Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu called the resumption of production of Tu-160 strategic bombers by the Kazan Aviation Plant a common victory.

“What we talked about five or six years ago is done. This is our common victory,” the Minister said today, addressing the workers of the plant during his visit to KAP.

The head of the military department went up to the cockpit of the Tu-160 built at the plant, where he was told about the combat potential of the new strategic bombers, which had increased significantly compared to its predecessors.

He also oversaw the flight of the deeply modernized long-range bomber Tu-22M3M.

Sergei Shoigu was informed that this is the second prototype.  All routine maintenance was performed on the aircraft, all the necessary flights were performed, during which automatic control systems were checked, lighting equipment was checked at night and radio communication equipment at different frequencies.  The aircraft has passed the preliminary flight test program and is ready for further testing.

Then there was an inspection of deeply modernized combat aircraft Tu-160M, samples of products manufactured by KAP, as well as an exhibition of unmanned aerial vehicles, where, in particular, Altius-RU and Forpost were demonstrated.

Kazan Aviation Plant produces special-purpose aircraft based on the standard design of the Tu-214, repairs and modernization of Tu-160 and Tu-22M3 strategic aircraft, reproduces the Tu-160 aircraft, performs experimental design work on new products and tests them. 

Among the most important tasks of PJSC Tupolev and the Kazan Aviation Plant is the resumption of production of the Tu-160 aircraft.

In addition, the enterprise is working on the modernization of the Tu-22M3 bomber-missile carrier and the strategic missile carrier. 

On the modernized Tu-22M3M, the first stage of preliminary tests has been successfully completed.  In April 2021, the modernized Tu-22M3 made the longest flight. 

Also, KAP continues to work on overhaul and maintenance of aircraft in the service of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

After that, the Minister of Defence checked the execution of the state defence order by the Kazan Helicopter Plant, inspected infrastructure facilities, production workshops and samples of products.

Sergei Shoigu climbed into the cockpit of the Mi-8MTV-5M, where he was told about the main advantages of this machine in comparison with the previous version.  Among them, in particular, the performance of night flights in a group using night vision goggles, replacement of foreign components, etc.

The Minister was also presented with the Cyberprom project developed by the students of the Kazan National Research University.

Kazan Helicopters Plant remains the largest manufacturer of middle-class helicopters, which carries out a full cycle of equipment creation from development to serial production.

Since 2019, the enterprise has been serially producing Mi-38 helicopters.  During this time, two Mi-38Ts were handed over to the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, one Mi-38 with a high-comfort cabin was delivered to a civilian customer.  By 2024, it is planned to deliver 24 Mi-38 helicopters in various modifications, including for a foreign customer.