"Two Tu-95MS long-range strategic missile carriers performed a planned flight in the airspace over the neutral waters of the Bering, Chukchi and Okhotsk Seas," the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.
According to the agency, the planes were on the route for about 10 hours. And their fighter escort was provided by the crews of the Su-35S of the Air Force and Air Defense Association of the Eastern Military District. The Ministry emphasized that all such flights in the Russian Aerospace Forces are carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace.
It should be borne in mind that our military, as a rule, notifies interested states about such raids through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Secondly, the routes of the "Dalnikov" are agreed in advance, they lie away from civil air routes and do not pose a threat to passenger liners. Finally, the crews mostly go into the sky without ammunition. And even if the task received by the pilots provides for tactical missile launches and other combat training activities, pilots perform them during such missions without the actual use of on-board weapons.
Nevertheless, sea routes bring great benefits to pilots. Being in the air for many hours, pilots and navigators solve navigation tasks over undirected terrain. And they often train to refuel bombers with fuel in flight. This most difficult operation in Long-range aviation is considered akin to aerobatics. In addition, refueling allows strategic missile carriers to perform various tasks for more than a day without landing.
Air patrolling in distant maritime regions, of course, is not an end in itself. Our pilots carry it out over the centers of concentration of troops and forces. To ensure its security, Russia is forced to demonstrate its flag in this way off the coasts of Great Britain, Norway, Greenland, Canada and the USA.
As we can see, the southern and Far Eastern borders of our state also do not remain without attention.
Help "RG"
The Tu-95MS aircraft has long been registered in the Russian and world skies. For its impressive size - the wingspan of the Tupolev is more than 50 meters - and powerful weapons in the West it is called "Bear - bear". The Tu-95MS, which forms the backbone of Russia's strategic aviation, is the carrier of the X-55 cruise missiles. In the modification of the Tu-95MS6, six such missiles are placed in the cargo compartment on a multi-position drum-type launcher. In addition to the fuselage launcher, the Tu-95MS16 modification provides for the suspension of ten more X-55 missiles on four underwing holders (but this is prohibited by international agreements).
The defensive armament of the Tu-95MS aircraft consists of 23 mm aircraft guns. The old versions of the aircraft have six AM-23 twin guns in three defensive rigs (upper, lower and aft), and only two AM-23 or GSH-23 guns on the Tu-95MS in the stern.
Yuri Gavrilov
