MOSCOW, May 6 (UPI) -- On April 29 representatives of the Kazan Aircraft Production Association presented the 121st Heavy Bomber Regiment of the Russian Air Force's 37th Army with a brand-new Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bomber.

The warplane is named after Vitaly Kopylov, who headed the company from 1973 to1993.

Russia now has 16 front-line Tu-160 bombers, each of which can carry 12 X-55 subsonic nuclear-tipped cruise missiles with a range of more than 1,800 miles. Each bomber can carry up to 40 metric tons of ordnance, including conventional X-55 missiles.

Before December 1991 the Soviet Union had 36 Tu-160 bombers. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Ukraine seized 20 of these in the city of Priluki. Under the Lisbon Agreement among Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the United States and Russia, the former three countries were not allowed to have any nuclear weapons or their delivery vehicles. Twelve Ukrainian strategic bombers were eventually cut up in the presence of international inspectors and journalists.

After protracted talks, the remaining eight Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjacks were transferred to Russia as payment for Kiev's gas debts. However, the planes had to be overhauled at KAPO, which is still upgrading some of them.