Two Tu-160 strategic missile carriers of Long-range aviation performed a planned flight in the airspace over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea. Fighter escort was provided by the crews of Su-35S aircraft of the Air Force and Air Defense Association of the Western Military District and Su-27 naval aviation of the Baltic Fleet. This was reported on Tuesday, September 21, in the Russian Defense Ministry.
Such a precaution is not superfluous. It happens that at certain stages of the flight, foreign combat aircraft try to approach the Russian Tupolevs. However, as a rule, it does not reach serious incidents.
There were no them this time, although the flight of the Tu-160 did not do without someone else's presence. The Russian Defense Ministry noted that at certain stages of the route, our missile carriers were accompanied by F-16 fighters of the Italian Air Force and the Danish Air Force, F-18 of the Finnish Air Force, Saab JAS-39 Gripen of the Swedish Air Force and other foreign aircraft.
It is known that the crews of Long-range aviation of Russia regularly make scheduled raids over the neutral waters of the Arctic, the North Atlantic, the Black and Baltic Seas, as well as the Pacific Ocean. "All flights are carried out in strict accordance with the international rules for the use of airspace," the Russian Defense Ministry stressed.
I must say that such raids are often accompanied by refueling in the air. In such cases, at the signal of the Il-78 aircraft tanker, pilots at a speed of about 600 kilometers per hour bring their cars to the tanker aircraft. They dock the cone of a 20-meter fuel hose with the rocket carrier's receiving device and hold the "bundle" all the time while the fuel is poured into the Tu-160 tanks.
This strategic missile carrier with a variable wing sweep is the largest supersonic aircraft in the history of aviation. It is supposed to be used to defeat the most important enemy targets with nuclear and conventional weapons. The Tu-160 is capable of carrying 12 cruise missiles on board, placed inside the fuselage. For its beauty and smooth lines, the pilots called this winged car the "White Swan". According to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu,"no one has yet come up with the best aircraft in the supersonic class."
Now the aircraft factory in Kazan is setting up serial production of the improved Tu-160M missile carrier and working on a promising long-range aviation complex. It is known that this will be almost a new strategic missile carrier.
It is known from open sources that it will receive modern computing and onboard systems, as well as control tools and a new free-form inertial navigation. There are also improved electronic warfare systems and fuel and flow metering systems, as well as advanced weapons control.
Yuri Gavrilov
