Russia Conducts Strategic Air Drills Over Arctic

Russia yesterday began a series of cruise missile launches and mock bombing raids over the North Pole and the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, RIA Novosti reported (see GSN, June 29).

The exercises were expected to employ four Tu-160 Blackjack and 12 Tu-95 Bear-H strategic bombers as well as 14 Tu-22 Backfire-C theater bombers to carry out bombing drills, and more than 10 cruise missile launches over the Pemboi range near Vorkuta in Russia’s Arctic region, the Russian air force announced (see GSN, Mar. 6)

“On Wednesday, Tu-160 and Tu-95 bombers conducted eight successful (test) launches of cruise missiles at designated targets in northern Russia,” said air force spokesman Col. Alexander Drobyshevsky.  He said the warplanes completed more than 40 separate runs yesterday.

NATO fighter jets closely monitored the Russian operations, RIA Novosti reported.

Units in Russia’s 37th Strategic Air Army are expected to conduct six tactical drills this month, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

The Russian air force currently has 141 Tu-22 M3 bombers, 40 Tu-95 MS bombers and 14 Tu-160 airplanes in operation (RIA Novosti, Aug. 8).

Meanwhile, a Russian general said today that strategic bombers have resumed a Soviet-era practice of flying into airspace patrolled by NATO and U.S. forces, Reuters reported.

A Russian bomber yesterday flew over a U.S. base on the Pacific island of Guam, spurring U.S. aircraft into action to track the airplane.

“It has always been the tradition of our long-range aviation to fly far into the ocean, to meet (U.S.) aircraft carriers and greet (U.S. pilots) visually,” air force Maj. Gen. Pavel Androsov said in a news conference.

“Yesterday we revived this tradition, and two of our young crews paid a visit to the area of the (U.S. Pacific Naval Activities) base of Guam,” he said.

“I think the result was good.  We met our colleagues — fighter jet pilots from (U.S.) aircraft carriers.  We exchanged smiles and returned home,” Androsov said.

Russia has begun to display more military power outside its borders in keeping with Moscow’s more aggressive international posture, according to Reuters.  Russia’s navy this week announced it intended to rebuild its Cold War presence in the Mediterranean Sea.

In July, the United Kingdom dispatched fighter jets to intercept Russian bombers closing in on British airspace.  The Russian military said the bomber run was routine. (Reuters/New York Times, Aug. 9).

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