Russia dispatches Tu-160 strategic bombers to Venezuela for manoeuvers
11 Sep 2008
Moscow: Two Russian Tu-160 (NATO reporting name: Blackjack) strategic bombers landed at a military airfield in Venezuela, the Russian defence ministry said Wednesday. "The planes will conduct a number of training flights over neutral waters in the next few days and then return to their base in Russia," the ministry said in a statement.
The bombers, which landed at Venezuela's Libertador airfield, were accompanied by NATO fighters during their flight to the South American country, ministry spokesman Col Alexander Drobyshevsky said.
"All flights by air force aircraft have been and are marked by strict conformity to the international rules on the use of air space over neutral waters," Drobyshevsky was quoted by the Interfax news agency.
In an interesting development, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez said Wednesday he would also pilot one of the aircraft.
According to his government, the two Russian strategic bombers landed in Venezuela as part of military maneuvers. It certainly marks an unprecedented deployment at a time of increasingly tense relations with the US, especially with the Georgian imbroglio fresh in everybody's mind.
Also this week, Russia said it would send a naval task force from its Northern Fleet to Venezuela in November for a joint naval drill. This development was preceded by president Chavez announcing that his country welcomed the Russian navy and air force on its territory.
The arrival of the two Blackjacks bombers in Venezuela, marks a stepping-up of Russian strategic patrols over remote areas. Over the previous year, the Russians have resumed long-range strategic patrols with their bomber aircraft.
These had been suspended after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
