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US shoots down Russian claim that its supersonic bombers broke longest flight record, lists 3 longer missions

US Strategic Command listed 3 non-stop flights that its strategic bombers accomplished and which were longer than that done by the Russian aircraft
UPDATED SEP 23, 2020
(Representational Image/Getty Images)
(Representational Image/Getty Images)

As a new Cold War intensifies between the US and Russia, the former’s military establishment has shot down Moscow’s assertion that its supersonic nuclear-powered strategic bomber broke a world record for the longest flight. Over the last weekend, the Russian media reported that two Tu-160 ‘Blackjack’ bombers made a “world record for [the] longest non-stop flight” on Saturday, September 19, totaling more than 25 hours.

“Two crews of the Long-Range Aviation have set a new record for distance and duration on Tu-160 supersonic strategic missile-carrying bombers,” Lieutenant-General Sergey Kobylash, the Russian Aerospace Forces’ long-range aviation commander, told the media, as reported by Russia’s TASS news agency. “The pilots of the Russian Aerospace Forces were in the air for more than 25 hours, covering a distance of more than 20,000 kilometers,” Kobylash said, adding “nobody has flown this type of aircraft longer”.

The Tu-160 can carry conventional or nuclear-tipped cruise missiles with a range of 3,140 miles and fly for more than 7,000 miles without the need to refuel.

The US Strategic Command was soon to respond to the Russian stance. Though it did not mention Moscow’s claim, it tweeted to say: “A little #MondayMotivation to show what teamwork can accomplish.” It then listed three non-stop flights that America’s strategic bombers accomplished and which were longer than that done by the Russian aircraft. Its list featured the B-1 Lancer that flew for 30 hours non-stop in 2014; the B-2 Spirit that was in the air for 44 hours in 2001 and the B-52 Stratofortress which flew for 45 hours after taking off in 1957. 

“Together, the combatant commands set the bar for excellence,” the tweet, which included the hashtags #Deterrence and #TogetherWeDeliver, then added.



 

To support its claim, the STRATCOM came up with another tweet in which it posted links so that the Twitterati can learn more about those flights.



 

The Russian media said the two Tu-160 planes started from Engels near Saratov in western Russia on Friday, September 18, and flew for over 12,000 miles eastward over the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. It then went southward and returned to the west to land back in its home base in Engels.

Russia’s defense ministry told The Drive that the Tu-160s were refueled while flying thrice by six Il-78 Midas tankers. The strategic bombers were led by Su-35S Flanker fighters and “foreign aircraft along certain sections of their route”. The “foreign aircraft” were US Air Force F-22A Raptors and an E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft. 

Russian jets didn't enter US & Canadian airspace: NORAD

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) identified the Russian aircraft as they flew into the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone in a series of tweets. In one, the NORAD said: “F-22 Raptors and an E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, supported by KC-135 air refuelers, positively identified two Tu-160 bombers and two Su-35 fighter aircraft entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) three times last night.”



 

In another tweet, it said: “Although the Russian aircraft loitered in the ADIZ for approx. four hours total over the three incursions and came within 50 nautical miles of Alaska’s Nunavik Island, they remained in international airspace and at no time entered United States or Canadian sovereign airspace.”



 

NORAD Commander Gen Glen VanHerck (Wikimedia Commons)

It also quoted NORAD Commander General Glen VanHerck in another tweet. It cited him expressing anxiety over the growing strategic competition: “The re-emergence of strategic competition between nations, and competitors who overtly challenge the free and open international order, characterizes our complex global security environment.” “As competitors increase their reach, range and capability, our continental defense operations must be ready to detect, deter and defeat against threats in all domains,” it added.



 



 

The American military, meanwhile, continues to fly its own strategic bombers near Russia's borders. Recently, three B-52 Stratofortress bombers conducted a joint training mission over the Black Sea alongside fighter planes from NATO allies like Ukraine and Romania. Also, six B-52 Stratofortress bombers did a flight over all 30 Nato member-nations in a single day (August 28) in a display of commitment to European security and solidarity.

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