supersonic, variable-geometry heavy bomber TU-160
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British Chased Off Russian Aircraft
British Royal Air Force planes flew intercept missions against Russian bombers 21 times in the last year, British Defense Minister Bob Ainsworth told the country's parliament. Ainsworth said Russian aircraft did not violate Britain's airspace, but came close to it, or entered airspace controlled by NATO and patrolled by Britain. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the renewal of air patrols by Russian bombers in August 2007.
Most Russian air patrols are concentrated in the Northern and Norwegian Seas, the northwest Atlantic Ocean and the Earth's extreme North. Russia uses Tu-160, Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 panes for those patrols. NATO planes regularly fly interception courses toward those patrol planes. Chief commander of the Russian Air Force Alexander Zelin says that such flights are “tactless” and violate international agreements.
NATO counters that the Russian flights come too close to that organization's facilities. For instance, on March 6, the U.S. Defense Department stated that a Russian plane made maneuvers in the immediate vicinity of a U.S. aircraft carrier Nimitz off the shore of South Korea. The Russian plane was escorted out of the area by U.S. F/A-18 fighter jets.
www.kommersant.com
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