- After many predictions as well as graphic drawings, the true shape of the future bomber developed by Russia was officially released
- The long-anticipated advanced stealth bomber is a new, fully post-Soviet design that will feature hypersonic and nuclear weapons.
- Russia’s PAK-DA Stealth Bomber Prototype Will Be Ready This Year
The image of Russia’s PAK DA futuristic bomber (identifier Poslanhik), being developed by the Tupolev Joint Stock Company, has been officially approved by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Russian news agency RIA Novosti announced this after consulting a source in the defense industry complex.
Priority is given to long-range weapons and stealth aircraft, according to the agency’s interlocutors. In addition, the long-range perspective aviation complex’s onboard systems will be as automated as possible, even capable of using bombers in unmanned mode.
Currently, the construction of some prototypes of the aforementioned bomber is in progress. It is reported that this machine will be created according to the “flying wing” scheme (similar to the S-70 Okhotnik attack drone), the aircraft will have subsonic speed and long flight time.
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| The final image of the future bomber Poslanhik is not different from what has been announced earlier |
Analysts predict that the Poslanhik stealth bomber will be able to use long-range missiles, promising hypersonic missiles. All weapons will be located in the fuselage’s internal compartments to reduce the area of radar reflection. In addition, the ability to control UAV groups or incorporate air-to-air missiles for self-defense is not excluded.
Earlier a representative of the Russian defense industry reported that tests on the radar reflection area of the special design, as well as individual full-size elements of the PAK DA, confirmed that this was a prospective bombers, depending on the use of certain tactics, the above vehicle would be able to cross the air defenses of a potential adversary.
It is expected that plans to maneuver a new generation of combat vehicles are set for the year 2027. Experts believe that the new Poslanhik bomber will replace the Tu-95MS.
Defense sources revealed in the summer of 2020 that PAK-DA’s design had been finalized, following almost a decade of bureaucratic debate and fraught research and development work: “the production of airframe elements will be handled by one of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC)’s plants; development of working design documentation is complete, material shipping has commenced.” Likewise, it was announced that the UAC had begun work on the first PAK-DA model, with construction to be completed in 2021. In December 2020, it was reported that as many as three PAK-DA prototypes were already in production.
Russian outlets reported earlier this month that the PAK-DA successfully completed an early set of performance trials. A defense industry insider source told the Russian news agency RIA that the PAK-DA bomber will be able to penetrate the outer layers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s air defenses without being detected. The source added that the bomber will be able to deploy part of its arsenal outside of the effective engagement range of western anti-air systems.