Tupolev modernizes 80% of Tu-160M strategic bomber systems

Tupolev General Director Yuri Abrosimov has announced that Russia has modernized approximately 80 percent of the systems and equipment for the Tu-160M strategic bomber. While the aircraft retains the iconic external silhouette of the Soviet-era Tu-160, known by NATO as 'Blackjack', it has been rebuilt on a new digital technological base.

The modernization includes upgraded avionics, navigation, weapons control, communication systems, and new NK-32-02 engines. A key feature of the upgrade is a modular avionics architecture, which allows for individual electronic components to be replaced or upgraded as they become obsolete without requiring a complete redesign of the entire system.

To support the resumption of Tu-160M production, Russia has restructured its industrial supply chains and modernized manufacturing facilities. This involved rebuilding technological processes from scratch, upgrading workshop equipment, and implementing advanced techniques such as electron beam welding and vacuum annealing for titanium components. The program involves both the modernization of existing airframes and the production of new aircraft at the Kazan Aviation Plant.