Russian Air Force Wants a Stealth Bomber

The Russian air force aims to introduce a successor to the Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack, Tu-95 Bear and Tu-22M3 Backfire in 2025-2030. The new bomber known under the name PAK DA (Prespektivniy aviatitzionniy kompleks dalney aviatzii, or future aviation complex of long range aviation) is being developed now by the United Aircraft Corporation.
The requirement for the PAK DA is to be defined yet, but at the end of 2009 the strategic aviation commander Maj. Gen. Anatoly Zhikharev told that "the new aircraft will be low observable, but it’s impossible to make an aircraft of this class completely invisible".
The program will be led at the industry level by the newly created Special Aircraft Division of the United Aircraft Corp. (UAC). This unit of the company was officially set up in December 2009 to deal with the production of strategic bombers, special mission aircraft and amphibians. It is based around the Tupolev design bureau, but will also include Kazan KAPO assembly facility, Taganrog Tagavia company and Beriev design bureau.
During his meeting with the Russian prime minister in December the head of Special Aircraft Division Alexander Bobryshev reported that the first stage of PAK DA conceptual design was conducted in 2009. The designers tried to combine at future aircraft all missions that are now performed by Tu-160, Tu-95MS и Tu-22M3.
"At the first stage we have selected 4 variants [of future bomber] out of initial 47 for further consideration and analysis", explained Bobryshev. He promised that the conceptual design will be completed in 2011-2012 while the development of the aircraft should be finished by 2017.
Simultaneously with the development of PAK DA, UAC Special Aircraft will conduct the modernization of Tu-160 bombers that will include the upgrade of electronic warfare means and introduction of new weapons. Bobryshev said that his division has worked out the program for deep modernization of these aircraft that is expected to be approved by the Defense Ministry in 2010. According to unofficial information, the Russian Air Force has currently 13 Tu-160s and 63 Tu-95MS bomber in service.