Agence France-Presse, Russia’s military announced that up to 10 of its strategic bombers would carry out patrols Oct. 16 over the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific Oceans and the Black Sea.
“Up to 10 long-range aircraft, Tupolev 160s and 22M3s are taking part in these exercises, with in-flight refueling,” Air Force spokesman Col. Alexander Drobyshevsky told Russian news agencies.
Each plane will be in flight for eight to 16 hours, Drobyshevsky said, adding that the flights were for training purposes and conformed with international regulations on the use of airspace.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced the resumption of long-range flights in international air space on Aug. 17.
Such flights were standard during the Cold War standoff with the U.S. and its western European allies but were abandoned in 1992 amid financial difficulties that followed the Soviet collapse.
Before and after Putin’s statement, Britain and Norway had to scramble jets to intercept Russian planes near their airspace.
Russia’s head of strategic aviation Gen. Pavel Androsov has said the aircraft will not carry nuclear weapons and that the main aim of the flights was to improve training for pilots.
The nuclear-capable TU-160, whose NATO designation is Blackjack, was the most powerful combat aircraft of the Soviet-era air force.
The nuclear-capable TU22M “Backfire” is capable of long-distance flights and able to fly low to avoid air defenses. Both are supersonic jets that can be refueled in flight.
