Russia has unveiled its new generation of pinpoint accurate supersonic strike bombers, ready for test flights later this month.
The Tu-22M3M is a ‘deep moderisation’ of the Tu-22M3 which Russia’s air force has about 100 in service and used extensively in missions over Syria in support of the Assad regime.
The new planes can be navigated up to eight times better than the previous generation and target their improved missiles up to 10 times more accurately.
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The Tupolev Tu-22M3M long-range jet was rolled out at a ceremony yesterday in the central-Russian city of Kazan
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Crucially they will also be able to carry Kh-32 air-to-surface cruise missiles, which have a range of up to 370 miles flying up to 25 miles above the ground at Mach 5 – five times the speed of sound at 3,100mph.
These missiles are an upgrade of the Kh-22 which were designed to destroy U.S. aircraft carriers during the Cold War but also work well against ground targets. They can be armed with nuclear warheads.
Even bigger Kh-50 missiles will also be fitted to the new jets, which can carry six more than the Tu-22M3, that fly at almost 600mph and weigh a massive 1,600kg.
Russia claims the jets are the first to have artificial intelligence built in to their systems, though it was not clear if that included control of its weapons, which is highly controversial…..more here