The Drive: Ukraine, after the collapse of the USSR, owned the world's largest fleet of Tu-160 aircraft
Photo: Yuri Strelets / RIA Novosti
After the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine owned the world's largest fleet of Tu-160 strategic bombers, recalls the American edition of The Drive.
The publication notes that Russia is currently modernizing the aircraft at its disposal, including those received from Ukraine, and resuming their production. “What is less known is that at one time the overwhelming majority of the Tu-160's forces were not in the hands of Russia. Instead, it belonged to Ukraine, a country whose relations with Moscow have steadily deteriorated since it gained independence from the Soviet Union, ”the newspaper writes.
The Drive also notes that 19 Tu-160 units were located in Priluki in Ukraine in 1991. Kiev, which renounced nuclear weapons, lacked the funds to regularly use aircraft made in Russia. The decision to transfer eight strategic bombers by Ukraine to Russia was made in 1999 against the backdrop of events in Yugoslavia.
“Nevertheless, the current tension in relations between Russia and Ukraine means that such a transfer of military assets from one country to another is now unthinkable,” says The Drive.
The publication reminds that a four-engine strategic bomber is capable of reaching a maximum speed of two thousand kilometers per hour and flying more than 12 thousand kilometers without refueling.
In December, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov announced that the first flight of the new-built Tu-160M strategic missile carrier is planned for 2022.
