Russia restores Soviet-era strategic bomber patrols

[Globetrotter]

I don't think they are to fear, easy Cobra

would you imagine if someone uncovered the fact that they do travell with bombs That would be a real "bomb"

[Webmaster]

Nope! Tu-95MS are actually missile carriers, and the conventional missiles are not in service yet, so if they would be armed it would be with nuclear Kh-55s!! I think under START-II treaty it's only allowed to be able to carry 6 Kh-55s, instead of the max 16 that was envisaged by the USSR for this type of Bear... but I'm not sure if it's that's treaty Bush and/or Putin ended...?   

[Raptor]

Actually, the Backfire was pretty cool. Assuming they will develop and build more bombers, then they would become a really really major superpower again? Like above the USA? From what i know of this subject, (Which isn't much in itself), Russia has better ICBMs than the US, even with both side's depleted stocks.

So, basically you appreciate the fact that the Russians are coming back to immense power, Sergei? We all know the size and natural resources of Russia. Like i've said before, just saying we don't want to take over the world doesn't mean some crazy idiot won't.

I'm not being negative here, just in case you get that impression. 

[Webmaster]

The Dutch evening news had a report on Russia, you know about the bomber patrols, CFE treaty cancelation (conventional arms, so it answered my question regarding START-II, that wasn't it, still no Tu-95MS-16 for now), the planting of the flag on the seabottom at the North Pole, and showed some footage from MAKS talking about Russia's pressure on Poland and the Czech Republic.

The Funny thing was, they had a picture for each topic, picture of the flag regarding the North Pole thing for example and guess what the picture showed when they said bomber patrol...

The Frecce Tricolore team in perfect formation with their almost harmless MB339 jet trainers!    LOL, I guess the reporter saw them at MAKS... thinking hmm, why isn't the green smoke blue?

The missile defense shield topic, showed a picture of I think SA-6 or Hawk-I in some desert camo. But nvm that.

[alyster]

There is no START-II anymore, it was replaced by SORT.

[Icarus]

And they are ready to get out of it, if NATO keeps on pressure on the Czechs for the anti-ballistic missile shield...

Russia is going to be better than the USSR the next decade, I think. Not only in military terms, but financially and socially as well. Just as the "never Soviet" generation becomes the workforce and the majority (that will happen by the beginning of the next decade), we'll see them catapulting into a superpower again...

[alyster]

Russian economy in large part depends on oil and gas exports which were fatal for the USSR.

Also their population shrinks about 700 000 people a year. Estimates say that in a decade or 2 they won't have enough people to control all of their land.

[Webmaster]

RAF photos!

RAF Typhoon from Number XI Squadron shadowing a Russian Tu-95MS Bear-H aircraft over the North Atlantic Ocean on 17 August 2007.

I also added one pic from the days when the Tornado F.3 used to this job, also the Tu-95MS, and one from Lightning times interception an early production Tu-142... note the big surface search radar housing.

[Globetrotter]

compare the pics in qualityt!! Much has changed

and the good ol' Bear still sees generations of aircraft passing by... but he is still around there...

[Gripen]

prpbably more of a training thing, and to show that Russia still has power, and they willingness to use them if they want or need to

[Webmaster]

By the way, I think photo 3 is an escort of the Bear to RIAT or another airshow, because the Tornado's are unarmed.

This one is an armed intercept of a Tu-142. Quite recent as well, 2002.

[alyster]

Nice pictures, The Bear looks like Fidel Castro - it can out live everything.

Anyway can someone confirm is "PAK-DA" a rumor?

A couple of months ago the Commander of the Russian Air Force (RFAF) Vladimir Mikhailov mentioned that the development of the Russian strategic aviation will not be focused just on further upgrade of the Tu-160, today’s world best strategic bomber. It was the first time when an official of such level mentioned principally new aircraft. This week this information was publicly confirmed by the Deputy Commander of the 37th Air Army major-general Anatoly Zhiharev, who also gave some details of the project. According to him the designers received technical specifications from the Air Force necessary to implement. R&D on the new aircraft has been already included in the federal budget. The militaries claim that the new aviation complex will be totally different from the existing planes and surpass the characteristics of the foreign analogies. It will be able to take off from different types of runways, including unpaved and short, to penetrate through any systems of air defense, to fulfill mission on any battlefields (over land and sea), in any weather and climatic conditions. It will carry conventional and high precision weapons (missiles and bombs). Unlike the Commander of the RFAF, who earlier said that the new aircraft will hardly appear in the next ten years, Zhiharev speaks about ten years as a usual time between the begging of the R&D and appearance of the new aircraft.

However, in the foreseeable future Tu-160 will be able to fulfill all missions of the strategic aviation. At least in the next ten years even older Тu-95МС and Тu-22М3 “will have no noticeable disadvantages”. All have a perfect platform for upgrade. Combat opportunities of the upgraded aircraft increased drastically. During last experimental bombing the deviation of the bomb dropped from Tu-22M3 did not exceed one meter. Such accuracy can be regarded as high precision arms. According to the official estimation of the Russian Air Force representative existing planes can stay on duty another 20 years, even 50. First of all it concerns Tu-160.

One of the most important developments that took place with Tu-160 is fitting it for conventional arms. This process started in 2005 with the aim of making the Air Force ready to fight terrorism. Then there were several successful tests of the strategic bombers in the Far East, including one held in the presence of the President of the nation. Once the President himself flew the aircraft as a co-pilot. In 2006 the tests continued in the Atlantic, Northern and Indian Oceans. Each year the Air Force gets one or two upgraded Tu-160. Modernization is viewed also as the R&D for the construction of the next generation aircraft, which will carry cruise missiles with the extended range and principally new equipment. Tu-95 will be decommissioned not sooner than in 10 years. Tu-95 is very economic, has excellent take off weight characteristics and can stay in the air for 25 hours. Its upgrade is also focused on using conventional and high precision arms.

Some of the new high precision arms have been commissioned with the Russian Air Force. One of the most recent developments is guided bomb KAB-500S-E. This is Russian analogy of the American JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition). KAB-500S-E will be used by the new aviation complexes at the altitudes of 500- 10000 meters with the speed of the carrier between 550-1100 km/h. Its accuracy is 5-10m. The “brain” of the all weather bomb is 24-channel GLONASS/Navstar PSN-2001 designed by the Moscow based KB Compass. KAB-500S-E is deemed also for export to India and China. Technically it can be used on the newest aircraft Su-32 and Su-35.

Yuri Seleznyov
Pravda.ru

http://english.pravda.ru/russia/economics/90775-russian_bomber-0

http://www.defencetalk.com/forums/ext.php?ref=http://paralay.narod.ru/t60/pakda1.gif