Iran explained the situation with the Hamadan airbase. In fact, it prepared for the long-term use of the Russian Air Forces. The Iranian defense Minister did not rule out that Russia will have in Iran and other databases.
According to Russia’s deputy defense minister Yuri Borisov—as cited by TASS—the Tu-160M2 has been fundamentally upgraded with completely new mission systems and other improvements over the existing M variant. “This will be essentially a new airplane, not a Tu-160 but a Tu-160M2,” Borisov told RIA Novosti last year [5].
Details on the exact nature of the Tu-160M2 upgrades are scarce. Presumably, Tupolev has made long-overdue adjustments to the airframe that were supposed to have been implemented during the Blackjack’s original production run. However, those tweaks are likely to be fairly minor. The major upgrades are almost certainly going to be focused on the bomber’s avionics suite.
Russia’s Radio-Electronic Technologies Concern (KRET) is working on developing the new avionics suite for the Tu-160M2. “Today we can say with confidence that the new aircraft will be constructed using the elements of integrated modular avionics (IMA),” the company told Russia’s state-owned RIA Novosti. [6] “In the project to modernize the Tu-160, KRET will be creating new on-board systems, controls, a gimbal-less inertial navigation system, electronic warfare complex, fuel use monitoring systems, as well as weapons control systems.”
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The Russian air force started its second round of military offensives against the ISIL by intensifying its airstrikes carried out by strategic bombers against the Takfiri terrorists’ military positions across Syria.
The Russian army is also targeting the terrorists’ positions with its long-range cruise missiles fired from the Mediterranean and Caspian seas while 37 new fighter jets joined the Russian fleet of warplanes in the second round of military operations against the ISIL.
The second phase of Russian airstrikes against the ISIL positions comes 50 days after the first airstrike was launched on the Takfiri militants in Syria.
Russia says it has intensified its air raids on what it calls “terrorist” targets in Syria and raised to 69 the number of its aircraft there.
Russian ground crew are inscribing the words “For Paris” on some bombs destined to be dropped on targets in Syria, in a message of solidarity with the victims of last week’s Paris attacks.
“During a massive airstrike today, 14 important ISIL targets were destroyed by 34 air-launched cruise missiles. The targets destroyed include command posts that were used to coordinate ISIL activities in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo, munition and supply depots in the northwestern part of Syria,” Gerasimov said.
“The Russian General Staff has developed a new plan of the air campaign [in Syria] which envisions deployment of 25 strategic bombers, eight Su-34 Fullback attack aircraft, and four Su-27 Flanker fighter jets,” Army General Valery Gerasimov said.
Ten imagery and signals intelligence spacecraft were deployed in order to improve the space intelligence capabilities in Syria, Russian General Staff chief Gen. Gerasimov said.
On April 29, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited the Kazan Aircraft Production Association and ordered to resume production of the Tu-160.
“There is no match to the Tu-160 among supersonic aircraft,” Shoigu said.
The Tu-160 is the largest, heaviest and the most powerful supersonic aircraft in military aviation.
