Russian Air Force Bombers Spark “Cold War” Reaction
In a manoeuvre harking back to the days of the Cold War, a pair of Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-95 Bears this week flew to the island of Guam, located in the Pacific Ocean. The two huge bombers arrived there having been met by a scrambled US Navy fighter contingent, but “smiles” were soon exchanged, said Russian Major General Pavel Androsov. The flight itself is thought to be the first of its kind since the ending of the Cold War, and, according to military analysts, is a symbol of Russia’s increasingly forceful overseas policy.
According to General Androsov, the flight from Russia was 13 hours in duration. Speaking at a news conference held regarding the matter, he further detailed how: "It has always been the tradition of our long-range aviation to fly far into the ocean, to meet [US] aircraft carriers and greet [US pilots] visually". He added: "Yesterday [Wednesday, 8th August 2007] we revived this tradition, and two of our young crews paid a visit to the area of the base of Guam. I think the result was good. We met our colleagues - fighter jet pilots from [US] aircraft carriers. We exchanged smiles and returned home."
A Pentagon spokesman provided confirmation that the Bear pair were identified on their way to Guam, and that consequently US Navy fighter jets (possibly F/A18 C/D Hornets) were made mission-ready. "We prepared to intercept the bombers but they did not come close enough to a US Navy ship or to the island of Guam to warrant an air-to-air intercept", he said.
Throughout the Cold War, bombers of Soviet origin, including Tupolev Tu95s, flew frequent and lengthy sorties to areas under NATO and US surveillance. Since the War ended, these have become much more sporadic in nature, However, only last month, two examples of Bear were intercepted off the UK coast by a pair of Tornado F3s. The Russian Air Force highlighted, following the event, that they were merely on a routine training exercise.
Source – Armed Forces International’s Aviation Expert
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