Putin shares his impression after flying Tupolev Tu-160M Ilya Muromets missile carrier

Russian President Vladimir Putin took the helm of the strategic missile carrier Tupolev Tu-160M Ilya Muromets. The plane took off from the runway of the Kazan Aviation Plant named after S. P. Gorbunov.

The flight lasted for 30 minutes with pre-flight preparations taking about another 45 minutes. Earlier, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Putin's flight would last up to 40 minutes. In response to a question about the flight route, the Kremlin spokesman said that it was a military secret.

Before the president took off, reporters asked Peskov why Putin decided to board the plane at the Kazan airfield.

"Because he decided to fly yesterday,” the Kremlin spokesman replied.

Putin shares impressions of the flight

After landing, the president shared his impressions and said that he had good impressions of the flight on the Tu-160M. The technology, he says, was excellent.

"We are getting new equipment, and this is excellent equipment! This is truly a new generation technology. As I said it to the commander of the aircraft and now I will say it again to the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, of course, we can put it into service at the Armed Forces," Putin said.

The day before, on February 21, the president inspected the Tu-160M in the aircraft factory workshop, climbed into the cockpit and sat at the controls. When Putin learned that the missile carrier did not have a name, he proposed naming it in honour of the first president of Tatarstan, Mintimer Shaimiev.