During a working trip to Kazan, Russian Defence Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu checked the execution of the state defence order at the Kazan Aviation Plant (KAP) named after Gorbunov - a branch of PJSC Tupolev.

Sergei Shoigu inspected the workshops where the repair and modernization of long-range aircraft Tu-160, Tu-22M3 is being carried out and the production of new Tu-160 aircraft has been resumed.

The head of the military department was informed about the upcoming transfer of the deeply modernized Tu-160 aircraft to the flight test station.   

He demanded that the management of the plant strictly adhere to the schedule for the implementation of the state defence order for the entire range of products. “This applies to both modernization and production of new aircraft,” he stressed.

 “It is important and unconditionally to maintain the technical serviceability of the strategic aviation fleet,” the minister set the task. “Despite the fact that in this matter everything is going according to the schedule, it is necessary to maintain the aircraft at the proper level, this work must be continued with the proper quality,” he said.

“For the Ministry of Defenсe timely carries out the whole range of measures, including in terms of ensuring financing of the state defenсe order,” stressed Sergei Shoigu.

The Minister supervised the restoration of production of the Tu-160 aircraft complexes, inspected the production workshops and objects of technical re-equipment of the aircraft plant, including the world's largest and most powerful electron beam welding unit, and a vacuum annealing unit.

Then Sergei Shoigu held a meeting on the implementation of the state defence order on strategic aviation and unmanned aerial vehicles.

At the KAP airfield, he examined an exhibition of existing and promising unmanned aerial vehicles, including ground control stations from the Ural Civil Aviation Plant, which make it possible to control the operation of various types of drones via satellites, including the Altius attack UAV.

Currently, KAP is building new Tu-160 aircraft, repairing and modernizing long-range aircraft Tu-22M3 and Tu-160, as well as producing special-purpose aircraft based on the typical design of Tu-214. Airliners are created by orders of the Special Flight Squad Russia and the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation.