ORAC
2nd Feb 2019, 05:53
AW&ST: Tupolev Confirms Russian Stealth Bomber Time Line
The head of the Tupolev Design Bureau has confirmed its internal designation for Russia’s new stealth bomber and a notional length for the development program, a Russian broadcaster reports.
Zvevda, a Russian military news organization, quotes Tupolev Director General Alexander Konyukhov, who spoke during a ceremony in Kazan honoring the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the supersonic Tu-144 airliner. Konyukhov compares the development of the Tu-144 half a century ago to the ongoing effort by Tupolev to develop a new stealth bomber under a Russian Air Force program called the Promising Aviation Complex for Long-Range Aviation (PAK DA).
“We are implementing the project ‘Product 80,’” says Konyukhov, which Zvevda describes as an internal designation for PAK DA. It took Tupolev five years to develop the Tu-144. For Product 80, the development schedule is “approximately the same, 5-7 years,” he says.
Konyukhov’s approximate development timeline conforms to another recent news report in Russian media about the PAK DA. In early January, Russian newswire Interfax reported that construction of the PAK DA will begin this year. The newswire, citing an aviation industry source, also reported that the prototype would roll out in 2021-22, followed by first flight in 2025-26 and series production beginning in 2028-29.
Russia is also developing upgrades for the Tu-22 and Tu-160 bomber fleets during the same period. The PAK DA is expected to enter service during the same decade that the U.S. Air Force fields the Northrop Grumman (http://awin.aviationweek.com/OrganizationProfiles.aspx?orgId=30826) B-21 and the Chinese Air Force fields the H-20. All three designs are expected to incorporate stealthy features.
The head of the Tupolev Design Bureau has confirmed its internal designation for Russia’s new stealth bomber and a notional length for the development program, a Russian broadcaster reports.
Zvevda, a Russian military news organization, quotes Tupolev Director General Alexander Konyukhov, who spoke during a ceremony in Kazan honoring the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the supersonic Tu-144 airliner. Konyukhov compares the development of the Tu-144 half a century ago to the ongoing effort by Tupolev to develop a new stealth bomber under a Russian Air Force program called the Promising Aviation Complex for Long-Range Aviation (PAK DA).
“We are implementing the project ‘Product 80,’” says Konyukhov, which Zvevda describes as an internal designation for PAK DA. It took Tupolev five years to develop the Tu-144. For Product 80, the development schedule is “approximately the same, 5-7 years,” he says.
Konyukhov’s approximate development timeline conforms to another recent news report in Russian media about the PAK DA. In early January, Russian newswire Interfax reported that construction of the PAK DA will begin this year. The newswire, citing an aviation industry source, also reported that the prototype would roll out in 2021-22, followed by first flight in 2025-26 and series production beginning in 2028-29.
Russia is also developing upgrades for the Tu-22 and Tu-160 bomber fleets during the same period. The PAK DA is expected to enter service during the same decade that the U.S. Air Force fields the Northrop Grumman (http://awin.aviationweek.com/OrganizationProfiles.aspx?orgId=30826) B-21 and the Chinese Air Force fields the H-20. All three designs are expected to incorporate stealthy features.