Trumpeter 01620 Tu-160 BLACKJACK

The Tupolev Tu-160 is a supersonic strategic bomber - rocket carrier, designed for high and low altitude flights with variable wing geometry. The flight of the prototype took place in 1981, and serial production started in 1987. It is an all-metal, four-engine low-wing, classic-layout, with variable-geometry wings. The Tu-160 aircraft is equipped with a highly developed pilot, navigation and radio engineering system, including a specially designed weapon control complex. The system uses, in addition to conventional electromechanical indicators, a set of electronic indicators. The system consists of over 100 integrated digital machines of various power. The aiming and navigation complex is adapted to detect and identify ground and surface targets from long distances and to direct means intended for their destruction, as well as to precisely navigate in long-distance flights. The maximum weight of the weapons carried by the Tu-160 is 40,000 kg. The basic weapons are strategic winged homing missiles according to a programmed route, which can carry nuclear warheads. Weapons are transferred in two hull compartments: front and rear. The chambers are 11.28 m long and 1.92 m wide. In the basic variant, the plane carries 12 H-55MS (RKW500B) missiles with folded wings, suspended on a multi-position MKU-6 drum type catapult device. Each chamber houses one device with six missiles, only one of which is in the launch position. The missile's flight path programming and firing process control are managed by the on-board weapon control complex. The H-55MS winged missiles are 8.09 m long, have a take-off weight of 1700 kg and a range of 3000 km, their tail and wings assume their normal positions after launching from the launcher. Then the missile engine starts too. The H-55MS missiles were to be replaced by the new generation high supersonic speed missiles, designated AS-X-19, but work on them has recently been discontinued. The second planned variant of the armament is the H-15 (AS-16) short-range guided missiles designed to destroy the enemy's anti-aircraft defense, which were to be placed on each launcher in the number of 6 (12) pieces. The aircraft with this variant of armament was to approach the target at a very low altitude using the obstacle avoidance system. The Tu-160 can also be equipped with mixed variants of rocket weapons and high-powered nuclear bombs. In practice, the Tu-160 only flies with the H-55 MS missiles - other variants remained only in the sphere of projects. Technical data: length: 54.1m, wingspan (maximum): 55.7m, height: 13.1m, maximum speed: 2200km / h, climb speed: 70m / s, practical ceiling: 15000m, operating range: 7300km.