Russian air forces intend to upgrade 30 Tu-22M3 long-range bombers by 2020, Vzglyad.ru reports with reference to official representative of the air forces, Colonel Vladimir Drik.

According to him, the outstanding features of the upgraded bomber are enhanced weapon nomenclature, advanced equipment, built using new hardware components, and improved ergonomics of the cockpit. The training of flight personnel for the bombers has already been started.

«The training of flight personnel for upgraded Tu-22M3 bomber is being carried out at Ryazan aviation center», - the representative of air forces noted.

In addition, the training of student pilots has already been started at the center in 2011. «The pilots will undergo the classroom training, perform exercises using simulators and then perform real flights on Tu-22M3 and Tu-95MS aircraft», - Drik said. «Simultaneously, the copilots are also being trained at the center. They will go back to their units then to become the pilot-captains», - he added.

The Ryazan-based combat employment and retraining center of long-range aviation has been formed on December 31st 1940. The re-training of flight personnel for using new vehicles is carried out at the center. The studies in the area of tactics for advanced long-range aviation aircraft systems employment are also carried out by the center.