Russia building new supersonic passenger jet

Moscow : Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) is working on a supersonic passenger jet with advanced features that can help to incorporate solutions required for reviving the strategic bomber Tupolev-160.

"The UAC is currently working on a number of promising projects, including a supersonic passenger jet that may incorporate solutions and technologies already used in the Tupolev-160 bomber," the UAC said.

Earlier, President Vladimir Putin suggested building a civilian supersonic jet, based on Tupolev-160. He supported the idea after seeing a newly-built strategic bomber Tupolev-160 in flight.

Supersonic aircrafts are designed to transport passengers at speeds greater than the speed of sound by using a less amount of fuel, thus saving fuel costs.