The Russian Defense Ministry reported that two Tu-160 strategic missile carriers of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a planned raid over the neutral waters of the Barents and Norwegian Seas. The previous time such planes appeared in these places was at the end of July this year.
As reported to the correspondent of "RG" in the military department, the long-range missile carriers were on the route for about eight hours. During the air patrol, they were covered by MiG-31 fighters of the naval aviation of the Northern Fleet. Such a precaution turned out to be useful. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, at some stages of the route, our strategic missile carriers were accompanied by F-16 fighters of the Norwegian Air Force. This happens quite often during flights over neutral waters. But, as a rule, it does not reach serious incidents.
The Russian Military Department stressed that all flights of the Russian Aerospace Forces aviation are carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace. And now the Tu-160 went along the route without crossing the routes on which civilian airliners go. The Defense Ministry added that the crews of our long-range aviation regularly fly over the neutral waters of the Arctic, the North Atlantic, the Black and Caspian Seas and the Pacific Ocean.
Often such raids are accompanied by refueling in the air. At the signal of the IL-78 aircraft tanker, the pilots bring their car to the tanker aircraft at a speed of about 600 kilometers per hour. Then they dock the cone of the fuel hose with the receiving device of the rocket carrier and hold the "bundle" all the time while the fuel is poured into the Tu-160 tanks.
It is worth recalling that this strategic missile carrier with a variable sweep of the wing 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 the beauty and smooth lines, the pilots nicknamed 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."
Yuri Gavrilov