technical groundwork on this topic. This is not only and not so much a military theme, but rather a study of issues of aerodynamics, strength, new materials and technologies.”
According to Deputy Defense Minister Popovkin, the technical design of the new bomber should be fully completed by 2015.

The Russian Air Force will receive a new strategic bomber capable of carrying nuclear weapons by 2030. Air Force Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Alexander Zelin told Interfax on Monday.
“Currently - already at the stage of the preliminary design competition - we are creating a promising aviation complex for Long-Range Aviation (the so-called PAK-DA - IF). I think that in February of this year we will report to the Chief of the General Staff, the Minister of Defense about the promising aviation complex that should be developed, and somewhere in the 2030s it should appear as part of a new, qualitatively updated Air Force,” said the Colonel General.
According to him, the closest attention is paid to the development of a new carrier of strategic nuclear weapons (SNF). “We are substantively, in detail dealing with this problem. Everything related to strategic aviation is a priority direction for the development of the Air Force and is not subject to any revision,” the Air Force Commander-in-Chief emphasized.
Zelin noted that along with the development of a new bomber, the domestic aviation industry is modernizing and existing complexes long-range aviation. The Tu-160 supersonic bomber is being converted into the Tu-160M ​​variant, and the “regular” Tu-95MS into the Tu-95MSM. “During the course of deep modernization, these aircraft will receive higher efficiency in the use of the weapons that are on board,” Zelin explained.
Let us note that at the end of last year (2011) the Air Force leadership named other dates for the adoption of the PAK-DA into service. On December 20, the commander of Long-Range Aviation, Major General Anatoly Zhikharev, stated that new bomber, developed by Tupolev Design Bureau, will be ready by 2025. “The first flight model of such an aircraft will appear in 2020. Such an aircraft could enter service with Long-Range Aviation in 2025,” Zhikharev said then.
It should be noted that the development of a new strategic bomber is now being carried out by the United States, whose fleet of such aircraft is also seriously outdated. In the middle of the last decade, it was expected that the next carrier of atomic weapons would enter service in 2018, however economic crisis and lack of funding have called this deadline into question. It is expected that the new generation bomber will be able to perform tasks without the participation of pilots. In this case, the machine will be able to stay in the air for up to four days.

June 15, 2012
A decision has been made that can be debated very widely and intensely for a long time. We are talking about creating a new generation bomber for long-range aviation. This puts an end to the dispute between Chief of the General Staff Nikolai Makarov, a supporter of the creation of the aircraft, and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who doubted the need for its creation.
During a visit to the Korenovsk airbase in Krasnodar region Vladimir Putin announced the need:
- develop a program for the creation of unmanned aerial vehicles (at least 400 billion rubles are planned to be spent on the creation of which by 2020)
- create a new long-range strategic bomber (PAK DA)
Regarding drones, the statement went like this:
“We need a program for unmanned systems. According to all experts, this the most important direction aviation development. Here we need the entire line, including automated strike, reconnaissance and other systems."
With the new bomber, the question is more controversial:
“We have to begin work on a new promising long-range aviation complex PAK DA. I know how expensive it is, how difficult it is. We spoke repeatedly with both the minister and the chief of the General Staff. The task is not easy from a scientific and technical point of view, but we need to start this work.”
The first flight of the new bomber is planned for 2017, and production samples should enter service in the period 2025-2030.

Research work on the formation of Air Force requirements and preliminary studies of the appearance of the PAK DA in design bureaus began in 1999. Preparations for the participation of various design bureaus in the competition for the creation of a fifth-generation bomber began in April 2007. In December 2007, it was announced that the Russian Air Force had formulated tactical and technical requirements for the PAK DA program (interview with Russian Air Force Commander-in-Chief Alexander Zelin to Interfax, December 2007).

Quote:
A.P. Bobryshev: In 2009, we began research work to create a promising long-range aviation complex. And in 2009, we completed the first stage with an analysis of the current state and consideration of options for a promising carrier from all points of view. From the point of view of combining tasks that today are distributed or dispersed across three carriers, on three sides.
Out of 47 options, we drew a line at the first stage and left 4 for further consideration and analysis. According to the deadline, the research work should be completed in 2012.
In general, we plan to finish it, if not in 2011, then at the beginning of 2012, in order to smoothly move into R&D (experimental design work). Naturally, R&D should end with preparation for mass production.

Vladimir Putin: By 2017?

A.P. Bobryshev: Yes, by 2017. In this regard, today we are again reviewing and considering, with the help of the State Research Institute of Aviation Systems, the issue of cooperation between capable developers and enterprises that will ensure advancement at the modern level.
And by 2017, we need to create, in fact, a carrier with a 2020-2025 board in terms of functionality. Therefore, the task is quite serious and complex, but given what both scientists and engineers know today, I think that we will be able to do it. (December 2009)

Quote:
It is expected that in the first half of 2012 a preliminary design of the promising DA aircraft should be completed, based on the results of the defense of which a decision will be made on the further course of work.

Quote:
The Russian Long-Range Aviation Command issued a tactical and technical assignment to the military-industrial complex for the development of a promising new generation strategic bomber, codenamed PAK DA. This was stated by the commander of Long-Range Aviation, Major General Anatoly Zhikharev. (December 2011)

Quote:
“We have already carried out research and are now at the stage of a preliminary project competition to create a PAK DA. I think this month we will report to the Chief of the General Staff and the Minister of Defense about the appearance of the PAK DA, which should appear as part of the updated Air Force by the 2030s,” Zelin. (February 2012).

In parallel with the work on the aircraft, R&D is also being carried out on the engine for it.

One of the most interesting reports at the Scientific and Technical Congress within the framework of the Engines-2012 salon was the speech of the general designer of Samara OJSC Kuznetsov Dmitry Fedorchenko, who spoke about the work on a promising turbofan engine in the 30-ton thrust class, called PD-30 (advanced engine for 30 tons of thrust)
The company is currently proactively conducting search work and selecting the design of such an engine, which can be installed on promising passenger and transport aircraft created under the Airplane 2020 program, as well as on the modernized An-124-300 Ruslan.
So far, the most powerful turbofan engine in the post-Soviet space is the Zaporozhye D-18T with a thrust of 23.4 tons. There is no engine with more thrust in Russia now, although the need for it has long existed.
It is worth remembering that back in the 90s. SNTK im. N.D. Kuznetsov designed the NK-44 turbofan engine with a thrust of about 40 tons. Then the difficult economic situation did not allow this project to be completed. Several years ago, it was reported about a “second approach” to the topic - the start of work on the NK-65 engine with a thrust of 18–30 tons.
It was recognized that creating a new engine “from scratch” would require a lot of time and enormous investments. Therefore, the emphasis was placed on using the existing reserves - the modernized TRDDF gas generator NK-32 and the experience of working on the long-suffering NK-93, but with the use of new technologies, materials and a digital design system.

In total, within the framework of the Tu-160 program, 38 NK-32 engines were manufactured at the second stage of state testing. The modernized gas generator is currently being tested in the CIAM thermobaric chamber. Work on its creation is being carried out jointly with Samara Aerospace University. When modifying the basic engine gas generator to ensure the declared parameters, it is planned to significantly increase the gas-dynamic characteristics of the blade units due to their aerodynamic improvement. The modified gas generator from NK-32 will have a fairly high gas temperature in front of the turbine - 1750K (at the first stage of state testing of NK-32 the temperature was 1635K).

The second scientific and technical basis used in the work on creating the PD-30 is a high-power gearbox. Here the work is carried out jointly with CIAM, where the gearbox with a capacity of 33 thousand hp is located. with plain bearings, and which has an efficiency of approximately 99.4%. The PD-30 will require a higher power gearbox. The gearbox circuit is applicable to the PD-30 for only one reason - to use a modified base gas generator from the NK-32 engine. In addition, the question during development was: what is better: a six-stage turbine or a gearbox? The company has experience in creating high-power gearboxes for the NK-12 and NK-93 engines, so it was decided that it would be most expedient to manufacture the PD-30 engine using a gearbox design. The gearbox will have a power of about 50 thousand hp.
For the PD-30, a low-pressure turbine, a low-pressure compressor, a gearbox, a single-row fan, a control, monitoring and diagnostic system are again being designed. The power from the low-pressure turbine is transmitted to the low-pressure compressor drive, and through the gearbox to the fan drive. The use of a gearbox makes it possible to have optimal speeds of the fan and low-pressure turbine and ensure the transmission of power to the fan by the low-pressure turbine shaft inside the medium-pressure turbine shaft. Compliance with future noise standards can be ensured at a fan peripheral speed not exceeding 340-350 m/s.
The next scientific and technical development is a wide-chord hollow fan blade. For the first time such a blade was manufactured back in 1985 according to the NK-56 engine project, which remained a project. In 1999, work was carried out jointly with an American company to develop a blade for the General Electric GE90 engine. A pilot batch of blades was also manufactured, but further work was suspended. However, all developed technologies remained at the NTZ OJSC Kuznetsov. Today in Russia there are technologies and production capacities for the serial production of hollow working blades - a plant for the precision production of hollow blades is currently being created in Ufa.

Thus, wide-chord hollow fan blades and a low-emission combustion chamber are being introduced on the PD-30 (all issues of low-emission combustion chambers have been sufficiently worked out on combustion chambers gas engines), engine gearbox circuit, modified gas generator based on the gas generator of the NK-32 engine.

Today, according to the PD-30 engine project:
design documentation has been released.
Calculations for the strength of a wide-chord hollow working blade with a honeycomb filler were performed;
studies of the vibration strength and damping capacity of samples simulating elements of a hollow blade with a honeycomb filler were carried out on a vibration stand;
The technology for manufacturing hollow blades with filler was developed and 10 samples of blades were manufactured using the developed technology. The samples passed endurance tests;
studies of the endurance and damping capacity of full-size hollow blades were carried out;
the design of an alternative version of a hollow working blade with a stiffener has been worked out;
The technology for manufacturing a composite hollow working blade with a stiffener has been developed.

According to Dmitry Fedorchenko, the proposed PD-30 project is a development of the previous NK-65. When creating it, no overambitious tasks are set: the PD-30 should receive only “modern” characteristics, at the level of foreign analogues - such as Rolls-Royce Trent, General Electric GEnx and CF6-80E1, GP7270, PW4460, etc.
In order to reduce risks, reduce the cost of R&D and reduce development time, as well as optimize the mass production process, it is planned to use the existing scientific and technical reserve of OJSC Kuznetsov on the gearbox and low-emission combustion chamber, using the modified gas generator of the serial NK-32 engine as a basis. The government has set the task of restoring serial production of the NK-32 (installed on the Tu-160) in the interests of the Ministry of Defense, but the planned production volumes are small, and therefore the use of its gas generator for other projects, in particular the PD-30, will only be beneficial.
“The PD-30 engine will have a dual-circuit design with a gearbox and separate exhaust in the circuits,” said Dmitry Fedorchenko. – Modification of the gas generator should go in the direction of ensuring the declared parameters with a significant increase in the gas-dynamic characteristics of the blade units. At the same time, the turbine and low-pressure compressor, gearbox, single-row fan, control, monitoring and diagnostic system are redesigned. The use of a gearbox will allow for optimal fan and low-pressure turbine speeds and ensure power transmission to the fan by the low-pressure turbine shaft inside the medium-pressure turbine shaft.”
According to the calculated data presented in the report, the PD-30 will have a take-off thrust of 29,500 kgf with a bypass ratio of 8.7, an air flow rate of 1138 kg/s and a gas temperature in front of the turbine of 1570K. (according to other data, the temperature of the gases in front of the turbine is 1391K, at takeoff 1635K), thrust at lift-off of the aircraft is 22,200 kgf; thrust in cruising mode is 5700 kgf., In cruising mode (N = 11 km, M = 0.76 / 809.3 km/h), the specific fuel consumption will be 0.535 kg/kgf h. According to the technical specifications, the diameter of the PD-14 fan is 2950 mm , and the weight of the engine without a reversing device is no more than 5140 kg.

Unfortunately, the PD-30 is a fairly distant prospect, and its future is not yet fully determined. Dmitry Fedorchenko suggested that such an engine, using existing resources and the necessary financing, can be created in 4–5 years. In the meantime, the work is proceeding in exploratory mode, but OJSC Kuznetsov hopes for interest from the state to begin full-scale design and creation of a demonstration model of the engine.
During the development of the PD-30, it is planned to use the experience gained in the creation of another promising domestic engine - the PD-14. For the manufacture of a demonstrator engine and subsequent production of the PD-30, it is proposed to involve other domestic enterprises within the framework of cooperation - UMPO, NPC gas turbine construction Salyut, NPO Saturn, Aviadvigatel, Reduktor-PM, Temp im. F. Korotkova" and others.

Strategic bombers of the 21st century

Independent Military Review

What should a promising aviation complex of Russian Long-Range Aviation look like?.

IN lately On the pages of special and periodical publications, problems associated with the creation of developed countries the world of 5th generation aviation technology, promising means of aerospace attack (ASAS) and the fight against them. At the same time, the topics discussed about the problems of creating a promising front-line aviation complex in Russia (PAK FA), which mainly relate to ways to achieve the tactical and technical characteristics and indicators of the combat capabilities of this complex, lead to sad thoughts that the complex is being created mainly to solve a very important , but far from the only task of front-line (operational-tactical) aviation in future wars. To achieve success in any war, in addition to defensive means of warfare, it is necessary to have effective strike means.

That is why, at present and in the future, one of the most important weapons systems of the Russian Air Force will be the long-range and strategic aviation complexes of Long-Range Aviation, which celebrated its 90th anniversary on December 23, 2004. Until recently, it was only the aviation component of the country's strategic nuclear forces - the aviation strategic nuclear forces (ASNF). Only the United States has similar nuclear nuclear forces in the world. However, with the decrease in the threat of general or large-scale nuclear war in both countries, there has been a tendency to expand the list of tasks solved by strategic (long-range) bombers in a conventional war. This trend is being implemented through modernization programs for the systems currently in service and should be taken into account when justifying the requirements for promising aviation complexes for strategic (long-range) aviation.

US STRATEGIC AVIATION

To determine the operational and tactical requirements for the promising long-range aviation complex (PAK DA) of the Russian Air Force, which, without any doubt, should be developed and in 20-25 years will replace the existing aviation complexes, it is first of all advisable to analyze the use of US strategic aviation in the wars of the latter decades and the views of the US Air Force command on its use in wars of the first half of the 21st century.

The main directions of development of US strategic bomber aviation in the forecast period are: modernization of the B-52H and B-1B aircraft; deployment of new B-2A bombers manufactured using stealth technology; equipping bombers of all types with high-precision non-nuclear weapons.

According to the announced long-term plan for the development of strategic aviation, starting from 2004, 76 (according to other reports - 71) modernized B-52H and 21 B-2A aircraft will remain in the ASNF. The number of B-2A is planned to be increased to 42 units. 95 B-1B aircraft have been withdrawn from the US Nuclear Forces, although some experts believe that returning them to the National Nuclear Forces does not pose a technical difficulty.

The dominant trend in improving US strategic bombers, which still remain the backbone of the nuclear forces, is to expand their capabilities to use conventional precision-guided weapons (HPE) and give them the status of a “dual-use” weapon.

The B-52N bombers have a special role, since in the future they will be the Air Force’s only means of delivering strategic air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs) with nuclear and conventional warheads, medium-range air-to-ground guided missiles (ADMs) and anti-ship missiles.” Harpoon". In addition, the B-52N has been upgraded to use new high-tech weapons systems, including JDAM-family guided bombs, WCMD cassettes, JSOW and JASSM guided missiles. The B-52N aircraft are expected to remain in service until 2025-2030.

To increase the combat capabilities of B-1B aircraft, programs are being implemented to equip them with JDAM family of UABs, WCMD cassettes, JSOW and JASSM missile launchers, and unguided cassettes with homing anti-tank submunitions. It is planned to modernize navigation and communications equipment, install an improved automated combat mission planning system, as well as modernize the electronic warfare (EW) complex, which should be able to overcome the enemy’s air defense system at medium and high altitudes.

Some results of the use of precision weapons in conventional equipment by US aircraft and their allies in several operations of the last decade of the last century and the beginning of the 21st century, based on media materials, are shown in the table.

As we can see, the share of high-precision aviation weapons used during combat operations has increased over the years by more than 7 times, but their total number and the average number of their uses per day have decreased. Although the intensity of their use in the first air offensive operations (AOC) has increased significantly. For example, during 73 hours of Operation Desert Fox (1998), almost 1.5 times more cruise missiles were fired at Iraqi targets than during 43 days of Operation Desert Storm (1991). According to Pentagon officials, of all the bombs and missiles used in Afghanistan, about 60% were equipped with laser or satellite guidance systems.

An important role in the Afghan operation was played by high-precision aircraft munitions of the new generation JDAM, equipped with a guidance system using a space-based radio navigation system and GPS location determination. In total, more than 6,600 of these munitions have been dropped, and the US Air Force is reportedly planning to purchase an additional 236,000 of these munitions in the coming years.

WHAT SHOULD PACK YES BE

To determine the operational and tactical requirements for the PAK DA, it is advisable to clarify its role in future wars, as well as its place in the weapons system of the Russian Armed Forces. It seems that the main purpose of the PAK DA is: firstly, strategic (nuclear) deterrence and combat operations as part of the strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Federation; secondly, deterrence (not strategic, not nuclear) and the conduct of combat operations in conflicts, local and regional wars with the use of conventional weapons as part of groupings of troops (forces) in continental and maritime (ocean) theaters of military operations (TVD).

The task of strategic deterrence is associated with the threat of destruction in the event of the outbreak of hostilities using nuclear weapons against important administrative and political centers, economic and military facilities of those countries that determine the strategic balance in the world.

Based on the solution to this problem, the main requirements for PAK DA, in our opinion, may be the following. This is the intercontinental reach of the aircraft-to-missile system; a high guaranteed probability of using weapons against strategic targets, which is ensured primarily by the high survivability of the aircraft-missile weapon system when overcoming the enemy’s air defense system and the use of long-range precision weapons; high combat readiness and survivability of the complex on the ground.

The intercontinental reach of the Russian Federation's strategic aviation complexes is achieved by the "bomber - strategic air-launched cruise missile (ALCM)" system. Considering that when DA aviation regiments are based in the central part of Russia, the distance of 75-80% of its possible objects, for example, on the North American continent is about 12,000 km, the requirement for the tactical radius of a promising long-range bomber will be determined by the launch range capabilities of a promising ALCM.

High probability of using weapons strategic goals By increasing the in-flight survivability of the aircraft-ALCM system, it can be achieved by launching missiles without carrier aircraft entering the fire zone of ground-based enemy air defense systems.

The requirement for high survivability of the PAK DA on the ground is due to the possibility of a pre-emptive nuclear strike by the enemy. IN modern conditions and in the foreseeable future, a sudden general nuclear war in the absence of an acute international crisis is unlikely.

In conditions of a relatively long-developing acute international crisis, the survival of PAK DA on the ground can be ensured by their dispersal at a large number of airfields (including civil ones, which have many heavy aircraft for various purposes). To implement this requirement, a promising heavy bomber must have the ability to be based and stand autonomously at a dispersal airfield of no higher than 1st class. Perhaps this is the main reason for the need to increase the number of permanently operating unified airfields in the country (i.e. airfields capable of simultaneously basing aircraft of any type). At the same time, the PAK DA should have reduced visibility for enemy space reconnaissance systems or not have distinctive features compared to the civilian aircraft around it.

When the enemy achieves strategic surprise, a long-range bomber is the only strategic weapon system that, when on duty on the ground, potentially has the ability to survive by escaping from an attack with timely notification by the missile attack warning system (MAWS). It is quite obvious that this can be accomplished only with a high level of combat training of the crew and the combat readiness of the aviation complex as a whole, a relatively short time required for an emergency takeoff, and sufficient resistance of the aircraft and its systems to the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion. That is why ensuring high level combat (flight) training of Long-Range Aviation bomber crews today should already be one of the most important tasks of the Russian Air Force High Command.

When Long-Range Aviation units are based in coastal areas, the main threat to bombers is enemy submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), especially when firing along flat trajectories. The flight time of missiles can be up to 10 minutes, so the base and dispersal airfields for bombers must be beyond the range of enemy SLBMs when firing along flat trajectories.

Solving problems in conflicts, local and regional wars on continental theaters of operations may be associated with the delivery of the first missile and air strikes with high-precision conventional (non-nuclear) weapons against the most important targets throughout the entire depth of enemy territory or CTTD in conditions of a strong air defense system and non-strategic missile defense(PRO); as well as with the delivery of air strikes during combat operations with relatively cheap and effective conventional high-precision weapons against the most important targets throughout the entire depth of the enemy’s territory (theater of operations) in conditions of a weak, focal or suppressed air defense system.

The possibility (potential threat) of delivering effective missile and air strikes with high-precision conventional (non-nuclear) weapons in the event of the outbreak of hostilities against critical targets throughout the entire depth of the enemy’s territory (theater of operations) is one of the main military factors in non-nuclear deterrence of the enemy from unleashing aggression against Russia.

During combat operations in conditions of a weak, focal or suppressed enemy air defense system (fighter aircraft, long- and medium-range air defense systems), when high survivability of the aircraft is ensured when operating from high altitudes, the PAK DA is the optimal weapon system for attacking air strikes. This is due to the high combat load, long reach of the complex and high accuracy of delivery of ammunition to targets (including high-precision aircraft bombs and short-range guided missiles); the comparative cheapness of promising guided (homing) aerial bombs; the ability to solve a number of diverse fire missions in one flight; high reliability of PAK DA as a system.

The geopolitical position of Russia is such that the solution of long-range aviation tasks in a conventional war is limited to the Eurasian continent. It is hardly advisable to consider the North American continent as a territory for combat operations of strategic systems in conventional equipment due to the threat of a retaliatory nuclear strike. Therefore, if the PAK DA is armed with high-precision non-nuclear medium- and long-range ALCMs, then its use in a conventional war does not require high requirements by reach. When long-range missiles are used against targets on the Eurasian continent in conditions of an unsuppressed air defense system, their reach will be ensured when launched from Russian territory. And the use of a “cheap” VTO type of guided aerial bombs of the JDAM family will be ensured by the tactical radius of the bomber of 6000-7000 km when based outside the destruction zone of the conventional high-precision weapons of our possible opponents.

APPLICATION OF PAK YES IN WARS

However, the use of PAK DA in armed conflicts, local and regional wars may be associated with another class of high-tech weapons - promising high-precision ballistic operational-tactical air-launched missiles as part of the operational-strategic reconnaissance and strike complex (OS RUK). The basis of the RUK OS can be an aviation complex for reconnaissance of ground targets and target designation and a PAK DA with a striking element, for example, based on the missile and control system of the advanced Iskander missile system of the Ground Forces, modified for air launch. Based in the depths of their territory, the mobile air elements of the RUK OS will be less vulnerable to enemy strikes with high-precision long-range weapons.

It is necessary to note one fundamental difference between the RUK aviation OS and the complex with the same ground-launched strike weapons. Aviation OS RUK, and these are two aircraft: reconnaissance (target designation) and the OTR air launch carrier aircraft (PAK DA), if necessary, can be moved to any area at a speed of 850-900 km/h, including over water. And in the conditions of, for example, the Far Eastern strategic direction (SN), which has three separate peninsular and island operational directions (Sakhalin, Kamchatka and Chukotka), or the Southern SN, such an aviation OS RUK is simply vital in the future.

In addition, the adoption of a similar OS RUK, which in its performance characteristics does not contradict the treaty on the reduction of intermediate- and shorter-range missiles (1000-5500, 500-1000 km, respectively), will actually take this strike missile system, due to the PAK DA aviation platform, beyond the scope of validity of this agreement. And it is precisely in this range of distances from the State border of Russia that the regions and areas that are most important for it in operational and strategic terms are located. It is in them that conflict situations can arise, the emergence of a real threat to Russia’s military security. A relatively cheap, fully autonomous, airborne defense system (including air-to-radar and air-to-air missiles), the RUK aviation OS based on the PAK DA will be an effective means of deterring some countries that have high-precision long-range weapons from aggression against Russia. The actions of this OS RUK with ballistic OTR under certain conditions acquire strategic significance for them. In addition, at a significant distance from Russian territory, they will have to create an OTR missile defense system with a short flight time and flat trajectories.

And during special operations, this complex can become a means of delivering effective surprise preventive high-precision missile strikes in any area within its reach.

And the last in the order of listing, but not the least important area of ​​​​application of such an aviation OS RUK. In future wars he may become effective means support PAK DA combat operations equipped with strategic air-launched cruise missiles, especially over the expanses of the Central Asian and East Asian strategic continental regions, where the use of front-line (operational-tactical) aviation (even the 5th generation) is extremely difficult, because Russian air bases are abroad, with which front-line aviation could carry out their tasks are extremely few in number, and they themselves are vulnerable to enemy attacks from the ground and air.

Thus, the use of PAK DA in a conventional war dictates requirements for it, mainly related to the complex of on-board radio-electronic equipment, which ensures the use of promising non-nuclear cruise missiles of various launch ranges, UAB and other promising aircraft weapons, air-launched ballistic OTR, as well as an on-board complex defense

The solution of long-range aviation tasks in maritime (ocean) theaters of operations may be related to: Peaceful time- with the creation of security zones along Russia’s maritime borders and the presence of our national interests in the maritime (ocean) zones; in wartime - with the destruction during combat operations of naval strike, aircraft carrier and other groups, large enemy naval landings in areas of concentration, during sea crossings and in landing areas, the destruction of naval bases, ports, blocking strait zones and, if necessary, ensuring landings operational amphibious landings.

The most difficult task of long-range aviation in combat operations on sea or ocean theaters has always been the task of destroying surface targets from an aircraft carrier multi-purpose group (AMG). This is due to the presence of a powerful zone-based air defense system, the depth of which currently reaches 800 km from the AMG center. In addition, the use of aircraft anti-ship weapons is associated with two main stages: target detection, target designation, and the aircraft entering the missile launch zone or the use of other weapons. The detection and target designation ranges using on-board equipment of strike aircraft are limited by their tactical and technical characteristics and the range of the radio horizon, the value of which depends on the flight altitude. Simple calculations show that target designation using the on-board equipment of a missile-carrying aircraft is associated with its entry into the AMG air defense zone, and this places exceptional demands on the survivability of the aircraft in flight.

A promising direction a solution to this problem may be the use of a system for reconnaissance and target designation of space-based naval objects, which can ensure continuous reconnaissance, detection of naval targets and their classification in conditions of enemy electronic countermeasures; generating and issuing information to consumers about targets, including attacking anti-ship missiles. Receiving information from space reconnaissance systems, PAK DA will be able to use long-range anti-ship missiles (including over-the-horizon launch) without entering the enemy’s AMG air defense zone.

Russia's maritime zones of security and national interests are mainly limited to the Russian sector of the Arctic Ocean Strategic Region; Mediterranean (water areas of the Azov, Mediterranean and Black Seas), northern (water areas of the Barents, Greenland, Norwegian and North Seas) and Baltic (water areas Baltic Sea) maritime zones of the Atlantic Ocean Strategic Region (Atlantic OSR); The Northwestern ocean zone, the Northern (the Bering Sea) and the Far Eastern (the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Sea of ​​Japan) maritime zones of the Pacific OSR. The distance from the far boundaries of all of the listed ocean and sea zones (except for the Northwestern Ocean Zone of the Pacific OSR) does not exceed 3 thousand km from areas of Russia that are operationally equipped in aviation terms. Removal of the far boundaries of the Northwestern ocean zone of the Pacific OSR from the Amur-Sakhalin and Kamchatka-Chukotka regions - up to 5 thousand km. Thus, the use of PAK DA in near sea (ocean) zones dictates its reach requirement - about 5000 km.

However, connections and parts of PAK DA can lead fighting in fleet operations and in distant ocean (sea) zones: Northwestern and Northeastern ocean zones of the Atlantic OSR; Northwestern and Northeastern oceanic zones of the Indian OSR; Northeast ocean zone and South Asian maritime zone of the Pacific OSR. The distance between the centers of these zones and the coastal regions of Russia is from 6000 to 9000 km. Apparently, it is advisable to limit the range requirement for PAK DA when operating in distant sea (ocean) zones to these ranges.

Thus, the use of PAK DA in maritime (ocean) theaters of operations dictates requirements for it, mainly related to weapons systems that make it possible to hit enemy surface ships (including aircraft carriers) without entering the affected area of ​​their air defense systems, including during an over-the-horizon launch Long-range (global) anti-ship missiles in the listed near and far sea (ocean) zones, and an airborne defense complex.

Alexander Georgievich Tsymbalov - Major General of the Reserve,

Candidate of Military Sciences, Professor.

Work on the new bomber project began in 2009, when the Russian Ministry of Defense signed a contract with the Tupolev company to carry out research and development work, which could become the largest under the State Armament Program until 2025.

At the same time, the chief designer of the Tupolev Design Bureau, Igor Shevchuk, stated that research work should be considered as the creation of some kind of scientific and technical basis on this topic. This is not only and not so much a military theme, but rather a study of issues of aerodynamics, strength, new materials and technologies.

A promising aviation complex involves the creation of a completely new aircraft, which will be subsonic and made according to the “flying wing” scheme. The “flying wing” configuration, which was first announced on August 6, 2013, will provide the aircraft with low radar signature in the long-wave range, and subsonic speed requires the presence of a high aspect ratio wing. In the terms of reference of the Russian Air Force for the PAK DA, the developers indicate a flight range of 12,500 kilometers, a payload weight of 30 tons.

At the end of May 2013, the TsAGI Aerodynamics Department completed the first stage of testing the “flying wing” model at cruising speeds up to M=0.88 and high Reynolds numbers* (M=0.2). The studies were carried out in the T-106 TsAGI transonic tube and were aimed at clarifying the aerodynamic characteristics of the promising aircraft. A special thematic model of a “flying wing” with various options for engine placement and tail geometry was designed and manufactured at TsAGI in 2011. In 2012, the model was tested in subsonic wind tunnels T-102 and T-107. And although these studies were carried out as part of the work to shape the appearance of long-haul passenger plane, it is obvious that their results are directly projected onto PAK DA.

The design of the aircraft will make widespread use of radar signature reduction technologies, composite materials and radar-absorbing coatings; it should be expected that, in order to reduce the ESR, the airframe geometry will differ from what can now be found in various drawings and even from the model that was purged in TsAGI wind tunnel. The most likely appearance of the aircraft is shown in photo in the header of the article .

The bomber's main armament will be long-range hypersonic missiles. In July 2015, Deputy Minister of Defense Yuri Borisov confirmed in an interview that work on the development of a new missile was underway: “There will be more than one, there will be several types - both in range and in capabilities. Several of them are being developed.”

Model of a "flying wing" aircraft in a transonic tube T-106
Photo (c) TsAGI, 2013

According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Colonel General Viktor Bondarev, the main component of the complex will be a missile with a range of up to seven thousand kilometers. She herself will decide when, where, at what speed and at what altitude to fly. The plane will only be a means of delivery to the launch zone. In addition to strategic missiles, the aircraft will have other high-precision weapons in its arsenal.

The development of engines for the PAK DA was entrusted to the Samara company Kuznetsov; the NK-32 engine, which is installed on the Tu-160 strategic bomber, was taken as the base one.

The enterprises of the Concern for Radio-Electronic Technologies (KRET) are already developing avionics for the PAK DA. There is a general agreement between KRET and the United Aircraft Corporation, according to which the Concern creates a unified aircraft. Together with the Tupolev company, KRET also participates in development work. The aircraft will use not only new, but also already proven technologies. Some of the systems and devices will be borrowed from the latest developments that are installed on other new machines and have shown high reliability and efficiency. It is assumed that the PAK DA aircraft will be equipped with a completely new sighting and navigation system, communications, reconnaissance and electronic warfare equipment.

One of key elements for a promising aircraft - radar system- is being developed at the Research Institute of Instrument Engineering named after. Tikhomirov. The development of this radar uses the experience gained in work on airborne radar stations with an active phased antenna array (AFAR) for the fifth generation fighter PAK FA.

By 2012, the technical design of the complex was completed and development work began. By March 2013, the aircraft design was approved, and in 2014, the Tupolev design bureau completed the preliminary design stage of the PAK DA.

The new Russian bomber should make its first flight in 2021, tests are scheduled to be completed in 2023, and production launch is scheduled for 2025. At the same time, the Russian Aerospace Forces plan to purchase at least 50 such machines.

In May 2015, the Russian Ministry of Defense decided to resume production of Tu-160 bombers in the modernized version of Tu-160M2, and, taking into account the economic realities in which the task of fulfilling State program weapons-2025 is significantly complicated by postponing the completion of the development of the new generation PAK DA bomber to a later date.

The postponement looks quite natural and necessary in connection with the decision to resume production of the Tu-160. " White Swan"is perfect from the point of view of aerodynamics, which means it has a design basis for many years to come for modernization and re-production. According to the general director of RSK MiG and the general designer of the United Aircraft Corporation Sergei Korotkov, the modernized Tu-160M2 bombers are created on the basis of a good platform and will be located in operation 40-50 years.

Along with the PAK DA and Tu-160M2 (from 2023), the Russian Aerospace Forces will begin the serial modernization of 30 long-range Tu-22M3 bombers into the Tu-22M3M variant; production of serial samples of the PAK FA T-50 fighter will begin in 2017. In the future, the new bomber should replace the Tu-22M3 bombers, Tu-95MS and Tu-160 missile carriers. It is likely that in the future it may be produced in parallel with the new strategic bomber Tu-160M2.

Meanwhile, if the Tu-160 modernization program does not raise any questions, then the “expert community” has doubts about the need to create a PAK DA.

For example, PIR Center consultant Maxim Starchak believes that Russia is not on the verge of a nuclear war with the United States, and America has not yet created any ultra-modern weapons that could provoke Moscow into such an expensive project. The modernized Tu-160 and Tu-95 strategic bombers do an excellent job and will cope with their tasks for many decades to come.

Tu-160 "White Swan" - board "Valery Chkalov"
Photo (c) englishrussia.com

Another expert, Viktor Murakhovsky, notes that the new bomber project is being developed in a situation where the concept of using aviation in the world is changing quite quickly.

“If you look at the PAK DA concept, its implementation will begin in 10 years at best. Well, which aviation military specialist can say what the main trend in aviation development will be in 10 years? I assume that unmanned aircraft may appear, which will not conducts air combat, but is a carrier of long-range weapons,” he said.

However, the “expert community” may be wrong, if only for the simple reason that it does not have all the information. In January 2016, the Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, Viktor Bondarev, confirmed that the development of the promising aircraft complex is proceeding according to plans. The prototype should take off in 2021. In April, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov confirmed that the development of the PAK DA would continue, despite the resumption of production of the modernized Tu-160M2 aircraft.

“We, of course, will not stop work on the development of a promising long-range aviation complex,” the deputy minister said and added that the decision to resume production of the modernized Tu-160M2 strategic missile carrier is final and not subject to revision.

Thus, work on two major projects - the launch of the Tu-160M2 series and the development of the PAK DA - are proceeding in parallel, and the postponement of the development of the PAK DA is no longer announced.

On April 27, 2017, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Yuri Borisov said that the time frame for the development of the bomber and its launch into series has been shifted to 2028-2029. Obviously, the priority is to launch the modernized Tu-160 into serial production.

Latest news on PAK DA:

April 27, 2017
The newest Russian strategic bomber PAK DA can make its first flight in 2025-2026 and go into production in 2028-2029, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Yuri Borisov told reporters. “We expect the first flight around 2025-2026 and the start of mass production in 2028-2029,” Borisov said during a visit to the Kazan aircraft plant.

April 13, 2017
PJSC Tupolev completed (in 2016) the first stage of development work on the advanced long-range aviation complex (PAK DA) and is moving on to the development of working design documentation. The first prototype is planned to be created in the early 2020s, the corresponding contract has already been signed.

March 1, 2017
The Tupolev Design Bureau has created several mock-ups of the PAK DA made of composite materials, as well as a full-size mock-up made of wood. The mock-ups are made according to the “flying wing” scheme.

January 4, 2017
Deputy Minister of Defense Yuri Borisov said in an interview with Gazeta.Ru that the nature of combat operations is changing; conventional aircraft weapons are being replaced by hypersonic aircraft weapons with a longer range and greater accuracy. And a promising carrier aircraft at the turn of 2025-2030 does not need to have such characteristics as supersonic speed. You need to be on combat duty in the air for as long and unnoticed as possible in order to release your weapons at the intended targets without entering the affected area.

“At the same time, we have coordinated the organization of all work with the industry in such a way that preparations for production for the new-look Tu-160 and for the PAK DA are carried out simultaneously. The maximum quantity technological operations it will be the same. Roughly speaking, the same machines will be used for the production of the Tu-160 and the PAK DA. In fact, money is spent on preparing production once,” said Yuri Borisov.

October 13, 2016
“The promising long-range bomber PAK DA, being developed in Russia, will be presented in 2018,” said Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov during an inspection of the implementation of the state defense order by defense industry enterprises in Nizhny Novgorod.

Sources:

• BBC Russian Service (

80 units of new heavy aircraft will enter service with Russia by 2024. This was discussed at the next meeting Military-Industrial Commission. The developers of the PAK TA aircraft project announced some of the tactical and technical indicators of their unique brainchild.

PAK TA, flying at hypersonic speeds, is capable of reaching any point on Earth in 7 hours. According to statements, the aircraft will be able to fly at a speed of 2 thousand km/h with a flight range of 7 thousand km and lift a load of 200 tons into the air. If necessary, a fleet consisting of such aircraft will be able to quickly transport an “armored fist” of four hundred modern Armata tanks, with full ammunition and all the necessary accompanying services.

PAK TA will transport equipment and personnel to the areas where they are needed at the moment. Among the main cargoes it is worth highlighting anti-aircraft missile systems, multiple launch rocket systems, missile launchers, self-propelled guns, Armata tanks and Sprut-SD type vehicles. The weight of the ultra-modern T-14 Armata tanks is not yet completely known, but according to the official data presented, it will be no more than 50 tons. It turns out that the PAK TA is capable of transporting up to four tanks at a time.

PAK TA aircraft can transport four Armata tanks

The cargo compartments will be located on several levels and will have automatic loading/unloading capabilities. Moreover, the system involves the descent of equipment and personnel by parachute.

According to official information, work on the project has been ongoing for several years. At the same time, modern technical specifications are very different from those that were adopted at the very beginning of the creation of PAK TA. According to the first specifications, the next generation aircraft could fly at a speed of 900 km per hour with a flight range of 4.5 thousand km.

Finally, it is worth noting that within the framework of the PAK TA program it is planned to create not only a transport aircraft, but also a number of other aircraft with a carrying capacity of 80 to 200 tons. They will gradually replace transport aircraft produced by Ilyushin and Antonov Design Bureaus.

The development of PAK TA military aircraft will most likely be carried out by specialists from the aviation complex named after. S.V. Ilyushin, and the basis for the new project, according to many experts, could be the Il-106 project, which is characterized by a payload capacity of 80 tons and won the tender in the late 1980s, but was abandoned after the collapse of the USSR.

Currently, only two states in the world have a special type of air force, which is called strategic aviation - Russia and the USA. The aircraft that are part of this branch of the armed forces are capable of carrying nuclear weapons on board and striking at an enemy located several thousand kilometers away. Strategic aviation has always been considered the elite of the American and Soviet (Russian) Air Forces.

Together with submarine missile carriers and ground-based intercontinental missiles, strategic aviation forms the so-called nuclear triad, which has been the main instrument of global deterrence for many decades.

Despite the fact that the importance of strategic bombers has decreased somewhat in recent decades, they continue to remain important factor in maintaining the foreign policy balance between the Russian Federation and the United States.

Currently, the list of tasks for which strategic aviation is involved has become noticeably wider. The times of nuclear confrontation have long since sunk into oblivion, but new challenges have emerged in the world. Strategic aviation is successfully mastering conventional types of ammunition (including precision weapons). Both the United States and Russia are quite actively using long-range bombers to launch missile and bomb attacks in Syria.

Today, the basis of strategic aviation in the United States and Russia is made up of aircraft developed back in the late 50s of the last century. Several years ago, work began in the United States on the creation of a new strategic bomber, which they plan to put into service in 2025.

A similar program exists in Russia; the new “strategist” is currently called PAK DA (advanced long-range aviation complex). The development is carried out by the Design Bureau named after. Tupolev, the new vehicle is planned to be put into service by 2025. It should be emphasized that PAK DA is not a project to modernize currently existing strategic bombers, but the development of a fundamentally new machine using the most modern technologies, existing today in the aircraft industry.

However, before moving on to considering the PAK DA, a few words should be said about the combat vehicles that are in service today with the strategic aviation of Russia and the United States.

Strategic aviation of Russia and the USA: current state and prospects

Currently, the US strategic air force includes the B-2 Spirit and B-52 bombers. There is another aircraft - the B-1B Lancer bomber, which was developed to carry out nuclear strikes on enemy territory, but in the mid-90s it was withdrawn from the American strategic forces. The B-1B is considered an analogue of the Russian jet Tu-160, although it is inferior to the latter in size. According to data provided by the US State Department on January 1 of this year, 12 B-2 aircraft and 73 B-52 modification N vehicles are on combat duty.

Currently, the B-52 bomber, developed back in the late 50s, is the backbone of American strategic forces. This aircraft is armed with AGM-86B ALCM cruise missiles, which can be equipped with a nuclear warhead. Their flight range exceeds 2700 km.

The B-2 Spirit is the most technologically advanced and most expensive aircraft in the world. Its value exceeds a fantastic 2 billion dollars. The first bomber of this type was manufactured in the late 80s, but ten years later the program was closed - such costs turned out to be unaffordable even for the United States. During this time, 21 B-2 aircraft were manufactured. The bomber is made using stealth technology and has the lowest ESR in the world. It is even lower than that of small stealth aircraft such as the F-22 and F-35. The B-2 Spirit is armed only with free-fall bombs, so it is ineffective against an enemy with an advanced air defense system. For example, Russian S-400 air defense systems perfectly “see” the B-2.

So the B-2 Spirit is a rather strange bomber. Despite the colossal cost, its effectiveness in a possible nuclear conflict is very ambiguous.

The B-1B Lancer is also unable to carry strategic cruise missiles. More precisely, in the arsenal of the American army today there is no such weapon suitable for this aircraft. Currently, this bomber is used to carry out strikes with conventional types of ammunition. It is probably possible to hang free-falling bombs from a nuclear warhead on it, but it is unlikely that this vehicle will be able to penetrate deep into enemy territory with effective air defense.

Now about the prospects for American strategic aviation. At the end of 2019, the aircraft manufacturing company Northrop Grumman (it created the B-2 Spirit) won the US Department of Defense tender to build a new American “strategist”, which will be called B21. Work on this vehicle was carried out as part of the LRS-B (Long-Range Strike Bomber) program, which translates as “Long-Range Strike Bomber”. It is already known what the new car will look like.

Just like the B-2 Spirit, it will be designed according to the “flying wing” design. The military demands that the new bomber become even less visible on radar screens, and its price be more acceptable for the American budget. The production of new bombers is planned to begin in the middle of the next decade. The American military department currently plans to purchase one hundred new B21s and in the future completely replace the B-2 and B-52 with them.

The new bomber will be able to fly both under crew control and in drone mode.

The total cost of the program is $80 billion.

The Russian Air Force currently has two aircraft in service: the Tu-95 (MC modification) and the Tu-160 “White Swan”.

The most popular strategic bomber of the Russian Air Force is the turboprop T-95 Bear, the first flight of which took place during the life of Joseph Stalin (1952). However, it should be noted that the aircraft that are in operation today belong to the “M” modification and were manufactured in the 80s. So most T-95s are even younger than the American B-52 bombers. Moreover, in last years the modernization of these aircraft to the “MSM” modification has begun (35 aircraft will be converted), which will make it possible to equip them with the latest X-101/102 cruise missiles.

However, an unmodernized “Bear” can also carry the Kh-55SM missile launcher with a flight range of 3.5 thousand km with the possibility of installing a nuclear warhead on them. The new Kh-101/102 missiles will be able to fly up to 5.5 thousand km. Today the Russian army has 62 Tu-95 units.

The second aircraft currently operated by the Russian Air Force is the Tu-160 supersonic variable-wing geometry bomber. Sixteen aircraft of this type are available. The Tu-160 can also carry Kh-55SM and Kh-101/102 cruise missiles.

Currently, a modification of the Tu-160M ​​is already being produced (the first bomber of this modification was transferred to the Russian Aerospace Forces on August 2, 2016), on which a new set of on-board electronics is installed, and work is underway to create a modification of the T-160M2. New modifications of the vehicle, in addition to cruise missiles, will be able to use free-falling bombs.

Despite the intensification of work on the modernization of the Tu-160, the Tupolev Design Bureau is moving forward with the project of the new PAK DA bomber, which they plan to launch into production by 2025.

Development of a new strategic bomber began in 2009. The designers are faced with the task of carrying out the first flight of the aircraft in 2019.

It is planned that by the end of the next decade the PAK DA will completely replace the Tu-95 and Tu-160 and will become the main machine of Russian strategic aviation.

In 2012, the Tupolev Design Bureau announced that development work was beginning on the PAK DA project. According to the information released, the new bomber will be designed according to the “flying wing” design, just like american planes B-2 Spirit and B-21.

The large wingspan will not allow the new bomber to overcome the speed of sound, but will provide a significant flight range and good takeoff and landing characteristics. They plan to actively use composite and radio-absorbing materials in the design of the aircraft, which will reduce the ESR and significantly reduce the weight of the future “strategist.” PAK DA will be the first domestic bomber manufactured using stealth technology.

In addition, such a design provides a good combination of flight characteristics and sufficient internal volume. Which in turn will allow you to take more fuel on board and increase the bomber’s flight range.

Presumably, the take-off weight of the bomber will exceed 100 tons (there is information about the weight of 112 tons and even 200 tons). It was stated that the combat load of the future bomber would be at least as good as the Tu-160, which means that it would be able to carry more than thirty tons of missiles and bombs. The military requires the flight range of the new vehicle to be 12 thousand km.

In mid-2014, it was announced that the competition to create engines for the new aircraft was won by the Kuznetsov company (Samara), presumably the power plant is called NK-65.

It is assumed that prototypes of the new bomber will be manufactured at the Kazan plant KAPO im. Gorbunov”, they plan to place mass production of the machine there. It is also known that the development of a radar for a new strategic bomber is currently being carried out by the Research Institute of Instrument Engineering named after. V.V.Tikhomirova.

It is not yet entirely clear exactly how many new strategic bombers they plan to build, although, probably, their number will depend on the economic situation in the country: such machines are very expensive. Most likely, we will be able to get more accurate data on the quantity closer to 2020. However, if this aircraft is being built to replace the Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers, then the production batch should consist of several dozen aircraft.

There is currently very little information on the PAK DA project. Representatives of the Russian Air Force leadership report about PAK DA only general information- and even then very sparingly.

If you believe the statements of Russian military officials, the PAK DA will be armed with all types of aircraft weapons, both existing and future, including missiles with hypersonic speed.

It is not entirely clear when exactly a prototype of the new machine will be manufactured, as well as the timing of the launch of this project into series. The fact is that the dates announced initially are very conditional; they can change both up and down. This depends on the complexity of the design work and the financing of the project.

In addition, the decision to modernize and further production Tu-160 bombers may also affect the implementation of the PAK DA program and the timing of its implementation. Currently, Russian strategic aviation is superior to American aviation. Primarily due to the cruise missiles that are armed with the Russian Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers. American B-2 bombers can only strike with free-falling bombs, which significantly reduces their combat effectiveness in the event of a global conflict.

Russian KR Kh-101/102 have twice the range of their American counterparts, which puts domestic strategic aircraft in a clearly advantageous position.

The future of the new projects (B-21 in the USA and PAK DA in Russia) is still vague; both aircraft are at the initial stage of development and it is not yet clear whether they will be fully implemented.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them