Russia sends 10 planes to conduct exercises near US airspace

On August 16, the Russian Air Force dispatched a squadron of Tu-160 and Tu-95MS long-range bombers and IL-78 tankers to conduct exercises in an area near the state of Alaska, USA.Business InsiderAccording to the announcement of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The Russian Defense Ministry said a total of 10 aircraft took part in the exercise. Two Tu-160s flew more than 6,000 km from the Saratov base in southwestern Russia and landed at the Anadyr base on the Chukotka peninsula.

Under the command of Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylash, Russian bombers carried out a strike on a target in the Komi region and then flew over the Arctic Ocean. Before returning to base, the crews of two Tu-160 bombers carried out an aerial refueling exercise.

This is the first time that the Russian strategic supersonic bomber Tu-160 has participated in exercises near US airspace. In May, Moscow also deployed a Tu-95 aircraft flying close to Alaskan airspace, forcing two US Air Force F-22 stealth fighters to scramble to monitor it at a distance of 100 meters.

Alaska is home to 44 interceptor missiles of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, the US's last line of defense against enemy intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Nicknamed the "White Swan", the Tu-160 is capable of carrying long-range strike missiles and is the largest, heaviest and most powerful supersonic aircraft in the Russian military aviation industry. The White Swan entered service with the Russian military in 1987. Russia currently has only 16 Tu-160s and the military wants to produce 50 more upgraded Tu-160M2s starting in 2023.