Russian President Vladimir Putin aboard a state-of-the-art nuclear-capable strategic bomber. TU-160M aircraft on Thursday; He traveled in military alliance NATO code name ‘Blackjacks’. British news agency Reuters reported this on Wednesday (February 22).
Russian state TV showed Putin descending the stairs of the bomber. It is believed that Putin is sending a clear message to Western countries about Moscow’s nuclear capabilities.
Russia named the aircraft ‘White Swan’. The giant plane landed on a runway at the Kazan factory. The factory is well known for manufacturing modern supersonic aircraft.
At a press conference later, Putin said the plane was modern and reliable. It is also easy to control. The Russian Air Force may adopt it.
The aircraft is a modernized version of a Coldwar-era bomber used by the former Soviet Union to deliver long-range weapons in the event of a nuclear war.
Vladimir Putin is tipped to win another six-year term in Russian elections next month.
Putin traveled on the plane at a time when Russia seized a Ukrainian city and his staunch critic Alexei Navalny died in prison.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said Putin traveled on the plane on a secret military route for about 30 minutes. The Tu-160M aircraft has a crew of four. It can carry 12 cruise missiles or 12 short-range nuclear missiles. Besides, the aircraft can fly continuously for about 12,000 kilometers without fuel.
Putin, 71, previously flew an older version of the TEE-160 in 2005.
Under an agreement signed in 2018, the Russian Air Force will receive 10 Tu-160 nuclear-powered aircraft by 2027. And it will cost at least 15 billion rubles.
Tupolev, the plane’s maker, says the modern version is 60 percent more efficient than the old version.
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