KAZAN, April 29 (RIA Novosti) - A new Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bomber officially entered service with Russia' Air Force during a ceremony at an aircraft manufacturing plant in Kazan on the Volga, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported on Tuesday.

The Tu-160 supersonic bomber with variable geometry wings has been manufactured since 1984 and was adopted by the Air Force in 1987. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, only one such plane was built, and was adopted in 2000.

The new bomber has become the 16th aircraft of its type currently in service with the Russian Air Force. The plane features a new set of fire-control systems, overhauled navigation equipment and avionics.

"Together with Tu-95 Bear bombers, these aircraft will help us maintain strategic parity with potential foes and will bolster Russia's national security," Air Force Chief of Staff Igor Khvorov said.

The new bomber will join the 121st heavy bomber regiment based at Engels airbase in the Saratov Region.

According to various sources, in addition to Tu-160 bombers the Russian Air Force currently deploys 141 Tu-22M3 Backfire bombers and 40 Tu-95MS bombers.

The plant in Kazan, the capital of the Volga republic of Tatarstan, has the capacity to manufacture a small number of Tu-160s in the near future, the president of Russia's Unified Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said at the ceremony in the city.

"We will soon complete the construction of several more strategic and long-range bombers and deliver them to the Russian Air Force," Alexei Fyodorov said without specifying the number of additional aircraft.

"As to the future aircraft, they will probably have a completely different design and specifications," he said, adding that it could take several years to develop specific demands for a new concept of a future strategic bomber.

"After we finish outlining the technical make-up of the future plane, we will start designing prototype models," Fyodorov said.

The Tu-160 Blackjack is a supersonic, variable-geometry heavy bomber, designed to strike strategic targets with nuclear and conventional weapons deep in continental theatres of operation.

The aircraft has all-weather, day-and-night capability and can operate at all geographical latitudes. Its two internal rotary launchers can each hold 6 Raduga Kh-55 cruise missiles or 12 Raduga Kh-15 short-range nuclear missiles.

The plane bears a strong resemblance to the U.S. B-1A Lancer strategic bomber, although it is significantly larger, and with far greater range, up to 11,000 miles without refueling.

Russia plans to upgrade the existing fleet and build at least one new bomber every one-two years to increase the number of available aircraft to 30 in the near future.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the resumption of strategic patrol flights last August, saying that although the country had halted long-distance strategic flights to remote regions in 1992, other nations had continued the practice, and that this compromised Russian national security.

Although it was common practice during the Cold War for both the U.S. and the Soviet Union to keep nuclear strategic bombers permanently airborne, the Kremlin cut long-range patrols in 1992. The decision came as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the ensuing economic and political chaos.

However, the newly-resurgent Russia, awash with petrodollars, has invested heavily in military technology, and the resumption of long-range patrols is widely seen among political commentators as another sign of its drive to assert itself both militarily and politically.

URLDiscription

Coming to a NATO air defence area near you soon!


"He lives in a world where concept is reality..."

Tu-160s flights are around the arctic, you usually wont see or hear about them like the Tu-95 sorties.

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Is there any particular reason you Russians send the Bears out over the Atlantic and not the Blackjacks? I'd personally like to see a few pictures of some Nato aircraft and those TU-160's on patrol.

a post like this without pictures is like watching a porn movie with your eyes closed.



____________________________________________

"Disclaimer: Please add a hint of sarcasm while reading any thing I post"

Persians are willing to lose every thing except their honor.
Anglo-Saxons are willing to lose their honor but nothing else.

Bring it on, Bring it on.

Two TU-160's was making some unusual maneuvers last year. They where flying along the norwegian coast, when the suddenly changed course straight towards Norway, and turned away just outside the territorial borders. Last year 88 russian aircrafts was identified by norwegian F-16s, on 47 missions.

So far this year, 34 aircrafts (including TU-160's) on 14 missions has been identified. The last was a few days ago, when F-16s intercepted two Tu-95, two Il-78 and four Su-27.

Norwegian TV2 sent a documentary yesterday called "cold peace" about the increased russian military activity in the North Atlantic. Lots of video and pictures from russian and norwegian activities. Here is a teaser from the documentary showing russians filming norwegian F-16s.

http://webtv.tv2.no/webtv/?progId=234576

Pictures from the last exercise





Tu-160 picture taken by F-16



Bear and Eurofighter

They're trying to save tyres by belly-landing them.


Lo there do I see my father.
Lo there do I see my mother.
Lo there do I see my brothers and my sisters.
Lo there do I see the line of my people back to the beginning.
Lo they do call to me;
they bid me take my place among them in the Halls of Valhalla,
where the brave may live forever.

a post like this without pictures is like watching a porn movie with your eyes closed.

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I could not agree with you more ..

NATO fighters escorting Russian bombers over neutral waters break safetyrules - official

MOSCOW. May 10 (Interfax) - The dangerous maneuvering of foreign
fighters near Russian Tupolev Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers may
lead to air incidents, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force Col.
Gen. Alexander Zelin said.
"I would not want to single that out but I must say that they are
acting tactlessly, to put it mildly. They approach our strategic bombers
to unacceptable distances and at unacceptable intervals, conduct various
maneuvers around them and violate flight safety rules in every way," he
told the press on Saturday.
"It is good that our crews have good self-control and discipline,"
Zelin said.
"They turn on monitoring equipment and record the violations. So if
there is any dispute we will always be able to prove that we were right
and acted properly. Especially as there exist certain agreements in the
framework of international conventions that must be strictly fulfilled,"
he said.
Russia has bilateral agreements on the prevention of air incidents
with almost all leading nations, Zelin said. "And they define clear
distances and intervals between aerial craft," he said.
Russian strategic aviation continues patrolling the air above the
oceans. The patrolling resumed in August 2007, he said. Russian bombers
make regular flights over the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans in
addition to the Black and Mediterranean seas.
"Today in line with the approved plans we are making 20-30 flights
over the indicated areas. Simultaneously we are carrying out air defense
and other missions," Zelin said. As a rule such missions are harmonized
with naval tasks and rescue operations, he said.
The Russian Air Force is offering a form of training to its
partners, he said.
"Duty aircraft both from NATO members and other states regularly
escort us when during our combat patrol flight. By the way, as far as we
know British pilots are very happy that we have started making flights
to the North Atlantic - they are being paid additional fees for combat
duty," the general joked.
"However, this is no friendly escort for our strategic bombers," he
added.
"F-15, F-16 and F-22 fighters regularly attack us above the Artic
Ocean. It is not a misuse of the word "attack" because our partners are
training combat action reaching the point of attack. I must confess that
this is quite unpleasant and even dangerous. Naturally we rehearse our
counteractions," Zelin said.
Several days ago two Russian Tu-95 bombers patrolled the air above
the Atlantic, he said.
"The bombers remained in the air for over 15 hours. Two Ilyushin
Il-78 tankers refueled them in the air. NATO Tornado and F-16 fighters
escorted our Tu-95 and Il-78," he said.
He reported technical failures during the flights. "But they did
not spoil the missions. For instance, there was a technical failure
once. Thank god it was singular. Touch wood. It did not affect the final
result in any way. So our flights over the seas continue and will
continue according to plan," he said.

http://www.interfax.com/3/392107/news.aspx