A SIGNIFICANT proportion of the active Tu-22M3 Backfire-C fleet in the Russian Air and Space Force Long-Range Aviation Command, built in the second half of the 1980s and the early 1990s, is slated for a major upgrade to render the aircraft able to remain in service until the late 2030s. The effort, however, is still lagging behind the original schedule by about a year; roll-out of the prototype Tu-22M3M at Tupolev's KAZ plant in Kazan was reported last August and its maiden flight took place on December 28. The upgrade contract was signed between Tupolev and the Russian MoD back in 2016 and covers bringing four aircraft up to Tu-22M3M standard for use in the test and evaluation. Features of the Tu-22M3M include all-new mission avionics and electronic warfare suites, systems that have high commonality with the new package foreseen for integration on the upgraded Tu-160M and the newly built Tu-160M2 Blackjack. According to Tupolev, 80% of the Tu-22M3M's avionics are new, including the navigation, communication, electronic warfare and targeting suites, as well as the engine and fuel management systems.
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