KAZAN, April 27. /TASS/. Russia’s next-generation strategic bomber abbreviated as PAK DA (Perspective Airborne Complex of Long-Range Aviation) may perform its debut flight in 2025-2026 and begin to be serial-produced in 2028-2029, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said on Thursday.

"We expect the first flight somewhere in 2025-2026 and the beginning of its serial production in 2028-2029," the deputy defense minister said during his visit to the Kazan Aircraft Enterprise in the Volga area.

As the deputy defense minister said earlier, the Perspective Airborne Complex of Long-Range Aviation may be demonstrated to the public already in 2018.

The bomber was initially planned to start arriving for the Russian Armed Forces in 2023-2025 and the first test flights were scheduled for 2019-2020. It emerged later that the bomber’s development had been rescheduled due to the resumed serial production of the Tu-160 strategic missile carrier in its upgraded version Tu-160M2.

The deputy defense minister said earlier the work on the PAK DA wouldn’t be stopped, despite the resumed production of the Tu-160M2.

The Perspective Airborne Complex of Long-Range Aviation (PAK DA) is a Russian next-generation strategic bomber being developed by the Tupolev aircraft manufacturer. R&D work on the bomber started in 2009. The PAK DA will fly at subsonic speeds and carry weapons inside its fuselage. The aircraft’s design will maximally use radar-absorbing materials (the stealth technology).