MOSCOW, October 15. /TASS/. The Tupolev Tu-160 supersonic strategic missile carrier continues to rank as the best aircraft in its class, said Yury Abrosimov, CEO of the Tupolev company (part of the United Aircraft Corporation, UAC, which is part of the Rostec state corporation).

"The Tu-160 strategic missile carrier is still the best supersonic aircraft in the world, outperforming a comparable aircraft system used by the United States. The Tu-160 holds 46 official world records, including those for flight duration and range," the UAC quoted him as saying.

According to Abrosimov, the modernized version of the aircraft, the Tu-160M, retains the exterior design of the original Tu-160 but is "built on an entirely new technological foundation, incorporating digital technologies, with 80% of its systems and equipment modernized."

"The aircraft’s onboard avionics, including flight and weapons control systems and navigation systems, have been completely overhauled, and the engines have been modernized," he added.

The program to resume production of the modernized Tu-160M was launched by decision of President Vladimir Putin. Under a state contract between the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Tupolev Design Bureau, the design documentation for the Tu-160M aircraft was fully digitized in a short period. Additionally, the technology for vacuum welding of titanium components was restored, airframe assembly production resumed, and a new consortium was formed with leading industrial enterprises in metallurgy, aircraft manufacturing, mechanical engineering, and instrument engineering, most of which are part of the Rostec State Corporation.