Russia not to build new strategic bomber until 2025

MOSCOW. March 3. KAZINFORM Russia is not ready to build a strategic bomber of the new generation until at least 2025, a source from the Defense Ministry said on Thursday. Kazinform refers to Xinhua.

Strategic air forces development program envisaged only design of the new long-range bomber by 2020 but not its actual mass production, the source said.

"It takes at least 15 or 20 years to design and build such a warplane. It is premature to say that the bomber will be built by 2020. Currently, the designers only define the very concept of such an aircraft," the unnamed source was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.

Earlier, the first Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin revealed that Russia was not going to speed up creation of a new long-range bomber until at least 2015. Instead, air forces would modernize the existing fleet of strategic Tu-95MC and Tu-160 bombers until 2025 or 2030. Kazinfrom cites Xihua. See www.xinhuanet.com for full version