PAK DA and LRS-B: strategic bombers of the future. Aviation of Russia Perspective complex of long-range aviation pack

PAK DA, factory designation: "product 80", aka "Messenger", is being developed by Tupolev PJSC.
A promising long-range aviation complex is a project of a new generation Russian strategic bomber-missile carrier.
The project is not a modernization of existing machines, but is a fundamentally new aircraft.

As you know, work on the development of the concept of the product began 10 years ago, in 2009. It is assumed that the roll-out of the first prototype will take place in two or three years, the first flight - in 2025-2026.

Some bombers from the "Tu" family can break through air defense, while others fly over record distances. "Russian stealth" PAK DA is designed to combine both of these "lethal" characteristics. This fifth-generation missile carrier is to enter service in 10 years: the adoption and start of operation of the missile carriers is scheduled for 2028-2029.

In the future, PAK DA should replace the Tu-95 and Tu-160 long-range aircraft in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces and partially take over the functions.

The developers successfully defended the project of a promising long-range aviation complex (PAK DA). According to Interfax, citing a source in the military-industrial complex, the Russian military has approved the appearance of the new aircraft and its technical characteristics. In addition, we signed all the necessary agreements, according to which the construction of the first flight models of the strategic bomber will begin.

The aircraft used by the Long-Range Aviation of Russia are certainly gradually becoming obsolete. As new air defense systems appear, the effectiveness of such aircraft is only declining. The new long-range bomber will eventually have to replace three types of combat aircraft at once: Tu-22M3 and Tu-160. PAK DA will not only play the role of a strategic bomber, but will also be used as a missile-carrying bomber, long-range interceptor and even as a platform for launching spacecraft.

PAK YES

As you know, the development of a new bomber has been underway since 2013. According to the terms of reference of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, this strategic bomber should not only carry as many weapons as possible, but also be invisible and use any airfields.

PAK DA will be built using stealth technologies according to the “flying wing” aerodynamic configuration - that is, without tail. And will fly at subsonic speeds.

Officially, it is only known that it will be able to carry more weapons than the Tu-160. First of all, these will be long-range cruise missiles (2-4 thousand kilometers), which will be able to carry not only conventional, but also nuclear warheads. So far, the developers are considering Kh-102 missiles as the main weapon, which can hit land and sea targets. And also, the range of weapons of the new bomber will include hypersonic weapons.

Particular attention in the design of the aircraft is paid to the use of stealth technologies. The PAK DA will use several stealth technologies. This is a radar-absorbing coating, and structural elements, as well as the geometric shape of the airframe.

The invisibility of the aircraft for radar should be provided by Russian know-how - a special radar-absorbing coating. As well as the maximum possible use of composite materials.

To reduce the effective scattering area of the bomber, only internal weapons bays will be made in it.

In July 2017, it was reported that the United Aircraft Corporation had defended the preliminary design of the PAK DA, and also began development work to create a new bomber. At the stage of preliminary design, the possible appearance of the equipment, the main functions that it will perform, possible weapons and usage scenarios are determined.

Meanwhile, in December last year, the Kazan Aviation Plant named after Gorbunov resumed production of strategic missile-carrying bombers. Now the company is going to completely new aircraft; parts from the Soviet backlog are not used for their construction. Based on the results of testing these bombers, the military will decide on the start of mass production of vehicles. Serial production of Tu-160 bombers was suspended in Russia in 1994.

Project development

In August 2009, the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Tupolev company signed a contract for R&D to create a PAK DA for a period of 3 years. The technical design of the new bomber will be fully completed by 2015. It should be a fundamentally new aircraft. It will be based on conceptually new solutions that will make it possible to be competitive in this area at the turn of 2020 as well.

Research work should be considered as the creation of a certain scientific and technical reserve on this topic. This is not only and not so much a military theme, but a study of aerodynamics, strength, new materials and technologies. Igor Shevchuk, General Designer of the Tupolev company

In August 2012, it was announced that the PAK DA preliminary project had already been completed and approved. Experimental design work on it begins. The aircraft project was approved in March 2013.

The development of the pre-draft project was carried out by the teams of TsAGI and the Tupolev Design Bureau. When considering the presented concepts, preference was given to the development of "Tupolev". In April 2014, it became known that the Tupolev Design Bureau had completed the pre-sketch design of the PAK DA.

According to experts, the new long-range missile carrier will be made according to the “flying wing” scheme - like its American counterpart B-2 Spirit. Only such an arrangement provides low visibility of the aircraft for long-wave radars. A significant wingspan and design features will not allow the aircraft to overcome the speed of sound. At the same time, reduced visibility for radars will be provided. PAK DA will certainly be equipped with the most modern electronic equipment. Including radar, navigation, communications and electronic warfare systems.

In June 2014, information appeared about the alleged developer of the propulsion system of the new missile carrier. The new engine should be created by the Samara engine-building company Kuznetsov, which won the competition for the corresponding work. The engine will be created using the technologies of the gas generator of the NK-32 engine. Presumably, we are talking about the project of the NK-65 engine.

The designed aircraft has an internal index of the design bureau "product 80". The production of prototypes, as well as the deployment of mass production is expected at the Kazan aircraft plant "KAPO named after. Gorbunov, which is a production branch of OAO Tupolev.

"Messenger" video

NGB

A similar project called the Next Generation Bomber is currently being developed in the interests of the US Air Force. The military requirements for the car were drawn up in 2011. According to media reports, the cost of the aircraft will be more than half a billion dollars. The new bomber will be subsonic and its flight range will exceed 9,000 kilometers. The combat load of the NGB will be 6.3 - 12.7 tons. The aircraft must be "optionally manned", that is, to carry out missions without the participation of the crew. In this case, the machine will be able to stay in the air for more than four days.

As you know, NGB is designed with extensive use of stealth technologies. According to experts, this should give the new bomber the ability to carry out air strikes in the daytime, even in the face of opposition from enemy air defense systems.

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A promising aviation complex for long-range aviation (PAK DA) has acquired a real shape. . Its layout is made on a scale of 1:10. Made of composite materials, which, as can be expected, will form the basis of its fuselage. The cabin of the future car was also created. Its wooden layout is made of natural wood and, like the "fuselage", is being tested in the laboratories of an aircraft manufacturer. Since 2008, Tupolev Design Bureau has been working on a promising machine as part of the state armament program until 2020. In addition to the Tupolev Design Bureau's statement about the existence of an aircraft model, almost nothing is known about the new bomber. The former commander of long-range strategic aviation, Anatoly Zhikharev, stated that “I would like to see this aircraft with a completely new sighting and navigation system, communications, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare. It must use all types of weapons that currently exist and that will be in service with Long-Range Aviation in the future. The new aircraft should be created using stealth technology.” The Commander of the Aerospace Forces, Viktor Bondarev, added that the PAK DA will become subsonic and will solve the tasks that three types of long-range aviation aircraft are currently occupied with - Tu-160, Tu-95MS and Tu- 22. Tu-160 "White Swan" and Tu-95MS "Bear" strategic bombers are the main strike force of our air component of the strategic nuclear deterrence forces. Both cars have undergone a major upgrade. A new sighting system was installed on the Tu-160, allowing the bomber to use not only Kh-55 long-range nuclear cruise missiles, but also new ones with conventional Kh-555 and Kh-101 warheads, as well as the entire range of high-precision bomb weapons. As a result, the machine can be used, among other things, to destroy terrorist bases around the globe, which our long-range aviation itself has repeatedly demonstrated during the Syrian campaign to destroy the infrastructure of the ISIS terrorist organization (banned in Russia). The only question is why the Aerospace Forces see a promising subsonic bomber, and not hypersonic, what would be more logical for a promising machine of the future? The answer to this question most likely lies in the plane of application of the future bomber. The Tu-160 was created to break through the massive air defense / missile defense system of a potential enemy. For this, he had to have great speed, the ability to go into near space. The pilots of the strategist even put on special suits for this, very similar to the spacesuits of astronauts. However, today the vehicles are armed with ultra-long-range Kh-101 and Kh-555 cruise missiles. The range of their flight exceeds the distance of three thousand kilometers. There is information that an even more long-range missile is being created.
As a result, it turns out that in order to fulfill a combat mission, a missile carrier will not have to leave the country at all. That is, the machine does not need high speed at all, the ability to climb into space to break through the enemy's anti-missile defense. Being within Russia, it will be guarded by its own air defense and fighters. So it turns out that a subsonic engine will be quite enough. Moreover, in production and operation it will be an order of magnitude cheaper than a supersonic engine. In fighter aviation, the same trend. The most modern American F-22 Raptor fighter has super maneuverability, but it will fight not with cannons in close combat, but with missiles, without entering the range of enemy air defense systems. The Aerospace Forces do not say exactly when the new bomber will appear. Its prototype should be presented no earlier than 2025. Until that time, Long-Range Aviation plans to continue operating the Tu-95 and Tu-160. The latter should also receive an upgraded version - the Tu-160M2. More than 500 million rubles have already been invested in the beginning of its mass production.

Currently, the basis of the strategic aviation of Russia and the United States are quite old aircraft. Thus, the newest American bomber of the most numerous type, the Boeing B-52H Stratofortress, was built in 1962, and since then, aircraft of this model have only undergone modernization of certain systems. The most massive strategic missile carrier of the Russian Air Force is the Tu-95MS, which also cannot be called new - the first machine of this type took to the air in 1979. Despite all the repairs and upgrades, the equipment becomes obsolete both morally and physically, which is why it needs to be replaced. It should be noted that the air forces of the two countries also have newer strategic bombers, but in terms of numbers they cannot be compared with the "old men". In addition, the relatively new Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit and Tu-160 will also become obsolete in the future and will require replacement. As you can see, over the next decades, the United States and Russia will need new strategic bombers that can become a worthy replacement for existing equipment. Projects of such aircraft are already being developed.

PAK DA (Russia)

The Advanced Long-Range Aviation Complex (PAK DA) is one of the most important projects in the development of the Russian Air Force. According to reports, the aircraft created in the course of this program will be able to become the main long-range bomber of the Russian Air Force in the future. Its characteristics will allow replacing all existing long-range bombers: Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3 and Tu-160. The main reason for this is the age of the existing equipment: by the time the mass production of PAK DA bombers begins, some of the existing aircraft should run out of service and will have to be written off.

The definition of requirements for a promising strategic bomber for the Russian Air Force began in the late nineties, but then, for a number of reasons, this work was delayed. The requirements were formed only in the second half of the next decade. Approximately in 2007-2008, a competition was announced for the development of the PAK DA aircraft, which ended in 2009. The contract for the development of the bomber was received by the Tupolev company.

Since then, employees of JSC Tupolev and related enterprises have carried out a lot of important work, the purpose of which was to create a preliminary design of a promising aircraft. At the end of last year, it was reported that the preliminary design was agreed with the customer, in 2014 full-scale development work should begin. Thus, over the next few years, the enterprises of the United Aircraft Corporation will be able to start building the first prototype of the new aircraft.

In early April, Jane's reported that at one of the recent briefings, UAC President M. Poghosyan spoke about the progress of the PAK DA project. According to a foreign publication, the development of the project is completed. The PAK DA aircraft is already ready “on paper”, and in the near future construction and testing of some units of the future bomber will begin. Other details are still unknown.

It is still difficult to talk about the exact timing of the completion of work on the PAK DA project. In recent years, officials have repeatedly named the approximate start time for a particular stage of the project, but later the announced dates were adjusted. For example, in the middle of the last decade, it was planned to build a prototype aircraft by 2015 and soon begin testing it. In 2011, the first flight was "postponed" to 2020, and the adoption was planned for the mid-twenties. At the very end of last year, the commander of long-range aviation, Lieutenant General A. Zhikharev, said that tests of the new bomber should begin in 2019, and by 2025 deliveries of serial aircraft to the Air Force would begin.

The exact timing of the appearance of an experimental PAK DA aircraft, the start of its testing or the delivery of serial vehicles to the troops still raises some questions. For a number of reasons of a different nature, the dates can be shifted in any direction. The first flight of the bomber can take place both earlier and later than the year 2019 is now called. From the available information it follows that now only the complexity of the design work prevents the exact determination of the timing. An important stage in shaping the appearance of the aircraft has already been passed, and now the project developers are busy creating a project in accordance with which new equipment will be built.

Unfortunately, the bulk of information about the technical appearance of the PAK DA aircraft is still hidden from the public, which contributes to the emergence of various versions and speculations. The announced official information about the requirements for the new aircraft is extremely scarce and allows us to draw only the most general conclusions. For example, last summer, Air Force Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant-General V. Bondarev said that the PAK DA aircraft would be subsonic. At the same time, he will be able to take on board a large combat load in comparison with the existing Tu-160 aircraft. A little later, the Air Force Commander-in-Chief announced that PAK DA would be able to carry various weapons, including hypersonic missiles.

Claims of subsonic speed and long range, as well as a large payload, led to the assumption that the PAK DA aircraft would be built according to the "flying wing" scheme. Such an arrangement of the aircraft will provide an optimal combination of high flight data and a large volume of internal compartments. In addition, large internal volumes will make it possible to increase the amount of fuel and, as a result, the flight range.

The PAK DA bomber will have to replace several types of aircraft: Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3 and Tu-160. In addition, it is known that it will carry more payload than the Tu-160. It follows from this that a promising bomber will be able to take on board at least 30 tons of missile or bomb weapons of various types. Apparently, PAK DA will be able to use the entire range of weapons of existing long-range bombers, thanks to which it will be able to carry and use Kh-22 or Kh-55 missiles, as well as promising ones, such as Kh-101 missiles.

The number of PAK DA aircraft planned for construction has not yet been determined. The appearance of such figures should be attributed to the next stages of the project, when the characteristics and combat capabilities of the new aircraft, as well as its cost, become known. It cannot be ruled out that there are already approximate plans in this regard, but they have not yet been announced. It is likely that the number of planned bombers will be announced in the second half of this decade. Based on the fact that the PAK DA is designed to replace the existing long-range bombers, it can be built in a series of at least several dozen units.

LRS-B (USA)

Since the middle of the last decade, the United States has been working on its own project of a promising strategic bomber. During this time, the military and aviation industry conducted a series of studies and identified some features of the appearance of the new aircraft. It is noteworthy that the program for the development of a new long-range bomber changed its name several times. It launched under the designation 2018 Bomber (“2018 Bomber”), then was called NGB (Next-Generation Bomber - “Next Generation Bomber”), and is now known as LRS-B (Long-Range Strike Bomber - “Long-Range Strike Bomber”) .

The 2018 Bomber program was launched with the goal of creating a new strategic bomber capable of replacing the aging B-52 and B-1. These aircraft are not fully satisfied with the military and therefore require replacement. The goal of the new project, as its name implies, was to create a bomber by 2018. Further developments within the program showed that such plans were too bold. The dates for the start of aircraft construction have shifted, and the project has received a new name - NGB.

One of the most important questions in the early stages of the 2018 Bomber/NGB project was the overall look of the bomber. Several proposals were considered. The aircraft could be sub- or supersonic, manned and unmanned versions were considered and compared, as well as other features of the project. As a result, it was decided to build a subsonic bomber with a cockpit. The use of unmanned technologies, as well as the creation of a supersonic aircraft, was considered inappropriate. In the future, all requirements for the NGB bomber were formed in accordance with a certain concept.

Even during the use of the name 2018 Bomber, there were proposals regarding the methods of operation of a promising aircraft. It was assumed that he would be able to fly long distances, as well as patrol in remote areas. To do this, the aircraft must be built using the so-called. stealth technologies, as well as use a set of radio-electronic equipment that allows him to receive the necessary data and quickly complete the assigned tasks.

In recent years, the Pentagon has been forced to work in the face of constant cuts in the military budget, which is why it has to freeze projects that have already begun, as well as postpone the implementation of planned ones. One such "unlucky" project was the 2018 Bomber/NGB/LRS-B. Over the past few years, the military and Congress have been arguing about the need for such a development, about its features and cost. As a result, to date, the development of the aircraft has not yet begun.

The requirements for the new LRS-B aircraft are constantly being adjusted, but their general features have remained unchanged in recent years. For example, in early 2011, it was believed that the total cost of the LRS-B program should not exceed 40-50 billion dollars. For this money, it was supposed to purchase 175 aircraft: 10 squadrons of 12 bombers each, as well as 55 training and reserve aircraft. It was assumed that in order to compensate for the increase in the cost of the program, the number of planned aircraft could be reduced at the expense of the reserve.

It was decided to make the LRS-B aircraft subsonic. The flight range without refueling was set at least 5000 miles (more than 9200 kilometers). It is required to provide an in-flight refueling system designed to increase the range. The combat load of the aircraft was not to exceed 28 thousand pounds (about 12.7 tons). It was proposed to include in the range of used ammunition all existing and prospective guided and unguided types of missile and bomb weapons. It was necessary to provide for the possibility of using nuclear weapons.

The LRS-B bomber must be able to perform a combat mission in any conditions and in any weather conditions. In addition, it is required to ensure the survival of the aircraft when performing a combat mission over enemy territory, in the zone of its air defense. To do this, the design of the bomber must be made using stealth technologies, and modern electronic warfare systems with high performance must be included in the onboard equipment.

The LRS-B aircraft was supposed to be equipped with the most modern electronic equipment, which made it possible to monitor the situation and exchange tactical information with the base and other aircraft. In the future, it was proposed to create an appropriate set of equipment and make an unmanned aircraft based on the LRS-B. This version of the bomber, as expected, could have a greater combat potential in comparison with the basic manned one.

At the end of February 2014, the Air Force command announced new plans for promising strategic bombers. Now it is assumed that the new aircraft will be ready for mass production in the first half of the twenties. In the middle of the next decade, the US Air Force will receive the first production vehicles of the new model. So far, it is planned to purchase from 80 to 100 LRS-B aircraft. Their exact number will be determined only after the development of the project and the formation of the final cost of the aircraft.

It is expected to issue a request for proposals for the LRS-B program this fall. This document will be the first step towards holding a competition and choosing a promising bomber developer. It is assumed that Northrop Grumman and the alliance of Boeing and Lockheed Martin will take part in the competition. Who exactly will become the lead developer of the LRS-B bomber - time will tell.

The course of the two projects aimed at developing the strategic aviation of the United States and Russia is noticeably different, although it has some common features. Countries have been building new long-range bombers for years now and are already making plans for completion dates. At the same time, it is impossible not to note the stages at which two projects are now. The Russian PAK DA program has entered the stage of main development work, and the American LRS-B project has not yet reached the competitive stage. Despite this, both bombers should take to the air for the first time at about the same time - not earlier than the end of this decade. Deliveries of aircraft to the troops are planned to begin in the mid-twenties.

In both projects, it is planned to apply a lot of new ideas and technical solutions that will help the promising aircraft get high performance. The militaries of the two countries have their own views on the appearance of a long-range bomber in the near future, which will make the aircraft very different. What these differences will be, as well as what promising strategic bombers will look like, is not yet completely clear. Their similarities and differences can be discussed only in a few years, when the project materials will be shown to the general public.

According to the websites:
http://ria.ru/
http://interfax.ru/
http://lenta.ru/
http://flightglobal.com/
http://airforcetimes.com/
http://defensenews.com/

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

At the same time, the chief designer of the Tupolev Design Bureau, Igor Shevchuk, said that research work should be considered as the creation of some kind of scientific and technical reserve on this topic. This is not only and not so much a military theme, but a study 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” layout, which was first announced on August 6, 2013, will provide the aircraft with low radar visibility in the long-wave range, and subsonic speed suggests the presence of a large elongation wing. In the terms of reference of the Russian Air Force for the PAK DA, the developers indicated a flight range of 12,500 kilometers, a payload mass of 30 tons.

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

The design of the aircraft will widely use technologies to reduce radar visibility, composite materials and radar absorbing coatings, it should be expected that in order to reduce the RCS, 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 main armament of the bomber will be long-range hypersonic missiles. In July 2015, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov confirmed in an interview that work on the development of a new missile was underway: "It will not be one, there will be several types - both in range and in capabilities. Several are being developed."

Aircraft model "flying wing" in 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 missile in the complex will be a missile with a range of up to 7,000 kilometers. She herself will decide when, where, at what speed and at what height to fly. The plane will only become 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 engine.

Avionics for the PAK DA are already being developed at the enterprises of the Concern for Radio Electronic Technologies (KRET). 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 is also involved in development work. The aircraft will use not only new, but also already tested technologies. Part 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.

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

By 2012, the technical design of the complex was completed and development work began. By March 2013, the aircraft project was approved, and in 2014 the Tupolev Design Bureau completed the pre-sketch design of the PAK DA.

The new Russian bomber is to make its first flight in 2021, it is scheduled to complete the tests in 2023, and the start of the series launch in 2025. At the same time, the Russian Aerospace Forces plan to purchase at least 50 such machines.

In May 2015, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation decided to resume the production of Tu-160 bombers in a modernized version of the Tu-160M2, and, given the economic realities in which the task of implementing the State Arms Program-2025 is much more complicated, to postpone the completion of the development of the new generation bomber PAK DA to a later term.

The postponement looks quite natural and necessary in connection with the decision to resume production of the Tu-160. The "White Swan" is perfect from the point of view of aerodynamics, which means that it has a constructive reserve for many years to come in terms of modernization and re-release. According to the General Director of the RAC "MiG" and the General Designer of the United Aircraft Corporation Sergei Korotkov, the upgraded Tu-160M2 bombers are being created on the basis of a good platform and will be in operation for 40-50 years.

Along with the PAK DA and Tu-160M2 (since 2023), the Russian Aerospace Forces will begin serial modernization of 30 Tu-22M3 long-range bombers into the Tu-22M3M variant, and 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 Tu-160M2 strategic bomber.

Meanwhile, if the Tu-160 modernization program raises no questions, then there are doubts about the need to create a PAK DA in the "expert community".

For example, PIR Center consultant Maxim Starchak believes that Russia is not on the verge of a nuclear war with the United States, and that America is not yet creating some kind of ultra-modern weapon that could provoke Moscow into such an expensive project. The modernized Tu-160 and Tu-95 strategic bombers are doing an excellent job and will cope with their tasks for more than a decade.

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

Another expert, Viktor Murakhovsky, notes that the project for a new bomber 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, then its implementation will begin in the best case in 10 years. Well, which of the aviation military experts can say what the main trend in the development of aviation 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 they do not have all the information. In January 2016, VKS Commander-in-Chief Viktor Bondarev confirmed that the development of a promising aviation complex is proceeding in accordance with plans. The prototype should take off in 2021. In April, already Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov confirmed that the development of the PAK DA would continue, despite the resumption of production of the upgraded Tu-160M2 aircraft.

“We will certainly 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 going on 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 announced that the timeframe for the development of the bomber and its launch in a series was shifted to 2028-2029. It is obvious that the launch of the modernized Tu-160 into mass production is a priority.

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, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov told reporters. "We expect the first flight in the region of 2025-2026 and the start of serial production - 2028-2029," Borisov said during a visit to the Kazan Aviation Plant.

April 13, 2017
PJSC Tupolev completed (in 2016) the first stage of development work on a promising 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 created several PAK DA mock-ups from composite materials, as well as a full-size wooden mock-up. The layouts are made according to the "flying wing" scheme.

January 4, 2017
Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said in an interview with Gazeta.Ru that the nature of hostilities is changing, conventional air weapons are being replaced by hypersonic air weapons with greater 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. It is necessary to be on combat duty in the air for as long as possible and imperceptibly, in order to, without entering the affected area, release their weapons at the intended targets.

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

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

Sources:

BBC Russian Service (

Currently, only two states in the world have a special kind of air force called strategic aviation - Russia and the United States. Aircraft that are part of this branch of the armed forces are capable of carrying nuclear weapons on board and attacking an enemy located at a distance of several thousand kilometers. Strategic aviation has always been considered the elite of the American and Soviet (Russian) Air Forces.

Together with submarine missile carriers and land-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 somewhat decreased in recent decades, they continue to be an important factor in maintaining the foreign policy balance between the Russian Federation and the United States.

At present, 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 appeared in the world. Strategic aviation is successfully mastering conventional types of ammunition (including high-precision weapons). Both the United States and Russia are quite active in using long-range bombers to launch missile and bomb strikes in Syria.

Today, the basis of the strategic aviation of the United States and Russia is made up of aircraft developed in the late 50s of the last century. A few 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 still called PAK DA (promising long-range aviation complex). KB is engaged in development. Tupolev, the new car is planned to be put into service by 2025. It should be emphasized that PAK DA is not a project to modernize the existing strategic bombers, but the development of a fundamentally new machine using the most modern technologies that exist today in the aircraft industry.

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

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

Currently, US strategic aviation includes the B-2 Spirit and B-52 bombers. There is another aircraft - the B-1B Lancer bomber, which was developed for delivering nuclear strikes on enemy territory, but in the mid-90s it was withdrawn from the US strategic forces. The V-1V 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 this year, 12 B-2 aircraft and 73 B-52 aircraft of the N modification are on alert.

At present, the B-52 bomber, developed in the late 1950s, is the backbone of the 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 cost exceeds the fantastic 2 billion dollars. The first bomber of this type was made in the late 80s, but ten years later the program was closed - such expenses turned out to be unbearable even for the United States. During this time, 21 V-2 aircraft were manufactured. The bomber is made using stealth technology and has the lowest RCS in the world. It is even lower than the small "stealth" type F-22 and F-35. The B-2 Spirit is armed only with free-falling bombs, so it is ineffective against an enemy with an advanced air defense system. For example, the 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 not capable of carrying strategic cruise missiles. Rather, in the arsenal of the American army today there is no such weapon suitable for this aircraft. Currently, this bomber is used for strikes with conventional types of ammunition. Probably, free-fall bombs with nuclear warheads can be hung on it, but this machine is unlikely to 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 manufacturer Northrop Grumman (which created the B-2 Spirit) won the US Department of Defense tender for the construction of a new American "strategist", which will be called B21. Work on this machine was carried out as part of the LRS-B (Long-Range Strike Bomber) program, which translates as "Long-Range Strike Bomber". We already know what the new car will look like.

Just like the B-2 Spirit, it will be made according to the "flying wing" scheme. The military demands that the new bomber become even less visible on the radar screens, and its price should be more acceptable to the American budget. The production of new bombers is planned to begin in the middle of the next decade. The US military department 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 is currently armed with two vehicles: Tu-95 (MS modification) and Tu-160 "White Swan".

The most massive 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). True, 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 of the T-95s are even younger than the American B-52 bombers. Moreover, in recent years, the modernization of these machines to the MSM modification has begun (35 aircraft will be remade), which will allow them to be equipped with the latest Kh-101/102 cruise missiles.

However, even the unmodernized Medved can carry the Kh-55SM missile launcher with a flight range of 3,500 km with the possibility of installing a nuclear warhead on them. The new X-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 machine 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.

At present, the Tu-160M modification is already being produced (the first bomber of this modification was handed over to the Russian Aerospace Forces on August 2, 2016), on which a new on-board electronics complex is installed, work is underway to create the T-160M2 modification. New modifications of the machine, in addition to cruise missiles, will be able to use free-fall bombs.

Despite the intensification of work on the modernization of the Tu-160, the project of the new PAK DA bomber, which is planned to be put into production by 2025, is moving forward at the Tupolev Design Bureau.

The 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 as early as 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 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 published information, the new bomber will be made according to the "flying wing" scheme, like the American B-2 Spirit and B-21 aircraft.

The large wingspan will not allow the new bomber to overcome the speed of sound, but it will provide a significant flight range and good takeoff and landing characteristics. In the design of the aircraft, they plan to actively use composite and radar-absorbing materials, which will reduce the EPR and significantly reduce the weight of the future "strategist". PAK DA will be the first domestic bomber manufactured using stealth technologies.

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

Presumably, the takeoff 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 at least not be inferior to the Tu-160, which means that he would be able to take on board more than thirty tons of missiles and bombs. The military demands a flight range of the new machine at the level of 12 thousand km.

In mid-2014, it was announced that the competition for the creation of 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. Gorbunova, they also plan to place the 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. V.V. Tikhomirova.

It is not yet clear exactly how many new strategic bombers they plan to build, although their number will probably 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 number closer to 2020. However, if this machine is being built to replace the Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers, then the serial batch should consist of several dozen aircraft.

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

If the statements of Russian military officials are to be believed, then the PAK DA will be armed with all types of aviation weapons, both existing and future ones, including missiles with hypersonic speed.

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

In addition, the decision on the modernization and further production of 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 the American one. First of all, due to cruise missiles, which are armed with Russian Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers. American B-2 bombers can only strike with free-fall bombs, which significantly reduces their combat effectiveness in the event of a global conflict.

The Russian KR X-101/102 are twice as long as their American counterparts in range, which puts domestic strategic aircraft in a deliberately advantageous position.

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

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