OJSC "TUPOLEV" has announced, that it has handed over another Tu-22M3 bomber to the air forces of the Russian Federation, on its official website. In addition to the general overhaul, it also underwent partial modernization. The announcement says, that: "the Tu-22M3 long-range bomber and missile carrier was handed over to the aerospace forces, after implementing changes in accordance with corresponding bulletins. After being handed over to the customer, the aircraft flew to its home base.”
It should be noted that it is not a modernization to the level of Tu-22M3M, but a general overhaul which includes replacement of selected components with new or more modern ones. This is the first delivered overhauled Tu-22M3 in 2019. In 2018 not a single overhauled Tu-22M3 was delivered. The last delivered Tu-22M3 was handed over in July 2017. At the end of January 2019, President of TATARSTAN, Rustam MINNIKHANOV announced that the government of the Russian Federation would allocate almost $509 mil. for the modernization of Kazan aviation plant, which will perform modernization of Tu-160 and Tu-22M3 bombers.