MOSCOW, 1 Apr-RIA Novosti. Pilots of Russian strategic bombers, who are taken on escort by fighters of the British Air Force, conduct aerial reconnaissance, and this task is not from the field of April Fools ' jokes, former head of Long-range Aviation (1997-2002) Lieutenant General Mikhail Oparin told RIA Novosti.
Earlier, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain during a visit to the memorial to the Australian pilots joked about the frequent accompaniment by the British Air Force of Russian strategic bombers Tu-95 and Tu-160. In response, the squadron's head, Matthew Sander, joked that the Australian Air Force (part of the British Commonwealth) "has a lot of fun chasing the Russians."
"When we were escorted by British planes, we felt only a sense of moral satisfaction. There was no discomfort from this – that they came out and accompanied us, was our number one task. We conducted aerial reconnaissance and described all the planes that accompanied us, then clarified from which airfields and how far they flew, " Oparin said.
The general explained that during the Cold War, Soviet bombers flew over NATO countries only in combat formations, but now-in pairs according to a pre-developed program approved by the Supreme Commander.
