Tupolev chief says Russia rebuilt Tu-160M bomber supply chains and modernised 80% of systems and equipment to resume production
Tupolev's leadership says Russia has rebuilt manufacturing supply chains for the Tu-160M strategic bomber and modernized approximately 80 percent of the aircraft's systems and equipment during the production restart. The work reportedly covers avionics, navigation, weapons controls, propulsion-related systems and the industrial processes required to manufacture its large titanium airframe. Russian aerospace companies have also revised design documentation and restored specialized welding and heat-treatment capacity for the variable-sweep-wing bomber. The figures are manufacturer statements about modernization and industrial readiness, not an independently verified measure of annual production or the number of newly built aircraft available for service.