Russia regularly turns down enquiries from wealthy foreign clients to convert Tupolev long-range bombers to supersonic business class jet.
“Wealthy foreign clients regularly address the Russian aircraft-building company Tupolev for making a private supersonic business class jet on the basis of Russia’s Strategic bombers Tupolev-160 or Tupolev-22M3,” Tupolev Deputy CEO for Design and R&D, Valery Solozobov, were quoted as saying by TASS Monday.
"Big business tycoons in different countries (an Arab sheikh, a millionaire in Australia and a wealthy Greek among them) keep asking us to make a personal supersonic plane on the basis of the missile-carrying Tupolev-160 or long-range bomber Tupolev-2M3. We get such messages regularly, some of them through the Rosoboronexport agency," he said.
All of the requests have been turned down. "Turning Tupolev-160 into a passenger plane would be a very costly affair. It is far less expensive to build a plane anew and without the know-hows used in creating the Tupolev-160," he explained, adding that a business class jet does not need a variable shape wing. Besides, some of the solutions used in the Tupolev-160 are classified.
"The retractable canards might be used, but they are not always necessary. Besides, most of the Tupolev-160 know-hows are secret, so building even a passenger configuration of this plane for private clients would be wrong," Solozobov said.
Russia has launched R&D work to develop a defensive aids system for modernized Tupolev Tu-160M2 strategic bombers to protect them from all types of missile attacks. "We understand that the bombers will have a principally new defensive aids system which is being developed as part of a new R&D effort
The Indian Navy is planning to de-induct TU142M Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft after its 29 years of service today. The role of TU142M will now be taken on by the newly inducted Boeing's P-8I aircraft, the Ministry of Defense announced Sunday
The Indian Navy's three Tupolev Tu-142M maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft will be decommissioned on March 29 following its 30 years of service. The aircraft will be converted into a museum in collaboration with an Indian state,
China had conducted a reconnaissance mission with Tupolev Tu153M aircraft prior to its transgression in the Barahoti area in Uttarkhand district. The aircraft used by Chinese Peoples Liberation Army was armed with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) which provides broad-area imaging at high resolutions
The Russian Aerospace Forces has received second upgraded Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic bomber, the press service of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) reported on Tuesday. "The plane has been upgraded within the framework of the state contract
Tupolev has signed a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry to modernize strategic bomber and missile carrier Tu-95MSM, the company's general director, Alexander Konyukhov said. "The contract for deep modernization - Tu-95MSM - was signed a month and a half ago, and the work was deployed at the Taganrog Aviation Plant (Beriev-IFTTC)," Konyukhov was quoted as saying by
The upgraded supersonic long-range bomber Tupolev-22M3M will make its first flight in August, the CEO of the Tupolev design bureau, Alexander Konyukhov, told TASS on Wednesday. "Yes, this will happen at the airdrome of the aircraft-building plant in Kazan," he said
Aerion and Lockheed Martin announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Firday to explore the joint development of the world's first supersonic business jet, the Aerion AS2. Over the next 12 months, the companies will work together to develop a framework on all phases of the program, including engineering, certification and production
Russian Beriev A-100 airborne early warning and control (AWACS) aircraft based on the Il-76MD-90A transport aircraft has completed its maiden flight. The Russian ministry of defense posted pictures of the maiden flight on its official micro-blogging twitter handle Monday
Russian Ministry of Defence plans to fully replace the T-160 current fleet with modernized models. “All the Tu-160 aircraft that comprise the long-range air force are to be replaced with modernized models
Russia and Saudi Arabia have likely signed contracts on the supplies of S-400 missile systems on Monday. "We have well-known contracts on air defense and other issues, which have been signed," Head of Russias Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev was quoted by
Navantia Out; Naval Group, Saab and TKMS in $3B Dutch Walrus Replacement...
With No Foreign Patents, 500 Russian Arms Copied Abroad
Wind Tunnel Tests of Sino-Russian CRAIC CR929 Mockup Complete
AM General To Modernize Jordanian Fleet of 200 Humvee Vehicles
Germany To Finalise Order for 38 Eurofighter Jets, 110 E-Scan Radars
Turkish Navy to get First Indigenous Aircraft Carrier in 2020
Bechtel Bags US Navy's $1.4Bn Naval Nuclear Propulsion Components Contract
Su-57 Performs 16 Flights with New, Powerful Engine
Several joint production and direct procurement programs could be halted if the US and Europe carry through with their threat...
Sanctions-hit Iran has found ingenious ways to develop military hardware
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly permeating the defence industry to aid and improve human decision-making
Upgrade of Russias Sukhoi Su-30SM fighters to equip them with armaments, radar, sensors and engines from the more powerful Su-35...
US companies sanctioned by China for supplying weapons to Taiwan may be denied rare earth elements (REEs), which have critical...
While the US F-35 stealth aircraft has become one the fastest selling fighter jets in the world aircraft market, thanks...