MOSCOW. Dec 23 (Interfax) - A prototype of the prospective long-range aviation complex (PAK DA)'s engine has been built and is being assembled, Deputy General Director, Managing Director of ODK Kuznetsov (an affiliate of the United Engine Corporation) Alexei Sobolev said.
"The engine [RF product] was cast in iron this year; it is now being assembled. The assembly will be completed by the end of the year, and bench trials will begin," Sobolev told the press.
In his words, the engine design documentation was ready in 2020.
"Its completion engages key competences of most enterprises of the United Engine Corporation [a division of the Rostec state corporation]," Sobolev said.
Particular parts of the new strategic bomber PAK DA are being created at this stage, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Military-Industrial Commission's Board Andrei Yelchaninov said in an interview with Interfax.
Interfax reported earlier that the Tupolev Company, part of the United Aircraft Corporation, was working on the PAK DA aircraft to replace Tupolev Tu-160, Tu-95, and Tu-22M3 aircraft. According to official data, the next-generation strategic bomber will be designed as a "flying wing," i.e., without tail assembly, with stealth technologies. It was also reported that the PAK DA will be subsonic and able to carry more weapons, including hypersonic weapons, than a Tu-160.
Earlier, Alexander Konyukhov, then Tupolev's general director, told Interfax that the first prototype would be rolled out in 2021-2022. Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov, who is now deputy prime minister, said that the PAK DA's maiden flight was likely to take place in 2025-2026 and serial production is planned for 2028-2029.