CHKALOVSKY AIRFIELD (the Moscow region), August 16 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin took a flight on board a Tu-160 strategic bomber, the Pavel Taran, to visit the site of joint military exercises conducted by long-range strategic Air Force units and the Northern Fleet.
The Tu-160 Blackjack is a multi-purpose strategic bomber designed to destroy land- and sea-based targets using strategic cruise missiles, short-range guided missiles, nuclear and conventional bombs while flying at subsonic speeds at low and medium altitudes and at speeds over Mach 1 at high altitudes. The aircraft has variable geometry wings (from 20 degrees up to 65 degrees) that allow high maneuverability at supersonic and subsonic speeds.
The aircraft's wingspan of 54 meters is half the size of a football field.
The Tu-160 is similar in overall configuration to the U.S. B-1 strategic bomber, but has a heavier take-off weight and payload.
The aircraft is equipped with a retractable in-flight refueling probe. A regular crew comprises two pilots, a navigator/bombardier and an electronic systems operator.
The Tu-160 is equipped with a combined navigation-and-weapon aiming system, which includes radar for detecting targets on the ground and sea at long distances, an optical-electronic bombsight, an automatic terrain-following system, as well as active and passive radio-electronic warfare systems. The total number of on-board CPUs exceeds 100. The navigator's workstation alone comprises eight computers.
The bomber's total combat payload is 40,000 kilograms.
