Contents tagged with Tu-160
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Russian nuclear bombers fly over Baltic Sea
Two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons flew over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, prompting Finnish, Danish, Polish and Swedish aircraft to escort them.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, this was a regular flight and the Russian bombers strictly complied with international airspace rules.
Russia regularly conducts similar training flights over the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as over the Black and Baltic Seas, and some NATO …
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Russia wants to arm Tu-160 bombers with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles
Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers can be equipped with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, the modifications should take until the end of 2020, a source in Russia’s defense industry told TASS.
The source did not specify exactly which model of the bomber – the Tu-160 or Tu-160M – would be modified to carry Kinzhals.
There has been no official confirmation of this information.
The Kinzhal was presented to the public for the first time during Vladimir Putin’s state-of-the-nation address in March 2018. …
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Russia to create unmanned strategic bomber
Commander of Russian Long-Range Air Force Lieutenant General Sergey Kobylash said in an interview to the newspaper Moskovskij Komsomolets that Russia plans to create an unmanned sixth-generation strategic bomber by 2040.
According to Kobylash, in addition to the modernization of existing Tu-160, Tu-95MS and Tu-22MZ bombers, the Russian military is planning to create a new long-range aircraft. "We are also planning to develop a subsonic strategic bomber of the fifth generation," said Kobylash. …
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Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers arrive in South Africa
Two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers arrived at the Waterkloof Air Base in South Africa, reports Interfax news agency, citing Russian Defense Ministry.
Russian Defense Ministry reports that the aircraft flew over the Caspian and Arabian seas, as well as the Indian ocean. The duration of the flight exceeded 13 hours.
In the last stages of the route, Russian bombers were accompanied by Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighters of the South African Air Force.
Russian air group consists of two Tu-160 aircraft …
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Belgian fighter jets intercept Russian Tu-160 bombers over Baltics
Belgian fighter jets intercepted two Russian TU-160 strategic bombers and two Russian SU-27 fighers over the Baltics on Tuesday, September 18, reported the Belgian Air force.
“Two Belgian Air force F16 of NATO's BAP mission intercepted two Russian TU-160 Blackjack and two Russian SU-27 Flanker above the Baltic Sea. It was the first scramble for the Belgian detachment which is safeguarding the Baltic airspace since the 3th of September,” reads the message of the Belgian Air Force on Twitter.
A …
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Russia moves Tu-160 strategic bombers closer to US border
Two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers have completed a non-stop flight to the Anadyr airfield in the Russian Far East, the Russian Defense Ministry announced. The airfield is one of the closest to the US border, a mere 600 km from the closest point.
The defense department said that the relocation was done as part of a planned tactical flight exercise led by Lieutenant General Sergey Kobylash, commander of the long-range aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces. The flight lasted more than eight …
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Russian Tu-160 bombers flew over North Sea twice in one week
A pair of Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers made a 13 hour planned flight over the neutral waters of the Barents, Norwegian and North seas this week, the Russian Defense Ministry reports.
The bombers were escorted by MiG-31 interceptor jets, and during the flight, the Tu-160 crews practiced aerial refueling.
At various stages of the route, the Russian aircraft were accompanied by F-16 jets belonging to Denmark and Norway. “All flights by the Russian Aerospace Forces are done in strict …
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Two Russian military aircraft land in Venezuela
Two Russian military transport planes landed in Venezuela on 23 March, according to flight-tracking data from CivMilAir. The Venezuelan news outlet El Nacional reports that the planes were transporting a group of Russian soldiers led by Colonel General Vasily Tonkoshkurov.
El Nacional cites a post on Twitter by reporter Javier Mayorca, who claims that “a group of 99 Russian soldiers” had landed at the Caracas airport, where they were met by Marianni Mata, head of the Venezuelan Defense …
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Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers fly over Caribbean Sea with Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets
The two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers which arrived in Venezuela earlier this week have made a roughly 10-hour flight over the Caribbean Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday evening.
The Defense Ministry’s report notes that the Tu-160 missile carriers were accompanied at certain stages of the route by Su-30 fighters as well as F-16s from the Venezuelan Air Force. During the flights, pilots from both countries practiced cooperating in the air.
The Russian military …
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Russia moves strategic bombers to Venezuela
Russia has started transferring Tu-160 strategic bombers, which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, to Venezuela.
“This will be the seventh “sortie” by Russian strategic aircraft in the last three months – the frequency of flights is increasing, and this is perceived by the US as provocation,” says Mark Schneider, a former Pentagon official.
At the end of October, Tu-160 bombers were spotted on the Norwegian border. British and Norwegian fighters were scrambled to intercept them.
In …