Good luck to Putin. I flew extensively in the 18s and 62s in the 1980s & 90s around Russia and Eastern European countries mostly with Aeroflot and Malev. The nose cones were often some sort of "see through material" so they could be converted quickly to bombers. Plexiglass for the bomb aimers. Survived the experience although one of the fears was that the floor around the toilets was badly weakened by splashed urine so don't put too much weight on the floor if you had to use one.
